Who should use 40 gram driver shaft? (2023)

What gram weight should my driver shaft be?

Driver shafts for sale typically weigh somewhere between 45 to 60 grams, although there are heavier driver shafts available. Most shaft weights beneath 50 grams are reserved for ladies' golf shafts.

The shafts in the drivers of most golfers are probably in the 60 gram bracket. These shafts are light enough to help with speed yet heavy enough to give that feeling of more stability during the swing. This shaft weight will be beneficial to most golfers out there.

In general, golfers with slower swing speed and tempo can and should play a lighter shaft. Golfers with very fast speeds and tempo should play heavier shafts. Driver shafts typically weigh 55-60 grams for men and 45-50 grams for ladies. Iron shafts can be as light as 55 grams in graphite, and 130 grams in steel.

80-95 mph swing speeds should use regular shafts. 90-105 mph swing speeds should use stiff shafts.

They weigh in at D4. 5 with Project X Rifle 7.0 shafts and 6.5 in his wedges (Tour pros generally use softer shafts in their wedges for added feel).

Too light of a shaft encourages an early unhinging of the wrists in the downswing, a swing flaw shown here with an iron known as casting that robs you of speed. Mucklow's data also shows that a heavier shaft improves your swing path.

The heavier a shaft is, the more likely it is that your golf ball will fly low and with less spin. If it's lighter, the ball will tend to fly higher and spin more. As Briand explains, the weight of a shaft has less impact on swing speed than golfers think, but that lighter shafts could increase the rate of closure.

Heavy shafts tend to produce more distance, accuracy, and lower ball trajectory for a golfer with faster swing speeds.

Heavier shafts also have less torque, which is the resistance to twisting on impact, so a heavier shaft helps prevent slices or hooks and keeps your ball flying straight.

If you typically hit between 220 to 250 yards off the tee, then a regular flex club will likely suit you best. They are most appropriate for most mid to high handicap golfers, and even some who are more experienced but getting older and don't quite generate enough speed to warrant a stiff shaft.

Does a lighter shaft increase distance?

Using a lighter shaft allows more weight to be placed in the clubhead through adjustable weights, hotmelt, etc. without increasing the total weight of the club. This “redistribution” of shaft weight into the clubhead can be one of the last tweaks in a fitting that unlocks more distance off the tee.

Nippon suggested that a player should be able to tell largely by feel. A shaft that's too heavy will cause a “labored golf swing.” A shaft that's too light will hurt your ability to make solid contact. When you find the right shaft weight, you'll experience a “high energy swing” with uniform contact.

A good starting goal is 230 yards. This means that you are at or above 90 mph in clubhead speed — check out our article about how clubhead speed and ball speed affects distance — which is a reasonable and attainable swing speed.

This average swing speed is attributed to the average distance of approximately 214 yards, which does satisfy the average golfer's appetite for driving distance. But, if you're looking to increase your distance, speed might not be everything after all.

Players like Brooks Koepka, on the other hand, stick with 44.5". Tour players, however, change their driver setup quite often and experiment a lot.

The new shaft is a Fujikura Ventus Black 6X, and Woods used it at the JP McManus Pro-Am, too. The Ventus Black is the lowest-launching, lowest-spinning of three standard Ventus shafts.

Driver. SPECS TaylorMade SIM2, 10.5°, Fujikura Ventus Black proto 6X shaft, 45.75 inches. ▶ I sometimes switch drivers for no other reason than a change of pace, but the new SIM2 will be my gamer.

Later in this article we cover the benefits of shaft flex for a golfer who slice the ball. The short message is to go for a regular of senior flex shaft unless your Driver club head speed is above 100mph. The extra shaft flex will really help you square the face at impact.

A golf shaft that is too weak will flex excessively throughout the golf swing, creating an inconsistent release point. Swinging with a weak shaft flex can hurt you in both windy and wet conditions.

How do I know if my shaft is not stiff enough?

It's pretty easy to tell when a driver shaft is not stiff enough. It'll feel almost “whippy,” and you'll actually be able to feel the flex in the shaft.

It is clear that a heavier driver head can help you to achieve longer distances, however you need to be able to generate sufficient clubhead and ball speed. Lighter driver heads can help you to get the ball airborne and provide consistent carry.

The regular flex golf shaft is more flexible and easier for slower swing speed golfers to swing than the stiff flex golf shaft. A stiff flex golf shaft creates more resistance in the swing of a golfer. Therefore when they attempt to hit the ball with a bit more speed, they can get the incredible distance. What is this?

Players who hit their 3- or 5-wood as far or longer than their driver are typically using too little loft with the driver for their clubhead speed. You know, it's a funny thing with the driver and its loft compared to the other clubs in the bag.

Your fairway wood shafts should be slightly (5 to 15 grams) heavier than your driver shaft. So if you are playing a 65 gram driver shaft (noted by a numeral 6. 65, or some other designation on the shaft decal), your fairway woods should be 70 to 80 grams.

The Rory McIlroy setup iron is a TaylorMade P770 3 iron with a Project X Rifle 7.0 shaft.

Iron Shafts

Choose a graphite or steel shaft with a Swing Speed Rating of 70 to 80 mph.

If the shaft flex is too stiff, your average distance will remain low. If you are struggling with a slice, it is highly likely you are using stiff club shafts. By figuring out the most common type of shot you are playing, it becomes easier to know whether you need a softer shaft.

Will a lighter shaft make the head feel heavier?

Remember though, a lighter shaft means the clubhead will feel heavier even though the overall club is lighter. This refers to what clubmakers call swing weight— it's a measurement of how heavy a club feels as you swing it, not how heavy it actually is.

A stiffer shaft construction restricts the bend of the clubhead into the ball at impact. Therefore, your clubface strikes the ball with a sturdy lofted face and sends your golf ball along a low trajectory.

Golfers with faster swing speeds may lose control of a light shaft, giving the tempo of their swing. It will cause the shaft to veer off its swing path, resulting in hooks and slices. Lighter shafts help slower swinging players increase their swing speed, and get the ball up in the air.

But if you make the golf driver head lighter, you will then will impact swing weight and the club will feel extremely light. What that means, is you won't be able to feel where the head is and will likely feel like the club is out of control.

Conversely, upping the swing speed to 110 MPH offers a distance of about 284 yards, which is very impressive for any amateur golfer.

R – R is for Regular. It is for players with a swing speed between 85 and 95 mph. S – S Shafts are stiff and accommodate only players with swing speeds between 95 and 110 mph. X – X denotes extra stiff shaft flex.

The average driving distance for a golfer with a handicap between 5 and 10 is 231 yards. That's getting even closer to the average distance for all golfers and might make you feel a little bit better.

Driver Total

So to hit your driver 250 yards, you'll need to swing at around 100mph.

Rice conducts lots of studies using launch data, which you can read on his website, and tells golfers that if they want to hit the ball over 300 yards, they need to swing their driver about 108 mph.

How far should a 65 year old hit a 7 iron?

On average, each bracket loses four yards, with those who are 60+ have a 140-yard Smart Distance with their 7-iron. Even though the older age brackets are hitting it shorter, their approach shot handicaps are actually improving.

Basically the calculation is your ball speed is 1.5 times faster than your swing speed. So, if you swing a club at 100mph, the maximum you can expect would 150 mph ball speed.

Is 70g Too Heavy For a Driver Shaft? For most golfers with average swing speeds and tempos, 70g is too heavy for a driver shaft. According to the 2020 USGA Distance Insights Report, recreational golfers drive the ball on average between 185-240 yards.

What is this? This is your average shaft weight, most regular, stiff and x-stiff shafts are 65 grams. Mid to low handicap golfers would use a 65 gram shaft. The 65 gram weight helps players with swing speeds of 90mph to 105mph generate enough speed while still keeping the head under control.

MyGolfSpy researched the performance of different golfers with a light and heavy shaft. The light shaft weighed 55 grams while the heavier version was 75 grams. 80% of the testers achieved further carry with a 55 g shaft. However, 60% of those golfers achieved more total distance with the 75 g shaft.

Weight in the shaft is linked to your preference for feel and swing speed. Fast swing speed will benefit from a heavier shaft to provide more control without losing distance. Slow swing speed and tempo will benefit most from a lightweight shaft.

The heavier a shaft is, the more likely it is that your golf ball will fly low and with less spin. If it's lighter, the ball will tend to fly higher and spin more. As Briand explains, the weight of a shaft has less impact on swing speed than golfers think, but that lighter shafts could increase the rate of closure.

The lighter the shaft, the faster the club can be swung. The faster the club is moving, the farther the ball goes. It is why the most popular weight for driver shaft-weights on the PGA Tour is still in the mid-60-gram range, with some players having tried shafts less than 50 grams.

The most popular weight range of shafts today for drivers is in the upper 60g range. Using the same head, grip and length, you can see nearly a 5 swingweight point differential just by the balance point change.

Will a Stiffer Shaft Help a Slice? A stiffer shaft will typically make a slice a bit worse. Most golfers who slice the ball are playing with a shaft that is a bit too stiff. If you want to ensure you can get the distance you need and keep the ball straight, it is best to have a shaft that matches your swing speed.