Golfblogger

I currently have Callaway X-14s with Callaway Firm Graphite shafts, and am about to order some X-20 clubs.

At my club, the assistant pro I am working with is suggesting getting a custom (although factory assembled) shaft, the Royal Precision Project X steel shafts.  He says that it has a similar feel to graphite, but will last longer.  His suggestion is that with every hit, a graphite shaft starts to build addional flex and breaks down, where steel endures.  The Project X shaft, like many other optional steel shafts, has multiple flexes available, including 2 levels in the stiff range, so I would be probably be ordering the more flexible of the two stiff options thinking this would be the closest to a six year old firm shaft. 

The thing that makes me a little hesitant is that I also recently bought some used Big Bertha 04 irons with the standard steel shafts.  I ended up not liking at all the way these hit, and am the reason I am looking at the new X-20s now.  (The trade value is higher than the price I paid for the set).  I don’t know how to determine for myself if the reason I don’t like these new irons is due to the steel shaft, the different head design with built in draw, or weight, or a combination of all those-- but I don’t think I want the standard uniflex steel again.

So 2 questions:
-- Are some of these custom steel shafts similar in feel to graphite
-- Would you recommend someone who likes hitting graphite to switch to custom steel, or why not?

I think you’ll notice a difference in feel in steel shafts due to them being inherently heavier than graphite.  The Callaway website lists the X20 graphite shafts weighing 80-73 grams (I saw no explanation for the range), and the Project X at 125 grams.  The lightest steel shafts don’t seem to weigh much less than 100 grams.  Many times a manufacturer will make graphite-shafted irons slightly longer than steel to compensate for the swingweight change due to lighter shafts.

If you’re used to graphite shafts in your irons, it’ll probably take a while to get used to heavier steel-shafted clubs.

To me, the major reason to go to graphite is for the lighter overall weight, which is important for distance (lighter weight=higher swing speed=higher clubhead speed, all else being equal), or if the clubs start feeling heavy on the back nine.  With irons distance isn’t as important; if you want to hit farther, use a longer club.  My personal preference is graphite for driver and FW woods, steel for everything else.  Of course, my handicap is in the upper 20’s, so what do I know?

So Martin-

Which shafts did you end up going with?  How do you like them?

I went with Callaway X-20s with the Callaway stock graphite stiff shaft, and I love the clubs.  The difference between the Big Bertha 04 with steel and X-20s was immediate.  I am no longer wearing myself out and causing so much shock on misshits.  My instructor thinks that since my plane is so vertical, I will be breaking a shaft within a couple years, but the X-14s still seem fine, so I am not so sure about that, plus I am working to flatten that plane. 

Also where I think the Big Bertha irons had so much weight in the bottom of the blade, that was too much for me.  The X-20 has a lot of weight there too, but not nearly as much as the Big Bertha and I hit it so much better.