Steel Shafts In Irons Predicted To Be Replaced By Graphite

'Steel Will Go The Way Of Hickory Shafts' - Is The Golf Industry Ready For The Next Big Thing?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Graphite shafts in irons will become the norm in the not-too-distant future. You heard it here first.

In fact, you heard it first from Golf Monthly’s Joe Ferguson - he who correctly predicted a slow death for the blade putter on tour, as well as a surge in demand for zero torque.

If you’re a regular listener of Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show, you’ll know that Joe is generally not a smug person.

So, what’s this about graphite iron shafts replacing steel? Could this really be a thing?

Yes, says Joe - and here’s why…

WATCH: Joe from Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show explains why graphite iron shafts could soon become the norm (from 47.42)

“This is the next thing for me,” says a confident Joe. “I honestly think we’re going to see the end of steel shafts in irons.

“Historically, when manufacturing processes weren’t as good in graphite, people felt they lacked stability.

“You couldn’t get enough weight into them. It was more just what sort of lightweight, flimsy product can we make to give to slow swing speed players that will make it easier for them to move it?”

With a range of graphite irons shafts on the market, including Fujikura’s Axiom line-up, Joe says that’s no longer the case.

A golfer going through the fitting process for the Fujikura Axiom iron shafts — Golf Monthly test Fujikura's Axiom shafts

Not convinced? You’ve obviously not noticed the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Jason Day playing with graphite shafts in their irons - and the former, of course, is arguably the strongest player on tour. Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler have also dabbled in graphite irons shafts more recently.

This is significant, because there’s always been a perception that graphite shafts in irons are only for women, seniors and slow swing golfers.

At this point Joe, a club fitter and PGA professional, starts to get quite technical - so we recommend that you watch the full discussion on the video above (from 47.42).

Basically, what Joe is saying is that it’s possible to do so much more to fine tune the properties and bend profiles of graphite, whereas with steel the shaft walls are very thin.

“When you’ve got a lot more material to play with, you can thicken and thin up places in certain parts of the shaft to create different bend profiles more precisely,” he says.

“You can put different weaves in different directions to create different torsional stiffnesses, and you can do all sorts of things to make these iron shafts exactly what you want them to be.”

Hickory golf clubs — Could steel shafts soon join old hickory clubs in retirement?

If you're a shafts expert, you probably already know about some of the graphite iron products already out there - your Fujikura Axiom, LA Golf L Series, and Mitsubishi MMT, for example.

“Go and put a Fujikura Axiom 125x in the bag and see if you’re too strong for that!” says Joe.

Last year, Fujikura introduced three new weight and flex options to its Axiom line, offering an even wider range of golfers the opportunity to benefit from its shaft prowess.

Joe is convinced that momentum will soon start to build, especially with so many eyeballs on YouTube, where DeChambeau, Day and influencers such as George Bryan are regularly seen playing with graphite and championing the product.

According to TJ Spidle, Product & Brand Manager at Fujikura, “more and more golfers are playing with Axiom and seeing a positive change in their iron play.”

Bryson DeChambeau hits an iron shot with his graphite shafts — Bryson DeChambeau plays with LA Golf Bryson Series shafts in his irons

Momentum will build, says Joe, with a “huge shift” in shaft technology into graphite. “Steel will go the way of hickory shafts.”

We shouldn’t be surprised, either. Remember the time when steel wood shafts were in? When the industry said that they were no longer suitable, that was that.

So, are manufacturers ready for another momentous shift?

“I think there will be some resistance from manufacturers,” says Joe. “It’s more expensive, so the margins are going to decrease immediately.

“So it’s not in anyone’s interest in the industry, other than maybe Fujikura and Mitsubishi, to push the value of this kind of product.

However, he believes it’s just a matter of time before the momentum takes over.

“There will come a point where some of the young bucks out of college, the fitters will start putting those kids into some Fujikura 125-X Axioms.

“All it will take is two or three players that people like the look of, guys who swing it great and who are really powerful, to start winning in graphite on tour and then it will shift.”

Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. A multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the England football team, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment, travel and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including seven World No.1s, and has attended and reported on numerous Major Championships and Ryder Cups around the world. He's a member of Formby Golf Club in Merseyside, UK.

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