What Is An 'Aftermarket' Shaft And Do I Need One?
Gear expert Joe Ferguson looks into an area of the industry shrouded in mystery
If you have ever scrolled the websites of the major manufacturers and come across their custom options, you may be familiar with the term “aftermarket shaft”. So, what is an aftermarket shaft, and do you need one?
In basic terms, an aftermarket (or exotic as it is sometimes referred to) shaft is the highest quality, premium product a shaft company produces, created using its highest-grade materials and manufacturing processes. “Well, surely every manufacturer will produce the best product they are capable of every time?” you might ask. In reality, no, that is not the case. Many shaft manufacturers produce a cost-engineered version of their lines designed to be mass-produced for a specific club brand and end up in many cases being what we know as stock shafts.
Stock shafts will often appear to be the same as their more expensive counterparts with the same graphics, fonts, and branding but may be missing certain features or technology. Take for example the Taylormade SIM driver. One of the stock offerings for this driver was the Fujikura Ventus Red shaft. Great, you might think, until you take a deeper look at the product. Whilst this stock product to all intents and purposes looks like the Ventus line you may have seen in the bags of tour professionals around the world such as Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, it is not. In this example, the stock Ventus shaft is missing the Velocore technology which is ultimately what has made the shaft so popular on tour. Velocore is a multi-material construction that reduces the ovalling of the shaft, producing more stability and as such consistency.
So why do shaft manufacturers build these watered down versions of their products? It all boils down to simple economics and marketing. Aftermarket shafts are expensive, with many of the best driver shafts retailing for over $350 the numbers would simply not add up in terms of profitability to make them a viable standard option. Therefore club manufacturers will ask a shaft manufacturer to produce a more cost-effective version of a popular tour shaft. This will be achieved by using lower-grade materials and less expensive manufacturing processes. For example, many aftermarket shafts are hand-rolled in small batches, versus stock offerings that are created in bulk by an assembly line system.
The benefits of this work both ways. The club manufacturer is perceived to be using extremely high-quality, tour-validated shafts and the shaft manufacturer receives great marketing, getting their company name out into the market in thousands and thousands of products.
As for the question of whether you need an aftermarket shaft or not? This is a topic that stirs much debate across the industry with many believing that the perceived performance benefits of an aftermarket shaft do not outweigh the often hefty price tag. On the other side of the coin, some people will vehemently argue that if you are looking for optimal performance, then utilizing the best-grade equipment available to you is essential.
As a former club fitter, I am of the opinion that if you are a strong, high-speed player, you should at least consider looking into aftermarket shafts if you haven’t already. The higher-grade materials and added stability simply stand up to higher loads better, producing tighter results in terms of spin, strike pattern and dispersion. That is not to say that a slower swing player could not benefit from the added consistency of strike that an aftermarket shaft may produce. In my experience, however, the less load placed on the shaft, the less apparent the performance gains are.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Like many equipment-related dilemmas, the best thing to do is test. Once you have seen the results, you will be better placed to put your own personal dollar value on any performance gains.
Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. Equipment has always been a huge passion of Joe’s, and during his time at Celtic Manor, he headed up the National Fitting Centres for both Titleist and Taylormade. He’s excited to bring his knowledge of hardware to Golf Monthly in the form of equipment reviews and buying advice.
Joe lives in North Devon and still plays sporadically on the PGA West region circuit. His best round in recent years came earlier in 2023 where he managed a 9 under par 63 at Trevose GC in a Devon & Cornwall PGA Tournament.
Joe's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: Ping G430 Max 10K 9 degree - Fujikura Ventus Red 6X 45.75"
Fairway wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour - Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro White shaft 70TX 43.25"
Irons: Callaway Apex CB 24' 3-11 - Project X LS 6.5 shafts
Wedges: PXG Sugar Daddy 54 and 60 degree - Project X LS 6.0 shafts
Putter: Odyssey Toe Up #9
Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5x
-
Cognizant Founders Cup Prize Money Payout 2024
Jin Young Ko defends her title as players compete for a purse of $3m for the fourth successive year
By Mike Hall Published
-
LIV Golf Appoints Pepsi Senior Executive As Chief Marketing Officer
Former PepsiCo senior executive Adam Harter has been appointed LIV Golf’s new Chief Marketing Officer
By Mike Hall Published
-
What Is The Difference Between Golfshot And Golfshot Pro?
Golfshot is one of the most popular GPS apps in the game, but what extra features does the upgrade to Golfshot Pro unlock? We explain all...
By Michael Weston Published
-
Why The Reaction To Jason Day’s Masters Clothing Is A Terrible Look For Golf
Is there any sincerity to claims that we want to grow the game and be inclusive?
By Joe Ferguson Published
-
What Is Avoda Golf? Check Out Bryson DeChambeau’s New Iron Brand
Introduced at the Masters, the American revealed that he had put prototype irons from Avoda Golf in the bag for the event
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Krank Golf: The Long Drive Brand Bryson DeChambeau Is Using At The Masters
The American sat at the top of the leaderboard following the first round of the Masters, with DeChambeau using a driver and fairway woods from an unfamiliar name
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Why Data Is The Key To Knocking Shots Off Your Scores This Season
Enhance your understanding of golf performance data and how you can use correctly it to lower your scores in 2024
By Golf Monthly Published
-
5 Reasons Why Women Golfers Should Carry More Wedges
They’re often referred to as the scoring clubs, yet many women only carry one or two of them. Carly Frost explains why adding more wedges to your bag will work wonders for your game
By Carly Frost Published
-
5 Signs You Need New Golf Shoes
Even the best golf shoes wear over time. Here's the five signs it's time you invested in a new pair
By Dan Parker Published
-
These Might Be The Coolest Nike Golf Shoes We've Ever Seen And Here's How To Get Them
Nike always produce special edition models near to big events and, at the 2024 Players Championship, the brand have delivered once again!
By Matt Cradock Published