The 3 most popular driver shafts used by the top

Jul 25, 2023

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The story below seeks to answer the question: "What are the most commonly used driver shafts by the top-50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings?"

The story below does NOT answer the question: "What driver shaft should YOU use?"

It's an important distinction to keep in mind before continuing.

Golfers at the top level of the game are, of course, some of the most influential tastemakers in the sport. Their equipment decisions, fashion choices, and even swing changes help to shape the golfing decisions of the general public, whether it's for the better or worse. For some golf fans, the equipment that the top players in the world use help to determine the clubs and shafts they test or buy for themselves.

The mentality goes something like, "Hey, if it's good enough for Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm, it's probably good enough for me."

The flaw in that line of thinking, at least when it comes to driver shafts, is that McIlroy currently averages 326.2 yards off the tee on the PGA Tour so far in the 2022-2023 season, and Jon Rahm averages 311.5 yards. The AVERAGE driving distance on the PGA Tour in 2022-2023 is 298.7 yards, and the AVERAGE ball speed off the tee is 172.95 mph.

The top golfers in the world do not play golf, or swing the golf club, anything like an everyday golfer who pays greens fees.

In reality, PGA Tour players don't swing like each other, either. Even though most of them hit the ball over 300 yards on the regular, they each have different speeds, swing transitions, release patterns, angles of attack, launch angles, spin rates, and they even have different goals in mind for how to achieve maximum efficiency with their driver swings.

The point is, it's extremely likely that your personal golf swing, and launch monitor data, looks nothing like any of the players on the list below.

I know…but you drove it 330… on that one hole… during that one round… a couple weeks back. Great drive, and I hope you made birdie, but I do hope you understand that driver fitting works to help minimize your typical misses and optimize your average drive – not to fuel a sense of pride by playing a shaft that's too stiff and too heavy for you because you caught the speed slot on hole 14 last month and now you think you’re knocking on top-20 PGA Tour speed.

I’m not trying to be mean, either. I’m trying to say the best driver shaft for you is the one that actually helps you hit it long and straight, not the one that most closely resembles a PGA Tour player's driver setup.

So, my suggestion is to use this story as either pure entertainment, or as a starting point of information gathering on what shafts you would like to test during your next fitting or testing session. I’ve provided a link to each shaft in the story so you can explore the shaft profile and see if it's in your wheelhouse to test.

Every single golfer on this list is using the driver shaft they’re using because they hit a multitude of shafts with varying lengths, weights, flex profiles, torque profiles, and a myriad of other characteristics. They tested various shaft offerings with the help of a fitter, and they tracked each shot with a launch monitor, ultimately determining that a particular shaft best suits their game and preferences, and works in conjunction with their driver head and grip of choice.

Everyday golfers can most easily find their perfect driver shaft by getting with a fitter and trying out different models for themselves. It's also important to keep in mind that each model comes in different flexes and weights, and each family of shafts typically has different design categories. For example, maybe the low-spinning "Fujikura Ventus Black" flies a bit too low for your swing and speed, but maybe the higher-spinning "Fujikura Ventus Red" is right in your window. There's a lot of moving parts when it comes to shafts, which is why I so strongly suggest consulting a professional fitter.

OK, now, with that being said, let's get into the results.

The scientific process for this story was simple: I looked up the top-50 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings, and then cross-referenced each player with the extensive GolfWRX.com WITB database to see what driver shaft each player has used most recently. The full list is down at the bottom of the story, and the shafts that appeared most often in the top-50 list were awarded the "most popular" tag below.

Hopefully this list can provide a jumping off point for your next driver shaft testing session!

According to Fujikura, the Ventus TR Blue is a mid-launch, low-spin shaft

"A powerful combination of stability and feel, TR Blue maintains an ultra-stiff tip section for superior control at impact," Fujikura says. "Increased torsional stiffness creates a profile with enhanced load capabilities for more aggressive swings while maintaining a smooth overall feel."

Read more here

According to Fujikura, the Ventus Black is a low-launch shaft.

Fujikura speaks on the Ventus technology: "The exceptionally engineered Ventus is designed to significantly tighten shot dispersion and maximize ball speed especially on off-center shots. Ventus is a Tour-inspired profile and the first to include Fujikura's all-new VeloCore Technology in an accelerated taper, ultra-stiff tip profile. Maximum energy transfer from the tip section boosts the clubhead's performance and a straight taper design enhances loading and feel."

Read more here

According to Fujikura, the Ventus Blue is a mid-launch shaft, and is constructed with the same VeloCore technology as the aforementioned Ventus Black.

Fujikura explains more about VeloCore: "A multi-material bias core construction that delivers ultimate stability through transition and impact (maximizing clubhead MOI) – increasing velocity and smash factor. The multi-material core is crafted with full-length, ultra-high modulus Pitch 70 Ton Carbon Fiber — 150 percent stronger and more stable than T1100g — for ultimate stability, and 40 Ton bias layers ensure incredible feel."

Read more here

According to Graphite Design, the Tour AD-DI (which stands for "Deep Impact") uses NanoAlloy material and aerospace-quality carbon fiber t0 promote shaft stability and greater speed without the loss of feel. It has a soft mid-section to create load, but a stiff tip section to encourage high launch and low spin.

Read more here

*Each of these shafts appeared more than once on the top-50 list:

Check out GolfWRX.com's full WITB database here

Spotted: New Aldila Rogue shaft at the BMW Charity Pro-Am (Korn Ferry Tour)

Club Junkie Review: Tour Edge Exotics C723, E723 hybrids

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

MCA

Jun 7, 2023 at 12:25 pm

I feel like D-Limited and D+ are the same shaft which would put it in #3 but it is also accurate to list them as different model names.

Sincerely,A Diamana D Limited Fan

Boydenit

Jun 7, 2023 at 5:26 am

Great read with one glaring omission! You should have added what country each of these shafts is manufactured in, to better understand the true cost of a +$400 shaft.

P Kessler

Jun 6, 2023 at 7:35 pm

What's Annika Playing??

That's where I am at these days.

F

Jun 6, 2023 at 7:37 pm

She plays the fiddle stick

Kim

Jun 7, 2023 at 11:09 am

Would be more interested to see top 50 LPGA shafts. More applicable to my game

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It was DJ's first win in the RBC Canadian Open, and he became the first world number one-ranked player to win the tournament since 1981. Additionally, Johnson's triumph came just a week after a disappointing finish at The Open Championship, where he held the 54-hole lead but ultimately finished tied for second.

Driver: TaylorMade M4 (9.5 degrees)Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 661 Evolution 2.0 Tour Spec X

3-wood: TaylorMade M4 3HL (16.5 degrees)Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 95 6.5

Irons: TaylorMade P730 DJ Proto (3-PW)Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

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Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour BlackGrip: SuperStroke Pistol GT 1.0

Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

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Golfers on professional tours use a wide range of wedge lofts to hit the shots they need in order to score well. Not many of us amateurs go with a high-lofted lob wedge like Joey Garber's 64-degree Vokey. His Vokey is a prototype but there was a 64 W Grind that was available to us in a limited edition through Vokey's WedgeWorks program. The W Grind offers a wider, low-bounce, sole for firm conditions and courses with lots of elevated greens.

Vokey describes the 64 W Grind

"The 64W is a unique wedge made for players who play in firm conditions, golf courses with elevated greens and tricky short-sided lies. This wedge is made for the player with quick hands who likes to see the ball elevate quickly, the fearless player who isn't afraid to attack any pin. The sole is a medium-width sole with slight camber and an effective bounce of 4°."

It looks like Garber's wedge might have a little more bounce than the retail model as we see a "9" stamped in the Proto stamping on the toe. He has also gone with what looks like a raw steel finish over the retail model's black finish.

A Mitsubishi MMT Scoring Wedge 125 TX is the shaft of choice and the wedge is finished off with a Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord grip.

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The logo looks to be the image for "infinity" after the Rogue text, so that could be a clue to a future name for the shaft. I did some searching and found some specs from a listing for a Japan version of the shaft, so these might change by the time we get the shafts here in the United States. There is also a logo for a "Dual Torque Core" technology that was described as an "ultra high modulus carbon for the entire length of the shaft." The description was a little washy on the launch of the shaft as part of it described the Rogue as a mid-launch while another section stated high launch and low spin.

50TR: Weight 58.5 / Torque 4.650TS: Weight 60.5/Torque 4.550TX: Weight 61.0/Torque 4.5

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70TS: Weight 74.0/Torque 3.170TX: Weight 76.0/Torque 3.1

80TX: weight 84.5/torque 3.1

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