If you’re in the market for a new driver shaft, one of the factors you’ll need to consider is the weight of the shaft.
Two of the more popular driver shaft weights on the market today are 60 and 70 grams.
Do you want to know which driver shaft is the right weight for your golf swing?
The Tell Me More Golf Team will tell you about the performance differences between 60g and 70g driver shafts and what you need to know to find the perfect driver shaft for your golf swing.
Who Should Use 60 Gram Shafts?
Golfers should use a 60-gram driver shaft with 90-105 mph swing speeds. This swing speed typically correlates to an average drive of 250-255 yards and a handicap index in the mid-teens to a high single-digit player.
60g driver shafts are heavy enough to give golfers a feeling of stability during their golf swing.
It’s important to remember that the swing weight is just one part of the formula for picking the right shaft for your driver. Shaft flex and kick point are other vital factors that need to be considered when looking at a driver shaft.
A good golf club fitter can help match you with the proper driver shaft to maximize your driving efficiency.
Golfers with slower swing speeds under 90 mph may still be able to use a 60g shaft if they are happy with the distance and the dispersion of their drives.
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Who Should Use 70 Gram Shafts?
Golfers should use 70-gram driver shafts with swing speeds between 106-115 mph.
As a golfer’s swing speeds increase, so does the torque placed on the shaft during the golf swing, so this is one of the reasons why a 70g shaft helps them reduce the dispersion on their drives.
Golfers with a high launch with their driver might also want to look at 70g driver shafts as heavier driver shafts tend to produce less spin and a lower launch angle than lighter shafts.
Again, it’s not just the swing weight of the shaft but the swing weight, the flex, and the kick-point of the shaft combined that need to be considered when looking at finding the right driver shaft for your game.
The best thing to do is find a professional club fitter who can try different combinations that match up with your swing to provide with the perfect shaft weight.
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Our 60 Gram Driver Shaft Recommendations
The review team at Tell Me More Golf unanimously ranks the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 60 Stiff Shaft as the top choice in the 60g driver shaft category.
The shaft is characterized by its mid-low spin rates and a mid-launch trajectory, ensuring a straight, penetrating ball flight. Its design features a stiff tip, but the midsection and butt are soft enough to not require an overly forceful swing for effective ball flight off the driver’s face.
Additionally, the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 60 is widely compatible, available with adapters for major driver brands like Callaway, Ping, Titleist, and TaylorMade.
Our 70 Gram Driver Shaft Recommendations
The Tell Me More Golf Equipment reviewers love the Project X HZRDUS Smoke 6.0 70G shaft.
This driver shaft features a low-spin, low-launch profile that lets aggressive swingers grip it, rip it, and hit low guided-missiles off the tee. At the same time, golfers will enjoy the feel and playability that live up to the HZRDUS driver shaft reputation.
You can find the Project X HZRDUS Smoke 6.0 shaft with adapters for most major driver brands, including Callaway, Ping, Titleist, and TaylorMade.
Heavier Driver Shafts Pros And Cons
If you have a faster swing speed, a heavier driver shaft might be an excellent fit for your golf swing. However, if you have an average swing speed, that extra weight might do your swing more harm than good.
So let’s examine some of the pros and cons of heavier driving shafts.
Pros of a Heavier Driver Shaft
- Higher Swing Speed – For some golfers, a heavier shaft weight can help maximize muscle activation and result in higher swing speeds than swinging with a lighter shaft.
- Less Spin – When you combine a fast golf swing with a heavier shaft, the result is less spin off of the clubface and a lower ball flight which can help maximize distance off the tee.
- Better Stability – With a higher swing speed, there is also an increase in torque on the shaft. And a heavier, stiffer shaft keeps the stabler and square at impact compared to a lighter shaft.
- Lower Ball Flight – Higher swing speeds combined with heavier shafts produce a lower trajectory than more lightweight shafts, preventing the ball from ballooning off the tee.
Cons of Heavier Driver Shaft
- Lower Swing Speed – For some golfers, the heavier shaft doesn’t mesh well with their swing, and they can lose clubhead speed with a heavier shaft compared to a lighter shaft.
- Lower Launch – A heavier club shaft with a lower swing speed can result in a lower launch, losing distance off the tee.
As a rule, golfers with above-average swing speeds will probably get better results with a heavier driver shaft over a lighter one. Conversely, those with average to lower than average swing speeds will perform better with a lighter driver shaft.
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.
The average male amateur golfer has a swing speed of 93, which is at the bottom of what’s recommended for using a 60g driver shaft.
However, if you have a swing speed of 105 mph or higher, you might need the added stability that a 70g driver shaft can provide.
How Many Grams Should My Driver Shaft Be?
Several factors go into deciding how many grams your driver shaft should be. Your swing speed is a great place to start.
Driver Total Distance by Swingspeed According to Swingman Golf:
- 60 MPH – 157 Yards
- 70 MPH – 183 Yards
- 80 MPH – 209 Yards
- 90 MPH – 235 Yards
- 100 MPH – 262 Yards
- 110 MPH – 288 Yards
- 120 MPH – 314 Yards
Using the numbers above, if you hit your driver, on average, 220 yards, your swing speed is between 80 and 90 mph. These factors would mean you should be looking, at most, at a 60g driver shaft.
If you’re averaging 280 yards or more off the tee, you’re starting to get into 70g territory, based on your swing speed alone.
Remember that the swing weight is just part of the equation of finding the right driver shaft and that the flex and the kick-point can also play huge factors in how the shaft works with your swing.
What’s excellent about graphite shafts is from the lightest to the heaviest driver shafts, these other factors can play a massive part in how that shaft performs for each golfer and their swing.
Will a Heavier Shaft Help a Slice?
As with many aspects of golf, it depends on your golf swing. But, yes, a heavier shaft can help a golfer with their slice because they usually have less torque and therefore twist less than a lighter shaft. This stability can reduce a golfer slicing and hooking the ball.
However, heavy shafts can make it harder for a player to release the club during the swing, resulting in slices and blocked shots.
You’ll also need to consider the shaft flex and the kick point in determining what is causing you to slice the ball and if your swing is more vertical or flat.
Conclusion: Research by Tellmemoregolf.com
If you’re looking for a new driver shaft, the most popular weights are 60g and 70g.
60g driver shafts are great for golfers with a swing speed between 90 and 105mph and an average of 250-255 yards with their driver.
70g driver shafts are a good fit for golfers with a swing speed between 105 and 115 mph and an average of 285-290 yards with their driver.
Using your average drive distance, you can roughly calculate which shaft weight fits your game.
However, golfers shouldn’t just rely on swing weight but also the flex and kick-point of the shafts when selecting a driver shaft. The combination of factors can impact how the shaft performs for each golfer.
Lighter driver shafts will promote more spin and a higher ball flight and help players release the club and close the face during the swing.
Heavier driver shafts promote less spin and a lower ball flight and will keep the shaft more stable during the swing, which can reduce hooks and draws.
Working with a club fitter who can match your swing up with the shaft that suits it best might be the best way to find the perfect driver shaft for your swing and game.
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