Best Iron Shafts 2023

If you’re serious about golf, you probably stay in touch with the latest club innovations and new iron releases.

While it’s important to have the right clubs, selecting the right shaft for your irons can lead to consistency in your game and save you strokes on every scorecard. 

Playing a different shaft in the same iron can produce wildly different results.

Shafts are crafted to match a player’s swing speed, style of play, and desired spin. With so many variables and a number of reputable manufacturers, you may be a little overwhelmed by all of the options available for iron shafts.

The good news is that our team has tested 30 different iron shafts among three different golfers, all with different swing styles, to help determine which shafts produce the best results for your game.

Below you will find a quick chart of our favorite shafts for each swing category, and further down the page, we have all of our findings laid out if you are looking for in-depth research.

Some Of The Best Iron Shafts For Every Category Are:

Iron Shaft Product Specification Comparison

Choosing Between Steel and Graphite Iron Shaft: Key Considerations

Shafts are available in a variety of materials such as chrome-plated steel, stainless steel, aluminum, carbon or graphite fiber-reinforced epoxy, boron fiber-reinforced epoxy, or titanium.

However, the most popular materials amongst professional and amateur golfers alike are steel and graphite shafts.

Initially, graphite was not immensely popular for use in irons, but as the technology improved, the popularity has grown as is evident on the PGA Tour where some of the fastest swingers like Bryson DeChambeau use graphite shafts for their irons.

Most modern graphite shafts are made from a composite material that aims to deliver the maximum benefit to different players.

The majority of golfers, especially men, overestimate their swing speed and have the incorrect shaft fitted to their irons.

Graphite and steel shafts are available in various flex settings from Senior/Amateur, Ladies, Regular, Stiff, and Extra Stiff. A fitting to find the most suitable graphite shaft for your needs is highly recommended.

Based on driver clubhead speed the following shaft flex is recommended

• Very fast swing speeds exceeding 105 mph require an X (Extra Stiff) shaft
• Fast swing speeds between 95 and 105 mph require an S (Stiff) shaft
• Average swing speeds between 85 and 95 mph require an R (Regular) shaft
• Slow swing speeds between 70 and 85 mph require an S (Senior) or A (Amateur) shaft
• Ladies less than 70 mph requires an L (ladies) shaft

Here are some guidelines for choosing between a steel and graphite shaft.

Steel shaft

Steel shafts are aimed at stronger and more aggressive golfers. They have built a reputation for being heavier and more consistent to provide you with more control over your shot.

However, this comes at a price since steel shafts send vibrations back to your hands to provide feedback on the impact with the golf ball. These vibrations could affect your limbs in the long term and contribute to injury.

A benefit of steel shafts is the low torque and a stiffer tip section for more control.

Steel shafts come in a larger variety of weights to suit golfers of all ability and strength.

Heavy steel shafts are generally low launching shafts while a lower weight results in high launch steel iron shafts.

Graphite

The best graphite golf shafts are aimed at assisting golfers with lower swing speed to get the golf ball airborne sooner from a faster swing due to the higher torque rate and additional flex in the tip.

As graphite technology improve, the quality, weight, and flex options are increasing to such an extent that some professional golfers now carry graphite shafts in their irons.

Graphite is beneficial for golfers that struggle with injuries or physical constraints.

Furthermore, graphite shafts produce a smoother feel and reduce the amount of vibration providing a muted feedback to the hands.

Unfortunately, graphite shafts are generally more expensive than steel shafts.

Composite Shafts

Composite shafts are a relatively recent addition to the shaft market and are made up of a steel shaft and a graphite tip.

The benefit of a composite shaft is in the control it offers similar to a steel shaft while the graphite tip adds speed and distance while dampening vibrations.

How Does Incorrect Shaft Affect Performance

The flex of your shaft has a significant impact on performance. Again, it comes back to your skill level, swing speed, and objectives.

Signs that your golf iron shafts are too stiff:

• Golf ball flies too low up to medium height due to lack of spin
• The ball flies right due to the inability to close the clubface
• Loss in distance even on flushed shots due to inefficient energy transfer from club to golf ball
• Irons feels too firm, and impact seems flush yet uncomfortable

Signs that your golf iron shafts are too soft:

• Shots draw due to clubface closing too much
• The golf ball flies too high due to exaggerated spin
• Soft shafts tend to generate high launch

What Is Torque In An Iron Shaft?

Every shaft, whether graphite or steel, has a certain amount of torque.

The torque of a shaft, whether steel, graphite, or composite is measured in the number of degrees that the shaft twists during the golf swing and classified in various ratings.

A high rating means a lot of twisting of the shaft while a low rating means the shaft is more stable throughout the swing. The higher the rating the softer the shaft feels during the swing.

A low torque shaft creates a lower ball flight than a high torque shaft.

What Is The Kick Point In The Iron Shaft?

Kick point is the difference in tip stiffness and butt stiffness in a shaft.

A softer tip creates a lower kick point and a softer butt end a higher kick point.  Low kick point generates a higher launch.

What Is The Most Popular Iron Shaft On Tour?

According to True Temper, the majority of professional golfers use their shafts. True Temper Dynamic Golf steel shaft is a favorite with pro golfers.

What Iron Shafts Does Tiger Woods Use?

Tiger Woods use the True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts in his 3-iron through PW and True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts in his 56-degree and 60-degree wedges.

What Iron Shafts Does Rory McIlroy Use?

Rory McIlroy uses Project X 6.5 shafts in his wedges and the stiffer Project X 7.0 in his irons.

How To Measure Iron Shaft Length

Shaft length is as important as any of the other aspects of a golf shaft.

The correct shaft length is determined by the length between the crease of your wrist and the floor when standing in an upright position. The average of both left and right measurements will define your shaft length.

This video illustrates the point quite well.

Incorrect shaft length will impact your ability to hit the sweet spot of your irons. Every ½ inch that you miss the sweet spot results in a 7% loss in carry distance.

Shaft length is measured from the top of the grip to the base of the heel.

Recommended shaft lengths are, according to where your crease is:

• Based on 29-32 inches wrist to floor your 5-iron length should be 37 inches
• Based on 33-34 inches wrist to floor your 5-iron length should be 37 1/2 inches
• Based on 35-36 inches wrist to floor your 5-iron length should be 38 inches
• Based on 37-38 inches wrist to floor your 5-iron length should be 38 1/2 inches
• Based on 39-40 inches wrist to floor your 5-iron length should be 39 inches
• Based on 41 or more inches wrist to floor your 5-iron length should be 39 1/2 inches

Final Thoughts – What Iron Shaft Is Best For Me?

Iron shafts are generally available in a variety of steel and graphite shafts varying in weight and flex to suit every golfer’s swing.

Although graphite shafts were initially aimed at slower swing speed and less aggressive golfers, advances made in graphite technology have made it immensely popular on the professional golf tours where some of the fastest swingers now use graphite shafts in their irons.

This makes the choice between graphite and steel more difficult.

Golfers with lower to average swing speed will benefit tremendously in using the Grafalloy shafts to generate high launching shots with a close dispersion.

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