Heavy Graphite Iron Shafts Make it Easier to Switch From Steel

Heavy Graphite Iron Shafts Make It Easier to Switch From Steel

As trends go, the move to heavy graphite iron shafts in 2023 is intensifying.  I am talking about iron shafts that are in the 90 to 125 gram range.  This weight range is directly targeting golfers that have traditionally played standard weight steel and are looking for options in lighter weights and less vibration on off-center hits.  

Get a free online fitting now to see if a heavy graphite shaft may fit your swing.

Less Vibration but the Feel of Steel

A lot of players are looking for less vibration to alleviate pain from arthritic hands, golfer elbow or shoulder soreness.  Simply switching to a graphite shaft can reduce vibration over 30%.  Adding a softer grip like a Winn grip can help as well.  But, to keep the feel at impact of steel you need some material advantage.  Aerotech SteelFiber i95 and i110 shafts are the industry leaders in that regard.  Their shafts include steel fibers to improve the consistency and feel of those shafts.   New models include the FC 90 and FC 115.  The Mitsubishi Chemical Golf MMT shafts use a different technique of braiding the prepreg materials to give stronger feel yet less vibration.  UST Mamiya uses special prepreg materials as well in their Recoil and Recoil Prototype shafts to give the weight and feel of graphite.  A brand new entrant into to graphite iron shafts this year is KBS or KB Steel.  Their new line of TGI shafts in the heavier weights definitely feels like steel!  Other manufacturers like ACCRA, Graphite Design, Fujikura, Mitsubishi Chemical Golf, OBAN and UST Mamiya make heavy graphite iron shafts but may or may not feel like their steel counterparts.

Similar Launch and Spin to Steel

If you are looking for similar launch and spin to your current steel shafts you have to be pretty careful.  The heavier the graphite shaft, i.e. 110 grams and heavier, the lower the launch, lower the spin, and potentially, harsher the feel.  That is because some of the heavy graphite shafts are actually designed to give similar ball flight as a Dynamic Gold S300 or X100 for example.  This is especially evident in the Aerotech SteelFiber 110 CWT and Mitsubishi  MMT, and UST Mamiya DART V shafts.

Consistency versus Steel

A common knock on graphite shafts has been the inconsistency of performance.  I would say this is still true in lighter weight (40 to 70 gram) graphite shafts, especially if all you are doing is following manufacturers tipping instructions for installing them.  In these new heavier graphite shafts, the consistency from shaft to shaft is much higher.  That being said, we still frequency match, spine align, and swing weight each club in a set of irons to make sure they a built consistently.  Read more about our process here.

Our Most Popular Heavy Graphite Shafts

With the new shafts from ACCRA, Aerotech, Fujikura and KBS, I am sure the new models will change this list, however, our most popular shafts in these heavier weights are:

Aerotech SteelFiber i95 and i110 (both parallel and CWT)

ACCRA 90i,  100i and 110i TiMesh

Fujikura AXIOM 105 and 125

KBS PGI 90 and 100

KBS TGI 90, 95, 100 and 110

Mitsubishi Chemical Golf MMT 95, 105 and 125

Graphite Design Tour AD 95

OBAN i93 and i103

UST Mamiya Recoil 90 and 105

UST Mamiya DART V 90 and 105

Get a free online fitting now to see if a heavy graphite shaft may fit your swing.

Use our Iron Customizer to select the right shaft to either re-shaft your existing irons or choose a new set!

Our static test results:

Based upon our testing, here is a chart of weight, launch and spin of the shafts we feel give the best performance:

Dan Sueltz