The 3 most popular driver shafts used by the top

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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

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.

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

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Driver: Titleist TSR2 (10 degrees @9.25)Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 60 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (16.5 degrees, 0.75 degree upright lie)Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 6.5 TX

Irons: Titleist U505 (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 130 S (2, 4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46-10F, 50-12F, 54-10S, 60-08M)Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 130 S (46, 50), Modus3 N.S. PRO 125 Wedge (54,60)

Putter: Sik Flo C

Grip: Iomic

More photos of Lanto Griffin's WITB in the forums.

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Tour Edge has proven that its Exotics line pushes the limits of club performance over the years. This year, the Exotics line has two new hybrids to suit your game and help you hit more greens or fairways. The E723 is a hybrid designed for maximum forgiveness and high launch while its sibling, the C723, is adjustable and made for players looking to work the ball.

To listen to the full review, click on the YouTube or podcast link below or search GolfWRX Radio on your favorite podcast platform.

The C723 is exactly as Tour Edge describes — compact and adjustable — for the more skilled player who is looking to add a hybrid to the bag. I love adjustable hybrids so you can dial in the performance to your setup with ease. The 19-degree head I was hitting can play between 17.5 and 20.5 degrees of loft with the lie angle ranging between 57 and 60 degrees. Now the loft and lie are not fully separate and some loft settings only have a specific lie, but still very useful.

The C723 went right to the course and on the first hole I noticed a flatter trajectory that had a more boring flight off the tee. Shots off the deck are actually easier to elevate than I thought but again offer that flatter ball flight. Ball speed is great and distance is effortless when you strike it in the center, or close to it. I also noticed impressive distance on shots off the toe when you would expect to see a bigger decline in a smaller club head. Shot shape is very neutral, and the C723 isn't looking to help you draw the ball. Forgiveness on off-center shots is better than you would expect and shots stay online fairly well. Overall, this is a great option for players looking for a players hybrid that offers adjustability and added distance.

If your hybrid needs include distance, higher launch, and forgiveness, then the E723 might be the hybrid for your bag. I might actually like the larger look of the E723 hybrid compared to its smaller sibling, it gives you the confidence that you don't have to hit perfect shots to see great results.

Out on the course, or range, you can immediately see the launch difference as the E jumps up and off the face quickly. The flight is high, and I could tell the descent angle was steeper than the C. The Ryzersole gives you solid turf interaction on tight fairway lies and gets through that nasty rough fairly easily. Just like the C723, this hybrid offers some really good ball speed even when you miss the center. Those off-center shots stay online really well thanks to the weight in the head being back and low. Draws are much easier to hit with the E723 and straight shots wanted to fall just a little left of target.

Sound and feel are great with both heads and shots are met with that familiar stainless steel "ting" that we know so well. I think the E723 fits a wide range of players that can benefit from some extra distance and a little higher launch to reach those greens in two.

Tour Edge has again done a really good job with giving golfers some exciting hybrid options with the new Exotics. Whether you are looking to work the ball and adjust your hybrid to fit your bag or you just want a hybrid that is long and easy on your poor swings, I think you need to try out an E723 or C723 hybrid.

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Callaway Golf has this week introduced its new night mode Paradym drivers.

Along with the new sleek black design, the drivers feature the same benefits offered in all previous Callaway Paradym drivers (read our launch piece here for more on the Paradym).

As a reminder, the drivers feature a 360-degree Carbon Chassis designed to promote unprecedented weight redistribution for maximized distance. The Triaxial Carbon crown and Forged Carbon sole are 44-percent lighter than a titanium chassis. This massive weight savings is repositioned both forward in a bid to enhance ball speed and toward the back of the clubhead for increased forgiveness.

Callaway's A.I. designed Jailbreak system seeks to provide stability in both the horizontal and torsional direction, while with a 33-percent lighter weight design, the designers enhanced stability in design for faster ball speeds.

The driver heads feature a refined shape with high MOI and adjustable perimeter weighting. Per Callaway, from a 15g sliding weight, players can experience an average of 12 yards of shot shape correction.

The Callaway Customs Night Mode (Paradym and Paradym Triple Diamond) clubhead profile is sleeker and darker in a limited edition design, and the drivers are available to purchase from June 14th for a price of $699.99 per driver.

Lofts: 9, 10.5 degrees

Shafts:

Paradym: Project X HZRDUS Silver – Custom Night Mode Cosmetic (regular), Project X HZRDUS Black – Custom Night Mode Cosmetic 60 (stiff)

Paradym Triple Diamond: Project X HZRDUS Black – Custom Night Mode Cosmetic 60 (stiff, x-stiff)

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