Let’s Talk Gear: Steel Shafts 101
Most golfers understand shafts are designated by flex… but what is often misunderstood is how shaft flex relates to other factors not often discussed including weight and profile.
In the video, I break down some simple things to consider when its comes to steel shafts — flex, weight and bend profile — as well as why you might fit into a flex you weren’t expecting.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Dave
Feb 25, 2018 at 12:35 pm
Hi Ryan,
I have been building and repairing clubs since the late 80s, while working at Kings Forest Golf Course. Over the years i have been fortunate enough to be educated by Tim Wishon, Oakville Golf staff… One question that i have for You is how much do you think playability is affected by putting a heavier midsize grip on a set of irons when they were originally built wuth standard size grips? Do you think i should tip weight heads to bring the swingweight up the 3 points or leave status quo? My friend is an excellent player at Heron Point and he said he did not notice the lower SW when i regripped with midsize grips.
Ryan Barath
Feb 27, 2018 at 9:12 am
Good Question Dave,
Some players will notice the counter balanced effect of the heavier grips while many will not. By adding back more weight to the head to get the swing weight back you will also soften the shafts a bit. The proof is always in the pudding, and in the case of the added weight to the butt end if the players likes the performance dont worry about swing weight.
Mario
Feb 14, 2018 at 1:53 pm
i partially disagree with what he said, for amateur golfers, weight is important to prevent injuries, few years ago with a new set of clubs, shaft 120g i got epicondylitis, in just two months, a fitter friend of mine told me to go for graphite, while another fitter told me to go for 80g steel, i follow the suggestion, and with the 80g i never got epicondylitis again
Dave
Feb 14, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Great video! Question maybe you can answer this one. I’m playing regular, KBS C-Taper lites… my ball flight is very high, would like to bring it down as I play in Florida wind.. swing speed is pretty average. Would you suggest moving to graphite stiff???? Thx
TONEY P
Feb 14, 2018 at 1:40 pm
No the graphite would give a higher flight,lite shafts help get the ball airborne easy. Try a standard weight.
Ryan Barath
Feb 27, 2018 at 9:14 am
The single biggest factor for ball flight is player dynamics. If the ball flight is too high maybe try bending your irons a bit strong first before trying a shaft change.
Best advice is to always see a fitter.
Gorden
Feb 12, 2018 at 2:28 pm
Reading about flex is one thing, best thing is to find a fitter or even a big store like PGA Superstore and just hit balls with different shafts in what ever head your interested in playing. Either work with scope or just your feelings and you will find some that feel right or feel completely wrong…you may be supersized how different shafts can feel/work for you….while playing the head you want to play…
Improving Golfer
Feb 12, 2018 at 1:38 pm
Great video! Could you do a video on CPM and how accurate shafts are in our clubs vs PROS clubs. More specifically, if you order a set of clubs from a major manufacturer, how accurate are the weight of club heads and weight and flex of shafts in what we have vs. what the pros have done. Some club fitters say they do a good job with quality control, others say its best to get CPM checked when clubs come in because a “stiff” shaft may be anywhere from 280 cpm to 305 cpm.
Joro
Feb 12, 2018 at 12:53 pm
Great information, something everyone leaves out when talking about flex. If a person wants a correct flex the weight has to be considered which is why Dyn. Gold had 5 flexes within a flex. The lightest of the dyn. golds were at 125 and the heaviest at 130 gr. which created different flex within a flex.