Is The Driver Head Or Driver Shaft More Important?

The driver head and driver shaft impact different aspects of the driver and by extension, our beautiful game.  But only one is the ultimate game changer.  Learn more.

The various driver heads are built differently because of their design characteristics, and therefore there is no one-fits-all driver shaft which will suit all driver heads. 

The driver head and driver shaft have to complement each other.

When golfers choose their driver head and driver shaft combo, one may veer towards a driver head that has higher launch and higher spin characteristics, to be coupled with a driver shaft with low launch and low spin; or a low launch low spin driver head with a driver shaft that has a softer tip and designed to kick up slightly more.

However, depending on the golfer’s individually unique swing, things may not pan out as theorised. 

Some driver shafts which are categorized as low launch and low spin, when matched to the “wrong” golfer’s hands, will produce a much higher launch based on the way they load the shaft or perhaps they don’t manage to load the shaft because it’s too stiff to load. 

Being able to pinpoint the right driver head and driver shaft which complements your game the most, is key.

The golfer might not have chosen the right driver head that fits their play, but could think to make a driver shaft change to remedy the same driver head instead. 

The driver shaft, however, may not be as influential as a different driver head design or changing loft. 

With the plethora of driver shaft options, if one doesn’t know the shaft inside out and how to complement this with the driver head and its design built characteristics, it can be overwhelming.

Launch and spin are what comes to a golfer’s mind when one thinks about fitting, but what gets missed or forgotten is also the golf club dynamics – how the game plays out with the loft in motion, the shaft in motion, the rotation, how you feel when you’re holding the driver and when you’re swinging it, how the balance affects your timing, etc. 

If you don’t catch the right timing, you will be inconsistent as your strike point will be all over the club face.

So, is the driver head or driver shaft more important? 

Some golfers think the shaft is everything as it is the engine of the club. 

The driver shaft is important when it comes to the dynamics of the swing, the timing involved, and how it loads to create the timing. 

The driver shaft is also the part where the player can be at one with for their game, where the shaft is like a spring that creates the energy and matches the golfer’s tempo – simply put, the different bend profiles of the shafts will make you feel differently. 

However, the driver head is really what is delivering the ball flight in the category of launch and spin.  The driver head characteristics dictate what goes on when the driver is in play, and not the driver shaft.

So, all things being equal, the head affects the ball flight more than the shaft.  BUT, it's the shaft that gets the head to the ball, and if you can't do that consistently, nothing in the head's going to help you at all!

There are so many moving parts in our beautiful game.  Come get fitted to achieve the balance you need for everything!

Our Master Fitter has fitted thousands of high handicap golfers around the world, including me :)  On the other hand, he has also fitted the best golfers in the world, such as Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh!

👉 Click here to book your 1 on 1 fitting here