You can customize almost every aspect of your golf club, from weight, to length, to loft, but one of the most important decisions you can make when choosing which clubs to use is picking the right shaft. The main types of shafts are steel and graphite, and what you choose should be based on your budget and skill level.
Price
Price is perhaps the biggest difference between steel and graphite shafts in golf clubs. Steel clubs are cheaper to manufacture than graphite clubs, and thus come at a lower price. However, steel shafts offer more control and accuracy, making graphite shafts an investment only for advanced golfers.
Weight and Distance
While graphite shafts are more expensive, they are lighter than steel shafts. You will need a faster swing speed with a steel shaft to generate the same distance on your shot than with a graphite shaft. The lightest graphite shafts weigh about 50 g and go up to 85 g, while the lightest steel shafts weigh about 120 g. On average, the same swing with a graphite shaft will send the ball about 6 to 12 yards farther than with a steel shaft.
Durability
Since the steel shafts are heavier, made of stainless steel or carbon steel, they offer more strength and durability than graphite shafts. When they were first developed, graphite shafts had a tendency to accumulate chips and cracks, which compromised the integrity of the graphite shaft construction. But as golf technology progressed, graphite shafts became almost as durable as steel shafts.
Vibration
You cannot tell by just looking at the shafts, but another main difference between steel and graphite shafts is the vibration they produce when making contact with the ball during a swing. Since steel is more dense, the shaft allows for more vibration to travel up the club, which results in a stinging sensation in your hands. Graphite shafts allow the vibrations to dampen before they reach your hands, due to the fact that the shaft consists of a less dense material.
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