Looking to go to Steel Shaft for Driver

When i was in college 12 years ago I use to play with a callaway steel head driver with steel shaft. I never really hit the bal with steel shaft as far as i do my r9 taylormade with graphite shaft but i did hit it much straigther then i do this current driver. Seems like even with stiff shaft as hard as my swing is it still bends alot on me and seems like when bends to much i am getting a open face on my club causing me to slice.. Now i know graphite shaft having that whip to it helps gain distance but now with the heads being more advanced then 12 years ago could i still get a good distance putting a steel shaft on my driver.. I want to say i am probably getting another 40 to 50 yards now then i did 12 years ago. I would rather be straighter then longer but i dont want to lose alot of distance by doing it..

Any Advice appreciatted

I'm not really sure you can do that with todays driver heads, as far as I know steel shafts are heavier and wouldn't that make the club head too light? Everything nowadays is tuned to specific weights and torques, I was at the golf shop today asking if the KBS shaft in my 4 iron cold be cut and swaped into my 8 iron but they said not possible cause the dynamics are completely different in those shaft lengths even though they look the same.

I'm sure you could get a custom driver made with a steel shaft, why not just go with an extra stiff graphite shaft though?  It would be light so your swing speed would be higher and it wouldn't bend as much as the stiff flex you have now.

You should cut your driver an inch or so if you want accuracy, and use a heavier graphite shaft. Make sure you have a club builder get the weights and stuff right because it could go too head light. Steel drivers back in the day were 43-44 inches and graphite drivers are now 45-47". It's not an apples to apples comparison. They basically make the Dynamic Gold steel wood shaft still, but you're unlikely to find a hosel that fits it unless you're lucky. Heavy graphite is easier to find and works fine.

I build my own clubs and have several drivers with both steel and graphite shafts in them.I have more control issues with the graphite shafts versus the steel.By far my most reliable and consistent drivers have the steel shafts.It is important to note however that I play smaller heads (280-320cc) in the more traditional "Pear" shape.The oversize heads (360-460cc) that I have tried on steel shafts did not work out for me at all and I would recommend that this size of driver head be put on a graphite shaft.

Sounds like you don't like the bigger driver heads. I guess if switching to a steel shaft helps you mentally then go for it. I think it is the old "Indian and not the arrow". Get fitted for the right shaft and you are still having issues, get a lesson.

Id suggest getting a shorter shaft for your driver.  You didnt hit the steel straighter because it was steel, you hit it straighter because the shaft was shorter.

No, there are plenty of steel shafts designed for todays drivers out there.

But honestly, I would skip the steel shaft, and get a harrison shotmaker, or a Nunchuck. I bought the Nunchuck for one of my spare drivers, and I absolutely love it. Not as much as I like the UST Mamiya ATTAS 3 80 gram shaft in my Callaway RAZR Hawk, but they are also in very different price ranges. The Harrison Shotmaker is also good, and cheaper than the Nunchuck. It should have the same effect as a steel shaft will, without giving up distance.

Funny to be reading this right now, because I just put one together on Monday night.  I had been wanting to experiment with a steel shafted driver too just for fun, and I had an extra 11° Wishon 919THI head laying around.  So I got a TT Lite XL wood shaft (.335" tip) and put in the Wishon head.

I just hit it for the first time last night at the house, and it feels really nice!  It definitely is heavier than my graphite shafted 919 (378g vs 312g, a whopping 2.1 ounces!), but it was dead straight and from what I could tell from banging some out into the pasture, almost just as long.  I'll be heading to the range this weekend with it to see just what it will do.  I'm playing in a tournament tomorrow and was tempted to bag it, but I'll wait until I can see what all I can do with it.

Regardless of the outcome, it will be a fun $10 experiment. In your case, I would check Craigslist and eBay for a suitable head, buy a shaft and try it out.  Should probably be able to put one together (if you can't find a complete club) for under $50.

The DG steel shaft for woods is available in both .335" and .350" tips, so that shaft will fit any head he wants to experiment with.

If you go from 120 gram steel shaft to a 60 gram graphite, could you really see that much difference in yardage from a 60 gram drop, thats between 1/7 and 1/8 a lb. I'm not sure thats a big difference. I know i can tell the difference between in the swing because the swing weight is different now. But, i don't think it would add that much in yardage

I believe the advice to get a shorter shaft is good advice.  When drivers had steel shafts driver lengths were typically 43-44 inches.   Now it is difficult to find (maybe impossible)  a driver length of less than 45 inches.

60g = 1.93 ounces.  60g sure sounds like a lot until it's converted to ounces!  Built right, the swing weight shouldn't change.  At least, it should be built to a target SW.  My steel and graphite shafted 919THI's are identical in SW and length, but overall club weight is obviously much higher in the steel shafted club.  .

I think you're traveling down the wrong path........graphite isn't more 'whippy' as you put it.  You just may need a different/stiffer shaft.  What you need is a proper club fitting to find the proper shaft for your swing.  If you want one a little shorter for more accuracy, this can be easily done.  A proper fitting is key...........(not a do it yourself kind of fix)

I hope this helps..

Wrong.

Wrong that steel is stiffer, or stiffer is straighter?

Steel is heavier by far, and the most common steel wood shaft is Dynamic Gold. That shaft is pretty stiff and low launching. There are softer wood shafts but generally they're obsoleted by graphite. Unless they want a super heavy and stable shaft, they go graphite. There are exceptions like the UST V2 96x and the like that are super heavy and stiff graphite.

Stiffer shafts impart less spin, all else being equal. If you're on plane and hit center, the stiffer shaft will curve less. If it doesn't fit your swing, maybe you'd go off plane or miss the center with the stiffer one, but even your misses will be less spinny and result in more of a push than a slice in than the same miss with the soft one in general.

Both are generalizations, but have truth to them.

You don't think that, all else being equal, a stiffer shaft produces straighter shots?

It is nowhere near that simple. It that was the case, we'd use hardened titanium for shafts.

Too stiff will produce hooks and kill distance. Too soft, and you will slice. But it is totally different for every person, based on their swing speed, swing path, loft, bla bla bla.

In golf there is no 'this means this will happen" scenarios, because there are so many different variables in effect when hitting a golf ball. Fron the person to the shaft to the head to the ball. Every little thing changes something, and creates a huge chain reaction.

This is a horribly complicated sport.