70 Vs 80 Gram Driver Shaft – Benefits of a Heavier Driver Shaft
When you order or purchase a club, there are a lot of things you can personalize about the club.
From details like the angle, loft, shaft, and grip, this is meant to tailor the club to your preferences and your needs.
The thing is, you need to know just why you might be choosing a specific detail and how that might help or hurt your game.
The weight of the driver shaft is very important and it’s a good idea to know whether a lighter or heavier driver shaft is going to be best for you.
70 Gram Driver Shaft
A 70-gram driver shaft is considered to be pretty heavy but not the heaviest. It falls into the middle but is still on the heavier side when you consider you could go with 50 or 60 grams instead.
Those 10 grams sometimes make a significant difference.
Why do people go with a heavier shaft? Usually, it has to do with being able to have a more controlled swing. With that in mind, it also may take a stronger golfer to really reap those benefits, according to South Hampton Golf Club.
80 Gram Driver Shaft
The 80-gram driver shaft is probably the heaviest you will find and is typically best for strong players who have a strong swing.
The added weight will need a little bit more strength behind the swing to get distance.
The heavier the driver shaft, the more strength the swing will require to gain any sort of distance. Keep this in mind as if you don’t have a strong swing, this heavy of a shaft may not be right for you.
The heavier shaft is really best for a straighter shot but may not be best for more distance, according to the Golf WRX forums.
Pros and Cons of Heavier Driver Shafts
There are definitely pros and cons to choosing either a lighter driver shaft or a heavier driver shaft.
This video from James Robinson Golf does a really great job of breaking down the differences in weights and walking you through choosing a weight for a driver shaft.
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons!
Pros of Heavier Driver Shafts
Let’s start with the pros. Some of these pros and cons will really depend heavily on your game and your play.
Swing Speed
A heavier shaft is known to be stiffer in your hands. The added weight adds control to the shaft so it feels more controlled in nature. For golfers who have the strength, the stiffness of a heavier shaft often leads to a higher swing speed if they can get the oomph behind the swing, according to South Hampton Golf Club.
Club Head Mass
The club head mass will also be affected, according to TPT Golf. The heavier driver redistributes some of the weight to the club head as well. With the increase in club mass, your swing might improve by way of things like accuracy and distance.
Activate Your Swing
While the weight of a heavier driver shaft does require a bit more power in your swing, it might just be the key to help you activate your swing at the same time. This is because your entire body will need to be used to get the power behind the swing, training your whole stance and swing to accommodate for the weight.
Cons of Heavier Driver Shafts
With the good always comes the bad so let’s take a look at the cons while we’re here.
Harder to Swing
Probably the biggest downside and the one you have seen us mention here the most, is that your swing is going to be harder to perfect. Those 10 or 20 grams of weight in the driver shaft require more power to get distance in your hit.
For that reason, your swing HAS to be stronger to make this type of club work, according to South Hampton Beach Club.
Distance
The one thing you can almost guarantee is that using a heavier driver shaft is going to reduce the distance of the hit against your ball. If you’re able to improve your strength in the swing, you may not notice this as much.
The heavier driver shaft will make your swing more accurate but will require power to gain distance with the hit. It’s a win-lose kind of tradeoff.
Golf Experience and Skill
For the most part, using a heavier driver shaft really requires someone who has a strong swing. This is typically most common of pro golfers or heavily experienced golfers that have practiced and know how to accommodate the extra weight when they take their swing.
Driver Shaft Weight Vs Flex
When it comes down to it, your driver shaft is either going to have more flex or it’s going to have more weight.
Makes perfect sense, right?
If the heavier weight of a driver shift gives you a more accurate shot, why would you use lighter? Well, a more accurate shot is all well and good but if you can’t get the distance behind the shot, is it really helpful for you?
The lighter weight driver shafts have more flex by nature. According to Moon Golf, you do have some control over the flex and stiffness factors with any weight. While this is true to some extent, just know that typically the higher weight is stiffer and the lower weight has more flex.
If the driver shaft is too heavy for the style and strength of your swing, then the impact against the ball is going to be at a disadvantage.
On the same note, if the driver shaft has too much flex for your swing accuracy, you again will be at a disadvantage. While you might have more speed and distance, the accuracy is also essential.
Cater your decision to your swing.
Light Weight Vs Heavy Weight Driver Head
You have to make a decision on the shaft of the driver but you also need to choose the head of your driver as well. These two pair together.
Just because you use a heavy shaft doesn’t mean you need a heavy driver head, and vice versa.
If you want a heavier driver completely, this sometimes helps with distance but only if you can get sufficient speed and strength behind your swing. A lighter driver head will be more beneficial for getting loft behind the ball and having a more consistent shot in the end.
Signs that Your Driver is Too Light
Take this piece of advice from Liam Mucklow, Golf Digest Coach. His indicator that your driver shaft is too light is when your wrists are unhinging during your swing.
It’s not the impact against the ball but rather how your stance and grip react in the swing. If you are swinging and your wrists unhinge, then your driver shaft is probably not heavy enough. This will directly impact the swing and the impact on the ball.
Signs that Your Driver is too Heavy
It’s much easier typically to figure out if your driver shaft is too heavy. Again, it’s all in the swing.
If you find yourself struggling to make a good shot or you’re having to push for your shots, it is most likely because your driver shaft is heavier than it should be.
If your shot feels sluggish or slow, the driver shaft is too heavy and your club speed is too low because of it.
Struggling to get speed behind your ball? Try a lighter driver shaft.
You can continue to practice with heavier weighted driver shafts but stick to what is right for you on the course.
What Types of Shaft Weights Are There?
When you take a look at the available shaft weights, you will find anything from 45 grams to 80 grams and plenty of options in between.
Aside from the 45, most of the weights are in increments of 10 so you’re most likely to find these.
- 45 grams
- 50 grams
- 60 grams
- 70 grams
- 80 grams
It is important to get a fitting with a professional if you simply aren’t sure what is right for you. They can check your stance and your swing and know what works best.
If you prefer a heavier or a lighter shaft, that’s ok too but just know it may be affecting your swing.
If you’re unsure which direction to go on weight, keep in mind that you need more strength and power behind heavier driver shafts in order to be able to get distance and speed in the impact of the ball.
Conclusion
Choosing a 70-gram or 80-gram shaft may not be as major of a difference as choosing between say a 50-gram or 70 to 8-gram shaft might be.
The key things to remember here are the strength behind your swing and just exactly what you want the outcome to be.
While a heavier shaft has its advantages, those advantages don’t always apply to every single player.
What weight of shaft do you use currently?
