The season’s first major arriving in August instead of April is certainly a shift from the norm. Given the unique timing, however, the players have had ample time to get dialed in with their game and gear ahead of the first major of the year.
As such, it’s the perfect time to look at what driver shafts the best players in the world have settled into. With hundreds of shafts available, what have the best players decided to trust in major competition?
Below, we take a look at the 10 hottest driver shafts on the PGA Tour right now. The process for this article was simple: I went through the top-50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings and listed what driver shafts they use. Any driver shaft used by multiple players in the top-50 earned a spot on this list.
You may be asking yourself, “Why does this matter for my game?” Well, for most golfers, it actually shouldn’t. Finding the right driver shaft for your game is personal to your needs and how you deliver the club head at impact. The driver shaft that Rory McIlroy uses, for instance, should have very little influence on the driver shaft you use. There are hundreds of different driver shafts available on the market that are each designed for a specific type of golfer, so don’t feel you need to play the shafts the best golfers in the world use. If you do decide to use a certain shaft because of a certain player, keep in mind that you should find the right shaft flex for you.
Instead of using this list as a guide to what shafts you should play, look at it instead as a starting point of what shaft models to test if the shaft designs sound like they’re in your wheelhouse.
Remember, finding the right driver shaft for your game can be as important, if not more important, than the actual club head itself. The shaft plays a large role in both feel and performance, and the role of the driver shaft is often overlooked when searching for more distance or accuracy. Make sure to do your research and extensively test the products you have available before making a decision.
That being said, let’s get into the top-10 hottest driver shafts on the PGA Tour.
Note: There are a number of PGA Tour players who play slight variations of the listed model. Ties were broken by the lower aggregate world ranking between groups. Information is accurate as of August 1.
10. Project X Even Flow Riptide
Players who use the shaft:
- Henrik Stenson
- Billy Horschel
Tech info: Project X’s new EvenFlow Riptide is a mid-spin and mid-launching shaft that uses Torsional Stability Optimization for both stability and a smooth feel.
9. Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue
Players who use the shaft:
- Abraham Ancer
- Sergio Garcia
Tech info: The Tensei CK Blue shaft (the Japanese word “Tensei” means “transformation” in English) features a Carbon Fiber/DuPont Kevlar weave for a smooth feel, mid-launch and mid-spin. It’s slightly higher launching and spinning than the CK White version listed below.
