Hello Golfshakers!! 

I am looking to buy a new driver and am unsure if a steel shaft would be better for me. I currently have graphite shafted clubs but have noticed I slice and pull my driver and fairway woods quite often, a lot more than when hitting my irons.  My natural swing is quite fast and was wondering if someone does have a relatively fast swing are steel shafts better as there is less bend in the club or do steel shafts just provide more weight and therefore more length to shots?

Put it this way, how many pros do you see with a steel shafted driver?  Last one I can remember was Woods about 11-12 years ago.  Pretty sure your swing will be slower than that!

Best bet is to go and get fitted somewhere.  There are plenty of posts on this site about good fitters, the Belfry get mentioned as somewhere really good if you are near there.  I got my clubs fitted under the guidance of my pro as he knows my swing, so if you are seeing a pro then ask him.  If you are not having lessons then getting one with a good pro might sort your driver out too!

 Cheers.

When I was 'fitted' for my previous set of clubs around 10 years ago; the Pro recommended graphite shafts for irons and didn't even mention the woods - I was off 24 then.

I went to be fitted at Ping (at Gainsborough - no cost) last August, and they recommended steel shafts for my irons but based that on more than just swing speed. I was told that they would be more consistent than graphite but would be heavier to carry around.  Again, they didn't mention steel for the driver, and all the ones I tried were graphite (I don't even remember seeing any steel shafted drivers there).  I am short, and the only thing they advised me on about the driver was to have this 'cut down' by just half an inch - it's working just fine by the way.

From both my experiences with being fitted for clubs, it's worth doing, and it gives you a certain confidence that whatever the club in your hand; all you have to do is find/develop a consistently regular swing.

Thanks for the comments lads! Looked through the forum archives and found a similar post to my question from 2008 and thats really helped too. Ironically my irons are graphite but I dont really hook/slice those its just my woods/3 iron. Ill look into gettin fitted and see what happens.

Thanks again

I've not seen a wood with a steel shaft for years.

Hybrids, etc yes, but not a driver or three wood.

Russ

The fact you do not slice your irons may not be because they are graphite shafts

The woods having longer shafts and lower lofts will emphasise the slice by adding more spin on the ball.

I would get somebody to check your swing before getting fitted as it may be you are swinging on the wrong plane with the woods ?

Just a thought ? 

was just going to say before martin beat me to it that the reason you slice driver and not irons is more likely to do with the loft which is why some people play 3 wood off the tee instead of driver all the time or they recommend higher lofted drivers for slicers and beginners. besides i may be wrong but i think the stiff shafted graphites are probably every bit as stiff as a steel shaft which also has a flex as well. my irons are regular flex steel shafts but before that i had graphite shaft regular flex ones and the difference in flex between them was not noticeable.