Matching fairway wood shafts to your driver shaft?

[HRH68]

Howdy,

Bit confused.

 

I've been rocking an ACCRA TZ5 proto 65 tour flex shaft in my Qi10 LS (head replaced an M6).  Was recently told those LS heads are super unforgiving so want to ditch it.

 

I was fitted for new irons recently (ended up ordering a mixed set of Ping Blueprint S and Ts).  Ping don't offer PX shafts any longer so needed to decide between X100, X7 and KBS Tour 130X, which delivered the three best results on the TrackMan.  Took all three to the range to hit off turf and was actually lucky enough that the pro had a set with X7's in them that he let me use (same length, but black dot where I've ordered green).  Loved the irons with the X7 on the course but on the range the KBS's regularly gave  me an extra 5-8m in the 7-iron and felt beter.  This is the first time in 20+ years I haven't used PX 6.5's. 

 

While at the fitting I was fitted for a driver/shaft combo as well.  Best result came from an Elyte TD 9* head with a Denali Black 6.5 70g shaft.  I actually have a Denali black shaft in a Smoke AI 5-wood I picked up out of the clearance bin at the pro-shop and did like it.  I've got a Kai'li red FW 75s shaft in a TM The Original mini driver I've been gaming and a Tour AD DI-6 S in a TSR 7-wood that finds it's way into my bag on occasion.

 

Question is: now that I've been fitted for the Denali, do you think I should put in all the other woods?  Does that make the most sense? 

 

Both the mini and 7-wood launch it very high and I feel like I need to swing the mini a little softer... but can shape it both ways (most of the time... lol).

 

Do most golfers match their wood shafts as their iron shafts are matched?

 

Any advice from you learned lot appreciated. 

[glfcart]

I have tried a lot of times to match the shafts in all my woods, at least to the same manufacturer, with little to no success. For me personally, my driver swing is so much different than any other swing I put on a club. I'm playing my best golf with an Aldila driver shaft and Mitsubishi Tensei shafts in the mini and hybrid. I finally found a setup that flat out works, and all it took was me getting over the OCD thought that all my wood shafts had to match. 
 

Likewise, I play DG Tour Issue S400 iron shafts and Nippon Modus 120 wedge shafts. Something about the Modus in the wedges creates pure magic for me, but when I tried them in the irons I couldn't control them to save my life. 

[byerxa]

If you look at the pros WITB, a large number do not match shafts between driver and woods. Personally I have a Ventus Red 6S in my 4W which I love. I tried a Red 7S in my 7W which was OK but not great so I am fiddling around with that. Have a GD-DI 85S in my 4H which I love, so I might try a GD-DI 7S in the 7W. I had a Ventus 5S in my driver but ended up switching to a HAZRDUS Black 4G 6.0 60g. So I would not worry about matching - treat each club individually. The only thing I like to do when fitting is intermix hitting my driver to make sure my swing has not deviated too much to fit a given shaft.

[Jeff58]

On 5/20/2025 at 4:08 PM, HRH68 said:

Was recently told those LS heads are super unforgiving so want to ditch it.

A high percentage of men and women professional players use lower spinning heads. They can allow optimal spin and height results without having to resort to xxx stiff shafts, extremely low loft angles and low spin balls. 
 

Generally, some shafts are considered to be “better” driver or FW models, Ventus Black driver and Blue or Red FW, or GD UB with IZ’s. However, some manufacturers lines are more oriented towards differentiating models in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, HZRDUS for instance, and mixing them can be more, ummm…

 

The optimum approach is as @byerxa states. Get them all at the same time, and switch between clubs as you progress. An alternative (spendy) is to use a fitting service such as TrueSpec, where the basic intent is club matching.

[BobHatcher]

Interesting topic as I am considering it.  Last year I got a Taylormade Qi10 17deg 3-wood with a Ventus shaft.  I hit it just about as far as my 10-yr old Ping G30 so I was considering getting the same TM driver with the same shaft.  I have a fitting scheduled with TM in two weeks.

[HRH68]

On 5/24/2025 at 1:40 AM, BobHatcher said:

Interesting topic as I am considering it.  Last year I got a Taylormade Qi10 17deg 3-wood with a Ventus shaft.  I hit it just about as far as my 10-yr old Ping G30 so I was considering getting the same TM driver with the same shaft.  I have a fitting scheduled with TM in two weeks.

Keen to hear how fitting goes re: shafts.  Thanks

 

[Cbfodalo]

I tried to match my driver and hybrids shafts and to some extent it worked fine. I was playing thw mitsibishi tensei pro white with boron tip in my drivee. So I put the tense white hybrid shafts in my mizuno clk #2 , 3,4 and 5 hybrids. I only played the 2 and 5 hybrids and love the tense shafts and the ball flight i get qith those hybrids. 

For whatever reason I feel better with the aldila rougue white 130 MSI 70 or even 60s in my driver. I think you really just have to play them for a while and see what feels and works the best for each type of club. 

[Frank Newport]

On 5/20/2025 at 4:08 PM, HRH68 said:

 Was recently told those LS heads are super unforgiving so want to ditch it.

 

This isn’t exactly true. It’s very player dependent. If you’re a high SS and high spin golfer a low spin head has a good chance of being the more “forgiving” head. For me, Low spin heads are far more consistent than max heads. Mishits with max heads spin a lot. Don’t dismiss low spin drivers without giving them a fair shot.

 

 

Edited May 26 by Frank Newport

[HRH68]

39 minutes ago, Frank Newport said:

This isn’t exactly true. It’s very player dependent. If you’re a high SS and high spin golfer a low spin head has a good chance of being the more “forgiving” head. For me, Low spin heads are far more consistent than max heads. Mishits with max heads spin a lot. Don’t dismiss low spin drivers without giving them a fair shot.

 

 

 

 

That's super interesting, thanks.  I was specifically told the Qi10 LS was hard to hit.  Very keen to try other LS drivers as my spin numbers, due to slightly early release (I've had all my 40+years of golfing life), are very high.  In a recent fitting for irons, I hit some drivers and the new Elyte triple diamond TD tested well and reduced spin considerably. 

Edited May 26 by HRH68

[Frank Newport]

14 minutes ago, HRH68 said:

That's super interesting, thanks.  I was specifically told the Qi10 LS was hard to hit.  Very keen to try other LS drivers as my spin numbers, due to slightly early release (I've had all my 40+years of golfing life), are very high.  In a recent fitting for irons, I hit some drivers and the new Elyte triple diamond TD tested well and reduced spin considerably. 

I play the Elyte Triple Diamond 9*. It’s the best most forgiving driver I’ve ever hit.

[HRH68]

2 minutes ago, Frank Newport said:

I play the Elyte Triple Diamond 9*. It’s the best most forgiving driver I’ve ever hit.

 

Yeah, I only had three swings with it, with a Denali Black TX shaft and average spin was just a smidge over 3000, which is great for me.  On the look out for a head now.

[Frank Newport]

6 minutes ago, HRH68 said:

 

Yeah, I only had three swings with it, with a Denali Black TX shaft and average spin was just a smidge over 3000, which is great for me.  On the look out for a head now.

I went from Denali Black 6x to Ventus Black 6x and it lowered the spin and tightened the dispersion.

[HRH68]

14 minutes ago, Frank Newport said:

I went from Denali Black 6x to Ventus Black 6x and it lowered the spin and tightened the dispersion.

 

I have quite a brisk tempo/transition, you think the Ventus would be worth a try?  I've always used PX 6.5 iron shafts (which people are boardy) and I think the Denali has a similar profile.  Keen to hear your thoughts on how the two differ?

[BBO]

I bought a 3W with shaft I ended up really liking and was struggling with the driver, so I tried one out on my driver and loved it there as well. I am in process of getting a 5W and will be using the same shaft there too. It's all about your swing and how you like them.

[Frank Newport]

3 minutes ago, HRH68 said:

 

I have quite a brisk tempo/transition, you think the Ventus would be worth a try?  I've always used PX 6.5 iron shafts (which people are boardy) and I think the Denali has a similar profile.  Keen to hear your thoughts on how the two differ?

You an me both. I don’t really know much about shafts. I just let the fitter do his thing. I usually ask @phizzy30when I have a question regarding shafts.

 

Shafts that I’ve fit into recently are Denali Black 6x, Ventus Black 6x, Diamana WB 73 (3w), Ping Tour 2.0 Black 75 (3w), Ping Tour 2.0 Black 90 (3h, 4h), Atmos Black Tour Spec 9X (3h), and KBS $-Taper 130x in my irons.

[CanFred]

I carry the same shaft, but 10g more in my fairways (which seems pretty standard), but I don't think that is a requirement for everyone.  As many others have pointed out, if you swing your driver / fairways different, I don't think it makes much sense to match shafts.  Just works out well for me... 🤷‍♂️

[Frank Newport]

49 minutes ago, HRH68 said:

 

I have quite a brisk tempo/transition, you think the Ventus would be worth a try?  I've always used PX 6.5 iron shafts (which people are boardy) and I think the Denali has a similar profile.  Keen to hear your thoughts on how the two differ?

I also fit into the Ventus Black 7x for my Qi10 Tour 3w to match my driver shaft, but I didn’t pull the trigger because I didn’t have much time with it. My 3w is currently in timeout right now and I’m not sure what I want to do with it.

 

I also liked the HZRDUS Black 9x and AD DI HYB 9x in driving iron and Ventus Black 9x in hybrid at fitting but never gamed them.

Edited May 26 by Frank Newport

[HRH68]

3 minutes ago, Frank Newport said:

I also fit into the Ventus Black 7x for my Qi10 Tour 3w to match my driver shaft, but I didn’t pull the trigger because I didn’t have much time with it. My 3w is currently in timeout right now and I’m not sure what I want to do with it.

 

Two words: Mini Driver!  My 3-wood is gone and the mini replaced it.  Sometimes (longer courses or black tees) I game both normal driver and mini (which I hit off the deck more consistently than I used to hit my 3-wood) and then carry a 5-wood and sometimes even a 7-wood... for shorter/tighter courses the mini is plenty.

[Billy_shears]

Mine match and I see a lot of other people do also. I think it’s a safe route to go by matching them especially since they’ll have the same feel however, it’s realistically going to be dependent on you. The way a driver strikes the ball is different from a fairway wood and some may have better results if they don’t match 

[Frank Newport]

33 minutes ago, HRH68 said:

 

Two words: Mini Driver!  My 3-wood is gone and the mini replaced it.  Sometimes (longer courses or black tees) I game both normal driver and mini (which I hit off the deck more consistently than I used to hit my 3-wood) and then carry a 5-wood and sometimes even a 7-wood... for shorter/tighter courses the mini is plenty.

I’m strongly considering a mini driver. I wish I had tested them when I had the chance. Our club plays all the tournaments from the white tees which takes driver out of my hands a few more times than the blue tees. I’ve hit the Burner mini off the tee at the range with success but didn’t try it off the deck. I’d have to really feel confident with it off the deck for it to be worth buying.

 

I did a Ping Demo Day recently and found the Max 3W with the Tour Black 2.0 75 to be a great combo. I got fitted for and bought the 3h and 4h with the Tour Black 2.0 90x that day. It was the first time I ever hit a Ping shaft and came away very impressed. I usually opt for premium shafts but the 2.0 ended being a perfect match.

 

I’ve had a lot of success with stock shafts in driving irons and hybrids recently. 

[gvogel]

I have just one piece of advice.  If you have a fairway wood or driver that you hit pretty well, or really well, don't change it.

 

If you try other combinations from time to time, OK.  But don't change a club that works for you.

[Stuart_G]

14 hours ago, Frank Newport said:

This isn’t exactly true. It’s very player dependent.

 

I agree it is player dependent.  But it's also dependent on how you define "forgiveness."    Most people that have problems with forgiveness of low spin heads are talking about lateral dispersion, not the more simplified distance loss that those charts show.  And low MOI heads - which is what's usually needed to make the head lower spinning (in general - not an absolute) generally will have bigger horizontal gear effect that can drive the ball farther off line.

 

And that's even assuming those charts are actually accurate.

 

 

On 5/20/2025 at 7:08 PM, HRH68 said:

Question is: now that I've been fitted for the Denali, do you think I should put in all the other woods?  Does that make the most sense? 

 

Both the mini and 7-wood launch it very high and I feel like I need to swing the mini a little softer... but can shape it both ways (most of the time... lol).

 

IF the fitter was good, and was fitting the shaft based on things like feel, dispersion, accuracy, and shot shape control - then it's certainly a safe bet that the shaft will also work will in the fairways IF you get the shaft weight right and changing the shaft weight does not change the stiffness profile.    Some shafts are designed with different stiffness profiles as the weight changes.   For those models, it's best to start from scratch for your fairway shaft search.

 

Now if the fitter fit you into the shaft based on dialing in launch and spin - personally I'd go to a different fitter.

 

 

On 5/20/2025 at 7:08 PM, HRH68 said:

Do most golfers match their wood shafts as their iron shafts are matched?

 

It's a mixed bag.   There is no right or wrong way and both can be effective for different individuals.  The difference between the two options may not even be significant.   Do you want the same stiffness feel in the woods as with the driver?  How similar or different is your driver swing from your fairway swing?   How much do changes in stiffness feel effect your swing and the results (some are more sensitive than other)? 

 

Ideally one would go through the fitting process for the fairway wood shafts independent of the driver.   Only the trial and error testing that happens during a fitting will answer that question for you.  But nothing wrong with using the driver fitting results as a starting place for the fairway fitting.

 

Edited May 26 by Stuart_G

[robp11]

I have never matched shafts before, but last year I got a new 3 wood with a Mitsubishi Tensei Av Blue (xlink) 75x and I absolutely loved that shaft.  Later in the summer, Callaway had the 2x trade in deal and I calculated that with all of my old club trade-in's I could get a new driver for about $160 so I went to Miles of Golf to get fit...they do great fittings there.  

 

Anyway, I told the fitter before we started how much  I loved the shaft in my 3 wood, but we started with a lot of different Ventus, Graphite Design shafts etc.  On a whim, the fitter said, "you know, you mentioned how much you liked your 3 wood shaft, why don't we try the same shaft in your driver but 10 grams lighter..the 65x".  I ended up hitting it the best, and the launch monitor data backed it up...best dispersion, best center of face contact, etc.  So I ended up going with that shaft, not based on similarity though, but based on the launch monitor data.  

 

So I would say you can match shafts but it's best if the data also happens to back it up.  So I would stil get fit and see what the data says.  

[Nickb333]

7 hours ago, gvogel said:

I have just one piece of advice.  If you have a fairway wood or driver that you hit pretty well, or really well, don't change it.

 

If you try other combinations from time to time, OK.  But don't change a club that works for you.

I believe this advice is gold. 
 

To the op, I do try to match as many shafts as possible. 

[Frank Newport]

9 hours ago, gvogel said:

I have just one piece of advice.  If you have a fairway wood or driver that you hit pretty well, or really well, don't change it.

 

If you try other combinations from time to time, OK.  But don't change a club that works for you.

hybrids and driving irons fall under that rule as well. Basically any club that goes 200+ yards. There’s a reason you see a bunch of tour pros with some 10+ year old FW, hybrid, or driving irons. 

[Mitchell]

Highly dependent upon your delivery, most good players have a difference in angle of attack between driver and fairway (with fairway being downward a bit and driver up a bit comparatively) which can result in different shafts being needed for each. The only way to know for sure is to test various profiles and weights to see what suits. 

[phizzy30]

I've tried matching driver and fairway shafts, but it doesn't work.  I have a more aggressive transition with driver and hit up on it so I need something that's stable and keeps spin down.  My aoa with 3 metal is 0 to -2* so I like a shaft with a moderate transition so I prefer something that has a little bit of bend/load but still stable.  However, I recently switched to the Diamana BB due to my lower back issues and I'm seeing higher launch with a touch more spin, however my ball speed has gone up.  Still getting used to the different feel, however, results shave been good so far.   

[cbrwn425]

Just recently went through a fitting and ended up with different shafts in driver and fairways. Driver Denali Red 6.5 and AD GC 6X fit the best with the AD having a little better numbers. Fairways the Tensei AV blue 75X and Kai’li Dark Waves Blue 75X fit best, I ended up in the Kai’li because it launched a little higher in my 7W. And neither match my 3W where I’m playing the AD DI.