Do Graphite Shafts Break Easily?

One of the many custom fit options for golf clubs is the shaft.

Golfers can choose between a steel shaft or a graphite shaft. Golfers seeks different things out their golf clubs:

Some golfers only worry about performance

Some golfers only worry about longevity
Some golfers are most concerned with the price
Some golfers are ceroned with all 3 of the above

At one point, especially when it came to the irons, the graphite shaft was used most commonly by juniors golfers, senior golfers or women golfers due to low swing speed typically found in these groups of golfers.

However, the fastest swinging professional on tour, Bryson DeChambeau uses graphite shafts throughout his bag. For those worried about longevity, today we dive into if the graphite shafts break easily.

Do graphite shafts break easily?

No, they do not break easily and should last for the life of the club until you are ready to replace for performance reasons. They were once thought to break easier than steel shafts, but with the proper care of the golf clubs, they should last a long time.

The reality is that golf clubs technology siginfinanctly improves every 10 years with little advancements year in and year out.

Are Graphite Shafts Better?

Please make sure you use a head cover on your graphite shaft driver!

How to care for your graphite shaft golf club?

Here are some recommendations that we have:

Do not throw or hit the club hard into the ground after a poor shot.
Be careful putting your clubs in and out of your vehicle.
Use a head cover on your driver that has a graphite shaft.

Be sure to protect your golf clubs when traveling via airplane.
Make sure your clubs are properly secured in a golf cart.

Recommendation #1: Do not throw or hit the club hard into the ground after a poor shot

This one seems rather simple, but the number one reason how a graphite shaft breaks is from anger out of the golfer. The golfer hits a poor drive off the 18 tee and after a long day or poor drives, slams the club into the ground or side arm throws the club up into a tree. While it might sound ridiculous to read, we know we have all seen it out of playing partners or have done this ourselves.

If you treat your club and have some class on the golf course, you can prevent breaking your club or damaging it so that it doesn’t perform at the highest level possible.

Steel vs Graphite Shafts

Recommendation #2: Be careful putting your clubs in and out of your vehicle

The average driver is now 46 inches long. Golf clubs can break in transit to and from the golf course. Picture this, the golfer is putting his or her clubs into the trunk of their car after an 18 hole round, as they talk to a playing partner, they do not realize the driver is somewhat out of the bag and as they put the clubs into the car, it bends and the shaft breaks.

This is another preventable situation by paying attention and treating your 400-600 dollar driver with care.

Recommendation #3: Use a head cover on your driver that has a graphite shaft

I see it all too often, the golfer that doesn’t put their head cover on between shots and just shoves the driver back into the bag. This is a bad idea, especially when riding in a cart, as the irons will bounce around and possibly nick the driver shaft at a spot somewhere below the club head. A simple 2-3 second solution is to put your head cover on after every tee shot and treat your clubs with care.

Recommendation #4: Be sure to protect your golf clubs when traveling via airplane

There would be nothing worse than arriving at your destination, opening up your travel bag and finding that the shaft of your driver was snapped as it was thrown on or off a conveyor belt. The good news is that there are several options you can take.

Places sell a long shaft with a protector on top that is longer than the driver and absorbs the shock if the bag is thrown improperly.
Another option is to wrap bubble wrap or towels around your club.
The third and maybe best option is to remove the club head as most drivers in today’s game makes it easier to take the driver club head on and off.

Recommendation #5: Make sure your clubs are properly secured in a golf cart

We have seen this event occur way too often. The cart person or your buddy did not properly secure your golf clubs in the cart and as you pull away from the first tee, the golf clubs fall out of the cart and smack the ground. This is bad! If you have ever witnessed this event, you understand it is embarrassing and bad for your golf clubs overall!

The graphite shaft in any of your club will more than likely outlast even the club face.

Caution When Buying Used Clubs

Our recommendation when buying used or pre-owned clubs is that golf clubs like irons or putters are great options and a significant way to save money when purchasing golf clubs.

You can get a model that is 1-3 years old and save some quality money. However, we would caution against buying a graphite shaft club like a driver or 3 wood due to the fact that you don’t know how the previous owner treated the golf club.

Complete Post on Used Golf Clubs

If you are going to be used in one of these clubs, make sure you have quality pictures and there is a return policy if the club is damaged while shipping or doesn’t appear right when receiving it.

Club Face more likely to break than the Golf Shaft

In my years of playing the game, I have actually had two drivers crack on the face over the years. Now, I do hit a ton of golf balls in my golf simulator, but have never had an issue with a graphite shaft. I also haven’t ever thrown a golf club on a golf course.

Ultimately, if you care for your golf clubs and take some simple steps, you should get a full life out of the graphite shaft in your golf clubs! Chances are the grooves will wear out first or you will be ready to invest in the new technology to help take your game to the next level!

Is golf an expensive sport?

Proper care and common sense goes a long way in caring for golf clubs!

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About four years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

George Gankas

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

How to Break 70

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?