You’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not using the optimal shaft for your game. By using a stock shaft or the wrong shaft, you’re likely sacrificing both distance and accuracy off the tee with your big stick.
There are tons of driver shafts available on the market, and it can be very time consuming going through them all (trust us). We’ve done the work for you here, and below we have a guide on the best driver shafts available in 2020.
Best Driver Shafts at a glance:
Our Top Pick: Aldila NV 2KXV Blue 70 Driver Shaft + Adapter & Grip
Best Value Pick: Project X HZRDUS T800 Green 65 Driver Shaft + Adapter & Grip
Best For Seniors: MATRIX New HD Radix 5 White Senior Flex Driver/Fairway Shaft
What to consider before buying
Shaft Flex
There are a few types of shaft flex, based off of how fast your golf swing is.
Regular flex is for any golfer who has a swing lower than 90 mph; regular flex has a little more give in it, and acts more like a spring through impact to increase drive distance. Stiff flex is for golfers who swing between 90 and 105 mph, and there is noticeably less flex in these shafts; more flex would create less consistency. X-Stiff or Extra Stiff is for any golfer who swings faster than 105 mph.
Driver Shaft Materials
Driver shafts are made of a few different types of materials, that vary both in price and attributes. Graphite shafts are most common, and are the standard option when you buy a new driver. Graphite shafts are extremely light, and typically produce longer drives than other materials.
On the other hand, there are also multi-material driver shafts, made with a combination of both graphite, steel, and even materials like carbon fiber. The result is a material that ends up holding stiffer flex, while remaining very light. Pay attention to the material of your driver shaft and how it can affect performance.
Price
As always, price will be top of mind when upgrading a driver shaft. While prices vary from $20 to upwards for $4-500, there are many great options in the mid range. Premium shafts with exceptional performance capabilities will cost around $300 or more. Other than premium options, you should be able to get a great shaft somewhere around $100.
Our top pick: Aldila NV 2KXV Blue 70 Driver Shaft + Adapter & Grip
The original Aldila NV driver shaft quickly became the most popular aftermarket shaft for both amateurs and pros looking to upgrade their stock shafts, thanks to the Micro Laminate Technology used. Now Aldila has only improve their shafts with NextGen Micro Laminate Technology using carbon fibers and fiber resin technology. By innovating, they aim to produce optimal feel and performance.
This is a highly adaptable shaft thanks to the adapter, and fits most available drivers. You can choose either regular, stiff or X-Stiff on this driver, based off your swing speed; if your swing speed is between 91 and 105 mph, use stiff. Lower, use regular and higher use x- stiff. This is a mid weight, mid launch option, suitable for most golfers. Because of it’s proven performance and reasonable cost, we found this to be the best overall pick.
Best Value Pick: Project X HZRDUS T800 Green 65 Driver Shaft + Adapter & Grip
The Project X HZRDUS T800 shaft is a great option for anyone looking for a high quality shaft, without paying $100+ for it. This is one of the most popular shafts on the market, and thanks to the adapter it is extremely versatile and fits most modern driver brands and models.
This shaft is a mid-weight option that delivers mid launch and mid spin with a very smooth and active feel during your golf swing. Many users report getting as much as 20 yards more out of their drives versus a stock driver shaft. This shaft comes ready right out of the box, and included a Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip as the standard option.
Overall, this is a great upgrade option to bring you more distance and accuracy, without costing you a fortune. There are several shafts in this price range, but we found this to be the best value.
Best For Seniors: MATRIX New HD Radix 5 White Senior Flex Driver/Fairway Shaft
After careful review, we found the MATRIX HD Radix 5 Shaft to be the best pick for senior golfers. For senior golfers, nothing is more important than having a shaft that will allow you to get the maximum amount of distance from your swing.
The HD Radix provides a mid to high spin rate, and high launch angle which appeals to most senior golfers. If your natural launch angle is quite low, this will provide a noticeable increase in trajectory. Overall, this shaft is an affordable option that will provide extra distance to any senior golfer who needs it.
Best for mid handicappers: Accra New Tour Z 85 Counter Balanced CB Driver Shaft + Adapter & Grip
The Accra New Tour Z 85 driver shaft is a great option under $100 that is highly adaptable to fit many drivers on the market today. It comes with a preinstalled Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip, and can be either stiff or extra stiff, depending on your swing speed. The adapter that comes with this shaft fits drivers from Ping, Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist.
This Accra shaft promotes a low spin rate and consistent ball flight, with reliable ball shaping on every shot. If you need more length off the tee and want a well priced upgrade, this is definitely a solid option.
Premium Upgrade Pick for Older Taylormade drivers: Fujikura Ventus 6 X-Flex
The Fujikura Ventus 6 X-Flex is designed to fit all 2016 and 2017 Taylormade Drivers, making it perfect for someone looking to upgrade an driver that is a few years old. If your swing speed has increased significantly, you should definitely consider this extra-stiff upgrade. This is one of the more expensive shafts on the market, but the performance is second to none.
This shaft fits the TaylorMade SLDR, M1, M2 and R15 drivers for these years- all of which were extremely popular, and still remain relevant. This is an extra stiff shaft, made for those with a very fast swing. The VeloCore Technology in the Ventus 6 is used to maximize MOI (moment of inertia) of the clubhead, and increase stability. If you’re looking for tight shot dispersion and advanced technology, this is a solid pick.
Final Thoughts
Upgrading your driver shaft can be a decision that will gain you more yardage, and a tighter shot dispersion. After reviewing dozens of shafts, we found the best overall is the Aldila NV driver shaft; this will be an upgrade for most drivers, and has proven it’s place as one of the hottest aftermarket driver shafts available.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and thanks for reading!
