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The 3 most popular driver shafts used by the top-50 golfers in 2023

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FujikuraVentusTR

The story below seeks to answer the question: “What are the most commonly used driver shafts by the top-50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings?”

The story below does NOT answer the question: “What driver shaft should YOU use?”

It’s an important distinction to keep in mind before continuing.

Golfers at the top level of the game are, of course, some of the most influential tastemakers in the sport. Their equipment decisions, fashion choices, and even swing changes help to shape the golfing decisions of the general public, whether it’s for the better or worse. For some golf fans, the equipment that the top players in the world use help to determine the clubs and shafts they test or buy for themselves.

The mentality goes something like, “Hey, if it’s good enough for Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm, it’s probably good enough for me.”

The flaw in that line of thinking, at least when it comes to driver shafts, is that McIlroy currently averages 326.2 yards off the tee on the PGA Tour so far in the 2022-2023 season, and Jon Rahm averages 311.5 yards. The AVERAGE driving distance on the PGA Tour in 2022-2023 is 298.7 yards, and the AVERAGE ball speed off the tee is 172.95 mph.

The top golfers in the world do not play golf, or swing the golf club, anything like an everyday golfer who pays greens fees.

In reality, PGA Tour players don’t swing like each other, either. Even though most of them hit the ball over 300 yards on the regular, they each have different speeds, swing transitions, release patterns, angles of attack, launch angles, spin rates, and they even have different goals in mind for how to achieve maximum efficiency with their driver swings.

The point is, it’s extremely likely that your personal golf swing, and launch monitor data, looks nothing like any of the players on the list below.

I know…but you drove it 330… on that one hole… during that one round… a couple weeks back. Great drive, and I hope you made birdie, but I do hope you understand that driver fitting works to help minimize your typical misses and optimize your average drive – not to fuel a sense of pride by playing a shaft that’s too stiff and too heavy for you because you caught the speed slot on hole 14 last month and now you think you’re knocking on top-20 PGA Tour speed.

I’m not trying to be mean, either. I’m trying to say the best driver shaft for you is the one that actually helps you hit it long and straight, not the one that most closely resembles a PGA Tour player’s driver setup.

So, my suggestion is to use this story as either pure entertainment, or as a starting point of information gathering on what shafts you would like to test during your next fitting or testing session. I’ve provided a link to each shaft in the story so you can explore the shaft profile and see if it’s in your wheelhouse to test.

Every single golfer on this list is using the driver shaft they’re using because they hit a multitude of shafts with varying lengths, weights, flex profiles, torque profiles, and a myriad of other characteristics. They tested various shaft offerings with the help of a fitter, and they tracked each shot with a launch monitor, ultimately determining that a particular shaft best suits their game and preferences, and works in conjunction with their driver head and grip of choice.

Everyday golfers can most easily find their perfect driver shaft by getting with a fitter and trying out different models for themselves. It’s also important to keep in mind that each model comes in different flexes and weights, and each family of shafts typically has different design categories. For example, maybe the low-spinning “Fujikura Ventus Black” flies a bit too low for your swing and speed, but maybe the higher-spinning “Fujikura Ventus Red” is right in your window. There’s a lot of moving parts when it comes to shafts, which is why I so strongly suggest consulting a professional fitter.

OK, now, with that being said, let’s get into the results.

The scientific process for this story was simple: I looked up the top-50 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings, and then cross-referenced each player with the extensive GolfWRX.com WITB database to see what driver shaft each player has used most recently. The full list is down at the bottom of the story, and the shafts that appeared most often in the top-50 list were awarded the “most popular” tag below.

Hopefully this list can provide a jumping off point for your next driver shaft testing session!

1) Fujikura Ventus TR Blue (6-of-50 players)

According to Fujikura, the Ventus TR Blue is a mid-launch, low-spin shaft

“A powerful combination of stability and feel, TR Blue maintains an ultra-stiff tip section for superior control at impact,” Fujikura says. “Increased torsional stiffness creates a profile with enhanced load capabilities for more aggressive swings while maintaining a smooth overall feel.”

  • Rory McIlroy (No. 3): Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  • Cameron Smith (No. 9): Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  • Justin Rose (No. 28): Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  • Adam Scott (No. 37): Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7X
  • Harris English (No. 41): Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  • Patrick Reed (No. 47): Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X

Read more here

2) Fujikura Ventus Black (5-of-60 players)

According to Fujikura, the Ventus Black is a low-launch shaft.

Fujikura speaks on the Ventus technology: “The exceptionally engineered Ventus is designed to significantly tighten shot dispersion and maximize ball speed especially on off-center shots. Ventus is a Tour-inspired profile and the first to include Fujikura’s all-new VeloCore Technology in an accelerated taper, ultra-stiff tip profile. Maximum energy transfer from the tip section boosts the clubhead’s performance and a straight taper design enhances loading and feel.”

  • Scottie Scheffler (No. 1): Fujikura Ventus Black 7X
  • Keegan Bradley (No. 24): Fujikura Ventus Black 6X
  • Si Woo Kim (No. 30): Fujikura Ventus Black 6X
  • Tom Hoge (No. 36): Fujikura Ventus Black 6X
  • Ryan Fox (No. 42): Fujikura Ventus Black 7TX

Read more here

T3) Fujikura Ventus Blue (4-of-60 players)

According to Fujikura, the Ventus Blue is a mid-launch shaft, and is constructed with the same VeloCore technology as the aforementioned Ventus Black.

Fujikura explains more about VeloCore: “A multi-material bias core construction that delivers ultimate stability through transition and impact (maximizing clubhead MOI) – increasing velocity and smash factor. The multi-material core is crafted with full-length, ultra-high modulus Pitch 70 Ton Carbon Fiber — 150 percent stronger and more stable than T1100g — for ultimate stability, and 40 Ton bias layers ensure incredible feel.”

  • Jordan Spieth (No. 10): Fujikura Ventus Blue 6X
  • Sam Burns (No. 14): Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X
  • Denny McCarthy (No. 35): Fujikura Ventus Blue 6X
  • Chris Kirk (No. 39): Fujikura Ventus Blue 6TX

Read more here

T3) Graphite Design Tour AD-DI (4-of-60 players)

According to Graphite Design, the Tour AD-DI (which stands for “Deep Impact”) uses NanoAlloy material and aerospace-quality carbon fiber t0 promote shaft stability and greater speed without the loss of feel. It has a soft mid-section to create load, but a stiff tip section to encourage high launch and low spin.

  • Sungjae Im (No. 19): Graphite Design Tour AD DI 7X
  • Hideki Matsuyama (No. 25): Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 8TX
  • Joaquin Niemann (No. 34): Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 6X
  • K.H. Lee (No. 46): Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6X

Read more here

5) Honorable mention

*Each of these shafts appeared more than once on the top-50 list:

The Full Top-50 List of Driver Shafts

  1. Scottie Scheffler: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X
  2. Jon Rahm: Aldila Tour Green 75TX
  3. Rory McIlroy: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  4. Patrick Cantlay: Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60TX
  5. Viktor Hovland: Fujikura Speeder 661 TR X
  6. Xander Schauffele: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 70TX
  7. Max Homa: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 65TX
  8. Matt Fitzpatrick: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Orange 65TX
  9. Cameron Smith: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  10. Jordan Spieth: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6X
  11. Will Zalatoris: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7X
  12. Tony Finau: Mitsubishi Diamana D-Limited 70TX
  13. Brooks Koepka: Mitsubishi Diamana D-Limited 70TX
  14. Sam Burns: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X
  15. Justin Thomas: Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60TX
  16. Tyrrell Hatton: Mitsubishi Diamana TB 80TX
  17. Cameron Young: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro White 70TX
  18. Collin Morikawa: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60TX
  19. Sungjae Im: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 7X
  20. Kurt Kitayama: Graphite Design Tour AD UB 7TX
  21. Tom Kim: Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black 6X
  22. Jason Day: TPT Prototype
  23. Tommy Fleetwood: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XTS 70X
  24. Keegan Bradley: Fujikura Ventus Black 6X
  25. Hideki Matsuyama: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 8TX
  26. Shane Lowry: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70TX
  27. Sahith Theegala: Project X HZRDUS Black 60TX
  28. Justin Rose: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  29. Corey Conners: UST Mamiya Elements LIN-Q M40X 6F5
  30. Si Woo Kim: Fujikura Ventus Black 6X
  31. Russell Henley: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70TX
  32. Wyndham Clark: Accra TZ Six ST 60 M5
  33. Sepp Straka: Mitsubishi Kai’li White 60TX
  34. Joaquin Niemann: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 6X
  35. Denny McCarthy: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6X
  36. Tom Hoge: Fujikura Ventus Black 6X
  37. Adam Scott: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7X
  38. Billy Horschel: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6X
  39. Chris Kirk: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6TX
  40. Brian Harman: Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 5S
  41. Harris English: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  42. Ryan Fox: Fujikura Ventus Black 7TX
  43. Emiliano Grillo: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60TX
  44. Rickie Fowler: Mitsubishi Diamana Prototype 70X
  45. Seamus Power: Accra TZ6 Proto 65
  46. Kyoung-Hoon (K.H.) Lee: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 6X
  47. Patrick Reed: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6X
  48. Adrian Meronik: Fujikura Speeder 661 Evolution IV X-Flex
  49. Taylor Moore: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60TX
  50. Pablo Larrazabal: Fujikura Pro 63

Check out GolfWRX.com’s full WITB database here

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. geohogan

    Jun 8, 2023 at 10:05 am

    First very stiff tip and butt sections with soft mid section was
    the Nunchuk, patented back ca 1990… one shaft for juniors, men, women and pro’s.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Gavin

    Jun 7, 2023 at 3:14 pm

    Can we have a similar list for LPGA?

    Reply Report comment

  3. MCA

    Jun 7, 2023 at 12:25 pm

    I feel like D-Limited and D+ are the same shaft which would put it in #3 but it is also accurate to list them as different model names.

    Sincerely,
    A Diamana D Limited Fan

    Reply Report comment

  4. Edward g Bardoe

    Jun 7, 2023 at 11:06 am

    ONE OTHER CAVEAT, EVEN IF YOU BUY THE BRAND AND MODEL LISTED, YOU MAY NOT BE GETTING THE SAME SHAFT AS THE PRO USES. ESPECIALLY IF IT CAME INSTALLED IN A DRIVER ASSEMBLED IN THE HOME OF ALL GOLF CLUBS, CHINA. EVEN IF YOU GET IT FROM A FITTER(SALESMAN) AT THAT GOLF STORE, THE SHAFTS AVAILABLE TO HIM MAY ONLY BE COSMETICALLY THE SAME AS THE PRO PLAYERS EQUIPMENT.

    Reply Report comment

  5. Boydenit

    Jun 7, 2023 at 5:26 am

    Great read with one glaring omission! You should have added what country each of these shafts is manufactured in, to better understand the true cost of a +$400 shaft.

    Reply Report comment

  6. P Kessler

    Jun 6, 2023 at 7:35 pm

    What’s Annika Playing??

    That’s where I am at these days.

    Reply Report comment

    • Kim

      Jun 7, 2023 at 11:09 am

      Would be more interested to see top 50 LPGA shafts. More applicable to my game

      Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Voting is live: 2023 GolfWRX Members Choice presented by 2nd Swing!

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1 hour ago

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Jul 10, 2023

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We’re proud to partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2023! 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here. 

The bedrock of GolfWRX.com is the community of passionate and knowledgable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, or is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology and gear.

On that note, we just launched our 2023 GolfWRX Members Choice awards, and the polls are now open.

We want to hear from you, not just with a vote but with your comments too!

Please vote in the Members Choice categories below!

And don’t forget to comment with the reasoning for your choice!

 

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Equipment

GolfWRXers put the Full Swing KIT’s accuracy to the test

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4 hours ago

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Jul 10, 2023

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Last month, four GolfWRX forum members traveled to The Grand Golf Club at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, California, to test the Full Swing KIT launch monitor and to see how it stacks up against other launch monitors. If you’re not familiar with the Full Swing KIT, development began when Tiger Woods requested a launch monitor he could trust on the range as much as he trusted his Full Swing simulator in his own home. Later, the KIT earned Tiger’s seal of approval and has been seen with him at every tournament he’s played in since its release.

Check out the video below to see if the KIT can earn the seal of approval from our four WRXers — @zap311, @double or triple?, @hatrick11, and @SwingBlues — just like it did from Tiger Woods himself.

GolfWRX members on the KIT’s accuracy

zap311: “The Full Swing team seems obsessed with accuracy when it comes to the KIT – The team talked about how this product officially shipped about 18 months ago and they are already on firmware release #20. They said they are regularly releasing updates (overnight via WiFi) to continuously improve accuracy and performance. That is pretty awesome and it’s nice to hear that they are not a company that “ships it” and moves to the next thing. I think they are on the right track since I saw virtually no differences in the data when testing vs. GCQuad and Trackman today.”

double or triple?: “In some cases the difference was less than half a degree on launch and less than 50 rpms on spin.”

hatrick11: “The differences were statistically nonexistent. I think it’s hard to believe for a lot of people when you think about the huge price disparity, but I can’t state enough how close the Full Swing was to trackman every single time, for each of us.”

“Outside, the data is just really really accurate. I know my numbers and know this particular range very well and the KIT was spot on all day. I also had some very variable quality golf balls in the bucket I hit and there was really only one spin rate in the whole session that had me raising my eyebrows at all.”

SwingBlues: “The GolfWRX Full Swing/WRX Experience showed Full Swing KIT produce numbers the same as the GC Quad (GC4) and the Trackman4. Dollar wise, both LMs are easily north of KIT, so this is HUGE to stand up there with the bigger boys on the Podium. For me, it seems more “apples to apples” to compare KIT to GC3. My own testing validates what we saw at the Experience. It shows critical data points like spin, carry, ball speeds are dead on or almost dead on for 40 yards and up on both GC3 and KIT.”

More on the Full Swing KIT

zap311: “The versatility of viewing data is impressive – Depending on usage, everyone has different preferences for viewing data. You have on-device, phone, tablet, monitor, smartwatch, or audio/headphones. I’m pleased to say that Full Swing covers all of these. You can use the app on iOS devices (they said Android is planned for the future). This includes viewing your last shot on the Apple Watch with a few options and turning on audio playback of your preferred metrics following each shot. I’ll post screenshots of this later. You can also choose between 4 data points or 1 data point on the device itself. It was easy to use the app to customize the top 4. For example, I was able to quickly change from launch angle on irons to swing path on driver.

“The KIT was very easy to use – Once you spend a few minutes learning the app and settings, it is very simple to select a club, line up the target line, and fire away. You don’t have to use a level or a laser to line up. KIT uses the built-in camera to tell you where to line up within the app or on-device screen. I was also able to boot up the KIT in less than a minute and drop it down on the tee box for our on-course trial today. Because of this simplicity, I can see it being more practical to bring to the course…

“The Full Swing team really thought through usability for the KIT. You can see up to four data points on the device’s OLED screen. You can see all 16 data points on your iPhone/iPad along with a video replay of the shot, you can view one primary metric from your Apple Watch, and you can enable audio playback for any of the 16 data points. For me, this was a dream as a full iOS user. One other feature I like is that you can star a particular shot to save it. You can also send shot data + the video recording to your coach if you want.”

double or triple?: “I was able to meet the teaching pro at the range I’m using for testing – PGA teacher/member Ryan Kolk. He and his team have 4 units amongst themselves and use them both personally and with their students during lessons. Ryan spent time dialing in his knowledge of the range balls vs proV1x (gamer) to better understand the FSK and he believes the consistency is there with the FSK and within trackman and GC/Foresight models. His preference is to use FSK while testing shafts and new product before using them in his personal playing bag which as a GolfWRX member is 100% appreciated. For his better students, he believes the information like Face to Path and Club Path that FullSwing Kit offers is great to help them understand what their swing is doing and use that information to better themselves.”

hatrick11: “It’s nice to know I can get super useful practice sessions in at my house, and can do in in ~20 min stints; with two little kids at home I can’t just go out for frequent or lengthy range sessions, so this is super valuable and I think will help me keep my game from degrading and allow me to spend my limited free time enjoying the occasional round with friends. In particular with the KIT, as opposed to the cheaper monitors or the other “mid tiers” like GC3, seeing path and face-to-path data is the key item that makes my practice sessions useful…when I am grooving it my path is almost always between 0-2* out to in, with face control being the main thing I need to work on. When my game goes sideways I start coming more in to out, and combined with face consistency being an ongoing issue, that brings the bad left miss into play. Previously I have struggled getting real use out of net practice, because the feels don’t always match reality. This data and video evidence really helps keep me honest, so it was great to see that I was eventually able to get that piece dialed in with KIT.”

SwingBlues: “One feature I am really starting to like is how easy to see the video of each shot. My buddy was not hitting it well, we went to the video and we could see the takeway was too far to the outside.”

“Using the app, it will display all 16 data points. Below is an example of one of my iron shots. Pretty impressive data captured by KIT. On KIT itself, the launch monitor display can be configured to show a single data point, or it can show a grid of 4 data points where the golfer choose which ones to display!”

Head over to the thread for more comments, reviews, and future updates as our members continue to test the Full Swing KIT. Don’t forget to become a member today for future opportunities like this, plus product member testing and giveaways!

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Whats in the Bag

Jay Giannetto WITB 2023 (July)

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4 hours ago

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Jul 10, 2023

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Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue 65 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue 65 TX

Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 85 (3), KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+ (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (56, 60-04L)
Shafts: KBS $-Taper 120

Putter: Scotty Cameron Tour Type SSS Masterful+, Scotty Cameron Super Select Newport 2

Grip: Golf Pride MCC Plus4 Align

More photos of Jay Giannetto’s what’s in the bag in the forums.

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