【GDO Research Report】Golfers' Awareness of Shafts Higher Than Expected! 90% of Those Who Have Replaced Them Report 'Satisfaction'

Golf Digest Online (GDO) conducted a survey on wood-type shafts, receiving responses from 2,295 golfers.

[Survey Highlights]
- Is the shaft actually more important than the head? Nearly half consider the shaft the most important component.
- 70% have experience replacing driver shafts.
- 90% of those who have replaced their shafts are satisfied.

Nearly Half Consider Shaft the Most Important Golf Gear/Component
In a survey regarding the importance of golf gear, 47.3% responded that the shaft has the highest level of importance, indicating that interest in shaft performance is significantly higher than other factors that influence performance.

Nearly Half of Those with Scores in the 100s Also Replace Shafts
Regarding driver shaft replacement, 70% of all respondents have experience doing so. Among those with scores in the 100s, 46.8%—nearly half—have experience replacing their shafts.

Expectations and Satisfaction with Shaft Replacement
When asked about the expected benefits of shaft replacement in a multiple-choice question, "stability in direction" (68.8%) was the most common response. More than half also cited "increased distance," "stabilized/improved ball trajectory," and "ease of swinging" as expected outcomes.

92.0% of golfers who replaced their shafts answered that they were "satisfied." This shows that expected benefits such as directional stability and increased distance are actually being realized. The high satisfaction rate is likely due to golfers properly selecting shafts that suit them through fitting and trial hitting during the replacement process.

With club heads still not widely available for sale individually, replacing shafts is proving to be a compelling option for golfers looking to pursue a more comfortable game at a lower cost than replacing entire clubs.