Do any tour players use steel shafted woods? And are there any real advantages to having steel shafted woods? I have only played with one person to use steel shafted woods, he tells me thats because he cant hit it straight with graphite, however he is a very short hitter.
Graphite shafts are generally better for the amateur golfer. Graphite shafts are more forgiving than stell shafts. With graphite shafts, it is easier to get the ball in the air, and keep your ball trajectory always with good height. For SOME above average golfers and tour professionals, steel shafted woods find their way into their bags. This is because steel shafts have the ability of being more precise in terms of direction. However, to hit steel shafted woods, you need a lot of power and a slightly faster than normal tempo. Point is, if your a golfer that plays this sport for the leisure, or don't want to be stressed, take the graphite shafts. But if you're a single-digit handicapper, and feel you're physically fit ALL THE TIME, then go ahead and try the steel shafts.
I'd be very surprised if there are any tour players still using steel shafts on their woods (I did actually see Tiger with a steel shaft on a driver during a clinic in 2002). Top end graphite shafts have gotten so much better there's just no reason for pros not to use them anymore. That being said, I use a 45 True Temper stiff steel shaft in my driver (Cobra X-speed, 9.5*). Graphite is longer than steel, but the distance I've lost is minimal (maybe 10 yards and I still put it out there 250+ consistently). The extra weight has actually helped me stay in control which has improved my overall driving considerably, and the very low torque in a steel shaft has paid off huge in accuracy. You're paying minimum $60 (or more) for a graphite shaft with a similar torque rating to any steel shaft. I hit easily twice as many fairways since the switch. I've even switched out my other fairway woods too, the feel and control are so much nicer. I've considered going with a 46 on the driver to try to regain some of the distance, and at $7 per shaft I can actually just go do that whenever I want. Don't get me wrong, if I were playing for money or flirting with par I'd invest in good quality graphite stuff no question, but it doesn't make sense to me right now. I'd recommend to anyone looking for more consistency out of their woods to take $20 to your golf shop and try it out. It's a lot cheaper than the alternatives.
Steel shafts will provide more accuracy, but they are much heavier than graphite (obviously). They have extremely low torque ratios which allows them to be more accurate. However, you need to have a very fast, controlled swing to be successful with steel shafted woods. Notice that only a few PGA Tour pros have them.
