If you’re like a lot of golfers, I’m sure you have a “I can fix it myself” attitude. Whether you need to fix something around the house or with your golf clubs, you like to do it yourself.
In your golf career, you might need to change shafts. With drivers and some hybrids or fairway woods, this is pretty straightforward. As long as you have the right adapter, you can easily swap shafts without having to go through the work to re shaft the entire club.
But with a lot of new fairway woods and irons or wedges nowadays, you can’t just swap them out easily. Instead, it’s a pretty tedious process as you have to remove the old shaft, ready the new shaft, do the installation, and wait for everything to dry.
However, it’s worth the work as the right shaft can make a huge impact on your game. Whether it’s going from a regular to a stiff shaft flex, changing the weight, the right shaft can help you make better contact, improve ball flight, and increase distance.
Let’s get into this process to see if this is something you want to fix on your own or something you should outsource to a certified club fitter.
How to Reshaft a Golf Club – Step-by-Step Process
Let me start by saying reshafting a club is very different from changing your grips. Changing grips is pretty easy (even if you aren’t particularly handy) and requires minimal tools. Even if you live in an apartment without a garage, it’s an hour job (at most) for regripping your clubs.
If you want to learn more about this process, click here to read our full guide now.
Reshafting a golf club is a lot more work but it is 100% possible to do at home as long as you have the right gear and patience. If you have the courage and determination to reshaft your own clubs, here’s how to make it happen.
Step 1: Get the Right Equipment
The biggest difference between changing out your iron shafts vs. installing new grips is the amount of equipment needed. Here’s what kind of tools you need to reshaft a golf club (or am entire set of clubs).
- Protective gloves: Since you will pull the clubhead off the shaft once it’s heated up, you must wear leather gloves. These will protect your hands and make it easy to remove the old shafts from the head.
- Hyde knife: This will be used to cut off the ferrule and could also work if you’re changing the grip as well. It’s also needed if you’re adding new grips too.
- Heat gun: This will be used several times in the process so you can remove the shaft easily from the clubhead. We suggest a heat gun vs. a blowtorch.
- Wire brush: This will be used to clean out the clubhead and get it ready for the new one to get installed so the install goes smoothly.
- Epoxy glue: This will keep the clubhead and shaft together. We like the Brampton Epoxy as it works on steel, graphite, and titanium. No tools are needed and they come in easy to squeeze bottles.
- Safety glasses: Anytime you’re using a heat gun and doing repairs like this, safety glasses are needed to keep your eyes protected. Do not skip this essential tool!
- New shafts: Obviously, you will need a golf shaft (or set of shafts) to replace your old ones. As I mentioned in the beginning, the right shaft can provide enormous benefits to your game so choose wisely!
Finally, make sure you have a safe location to go through this process and follow the simple steps below.
Step 2: Remove the Old Shaft
Once you have the right setup, it’s time to remove the old shaft(s). This isn’t a one-size fits all process though and you need to use a different process depending of if you have graphite shafts or steel shafts.
Here are the instructions for removing each type of shaft.
Steel Shafts
Start by placing the club in a tight shaft holder vise. Once secured, apply heat to the ferrule so that it softens. When the ferrule is heated properly, remove it from the shaft using a hyde knife.
Keep the heat gun and warm the hosel for about 30 seconds. Wearing your protective gloves, grasp the head of the club and pull it off. If the head seems determined to stay on the shaft, heat it up for another 15-30 seconds. Then, try again until the head is separated from the shaft.
You might find that the older the clubhead, the harder it is to pull the head off the shaft. If you haven’t had success after multiple attempts, this might be the time to take it to a certified club repair shop.
Graphite Shafts
Graphite shafts are a little more delicate so make sure you use a heat gun here too (some people use a blow torch but we don’t recommend it). Follow the same steps as the steel shafts but make sure that you do not twist the clubhead!
This is really important because there’s a chance that part of the graphite can get stuck in the hosel. This makes the process much harder so be careful so it comes out of the head easily.
If you’ve made it this far, keep going and prepare the club for the updated shaft.
Step 3: Prepare the Clubhead
Once the old shaft is removed, it’s time to prepare for the new shafts to get installed. Start by using a wire brush to remove any old epoxy from inside the hosel. Make sure to do the cleaning while the hosel is still heated as it makes it a much simpler process.
Let the hosel cool and then use a product like Blue Away (or something similar) on an old towel to wipe down the hosel. This will get rid of any heat marks that might have occurred in the previous step and make the hosel look like new. You can also use sandpaper to remove any epoxy glue and smooth the surface before you stick the new shaft in the next step.
Optional Step: Trim the Shaft
This may or may not apply to your situation.
But if the shaft you buy comes uncut, you will need to trim it to the proper length before installing. If this is the case, I suggest following the instructions provided or check with the manufacturer online. They provide tipping instructions based on the type of club you’re installing it with.
Measure everything here and don’t forget to remove 1/8 inch for the grip cap.
You want to make sure to follow this process exactly because length can alter flex. The more you cut a shaft down, the stiffer it will get and vice versa with longer shafts.
Step 4: Insert the New Shaft
Now it’s time to add your new shaft to the clubhead. First, make sure the shaft tip is the proper size as it varies between irons and woods.
In general, woods are either .335” or .350” while irons are .355” or .370”.
Once the tip size is confirmed, dip the tips (or tip) into epoxy so that it’s totally covered. Then slide the shaft into the hosel and rotate to ensure it’s secured.
To make sure it’s fully secure, hold it against the floor and tap the other end with your hand to push it 100% into the hosel. Also, make sure that you align the graphics of the shaft in the right position.
For example, a lot of players prefer the logo or design to be underneath the shaft so they don’t see anything at address. This usually looks more professional and is less distracting as you’re standing over the golf ball.
It’s not in the scope of this article, but a process called shaft puring is where you optimize the orientation of the shaft. We’ve got a full article about this process.
Step 5: Let the Shaft Cool and Set
Lastly, once the new driver shaft or iron shafts are installed, you need to let them cool and set for optimal performance. When you re shaft a golf club, this is arguably the most important step because using it too soon will ruin all your hard work.
For example, when you take your clubs to the PGA Superstore for club repair services, they don’t even allow you to pick up the shaft for 48 hours. They want to make sure the shaft has plenty of time to set before using it.
Finally, you can also choose to add new grips as well but wait until everything is fully set.
FAQs About Reshafting Clubs
Do you have additional questions about reshafting your own clubs? If so, we’re here to help make this repair as easy as possible.
How much does it cost to reshaft your golf clubs?
It’s a lot cheaper to do it yourself and can definitely save money. If you prefer to have someone else do it, expect to pay about $20-$25 per shaft (not to mention the price of the shafts themselves).
If they do a shaft swap, where they swap shafts between clubs, it might be less. They also might give you a discount if you’re doing a full set vs. just changing one shaft.
Can you reshaft your own golf clubs?
Yes, you can reshaft your own golf clubs at home if you follow the steps outlined above. Or, you can pay a certified club fitter at your local golf store to do it for you. Just search on Google for a golf shop near you and call to confirm the prices ahead of time.
How do you reshaft golf clubs at home?
Follow the step-by-step process outlined above and make sure you let the clubs dry. Otherwise, if you get too anxious and hit them before they’re fully dried, you might ruin the shaft or clubhead. Stay patient and give it plenty of time before testing out the club at the driving range or golf course.
Can you reshaft your own irons?
Yes, it takes more work though as you’ll have 6-8 clubs vs. just doing one or two fairway woods.
How do you remove shafts from an iron?
You’ll need to heat the hosel so that you can remove the shaft from the iron. Refer back to our previous steps above to make this process simple and not damage the clubhead in the process.
How much do golf shafts cost?
The price varies greatly. Sometimes a basic steel shaft is only $30 while some driver shafts are $300 or more! You can buy them on a golf website, eBay, online marketplaces like Craigslist, and more.
Are steel or graphite shafts better?
I wouldn’t say one is better than the other. Instead, it’s about using the shaft that suits your game and overall swing speed.
Beginners should use lighter shafts which are normally graphite. This makes it easier to swing the club faster, generate power, and makes the game a little bit easier. While better players like using steel shafts as they’re heavier and allow for more accuracy and shot making.
Plus, you need to think about the flex as well. Players with slower swings will need to use lite or regular flex shafts while more advanced players will need stiff or even extra stiff flex shafts.
Go here to read the full debate on graphite vs steel shafts.
Final Thoughts
Your golf club shafts play a massive role in helping you play your best golf. Having the right shaft is a big part of selecting the correct golf clubs. So many golfers fixate on the clubhead but forget about the shaft.
When in reality, you need to spend just as much time researching and testing different shafts for the right flex and weight. This will help you hit your ideal trajectory and can play a massive role in hitting it longer too.
Remember, when it comes to reshafting a golf club, you can do it at home or take it to a club repair shop. If you choose to do it at home, make sure to follow the instructions above, not rush it, and always let them dry before using. Plus, always use safety precautions to ensure you don’t suffer any injuries in the process.
