Can you use a shaft over and over again? It depends

Question: Do shafts wear out or can you keep putting old shafts into new clubheads?

Answer: Although I'm tempted to reach back out and ask if you mean woods with adjustable cogs or irons that are glued in, the answers we received from our experts cover the gamut so you’ll have the information you need.

A graphite driver shaft with an adjustable cog is a fairly simple equation. As long as you’re using a compatible adapter and just using the wrench to secure it, you’re good with that shaft for a very long time.

“Graphite shafts should last a long, long time and can be used in subsequent heads,” say Paul Wood and John Oldenburg of Ping. “Minor flaws within a graphite laminate may eventually lead to failure after repeated use, but, as a whole, shafts do not become worn out.”

Avery Reed, former PGA Tour rep for Mitsubishi shafts and now owner/master fitter for Fairhope Golf Works in Alabama, agrees: “If the shaft stays in the same tip, it should be able to go from one head to another head for years,” he says. “Zach Johnson played the same Diamana Blueboard for countless years. It got to the point where the paint wore off from taking it in and out of the bag, but it never changed the playability of the shaft.”

Now, let’s move on to glued-in graphite shafts. That’s a completely different story.

“The shafts won't wear out, but if there is grinding on the tip to take off epoxy, too much material being taken off can cause the shaft to become brittle,” Reed says.

In short, it is never recommended to pull a graphite shaft out of a hosel or hosel adapter and insert it into a new one. The heat required to pull the shaft degrades the epoxy in the graphite. If done properly, you might be able to get away with it, but it’s definitely a high-risk proposition.

Iron shafts don’t have adapters, but because they are typically made of steel, it’s a different deal than graphite.

“True Temper did a test many years ago that said a steel shaft would last two-and-a-half lifetimes,” says Woody Lashen, co-owner and master fitter at Pete’s Golf in Mineola, N.Y. “Can they bend, yes—especially steel shafts with soft tips—but they don’t wear out.”

Although iron shafts do not wear out per se, it is important to make sure they don’t bend over time. This is especially a concern for higher-swing-speed players, especially if they have a steep angle of attack and take deep divots.

The takeaway: Shafts generally don’t wear out, but there are pitfalls to be aware of.