If it’s time to update your golf clubs, consider reshafting them instead of buying a whole new set of clubs. The right shaft can really improve your game, and it’s an inexpensive way to improve your clubs.
You can reshaft your clubs yourself, but if your not too confident, you can take your clubs into your local pro shop and they’ll be happy to help. Many times you can get your clubs reshafted the same day since the process isn’t too labor intensive.
Here is a video from our friends from Golf Analytics and step by step instructions provided by Golf Galaxy. You’ll need to know a few key terms before you reading through the instructions:
Hosel – The socket of a golf club head into which the shaft fits.
Ferrule – A component of most golf irons and some golf woods: It is the small, usually black, usually plastic cover over the point where the shaft enters the hosel.
Steel Shafts: To remove a steel shaft from a metal wood or iron, place the shaft in a super lock tight shaft holder. Tighten the STSL in a vise. If there is a plastic ferrule in place, wrap a wet paper towel around it to prevent burning. While wearing protective leather gloves, aim the flame of a torch at the hosel. After heating the hosel for about 30 seconds, grasp the head with your gloved hand and twist. If the head does not loosen, repeat heating in 15 second increments until it can be removed. Note: Some older heads are pinned in place.
Graphite Shafts: To remove a graphite shaft, place the shaft in a graphite shaft extractor following the instructions that came with the tool. Heat the hosel with a heat gun while wearing leather gloves. Slowly turn the extractor’s threaded bolt with a box wrench. If the head does not loosen, reapply heat to the hosel. Note: DO NOT TWIST the clubhead when removing graphite shafts.
Steps 2 through 5 apply to both steel and graphite shafts:
2. Measure the shaft tip. Most iron shafts have a .370 of an inch tip and most wood shafts have a .335 of an inch tip. Follow the tip trimming instructions to trim the tip end of your new shaft so it matches the size of the shaft you extract.
3. After the tip has been trimmed, abrade or roughen the shaft tip. If a ferrule is to be installed, slide the ferrule up the shaft, and then mix the epoxy. Dip the tip of the shaft into the mixed epoxy, making sure that a small glob of epoxy remains on the tip. Insert the shaft into the club head’s hosel. Rotate the shaft while sliding it in and out of the hosel, evenly coating the shaft and hosel with epoxy.
4. Align the shaft graphics the way you want them by rotating the shaft. Then, tap the butt end of the shaft on the floor to seat the tip against the bottom of the hosel bore. Recheck alignment of graphics. Wipe any excess epoxy with a clean paper towel. The club should be set aside until the epoxy has cured.
5. Position the club in the normal playing position. Slide a 48-inch ruler behind the club. Use a felt tip pen to mark the shaft an 1/8 of an inch below the desired playing length. Note: The grip cap will extend the club’s length by an 1/8 of an inch.
Hopefully you don’t have to update your golf clubs now, and you can simply reshaft them. The best advice to newbies is to find a cheap set of irons and some cheap shaft pulls to practice on before you do it for yourself the first time. Get in touch with us at ProClubs because we can help with that. And, happy reshafting!