Every Once in a while this comes up. I thought it might be a good idea for a refresher. Iron shafts come in two types – Parallel tip and taper tip. In essence, they are exactly as they sound – one tip is parallel, the other is tapered. These shafts are not used interchangeably. A hosel will be bored out for either type of shaft, so ONLY that type of shaft will work in that specific hosel. Yes, you can use an adapter to make a taper tip shaft work in a parallel tip hosel, but this is not a good practice and defeats the whole purpose. For the sake of this discussion, let’s assume that you can’t use one in the other.

Parallel tip shafts are designed as individual shafts. They are designed to be cut to length from either end of the shaft (butt trimmed or tip trimmed), and their raw length is the same. A shaft for a PW is the same as a shaft for a 4 iron – they are just trimmed differently. Parallel tip shafts are GREAT for an OEM Manufacturer (like Callaway) because we can greatly reduce our shaft inventory (thus, our inventory cost).

Taper tip shafts are designed (and sold) in sets. An 8-iron shaft is different from a 7-iron shaft is different from a 6-iron shaft. Because the tip is tapered, the tip end of the shaft is finished and is designed to go right into the hosel of the iron. The iron is then butt trimmed to length. Taper tip shafts are great for installers and club builders since there is only one end of the shaft to trim. Since Taper tip shafts are done in sets, an OEM (like Callaway) will need to stock EACH shaft. This can make getting the correct inventory mix challenging (and costly).

Physically, a parallel tip shaft will be .370″ and remain that way for an extended distance. A taper tip shaft, on the other hand, will start out at .355″ and taper out to .370″ roughly 2″ in the shaft.

So, why wouldn’t every OEM just use parallel tip shafts and let the taper tip shaft world go into extinction? Simple. Taper tip shafts have a different, and arguably better feel, than their parallel tip counter parts. If you look at the bags of tour players, virtually 100% of them use taper tip shafts in their irons. Most good players prefer the feel of taper tip to parallel tip – many of whom don’t even know they are different, they just “like the way this one feels”. As such, most “pro” or “tour” iron head models use taper tip shafts. This means that most OEM’s have to stock BOTH parallel tip AND taper tip shafts.

Ok, so they feel better. HOW do they feel better? That depends upon the shaft. Some shafts, specifically the stepless shafts (like a Project X) will have very little difference between the two tip styles. Most others, however, will have significant differences. If a set has a constant weight (most stepped shafts do), expect to see a significant difference. The differences can occur in balance point, frequency, tip stiffness and swingweight. Taper tip shafts tend to be slightly stiffer in the short irons and get progressively softer as the irons get longer (parallel tip will be more constant). The slightly smaller tip section on a taper tip shaft will allow it to feel a little better. A player with good feel can feel the head release better with a taper tip shaft.

I hope you can now see why a manufacturer would opt for one type of shaft over another. Fortunately, this is not something you have to choose as a fitter – the OEM has made the decision for you based on how they designed the golf club head. However, if someone asks you the difference, now you know.

• The shafts have a different tip section.
• Parallel tip made in bulk/ taper tip made in sets.
• Taper tip has better feel, constant weight, and gets stiffer as the iron gets shorter.
• 100% usage among tour players.

Happy Fitting!!!

Jim Yeager, PGA