Graphite iron shafts now rival steel for speed, control, and feel. See why more serious players are making the switch.

But, starting with aluminum shafts in the 1980s and the evolution to today’s one-piece sticks made of graphite, Kevlar and fiberglass, wood sticks are going the way of wooden drivers in golf.

The advent of lighter graphite sticks has also contributed to the decrease of the slap shot. A hard wrist shot from a graphite stick can have as much or more speed than slap shots of old from the ...