How to Replace a Graphite Shaft on a Golf Club

By Bill Herrfeldt

Your first thought when you needed to replace a graphite shaft was to take it to your neighborhood sporting goods store or pro shop.

And then you thought about saving money by doing it yourself, a task more golfers are taking on today.

Actually, removing a graphite shaft, then replacing it, are easy to do if you follow these simple steps. Soon you will have virtually a new club, and dreams of lowering your score might be a reality.

Step 1

Remove your old graphite shaft. There are two ways to do this step. One way to loosen the shaft from the clubhead is to heat the hosel, or connector, of the clubhead with a blow torch until the epoxy that is used to bond them together becomes liquid. Be sure that you wear protective glasses while doing this process.

The second way is to cut the shaft right above the hosel of the clubhead, then use a drill to carefully remove the remaining pieces of the shaft from the hosel. This method is particularly helpful if you are working on a new Titleist or Nike driver that have clubheads made of titanium because the clubheads tend to diffuse the heat, making it more difficult to melt the epoxy. Either way, after you have cleaned the hosel, squirt some acetone into the hosel to remove the remaining debris and grease.

Step 2

Prepare you new shaft. A graphite shaft has a protective coating, so you must remove it from the tip of the shaft by carefully peeling it off with a putty knife. Then using sandpaper, rough up the tip so that it will bond tightly with the clubhead. If the inside of the hosel is smooth after you have cleaned it, use a wire drill bit to rough it up, as well.

Step 3

Put on you new graphite shaft. Mix a small amount of epoxy and spread it liberally inside the hosel, making sure that all the surfaces are covered. Do the same with the tip of the shaft; and if a ferrule, or a piece of plastic that goes onto the shaft and butts against the hosel, is to be used, put a small amount of epoxy on it an place it on the shaft.

Carefully place the tip of the shaft inside the hosel, ad twist the clubhead slightly to be sure that both the hosel and the shaft are covered thoroughly. Finally, pull the ferrule down to its proper position.

Step 4

Cut the shaft and add your new grip. Allow about 24 hours for the epoxy to completely set before you finish your golf club. Decide on the length of the club, then mark it where the cut should be made. Since the graphite shaft might shatter when cut, put on a few layers of tape on the cut line before you use a band saw to cut it.

Wrap the area where the grip will be placed with double-sided tape, then soak the tape with grip solvent. Pour a small amount of the solvent inside the grip and swirl it around until it is completely covered, then pour out the remaining solvent. Slide the grip onto the shaft; then in the 15 or so minutes before it dries, make final adjustments to your shaft.

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