In our forums, our members have been discussing Fujikura’s Ventus 8 X shaft, and why it’s so popular amongst pros when it comes to their 3-wood. WRXer ‘dragon43’ kicks off the thread, saying:

“I would like to get an explanation as to why so many pros are using a Ventus (insert color) 8 X rather than 7 X in their 3 woods. I understand it when they’re using 7 X in driver, as it is the natural weight progression, but many 6 X users skip over the 7 (ex. Rory, Aberg, Homa). So, is there something in the EI graph that makes the 7 X less-than-ideal, does 8 X take better to 1.5-2” tipping, or is it simply the weight? 

Seeing The Equipment Junkie’s WITB reel for Brad Dalke following the Internet Invitational win reignited the thought in my head, having been confused about this at least twice before, lol. I got fitted into Black 6-7-8 X for driver, 3W, & 7W, and they’re terrific…I never tried 8 X in 3W, only bounced between colors, TR versions, and 6 or 7 X in driver. If someone could explain this definitively, I’m very curious to hear the logic and possibly some Tour player fitting stories.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts on the matter in our forum.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• Ben B: “Weight, dispersion, spin. For most tour pros, the 3 wood is no different than an iron. What I mean by that is, it needs to go a particular distance and have the tightest dispersion they can get. A heavier shaft is going to help keep the ball flight down a little, spin less and reduce the odds of it ballooning. Remember, for these guys, every club in the bag is a precision club except the driver. Plus, most modern 3 woods are light. I have a qi10 3 wood and to me, it felt really light until I got an 80g shaft in it. But I also play it shorter than standard.”
• Gtyler14: “It’s about weight. I use an 8x in my mini and 16.5 4 wood. I do better with weight. It’s helps my tempo to hit it more center face. 7x feels too light in a 3/4 wood since I also play mini/4 wood and 42.5 over 43.25 industry standard.”
• SBH9458: “I’m in an 8X and have been for quite a few seasons for 3W/4W.  Feels about perfect to me.”

Entire Thread: “Why do so many Tour pros use this shaft in their 3-wood?”