What Is the Tip Diameter on a Golf Shaft?

The small measurement you probably don't think about - the tip diameter of your golf shaft - plays a huge part in how your clubs are built, how they feel, and ultimately, how they perform. For anyone who likes to tinker with their equipment or just wants to understand their clubs on a deeper level, this is a topic worth knowing. This guide will walk you through exactly what shaft tip diameter is, why different sizes exist, how to find the right one for your clubs, and how it really impacts your game.

What Exactly is Golf Shaft Tip Diameter?

In the simplest terms, the tip diameter is the measurement of the outside diameter of the golf shaft at its very tip - the narrow end that gets inserted into the clubhead's hosel. A hosel is the socket-like part of the clubhead that the shaft installs into. You need the right size shaft tip to fit correctly into the hosel, just like you need the right size plug for an electrical outlet.

Sounds simple enough, but there's a small wrinkle to this: shaft tips generally come in one of two styles: parallel tip or taper tip. Understanding the difference between these two is fundamental.

Parallel Tip Shafts

A parallel tip shaft means the tip section maintains the same outside diameter for a few inches up the shaft. For instance, a .370" parallel iron shaft will measure .370" at the very tip and will still measure .370" three or four inches up from the tip.

The great an advantage of this design is that it allows a club builder to "tip trim" it. This means they can cut off a portion of the tip to make the shaft stiffer. Because the diameter is consistent, it will still fit perfectly into the clubhead hosel after being trimmed. This is most common in woods, hybrids, and shafts sold for component club building.

Taper Tip Shafts

A taper tip shaft, as the name implies, gradually tapers down to its final diameter right at the tip. For example, a .355" taper tip iron shaft is wider an inch or two up than it is at the very tip. This design is created for a perfect, snug fit into a hosel that has been specially reamed (drilled) with a matching taper.

You cannot tip trim a taper tip shaft, as cutting off any length from the tip would make it too wide to fit into the hosel. These shafts are designed to be "plug and play." A 7-iron taper tip shaft is meant to be installed directly into a 7-iron head without any tip trimming. This is the standard for most major club manufacturers (Titleist, PING, Mizuno, etc.), especially in their irons.

The Standard Tip Sizes: Why .335, .350, and .370?

When you start browsing for shafts, you’ll see the same numbers pop up over and over. Here’s a breakdown of what they mean and where you'll find them.

Woods and Hybrids: .335" vs. .350"

For your driver, fairway woods, and most hybrids, you’ll almost always encounter one of two sizes.

• .335" (Parallel Tip): This is now the undisputed industry standard for nearly all modern drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids from every major brand. If you buy a premium aftermarket shaft from companies like Fujikura, Mitsubishi, or Project X, it will almost certainly be .335". Its dominance makes it easy to swap shafts between different brands, especially with the use of interchangeable hosel adapters.
• .350" (Parallel Tip): This size used to be much more common, notably in older drivers from brands like Callaway and TaylorMade. The idea was that a wider tip created a stronger, more stable connection point. While it’s less common for drivers today, you might still find it in some specific OEM stock shafts or older fairway wood models.

A Note on Adjustable Adapters

Modern drivers with adjustable hosels use a sleeve or an adapter that the shaft is epoxied into. That whole sleeve-and-shaft unit is then screwed into the clubhead. The adapter you use has to match the clubhead brand and model, but the shaft you install into the adapter needs to match the adapter's internal diameter. For 99% of today's driver adapters, that is a standard .335".

Irons and Wedges: .370" vs. .355" Taper

For your iron set and wedges, the choice is almost always between these two diameters, and this is where the parallel vs. taper conversation becomes most relevant.

• .370" (Parallel Tip): This is the standard for parallel tip iron shafts. You'll find it in many game-improvement iron sets and almost all component clubs you can build yourself. The building process is straightforward: a builder gets a set of .370" shafts of the same length, then tip-trims and butt-cuts them to the correct specifications for each iron in the set (e.g., more tip-trimming for the shorter irons to make them stiffer).
• .355" (Taper Tip): This is the go-to for most of the major golf equipment manufacturers, especially in their players' style irons. These heads have a tapered hosel bore that precisely matches the .355" taper tip shaft. This creates an extremely secure fit meant for delivering consistent feel and performance. There's no tip trimming these, an 8-iron shaft goes in an 8-iron head, period.

How to Find Your Club's Tip Diameter Requirement

So how do you figure out which size your clubs need? If you're looking to reshaft, this is an important step. Here are a few ways to get the answer, from easiest to most hands-on.

1. Check the Manufacturer's Website: This is the simplest method. Visit the website of your club's manufacturer (e.g., Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist) and find the product page for your specific model. The club specifications or "specs" table almost always lists the needed tip diameter.
2. Read the Shaft Label: Often, the shaft graphics will tell you what you need to know. A shaft like the "True Temper Elevate 95 .355" leaves no doubt about what you're holding. Take a close look at the text printed on your current shafts.
3. Ask a Professional Club Fitter: When in doubt, a professional club builder is your best resource. They have seen just about every club model imaginable and can often tell you the size just from looking at it. They also have precise tools to measure if needed. This is the safest way to guarantee you have the right information.
4. Measure It Yourself (The DIY Method): If you're comfortable with it and have a pair of digital calipers, you can measure it. Carefully measure the outside diameter of a pulled shaft at the very tip. Visually, you can also spot clues. A .355" taper tip shaft usually has a small, distinct "step-down" pattern or a long, featureless chrome tip section that looks narrower than the painted part of the shaft above it. A .370" parallel tip shaft usually has the same finish all the way to the end.

Does Tip Diameter Actually Affect Performance?

This is a fair question. The short answer is yes, but indirectly. The measurement itself isn't a performance spec a golfer would choose like flex or weight. Its main role is to ensure a proper fit.

• The Fit is Everything: An incorrect fit won't just perform poorly, it can be dangerous. A shaft that is too loose in a hosel will be loaded with weak spots in the epoxy and could break or fly out of the clubhead during a swing. Trying to force a shaft that is too large into a hosel will just damage both components. Correct fit is what it's all about.
• Feel and Feedback: Some golfers and experienced club makers believe the precise metal-on-metal contact of a .355" taper tip in a reamed hosel gives a purer, more direct fee l at impact. By contrast, a .370" parallel shaft is primarily held in place by a "pillow" of epoxy. While technically true, most amateurs would be hard-pressed to notice a difference in feel based solely on tip diameter. The shaft's own bend profile plays a much larger role.
• Club Building and Tuning: The main benefit of parallel tip shafts (.370" for irons, .335" for woods) is the builder's ability to fine-tune flex through tip trimming. This is a big deal for custom builds. Taper tip shafts offer simplicity and consistency from the factory.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Getting shaft diameter wrong is a common, and sometimes expensive, mistake. Here are a few things to watch out for.

• Buying the wrong size for wood shafts. Finding a great deal on a .350" shaft won't do you any good if your modern driver needs a .335". Yes, a shim can be used to make it fit, but it's always best practice to get the correct size from the start for a stronger, more reliable bond.
• Confusing .370" Parallel with .355" Taper for irons. This is the big one. Accidentally buying a full set of beautiful taper tip iron shafts for a set of heads that require parallel tips (or vice versa) is a trip back to the drawing board.
• Aggressively sanding a parallel tip down to fit. Some DIYers might be tempted to sand a .370" parallel tip shaft down until it fits into a .355" taper tip hosel. This is a very bad idea. Aggressively sanding the walls of a shaft weakens the graphite or steel, making it prone to snapping right at the hosel - the point of maximum stress during the swing.

Final Thoughts

Shaft tip diameter is a simple but vital measurement that guarantees a safe and proper connection between your shaft and clubhead. Understanding the differences between the main sizes - .335", .350", .355" taper, and .370" parallel - and how they apply to woods versus irons is fundamental for any golfer who truly wants to understand how their equipment works.

Building clubs or swapping shafts can bring up all sorts of questions, from tip sizes and trimming to how a change might ultimately affect your ball flight. When you find yourself wondering about these kinds of gear-head details, you have an expert ready to help. Our Caddie AI is designed to be your 24/7 golf coach, giving you instant and expert answers right on your phone to take the guesswork out of decisions, both on and off the course.