Question: Will Heat Or Cold Damage My Graphite Shafts?
(Editor's Note: Many golfers store their clubs in the garage or carry their clubs in the trunks of their cars. Those environments can generate higher temperatures, or expose clubs to very cold temperatures. Some golfers fear that such hot or cold environments can damage graphite shafts. Is this true? Here's Tom's answer.)
Answer: No. Never.
But excessive heat built up in the trunk of the car in areas where the temperatures get very hot can possibly affect the bond of the shaft to the clubhead.
Shafts are secured to clubheads with special high-strength epoxy glues. If the heat in the trunk of the car builds up day after day to a temperature approaching 200-degrees Fahrenheit, over time it is possible that the epoxy bond holding the shaft to the clubhead may start to break down and eventually cause the head to come flying off the shaft when a ball is struck.
So the best advice is that if you live in super-hot climate areas, take the clubs out of the trunk and store them in the garage where the temperature never approaches 200F.
About the Author
Tom Wishon is one of the most highly respected members of the golf equipment industry. He specializes in clubhead design, shaft analysis, and clubfitting research and development, and is the owner of his own golf equipment company, Tom Wishon Golf Technology. Tom is a member of the Golf Digest Technical Panel, and is the Technical Advisor to PGA.com, the website of the PGA of America.
