Stability Vs. Stroke Lab Putter Shaft – Pros and Cons of Each and What to Use

Your putter shaft really does matter and some of the newest ones out there make a really close competitor for the shafts that have always been leading favorites in the market.

Many golfers struggle with how to choose a putter shaft and just what sets them apart in the end.

We’ve got you covered! We’re pitting two of the most popular options against each other in our guide to Stability Vs. Stroke Lab putter shafts. Which will you choose?

Does The Putter Shaft Really Matter?

If you’ve been golfing for any length of time, you already know the value of the golf shaft. This is true of any golf club and especially true of the putter.

Metro Golf Magazines said it well when they stated that the shaft is the most important part of the golf club.

Without the shaft, you have just a club head. The shaft is where you find control and power and really bring your game to action. Even though the putter is used for much lighter strokes, rather than a full swing,

There was a time when many people felt the putter shaft wasn’t that important because it’s used for a stroke. It was often cheaply made with little detail given to the shaft itself.

But that was then. Now, they’ve discovered that flex and torque and other measurements really might be valuable in a putter.

Your putter shaft might make a difference so it is only fair to choose wisely.

Stability Vs. Stroke Lab Shafts – The Details

Let’s take an all-around look at these two clubs.

We will start by just talking about the basic overview of each club but then we will compare them solidly against each other with things like weight, performance, and price.

We also have a great list of pros and cons for you for each shaft so you can see the details in simple review as well.

Stability Shaft Overview

The stability shaft was designed by Breakthrough Golf Technology. They took the idea that you need limited flex and rotation and designed a shaft that almost looks like a driver’s shaft. But on the end of the shaft, you find a putter’s head.

This shaft was designed using eight layers of carbon fiber and they completed the shaft with a stainless steel tip. It is well-weighted with a 22-gram insert that gives you just enough weight to be both flexible and rigid in structure simultaneously.

With this design, the shaft is more stiff to prevent excessive flex and the design also helps to reduce rotation, which tends to naturally come with our swings. It’s designed not to move when it isn’t supposed to.

The end result is that they limit movement that shouldn’t happen while also reducing torque by nearly 50%.

My Golf Spy did an interesting test with the Stability shaft against a standard steel shaft. Their test found that the starting direction was more consistent with little deviation.

They also noticed differences in the angle and the club path as well. In the end, the Stability shaft showed fewer putts to get the ball in the hole.

Stroke Lab Shaft Overview

The Stroke Lab shaft was designed by Odyssey. This club was designed with ingenuity geared towards improving the overall stroke. They focused on backswing length, impact face angle, tempo and speed at impact, and weight distribution.

They made changes to the weight distribution of a standard shaft to be able to accommodate these specific qualities in the design. They created a new and unique approach that is different from Stability’s approach.

This shaft is 40 grams lighter than your standard shaft, with a material that uses both graphite and steel. The total weight of the shaft is only about 75 grams. This shaft also offers what they have defined as a “White Hot Microhinge” that you can add on as an insert. This insert is designed to improve speed and control as well as the roll forward motion.

In addition to the Stroke Lab shafts, they also offer 10 different putter heads. These come in varying shapes and sizes and they are all designed to feel great and give your ball a smooth roll on impact.

From PGA Tour news, we find that Francesco Molinari now uses the Odyssey Stroke Lab shaft, among other clubs, and it seems to have improved his stroke to provide more consistency and control with the putting strokes.

Weight Comparison

The Stability shaft is still slightly heavier than Stroke Labs shaft, although it’s not a huge difference. Stability weighs in at about 125 grams, while Stroke Lab weighs only 75 grams.

That light weight feel can make a substantial difference on a putting stroke.

In this case, we feel as though the lighter club does hold an advantage. On the same note, the Stability shaft is lighter than your traditional club and not overly heavy either.

How Do They Compare On Performance?

In our brief overview above, we shared some details where each shaft had been put to the test. When the Stability shaft was compared to a standard shaft, it was more reliable and typically reduce the number of putts to hole the ball.

While we didn’t find the same study yet completed for a Stroke Lab shaft, we found the testimony of PGA golfer and the coach that attests to Stroke Lab helping provide more consistency and fewer strokes.

Both putters seem to be effective in terms of performance and both have a solid reputation backing them. They are designed differently but both have unique qualifiers.

 

How Do They Compare On Price?

According to My Golf Spy, you’re looking at a retail price of almost $250 for the Stability shaft turned putter.

This is based on the Tour shaft and they do offer 3 different shaft options, with Tour being the middle range.

Keep in mind that the total price of your club might vary depending on your grip selection and the putter head that you add to it. This price specifically is for the shaft alone.

For Stroke Lab shafts, it’s much harder to pinpoint the specific price of just the shaft since it is relatively new compared to Stability. If you take a look at the website for Odyssey, you find that most Stroke Lab putter options run around $270 for the full putter.

This appears that Stroke Lab is slightly less for total cost but they are very similar overall.

 

Stability Putter Shaft Pros and Cons 

Now, you’ve seen a basic overview of both of these shafts, it’s time to break it down. In this section, we will share the pros and cons of the Stability putter shaft for your reference.

Pros:

  • Lightweight design
  • Reliably more consistent for short length putts
  • Statistically make the hole in fewer putts
  • Assume better control and consistency on impact
  • Built to be designed like the driver shaft
  • Reduces the stress of the putting motion
  • Helps to square the putter face at impact

Cons:

  • In My Golf Spy’s test scenario, it did not out perform a standard shaft at 20 feet.
  • Slightly heavier in total weight compared to Stroke Lab
  • The driver length may feel too long for putting

Overall Score: 96/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Shop_Now

 

Stroke Lab Putter Shaft Pros and Cons

In this section, we will share the pros and cons of the Stroke Lab putter shaft for your reference.

Pros:

  • Weighs only 75 grams
  • Designed for consistent backswing and angle
  • 40 grams lighter than standard shafts
  • Designed with a unique combination of graphite and steel
  • Includes added technology for roll performance
  • Provides improved speed and control for all shots
  • Always smooth with every stroke
  • 10 different heads available

Cons:

  • Harder to find statistical data
  • While there are 10 heads, it seems more limited to purchase just the shaft
  • The stock grips are not always great but replacing the grip could affect the weighting

Overall Score: 94/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Shop_Now

What Putter Is Rory McIlroy Using?

If you’re curious what some of the pros are carrying in their bags, take a look at Rory McIlroy. As of June 2021, Rory was using the Taylor Made Spider X putter.

He started using this putter in 2019 and has a really great season. According to Golfbox, he has continued to use this putter ever since.

Are They Both Graphite Putter Shafts?

The materials of the Stability shaft vs. the Stroke Lab putter shaft are certainly interesting.

We saw in our overview that the Stroke Lab shaft uses a combination of graphite and steel for a lightweight design that is firm and rigid.

Stability, on the other hand, actually uses a unique layered carbon fiber. They took high modulus carbon fiber and created 8 layers to wrap together. They added an aluminum insert as well as an aluminum connector and there is no graphite as far as we can tell.

Conclusion

Both the Stability and the Stroke Lab shafts are quality shafts that have made a name for themselves.

Stability seems to be best for shorter shots while Stroke Lab seems to be consistent and offer improvement for all strokes.

Which of these putter shafts do you plan to try?