Bumping Up - Iron Shafts

[Dent]

Hey guys,

With all this talk about properly fitting yourself and shafts, and weights etc etc. I was starting to ponder if ALL my clubs are properly fitted for me. This topic concerning my iron shafts.

I'm currently hitting ZZ65s in a stiff flex and am wondering if this is even right for me? I just upgraded to stiff when I got new irons and never really thought about it. I have a semi-quick swing and hit the ball a good distance with my irons. How do I know when it's perhaps time to upgrade to X flex? Will I see any indications on the course or is it just a preference for some people to have stiffer shafts? Wish I could give you guys some numbers but I'm pretty rusty right now and I felt the simulators were off at Golf Town because my 7 Iron SS ranged from 73 on one swing and then shot up to 92 on the next, which is ridiculous.

For what it's worth I've been trying out all these online fitters for irons and all of them recommend X flex. How will I know?

 

[JR]

Well, just from what my experience was, stiff should be fine.

I was averaging 81-82 with a six iron, and they recommended a PX 5.5 or 6.0 for me.

I ranged anywhere from 75-104. In case you have not noticed, I aint too consistant.

 

[Tmex]

I had a similar question to Andy about this Dent. Here is what he said I would notice if I was playing too weak a shaft:

You should see the occasional high block cut or the lower than normal pull with a draw on the end of it. The first is caused by the head lagging behind and not catching up. The second is caused by the weaker shaft kicking in too much and shutting the door.

Hope that helps Dent. I was working with Reg flex shafts when probably stiff was best at the time.

Hey guys,

With all this talk about properly fitting yourself and shafts, and weights etc etc. I was starting to ponder if ALL my clubs are properly fitted for me. This topic concerning my iron shafts.

I'm currently hitting ZZ65s in a stiff flex and am wondering if this is even right for me? I just upgraded to stiff when I got new irons and never really thought about it. I have a semi-quick swing and hit the ball a good distance with my irons. How do I know when it's perhaps time to upgrade to X flex? Will I see any indications on the course or is it just a preference for some people to have stiffer shafts? Wish I could give you guys some numbers but I'm pretty rusty right now and I felt the simulators were off at Golf Town because my 7 Iron SS ranged from 73 on one swing and then shot up to 92 on the next, which is ridiculous.

For what it's worth I've been trying out all these online fitters for irons and all of them recommend X flex. How will I know?

 

[Dent]

Thanks Yoccos, I'll have to look into that when I start playing again. Can't recall if I did any of those last year.

 

[XXXMOJOXXX]

Dent,

From what I understand and have been advised thru my various club fitting sessions is that unless your average swing speed is greater than 110mph you will need stiff flex. I have a average swing speed between 117 and 126 mph depending on what club I am hitting, therefore I need X-flex shafts. This is as i am sure you already know just a guideline, as all shafts have different characteristics.

Cheers!!

 

[Mardin]

Dent,

From what I understand and have been advised thru my various club fitting sessions is that unless your average swing speed is greater than 110mph you will need stiff flex. I have a average swing speed between 117 and 126 mph depending on what club I am hitting, therefore I need X-flex shafts. This is as i am sure you already know just a guideline, as all shafts have different characteristics.

Cheers!!

That's a fast swing. This is a great thread question. I know swing speed means a lot but I think feel and consistency come into play as Dent and Aggro noted. I have a regular shaft flex that sometimes doesn't feel stiff enough because my swing is somewhat inconsistent.

 

[StLCardsFan]

The best thing to do is to hit different shafts on the range (not indoors) and see what the results are with ball flight and distance. If nothing else just to see what your swing can handle. Forget about the numbers, swing speed can make a difference, but swing quality is equally important.

I can swing pretty hard, but I didn't think hard enough to need an x-stiff. When I was testing new irons a couple years ago, I was really frustrated that I couldn't find a shaft that was working. The pro I was working with suggested the DG X-100. I would have never thought I could handle it, but it ended up being perfect for me. Much better ballflight for me over the S-300, and much more consistent. I lost some distance the first year, but as I got more accustomed to them, I am hitting further than I was before.

My biggest worry is that as a feel player, I would always have to swing them hard. Not true. I can choke down and/or use an abbreviated swing and they work just the same. It is more about the timing of the swing than the speed of it. The best part for me is that unlike before, I can really 'go after' a swing if I need to.

Once it warms up, take some demos to the range with stiffer shafts and see if you can hit them, and what kind of results you get. You'll know if you can. Just give it some time though. It will take a little bit to get the timing down, so don't just hit 3-4 bad balls and give up.

 

[PiratePenguin]

Find a shop with a Mizuno shaft fitting system. It works. Getting the right shaft is more than just swing speed. Tempo, rythym, load and unload points, etc. also come into play. My speed is high enough to be a stiff on its own, but my other aspects are such that I play a hard-stepped regular flex. The Mizuno system puts me just above R, lower than S. They feel much better than trying to fight a stiff with my tempo.