Different shafts in longer irons?

Hi guys. My current clubs are Mizuno MP-30's with S300's. I love the clubs and the ball flight from 6 iron down, but on the longer clubs i'm having trouble getting the ball high enough to hold greens. I'm thinking about changing the shafts on my 3,4 and 5 iron to something a little higher launch and higher spin. I'm really not interested in hybrids and i'd like to keep my long irons if possible. Any recommendations? I haven't had my swing speed measured but my 7 iron is my 150 club, driver about 230 carry. Should I consider regular flex? I appreciate any help.

Not common but it has been done and it has helped some. Higher launching bend profile (solfter flex) might help if you have a late enough release. Other possibilities is that a lighter shaft weight might help, shorter length increments (shorter playing length for the longer irons) may help and sometimes just adjusting the lofts up will be the most effective solution. Which might work the best will largely depends on why you are having trouble getting those irons up. It could be a matter of not getting good consistent face contact, it could be club head speed, or it could be just not delivering enough dynamic loft are some the more common reasons individuals may have issues with the longer irons. The best solution for one may not be the best solution for the others.

I'm a 10 handicap and I consider myself a decent ball striker. no problems with accuracy. I bet my 3 iron from the turf has a 40 ft. apex at best. Off the tee slightly higher. I wish I had more information such as dynamic loft, spin rates etc. but unfortunately the nearest launch monitor is nearly a 2 hour drive away so it's pretty much just trial and error.

You can always use impact tape or the equivalent to verify if the impact is suffering in the longer irons or not.

Lighter shaft might help gain a little club head speed (which can help) but it's not a guarantee and could also impact consistency. Tweaking the loft is generally going to be much more effective than trying to alter launch with the shaft profile and probably be the first thing I'd recommend trying.

You can always use impact tape or the equivalent to verify if the impact is suffering in the longer irons or not.

 

Lighter shaft might help gain a little club head speed (which can help) but it's not a guarantee and could also impact consistency. Tweaking the loft is generally going to be much more effective than trying to alter launch with the shaft profile and probably be the first thing I'd recommend trying.

That's what I was thinking too, Maybe weaken the lofts a couple degrees in the long irons? I picked up a set of irons over the winter and the 2 iron has a different shaft than the rest of the set, I haven't got to try them outdoors yet though. Only on the simulator and it does Feel different then the other clubs.

If i were to get the lofts weakened how much would you guys take off as a starting point?

I did mine this way too .... iron number 4 and 5 are custom order with graphite. The rest of irons are steel.

I have 120 S in my 5-6 iron, 125 S+ in my 7 iron, and 130X SSx1 in my 8-P.

Everything seems fine to me, loving this set up.

Hi guys. My current clubs are Mizuno MP-30's with S300's. I love the clubs and the ball flight from 6 iron down, but on the longer clubs i'm having trouble getting the ball high enough to hold greens. I'm thinking about changing the shafts on my 3,4 and 5 iron to something a little higher launch and higher spin. I'm really not interested in hybrids and i'd like to keep my long irons if possible. Any recommendations? I haven't had my swing speed measured but my 7 iron is my 150 club, driver about 230 carry. Should I consider regular flex? I appreciate any help.

You should definitely consider playing regular shafts in your longer irons. Some tour pros with more moderate swing speeds have done just exactly the same. Jack Nicklaus' coach at Ohio State also had his iron set make up with regular, or even senior shafts in his long irons.

I hit my 7-iron 150 on my best day, but more like 145 these days, and I hit my driver 230. I play regular shafts in all my clubs now.

You might also try the Dynamic gold S300 AMT shafts. They get lighter in the long irons, which should help to get the ball up due to increased speed and flex.

Mark

The answer is different depending on each golfer.

First, one has to acknowledge that modern iron lofts are much stronger than they used to be. This is a marketing trick performed by the manufacturers to sell new iron sets every year. They simply make the 6 iron to the 5 iron loft in an effort to sell new models as "longer" than ever. Today's 5 irons have the loft of 3 and 4 irons from years past. There is a threshold for loft beyond which any particular golfer no longer can effectively produce a shot height that can hold the green. This is largely a matter of swing speed and it is different for every golfer. So without knowing the lofts on your irons, it is hard to give you an answer. The numbers (4,5, and so on) are meaningless in today's golf market.

For me, the lowest loft I can elevate consistently without extra effort is 22 degrees. This is a 3 iron loft circa 1990. Today, it's a 4 or 5 iron. The modern 3 irons are 18-20 degrees. Each golfer has to determine what their personal limitations are and plan their set accordingly. If you have a modern strong lofted set, it could be that your 6 iron is somewhere around 28-29 degrees of loft, and that may be your personal threshold.

Shaft changes (within reason) are a slight modification. Loft changes are major modifications. The first thing I would do is have your lofts checked. IT could be that beyond the current loft of your 6 iron you need to play a high lofted fairway wood or hybrid.

Secondly, shaft flex is almost as meaningless as the iron number stamped on the iron head. There is no industry standard. The flex designation for R, S, and X are only relevant within a specific model of shaft. An R of one model, might be totally different than an R of a different model. If you struggle with a hook, you may not like softer tip shafts. If a slice, then you might want softer tip. Everyone is different. Just remember that a shaft change does not have a major influence on flight like a loft change would. It is a minor change, and usually only for those with a later release. If a golfer's release occurs before impact, the shafts will have little to no effect.

I just read this feed and felt compelled to contribute. I've had great success with the new DG Pro shaft. It's designed to offer a higher trajectory for 3,4, and 5 irons. I've played S300 my entire life and definitely notice a pleasant increase in height with lower irons. It also seems to hold ball flight with no loss of distance, if anything it travels bit further because of increased height.

I do agree with "physics&golf101" about info on lofts. Also, recommend you try different cavity type heads and experiment with different ball types. I matched my DG Pro shafts with Callaway Apex Combo set and maybe I've just found the perfect storm combination for me.

Hope this post helps...

Totally agree, the DG Pro shafts work as advertised . Fixed this same issue for me and several of my customers.

I've always wondered this too. Just ordered my Apex Black irons with C-taper Lite Stiff shafts, but am already worried about getting the 4i and 5i up in the air. I think they were borderline too stiff/heavy for me anyways, but loved the tight dispersion. (clubhead speed is ~81 7-iron). Kinda wishing I wouldve tested the DG Pro's now. Maybe just a lighter, higher launcher in those long irons might do the trick, without feeling too foreign.

I've always wondered this too. Just ordered my Apex Black irons with C-taper Lite Stiff shafts, but am already worried about getting the 4i and 5i up in the air. I think they were borderline too stiff/heavy for me anyways, but loved the tight dispersion. (clubhead speed is ~81 7-iron). Kinda wishing I wouldve tested the DG Pro's now. Maybe just a lighter, higher launcher in those long irons might do the trick, without feeling too foreign.

Try the DG Pro in your 4 or 5 iron. Really makes them easy to hit. I'm liking them, especially since lofts are getting less and less. As you know today's 5-iron is yesteryear's 4-3 iron...

Let me know thanks!

I've always wondered this too. Just ordered my Apex Black irons with C-taper Lite Stiff shafts, but am already worried about getting the 4i and 5i up in the air. I think they were borderline too stiff/heavy for me anyways, but loved the tight dispersion. (clubhead speed is ~81 7-iron). Kinda wishing I wouldve tested the DG Pro's now. Maybe just a lighter, higher launcher in those long irons might do the trick, without feeling too foreign.

 

Try the DG Pro in your 4 or 5 iron. Really makes them easy to hit. I'm liking them, especially since lofts are getting less and less. As you know today's 5-iron is yesteryear's 4-3 iron...

 

Let me know thanks!

Thanks for the advice! The C-Taper Lites were actually perfect. Love the feel and weighting of them with the Apex irons. Best iron setup I've ever owned, and they feel like night and day after coming out of XR Pro's with KBS 110's. I still struggled with that 4 iron so I swapped it with an Apex Utility 21-degree (4i) and that worked wonders. Tried it with a graphite design AD DI hybrid shaft in it at first but wasn't a fan, it just felt too light, so I swapped it with a C-Taper lite, and I love it so far. Works as a perfect dependable 4i replacement, but I still have the Apex 3h with a Speeder if I really need to crank one out there.

Sidenote though, the DG Tour Issues are a godsend in my wedges as well. If you haven't tried them, highly recommended. I went from a DG S300 to DG Tour Issue S400's, and dispersion has been cut in half, spin has increased, and much more confident with going after full pitches now.

Cheers!

Wow that's great news. I fully think the Apex 16's are the best iron going.

Why do you think the S400's in wedges have given you such success?

DG pro or AMT editions, all offer higher flight in the long irons

DG pro or AMT editions, all offer higher flight in the long irons

Just realize that the higher flight from the AMT's does not come from a softer bend profile. It comes from the assumption that one would get more club head speed from the lighter shaft weight. This may be true in practice for the pros, but not always the case with amateurs.

Wow that's great news. I fully think the Apex 16's are the best iron going.

 

Why do you think the S400's in wedges have given you such success?

I can't really tell you. You would think a wedge shaft with a little more flex would help the launch and spin, but everyone's swings different. I like being able to really "go after it" with the wedges, so maybe the little S400 makes me more comfortable in doing that. The Tour Issue is a little stiffer than a standard S400 too I believe. The MD3's are the only Cally wedges I really have liked, but even before them I always had S300's in my vokeys. Might have something to do with the swing path, as with most wedge shots, I try to come in very shallow, in more of a sweeping motion. Not sure if or how that affects it?

I'd say just try to test them out at a store you can exchange at (Edwin watts, etc.), although it may be tough to find T.I. S400's in any of the clubs on the rack.

Good luck!

I know this is a pretty old thread but I've just recently been toying with shafts, shaft lengths, etc. Playing PX 7.0s in my irons and TT "Monaco" TX flex in wedges... was going to run 6.5s in my wedges but I cam across the variable tip wedge shafts at a great cost, and they play awesome! But my question for you guys is why I'm having such a hard time flighting my 3 iron? My 4 iron is just fine with PX 7.0, I noticed some pros are going to weaker shafts in their 3 irons as well playing something like a half a flex softer. So do you guys think I should try a 6.5 flex in my 3 iron? Or adjust the loft of it 2* weaker? But wont i just be creating another 4 iron by doing so?

No idea what my swing speed is but 150-155 carry with my 9 iron is the best i can give you guys

i feel my short irons should be softer flex ie reg

and long irons stiffer.

why? my put a fuller swing on long irons. and i feel i swing slower and less full with short irons.

so my swing speeds are different ironically the other direction.

long iron higher ss

short iron lower ss

> @Mags15 said:

> I know this is a pretty old thread but I've just recently been toying with shafts, shaft lengths, etc. Playing PX 7.0s in my irons and TT "Monaco" TX flex in wedges... was going to run 6.5s in my wedges but I cam across the variable tip wedge shafts at a great cost, and they play awesome! But my question for you guys is why I'm having such a hard time flighting my 3 iron? My 4 iron is just fine with PX 7.0, I noticed some pros are going to weaker shafts in their 3 irons as well playing something like a half a flex softer. So do you guys think I should try a 6.5 flex in my 3 iron? Or adjust the loft of it 2* weaker? But wont i just be creating another 4 iron by doing so?

>

> No idea what my swing speed is but 150-155 carry with my 9 iron is the best i can give you guys

i would get rid of your 3 iron with all due respect

whatever works now you should go with instead of fighting it.

i'm guilty of that as well fred couples used to say, he would know if something works or not in 10 seconds and to not think a club will get better with time cuz it may not.

changing shafts on a 3 iron may not help and if it did, may just turn out to be another 4 iron like you said. plus the time money and grief. unless that's your hobby etc.

again, I know its an OLD thread, but I use C-Taper 125 in my 5-PW but I use a $ Taper 120 in my 4 iron and I hit BOMBS with that 4 iron.  Like some of the others said, go with what works FOR YOU.