Why Don't More Players Use Graphite Iron Shafts?

[Z1ggy16]

Yup, although my Nippons were no up charge with Taylormade. My old PX Lz's were though, $25 each.

 

I'd be down to test the Recoil proto 125's for sure. As a tinkerer, I'm always looking to try new things. If I found a deal on BSt or Ebay, I'd certainly toss a proto 95 in my upcoming UDI purchase.

[Stuart_G]

I'd be down to test the Recoil proto 125's for sure. As a tinkerer, I'm always looking to try new things. If I found a deal on BSt or Ebay, I'd certainly toss a proto 95 in my upcoming UDI purchase.

 

I think my vs-proto's were no up charge as well - but that was a while ago.

 

Probably want to go one flex softer then what you have with the Nippons - which means you might be out of luck if you are playing stiffs (no reg flex recoils for 110's or heavier). Although I think the SF i110's come in reg flex. Soft step them once and you might get a profile close to the Nippon 120 stiff.

[animalgolfs]

I'll never play steel again..... People talk about dispersion, hell, we can't deliver the club exactly the same as it is.....

[Z1ggy16]

I'd be down to test the Recoil proto 125's for sure. As a tinkerer, I'm always looking to try new things. If I found a deal on BSt or Ebay, I'd certainly toss a proto 95 in my upcoming UDI purchase.

 

I think my vs-proto's were no up charge as well - but that was a while ago.

 

Probably want to go one flex softer then what you have with the Nippons - which means you might be out of luck if you are playing stiffs (no reg flex recoils for 110's or heavier). Although I think the SF i110's come in reg flex. Soft step them once and you might get a profile close to the Nippon 120 stiff.

Huh, the proto has that stiff of a tip section?

 

The way I was fit, I need something in the 115g to 120g area with a fairly stout tip to help keep my launch and peak height down. The profile overall, I can get used to, whether it has a bit more kick or not (LZ's tons of kick, modus 120, not as much). When I start to get into that 100g range my tempo speeds up and I tend to see too much spin and height, also sloppier contact.

[Stuart_G]

I think my vs-proto's were no up charge as well - but that was a while ago.

 

Probably want to go one flex softer then what you have with the Nippons - which means you might be out of luck if you are playing stiffs (no reg flex recoils for 110's or heavier). Although I think the SF i110's come in reg flex. Soft step them once and you might get a profile close to the Nippon 120 stiff.

Huh, the proto has that stiff of a tip section?

 

No, but the Nippons are that soft :-) And it's more the mid-section then the tip. Likely the reason why they feel so "smooth" to you.

 

 

The way I was fit, I need something in the 115g to 120g area with a fairly stout tip to help keep my launch and peak height down. The profile overall, I can get used to, whether it has a bit more kick or not (LZ's tons of kick, modus 120, not as much). When I start to get into that 100g range my tempo speeds up and I tend to see too much spin and height, also sloppier contact.

 

The SF i110's actually play more like 115+ gm shafts due to the butt heavy nature and how much head weight has to be added to SW "normally". But even for the Recoils for some people, a little extra head weight can compensate for a total static weight that's a bit too light. So if you do try to experiment, might be worth bumping up the SW a couple points to see if that helps at all.

[Z1ggy16]

I think my vs-proto's were no up charge as well - but that was a while ago.

 

Probably want to go one flex softer then what you have with the Nippons - which means you might be out of luck if you are playing stiffs (no reg flex recoils for 110's or heavier). Although I think the SF i110's come in reg flex. Soft step them once and you might get a profile close to the Nippon 120 stiff.

Huh, the proto has that stiff of a tip section?

 

No, but the Nippons are that soft :-)

 

 

The way I was fit, I need something in the 115g to 120g area with a fairly stout tip to help keep my launch and peak height down. The profile overall, I can get used to, whether it has a bit more kick or not (LZ's tons of kick, modus 120, not as much). When I start to get into that 100g range my tempo speeds up and I tend to see too much spin and height, also sloppier contact.

 

The SF i110's actually play more like 115 gm shafts due to the butt heavy nature and how much head weight has to be added to SW "normally". But even for the Recoils for some people, a little extra head weight can compensate for a total static weight that's a bit too light. So if you do try to experiment, might be worth bumping up the SW a couple points to see if that helps at all.

I don't think the 120's are that soft! Compared to DG/PX and CTaper, yep, for sure but those are for the guys with real speed or who really prefer a more 1 piece feel. Nippons give me the weight I need, kept my launch down compared to LZ's and a couple other mid weight shafts and still feel nice.

 

Interesting. Will keep that in mind. Always interesting to read specs from dif OEMs but to hear how they translate to real world feels. I think Nippons classes the modus 120 as "stiff tip" with a med launch and a torque in the upper 1 (like 1.8 I think? Too lazy to look right now) and then UST has the torque varying in the upper 2.0s into the 3's for long irons with a "medium" flight. I know flex profile and torque are not the same, but I tend to always feel high torque shafts are more "whippy" and tend to lead to more draw flight.

[Stuart_G]

I don't think the 120's are that soft! Compared to DG/PX and CTaper, yep, for sure but those are for the guys with real speed or who really prefer a more 1 piece feel. Nippons give me the weight I need, kept my launch down compared to LZ's and a couple other mid weight shafts and still feel nice.

 

They really are. And those graphites are a lot closer to the DG's then you seem to think. This might help put it in perspective. I don't have the Recoil data - but (IMO) the vs-proto 100's are very close to the recoils - maybe even a touch softer.

 

 

[Z1ggy16]

Well that's probably why I like them! PX 6.0 was the right weight but too harsh feeling for me.. Generally harshness to my hands = too stiff. The Lz's had too soft of a mid and tip and the kick made me feel like I couldn't control the flight. 120's best fit for me all things considered.

 

Might have to soft step 110's 2x to get the right feel, and then add weight where needed. Not something I'm really dying to try out though... one, because time/money but two because if I love it.... then I gotta go buy a full set lol.

[BigHook25]

I'll never play steel again..... People talk about dispersion, hell, we can't deliver the club exactly the same as it is.....

 

To each their own. I got fit and played steelfibers for a little while after playing steel iron shafts my entire life. With the steelfibers, I was the most inaccurate with my irons I've ever been. Hit some shots so far offline which never happened with other steel shafts. I went back to steel and sold the steelfibers. I do usually keep a graphite shaft in my driving iron though.

[chisag]

The SF i110's actually play more like 115+ gm shafts due to the butt heavy nature and how much head weight has to be added to SW "normally". But even for the Recoils for some people, a little extra head weight can compensate for a total static weight that's a bit too light. So if you do try to experiment, might be worth bumping up the SW a couple points to see if that helps at all.

 

... Good stuff and I forget to mention that sometimes. I played my steel shafted irons at D2 and play graphite shafted irons at 1/2" long and D4, so that combined with the lower balance point they feel "normal" to me, not lightweight.

[animalgolfs]

I'll never play steel again..... People talk about dispersion, hell, we can't deliver the club exactly the same as it is.....

 

To each their own. I got fit and played steelfibers for a little while after playing steel iron shafts my entire left. With the steelfibers, I was the most inaccurate with my irons I've ever been. Hit some shots so far offline which never happened with other steel shafts. I went back to steel and sold the steelfibers. I do usually keep a graphite shaft in my driving iron though.

 

Steelfiber{Black Gold} have a stout high-end....hitting those the 1st time are unique.

 

You gotta know what your swing likes & performs

 

 

[Psyber]

I'd also say if you're going to try graphite be open to playing less flex than you normally do. Especially with Steelfiber. Pretty much every pro I've seen playing them goes with stiff and these are guys that likely all played X flex previously.

[NRJyzr]

I jumped to experimenting with graphite in irons last year, primarily to head off increasing pain in the hands/wrists/arms/elbows. I'd previously tried the retail Recoil 125 (bad fit for me, too high) and the Xcaliber TourX. Looked at RIP Tours, but they were on the way out. Found Hireko still selling the NV105, built a demo club, then took the plunge and reshafted a set of Golden Rams with a set of stiffs.

 

Found them to work quite well. They seemed to work better in the wind than the shafts I'd used previously in that set (Precision stepped). In trajectory terms, they operated much like DGS I'd otherwise have been using, as Chisag mentioned in his posts.

 

And, with less pain and stiffness. In fact, they helped me realize I'd been dealing with a bit more than I realized, after using them for a couple months. And, after I played steel again for the last month to six weeks of the 17 season.

 

The only real issue I had was dealing with the weight. I've long been a heavy shaft disciple, it was a large adjustment dropping to a 105 gram shaft. Found myself sometimes hooking the long irons, but nothing else in the bag, including the hybrid I shafted with an NV105. Odd.

 

Had picked up a set of DGS to reshaft a set of Rams, but after thinking about it lately, I picked up a set of RIP Tour 115s in R that I'll be trying this spring.

 

 

I'd also say if you're going to try graphite be open to playing less flex than you normally do. Especially with Steelfiber. Pretty much every pro I've seen playing them goes with stiff and these are guys that likely all played X flex previously.

 

That's going to depend on the graphite you're using and the steel you're coming from. The retail Recoil I'd tried was on flex, as are the NV I mention above. The Steelfiber profile seems reasonable close to DGS in the 95 and 110, maybe a bit stiffer in the 125. The RIP Tours look to be about a flex stiff, according to the profile data shared by Stuart G in another thread (operating on memory with that, I'm not at the PC with the numbers).

[cardoustie]

For guys that want stout

 

There are some sets of Aldila Prototype 125x's floating around ... they are a deep red colour. I think Faldo, Norman and Duke tried them for a bit

 

Not a bad set. I played them soft stepped 1X

[Jagpilotohio]

Well that's probably why I like them! PX 6.0 was the right weight but too harsh feeling for me.. Generally harshness to my hands = too stiff. The Lz's had too soft of a mid and tip and the kick made me feel like I couldn't control the flight. 120's best fit for me all things considered.

 

Might have to soft step 110's 2x to get the right feel, and then add weight where needed. Not something I'm really dying to try out though... one, because time/money but two because if I love it.... then I gotta go buy a full set lol.

 

I had the Recoil Prototype 125's in my Hogans for 2 months. F5 soft stepped one time. I soft stepped them because I kept reading how stiff they are. In my opinion they are really not overly stiff. I don't know why people think this. They were actually too soft for me. Spun too much but i absolutely loved the feel of them.

 

Beautifully soft and smooth, but into the wind they were worthless on full shots. Ball fell out of the sky like a shot duck.

 

I liked them so much other than the spin issue that I may give them another shot this season on my second tester set of Hogans. Ill try them hard stepped one time and see if that makes a difference.

 

Distance with my Tour V's for comparison sake is 175 carry on 34* 7 iron. 145 on 46* PW.

[Z1ggy16]

Have you ever tried C Taper Lites? I read on here over and over how they played soft to flex... had them in my old Cobra Forged's.. Did not feel soft to me at all. I felt like they were pretty much the same "stiffness" from tip to grip, that is... No life anywhere in the shaft. With the PX LZ i felt a huge kic right in the middle of the shaft, and with modus 120 I feel a very small kick between the middle and the handle. With regular PX on flush hits I could feel maybe a small kick high up, almost not noticeable.

 

CTL's were probably the worst shafts I've ever had. Harsh but also still launched the ball pretty high which I'm not quite sure how that happened. If a shaft is going to feel rigid with little kick, I expect a lower flight. It's barely into 2018 and I feel like I'm pretty much done experimenting for the year (except maybe putters) so I almost don't even want to venture down this rabbit hole... It sounds too alluring to be honest.

[dunn]

$$$

[dmbrill719]

For guys that want stout

 

There are some sets of Aldila Prototype 125x's floating around ... they are a deep red colour. I think Faldo, Norman and Duke tried them for a bit

 

Not a bad set. I played them soft stepped 1X

 

Where abouts might one find a set of Prototype 125 X's?

[Stuart_G]

Might have to soft step 110's 2x to get the right feel, and then add weight where needed. Not something I'm really dying to try out though... one, because time/money but two because if I love it.... then I gotta go buy a full set lol.

 

Actually the added head weight (for SW management) already makes it the equivalent of SSx1, so using one actual soft step along with that would already make it equivalent to SSx2.

 

But to be honest, I wouldn't expect them to beat out or even match your Nippons. Still very different profile shapes and the stepping can only do so much. If you had pain issues that needed graphite, then I might say it's worth trying (or maybe the discontinued matrix program 130's - someone found some new ones really cheap on ebay recently). But since you don't, I'd just stick to what you're already happy with.

[Z1ggy16]

Might have to soft step 110's 2x to get the right feel, and then add weight where needed. Not something I'm really dying to try out though... one, because time/money but two because if I love it.... then I gotta go buy a full set lol.

 

Actually the added head weight (for SW management) already makes it the equivalent of SSx1, so using one actual soft step along with that would already make it equivalent to SSx2.

 

But to be honest, I wouldn't expect them to beat out or even match your Nippons. Still very different profile shapes and the stepping can only do so much. If you had pain issues that needed graphite, then I might say it's worth trying (or maybe the discontinued matrix program 130's - someone found some new ones really cheap on ebay recently). But since you don't, I'd just stick to what you're already happy with.

Yeah seems like mid to mid heavy shaft weight plus a softer profile overall is what I do best with. Anything that acts or feels like PX or DG isn't really my favorite. I'm a really big Nippon fan due to feel and dispersion. If they offered graphite that had the same profile as 120 in that weight class and got me better results... I'll be down to try them for sure.

 

So far this year iron play has been my best asset. Working more on finding the right putter and experimenting there.

[wkuo3]

Personally, I had never gotten used to the graphite shafts in short irons, especially the wedges.

For I could never get the feel, same as the super wide sole in wedges. I guess it'll be good for some others, but not I.

 

It's relative to what the expectation is from individual golfer ?

[Psyber]

Personally, I had never gotten used to the graphite shafts in short irons, especially the wedges.

For I could never get the feel, same as the super wide sole in wedges. I guess it'll be good for some others, but not I.

 

It's relative to what the expectation is from individual golfer ?

I actually use steel in my 54 and 58. My PW and gap are from the set and are full swing clubs usually so I shaft them the same as my other irons. I may eventually try heavier Steelfibers in the wedges but for now I like the feel of the weight to control partial shots better.

[wkuo3]

Personally, I had never gotten used to the graphite shafts in short irons, especially the wedges.

For I could never get the feel, same as the super wide sole in wedges. I guess it'll be good for some others, but not I.

 

It's relative to what the expectation is from individual golfer ?

I actually use steel in my 54 and 58. My PW and gap are from the set and are full swing clubs usually so I shaft them the same as my other irons. I may eventually try heavier Steelfibers in the wedges but for now I like the feel of the weight to control partial shots better.

 

Each golfer has a different point of diminishing return. It's fun to figure out where one stands to best their game, but , the point of diminishing return changes with time. It quicken the pace with aging.

Perhaps one of these days I will use nothing but graphite shafts. Like in the past that I couldn't understand why it's difficult for some golfers to get their golf balls a higher trajectory. Lost of club head speed is one very sad thing that comes with aging. Like some of the super seniors retreated to executive golf courses.

Golf could be enjoyed at a different level.

[NRJyzr]

Personally, I had never gotten used to the graphite shafts in short irons, especially the wedges.

For I could never get the feel, same as the super wide sole in wedges. I guess it'll be good for some others, but not I.

 

It's relative to what the expectation is from individual golfer ?

 

I started using nv105 in my SW/LW, but found them too light. Eventually went with steel shafted wedges and my control improved.

 

If I go with graphite again in the wedges, I'll try Steelfiber 125 this time

[Psyber]

Personally, I had never gotten used to the graphite shafts in short irons, especially the wedges.

For I could never get the feel, same as the super wide sole in wedges. I guess it'll be good for some others, but not I.

 

It's relative to what the expectation is from individual golfer ?

I actually use steel in my 54 and 58. My PW and gap are from the set and are full swing clubs usually so I shaft them the same as my other irons. I may eventually try heavier Steelfibers in the wedges but for now I like the feel of the weight to control partial shots better.

 

Each golfer has a different point of diminishing return. It's fun to figure out where one stands to best their game, but , the point of diminishing return changes with time. It quicken the pace with aging.

Perhaps one of these days I will use nothing but graphite shafts. Like in the past that I couldn't understand why it's difficult for some golfers to get their golf balls a higher trajectory. Lost of club head speed is one very sad thing that comes with aging. Like some of the super seniors retreated to executive golf courses.

Golf could be enjoyed at a different level.

I guess it wont be too much of change for me. I'm 32 and already playing graphite and most of my golf is played on a nice executive!

[chisag]

Personally, I had never gotten used to the graphite shafts in short irons, especially the wedges.

For I could never get the feel, same as the super wide sole in wedges. I guess it'll be good for some others, but not I.

 

It's relative to what the expectation is from individual golfer ?

 

I started using nv105 in my SW/LW, but found them too light. Eventually went with steel shafted wedges and my control improved.

 

If I go with graphite again in the wedges, I'll try Steelfiber 125 this time

 

... If you could find some of the NV Tours at 130gms I think 1.5* of torque, you would love them. I put 2 in my sons wedges and he plays DGx100's tip 1/2' in his irons so the NV Tours are heavy and very strong shafts.

[Ri_Redneck]

For guys that want stout

 

There are some sets of Aldila Prototype 125x's floating around ... they are a deep red colour. I think Faldo, Norman and Duke tried them for a bit

 

Not a bad set. I played them soft stepped 1X

 

Where abouts might one find a set of Prototype 125 X's?

 

In that corral at the end of the road with all those other unicorns!

 

Personally, I found the Rip Tours to be my favorites and it irks me no end when great shafts get discontinued before they even get started. Thankfully, I have been able to find several set still in plastic and hogged them so that I will not have to change for several years. Sorry folks, they're all mine!

 

BT

[gripandrip]

I tried Steelfiber i95 regulars in a set of irons, and I couldn't get them to work for my swing. Steelfibers are very firm in the tip - they play darn stiff to flex. I have tried i80's - too light.

 

When a manufacturer comes up with a good graphite iron shaft around 100 grams with a softer tip, I'm interested.

I went from DG S300's to SF i95's. I had no issue with the change and didn't lose any accuracy. like all shafts, they need to match your swing characteristics.

[NRJyzr]

Personally, I had never gotten used to the graphite shafts in short irons, especially the wedges.

For I could never get the feel, same as the super wide sole in wedges. I guess it'll be good for some others, but not I.

 

It's relative to what the expectation is from individual golfer ?

 

I started using nv105 in my SW/LW, but found them too light. Eventually went with steel shafted wedges and my control improved.

 

If I go with graphite again in the wedges, I'll try Steelfiber 125 this time

 

... If you could find some of the NV Tours at 130gms I think 1.5* of torque, you would love them. I put 2 in my sons wedges and he plays DGx100's tip 1/2' in his irons so the NV Tours are heavy and very strong shafts.

 

I've made a couple cursory searches with no success, but I'm going to keep trying here and there. ;)

 

The RIP Tours may keep me occupied for a couple months, for now. After seeing the Wishon profile data, I sprung for the R's. A far cry from 10 years ago for me. LOL

[Big Ben]

For years I tried many graphite iron shaft models and did not like the results. Fast forward to 2016 things changed, they started becoming far more consistent, better feeling and easier to build with tight tolerance. I'm a mid spin guy so it wasn't hard to overcome ball flight. The benefits I now experience at 48yrs old from pain relief supports my continued success with graphite iron shafts. BB