Is there such a thing as a heavy graphite iron shaft in a 'soft flex'(that plays like a 70-gm Reg)?

[bulls9999]

OK, I'm using Recoil 760 F3's. I kind of like them (until I find something better). My S/S with 7i is 85. And to me, 70-gm, 80-gm, 90-gm Reg flex graphite shafts from the same manufacturer/brand don't play the same even though they may be all 'Regular flex'. I still yearn for something heavier but don't like the 'stiffness' of heavier graphite. Is there such a thing as a 95-105 gm senior flex graphite shaft? (I'm thinking the thicker walls of a 95-105 graphite shaft will play as stout or better than a Reg flex 70-gm iron shaft). Would the alternative be to put some kind of inserts in my current 70-gm shafts to make them a bit heavier, but having the same flex? What is that called and where do they put them (distributed along the shaft or in 1 spot?).

[gdb99]

You are correct, thicker walled, heavier graphite shafts will play stiffer.

You could put some lead tape along the underside of your current shafts.

I don’t know of any inserts that you could put in your shafts that weigh 20+ grams, that wouldn’t damage the walls of the shafts.

There are vibration dampening inserts, but are foam, but weigh next to nothing.

You would get a lot more information over at the club building forum.

Good luck.

[Sparty4202]

There is a Recoil 95 in F3® that you could soft step 1 or 2 times to get it near a A flex.

[OsnolaKinnard]

Check out the Padersen Iron shafts. They have models in 110 gram weights and R flex as well as Long iron, mid iron, and short iron profiles that will determine ball flight, spin, and feel.

 

They aee not cheap but I can tell you rhey work. My Edels are awesome and I am sold on the Padersen shafts.

[KRW59]

Lead tape on the shafts is the easiest way to add weight to a softer flex shaft , without alternating feel of flex....

And then there are the ways I do it.....

I test with the bent nickels taped on the shaft ( 5 gams each ) to find the weight that works best . Where I tape on the shaft also allows me to play with the balance / swingweight a point or two while I am at it. I will then use the Sensicore insert with lead tape wrapped around the straw section and swingweight scale , to determine how far down the shaft to replicate the weight and balance that felt the best during testing . (see my signature) The fwys , hybrids, and gap wedge in my current bag all have this treatment. I also own a set of Hogan FTW-15 that I turned Recoil 95 F3 into 110 F3 using this method

Method #2.... I like heavy wedge shafts , so I used heat shrink tube over the Recoil 95 F3 shaft in my 54° to bump the weight up to 110 grams , and the Recoil 110 F4 8iron shaft to 125 grams on my 58° wedge. The heat shrink tube I used added 15 to 17 grams , and is very durable, 2+ years and still going....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stuart_G]

Yes, there is no standard for flex. So the flex label generally will not tell you how a shaft will feel. Flex can and will means something completely different for different shaft models.

No, it's not the thicker walls the heavier graphite play stiffer. For composite shafts, weight and stiffness are really independent of each other. The stiffness comes from the graphite layers and orientation, the weight comes from the epoxy. Well, at least it's easy to add weight without adding stiffness.

The problem is that the demand for softer flexes in the heavier models is so small it's not worth it for the manufacturers to make them. The vast majority of people who fit into a 90-105 gm flex will have at least have a swing speed that works well with reg flex. Above 110, they'll usually need at least a stiff shaft. Of course there are always exceptions - but not enough to make production worth it for the shaft companies.

Is there any reason you need to play graphite? Sure the lighter weights (below about 90 gm) are largely only available in graphite but if you want to go up to the 90-105 gm weight, you might be better off with steel - like the Nippons 950, 1050 or 105's tend to be quite soft to flex compared to other lighter weight steel options from TT, KBS or PX.

But if there is some medical reason you need to play graphite, the softest graphite shafts in that weigh range I've come across are the Steelfiber FC90's. They are only available in regular flex (not senior) but they are a lot softer than the i-series steelfibers. And they can be soft stepped for some added softening.

 

 

[Galanga]

If you can get a hold of an Accra i123 M3, that plays to about 5.0 (regular) and they are 123 grams. They are parallel tip. Bit pricey. Feel akin to DG R300 to me.

[Ri_Redneck]

I've never tried it, but it seems to me that there are probably some .370 Hybrid shafts out there that would work. Most of them have 3-4" parallel tip sections which could be trimmed to a set of up to 7 irons. Uncharted territory though since there are no trimming instructions for this. Hybrid shafts are designed for lighter headweights than you have with irons, so I would think they would play soft to the marked flex. Howard or Stuart, have you guys ever come across someone trying this?

BT

[KRW59]

I have done it up to the 5 iron....before I made the switch to hybrids ( more versatile and higher flight)....Howard is the expert on this subject for a full set build....He has done it.....I believe due to the descending weight as you get into the shorter irons, a change in shaft weight class and or flex is needed to maintain weight progression....Use of a CPM frequency analyzer is also needed.(along the lines of how Project X flighted sets were made up by soft stepping and hard stepping shafts of various FCM ratings )

We would be able to figure it out....but way beyond the average club builder or expense the average customer would be willing to pay for our effort .....

[OsnolaKinnard]

That is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!!!!

[KRW59]

It's been 5+ years since I bought a 50ft spool from this company...online.... If I remember correctly it was about $30.00

I was'nt able to find what I needed at the usual go to's..Home Depot and Lowe's...

Edit: got to give credit where credit is due . The idea came from a long thread in the golfwrx putter forum....after having done it to numerous putters for myself and others....

Goggle < $3.96 black putter shaft golfwrx > it should come up . Easy click to it...

 

 

[OsnolaKinnard]

Thanks Boss. Will check it out.

[IC3BURGH]

According to a shaft measurement database that shall not be named, Mitsubishi OTI 95g R, Fujikura Pro 95 R, and Accra iSeries 123i are all graphite iron shafts that weigh more than 90g and have lower CPM ratings than your current Recoils. They are ~equivalent to KBS Tour 90 in regular, which is pretty darn soft. The difference between all of these shafts and your recoils is about 1-1.5 "flex points". Based on EI profile, the OTI 95 R should most closely mimic your Recoils. YMMV with this data.

[bulls9999]

Well, thanks for all the suggestions. Wow, you guys are like the McGyver's of golf equipment. And to think I shy'd away from mentioning what I was thinking... like pouring (or injecting with a 25-50-ml syringe and long thin tube) silicone glue down the inside of the shaft to distribute it evenly or spread out as much as possible.... that you'd think I was crazy. But that heat shrink tubing method seems like a way to distribute it evenly... but wonder if it would affect flex (probably doesn't have the stiffness/stength of those laminate layers?).

[bulls9999]

Hmmm...and I used to game a set of irons with Adams CB2 forged/KBS Tour 90 (stiff) just 2 years ago along with JPX 900 hot metal with NS ProModus3 Tour 105 Stiff. The KBS Tour90 were 102.5 gm shafts were easily playable for me yet I like the way the ProModus would release (also 106 gm), but I couldn't load them that well. Right about that time, I had a bout of tennis elbow and was coming off of that and went to a local noted advanced fitter and put me into the Recoils (68-gm regular, soft tip). Cursed him for a few months, but finally can play those irons (my HC went down actually). But recently, I was diddling around in Golf Galaxy and grabed a steel-shafted iron off the fitting carts (didn't have my glasses), and i was enjoying it and hitting a tight dispersion, and the tech rep came over and said of those 3 I've been hitting, this is the tightest and longer of the irons.... and it was a 125-gm dynamic gold-family shaft. I was shocked actually, and it started me thinking about going back to steel, perhaps no better than regular.... but that felt so good. Decisions decisions.