Iron Shaft Replacement for DG S300

[Pasatiempo]

I’ve played standard Dynamic Gold S300 in my irons for 40 yrs.  At this point I need a shaft that will get me more height in the longer irons and easier to swing so fatigue is not a factor late in the round.  I’ve recently switched to DG 120 S300 however this did not work out;  lighter but same low launch and felt even stiffer to me than the standard DG S300.  Looking at Project X LZ maybe 5.5 or Ping AWT 2.0 stiff in a set of iBlades.  Driver swing speed mid 90’s mph.  Smooth tempo.  Usually plus 1/2” in irons.  Difficult to demo during Covid.  Any thoughts on a potential shafts would be appreciated.

[Henkerixon]

Have you tried the dg105?

Because i felt the same thing as you and decided to buy new clubs and made a fitting.

The Choice was between the modus 105s and dg105s The dg felt better to me, have had dg s300 for a Long time and i struggle With the weight of the clubs. I have Mizuno mp-30, swing with j7 about 83-86mph. Everybody is talking about going from a heavy shaft to a light shaft can be bad for your golf and golfswing but is that realy true? Because i had better dispersion with the 105 vs s300..and i also felt the dg had better feeling then the modus 105 which everybody is praising!

Anyway My clubs are om its way, i am very keen to try Them. Maybe the dg105 is a disaster who knows? 😉

[Pasatiempo]

Thanks.  I tried the 105R in a fitting bay at PGASS.  I prefer an outdoor range fitting but no demo days with Covid.  The fitter only had a R shaft which was in the 90 gm range.  Felt too light and my tempo was off. Maybe it’s just getting used to but this is my dilemma;  heavy seems to maintain my tempo but I don’t have the speed anymore to generate height especially in the long irons.  That’s why I was considering the Ping AWT which is more mid weight and mid spin or Project X LZ.  Good luck with the clubs!

Edited October 10, 2020 by Pasatiempo

[Henkerixon]

But i believe new shaft means automatically new swing. You cant have the exact same swing after this chance. The tempo needs to adjust. Im ready for that because i need i it to.😂

But good luck!

[Pasatiempo]

Makes sense.  Probably need to find a shaft that feels good to me, is lighter and then adjust.  Another thought was Ping can dial in swing weight so go with slightly higher swing weight to help keep the tempo in check.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Pasatiempo

[MisterT]

How about DGS300 in R flex in the longer clubs? You won't have to work quite as hard to launch them.

[Pasatiempo]

I’ve never hit a std R300 so not familiar with how they play.  They are very close in weight to the S300 and designed with a similar high kick point so low launch, spin in theory.  I’d want the same shaft in all the irons.

[dab]

I just got a set of irons with DG R300 - 2003 vintage- and found it quite easy to hit the ball higher. I never liked the DG S300 shaft, it was difficult to good trajectory in the longer irons and was too stiff for my mid 90's driver swing. The R300's definitely kick more and have better feel for me.

[Pasatiempo]

Thanks.  I thought about going this direction but was concerned about the weight.  Do you find the control ok?

[ebk]

It’s been discontinued, but they are still findable: Dynalite Gold XP

[RobotDoctor]

I was a DG S300 player but made the switch to Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 stiff shafts around 2014 when I was 49.  These shafts are about 114g so they're lighter but are similar to the S300s.  They seem to launch the ball easier, especially in the long irons.  The shaft is butt and tip stiff so I get consistency in dispersion yet the shaft is a bit softer mid section so I can torque the shaft.   I tried to 105s and it was not a good fit for me but the 120s are absolutely perfect and are still in my bag today and performing very well.

[Pasatiempo]

Thanks.  After more research and discussion I’ll probably go Nippon Modus 105 stiff or Ping AWT 2.0 stiff in the i210s (vs iBlade for more forgiveness).  Both are Nippon shafts.  Concerned with different weighting in the AWT but this would help in the long irons in theory and keep the short iron flight down a bit.  Need to find a way to hit them both.

[Nixhex524]

I was going to suggest a flighted set of shafts or the Modus 120.  I have the 105 stiff in my Srixons and they remind me a lot of DG.  For me, the Modus 120 launched higher, the 105 had more of a DG flight, kind of more penetrating with better feel so they are nicer on the joints.  They are light which I don't love and if thats a problem you can look at the Modus 125... same shaft just a little heavier supposedly.  The Modus 130 is the highest launching I believe if height is the issue for you but I'd really consider looking at the 120.  I own some 210s right now (S300 120) and for me, I feel they launch higher than the iblade/S55.  Just my experience though.

[Pasatiempo]

Thank you.  Interesting you felt the Modus 105 had a similar flight to the DG shaft and the Modus 120 or 125 would be a better fit for higher flight.  Maybe the Modus 105 has a stiffer tip section;  I found this to be the case with the DG 120 S300 where the flight to me was actually lower vs standard DG S300. Probably due to less spin.
I spoke to Ping and the rep who also was a fitter suggested Modus 105 R shaft for my swing speed and tempo which is around 95 mph, 155 with a 7 iron, smooth tempo.  

[Nixhex524]

Supposedly the 105 and 125 are Nippons DG equivalent...  I would say the flight of the 105 stiff IS simialr to what I see in the S300, just better feel.  The S300 120 feels a touch softer to me than the S300 which gives it a little worse dispersion, hard to tell the true flight since they are in some i210s which tend to launch higher anyway for me.... My buddy plays the 105r and they are also great.  I have hit them and they feel nice, not whippy but did launch higher for me than the stiff version.  I like the DG shafts as they are easier for me to flight down but the feel and dispersion of the Modus make up for that....  I would definitely recommend giving them a shot if possible.

[Pasatiempo]

Thanks again.  Struggling with the iBlade or i210.  iBlade looks great at address and in the bag and I don’t like thicker soles.  As a 10 handicap however feel like I may struggle more with the iBlade especially in the long irons.  Not a fan of split sets. 

[TourSpoon]

Have you tried the DG AMT White S300s? I went to these in my AP2s because I had always played S300s pre 50s and found them to be familiar in the scoring irons and a little more launchable in the 4 and 5 irons. 

[Pasatiempo]

No I haven’t tried AMT White.  I tried the DG 120 S300 but as I mentioned not much help.  I think a higher spinning head with lighter, mid kick shaft should do the trick.  Unfortunately my speed has slowed down and it’s not like I’m putting huge loads on the shaft anymore especially with my smooth tempo.  Probably need a consistent shaft bend profile thru the set at this point vs just in long irons.

[Pasatiempo]

I was able to try the Nippon Modus 105 stiff in a few 7 iron heads- Ping i210, G410 and Titleist T200.  Nice shaft.  Ball speed with the Titleist was highest and it felt as good as the Ping i210.  All three very good irons.  My ball speed was 110 with the Titleist. They said that fits a stiff shaft and I’d get better control.  No R shaft available to try.  

[cxx]

On 10/11/2020 at 3:00 AM, ebk said:

It’s been discontinued, but they are still findable: Dynalite Gold XP

Dynalite gold xp was replaced by the similar shaft with different weights, 95xp, 105xp, 115xp ....

These have been replaced by the true temper's elevate series.   These shafts will do what you want, provide a higher ball flight without feeling whippy. I know the 95xp were  standard for some new iron sets so easy to demo.

 

I play the old dynalite gold xp.  Its sturdy enough and gives me a higher trajectory, lands soft.

[Pasatiempo]

Thanks.  I was staying away from the Elevate but will add them to the list.  I tried the DG AMT Black in the Titleist T100.  Easy to swing, launch using the 7 iron demo but hard to tell how the varying weights would feel and play thru the set. 
 

OT- Can anyone with a Golf WRX account sell clubs on this site?  I’d rather not use Ebay and Craigslist hasn’t been successful.

[nsxguy]

53 minutes ago, Pasatiempo said:

Thanks.  I was staying away from the Elevate but will add them to the list.  I tried the DG AMT Black in the Titleist T100.  Easy to swing, launch using the 7 iron demo but hard to tell how the varying weights would feel and play thru the set. 
 

OT- Can anyone with a Golf WRX account sell clubs on this site?  I’d rather not use Ebay and Craigslist hasn’t been successful.

 

https://forums.golfwrx.com/forum/56-classifieds-for-sale-forum/

 

[Pasatiempo]

Thanks.  A fitting with Titleist resulted in the T100 with Project X LZ 5.0.  Provided the best launch, spin & distance.  Shaft felt stable at 110 gms.  Surprised how playable the T100 iron was, good feel and better looking vs T200.  Still want to try the Ping G425 irons coming out in January.  Might offer more forgiveness.  

 

Edited November 22, 2020 by Pasatiempo

[Matt70]

On 10/10/2020 at 6:22 AM, Pasatiempo said:

I’ve recently switched to DG 120 S300 however this did not work out;  lighter but same low launch and felt even stiffer to me than the standard DG S300. 

 

I felt that the DG105 r300 also felt stiffer than DG s300

 

 

Edited November 25, 2020 by Matt70

[columbuslinks]

Did you try DG AMT Red? Red is higher launch than the black. I used to play stiff S300 and got fitted for regular AMT Red in my T200. Love them so far. Smooth with higher launch.

[Pasatiempo]

No.  Fitter went from the AMT Black to the Project X LZ.  Surprised I fit into a 5.0 but Project X always felt stiffer than Dynamic Gold to me and have lost some speed.  Gained roughly 10 yds over current.

Fittings are a snapshot in time in a way.  A fitting on another day with another fitter could yield different results. I guess the hope wrt shafts is to get a weight range and then flex that is playable and avoid a mistake purchase based on ego or impulse.

[nsxguy]

On 11/21/2020 at 7:54 PM, Pasatiempo said:

Thanks.  A fitting with Titleist resulted in the T100 with Project X LZ 5.0.  Provided the best launch, spin & distance.  Shaft felt stable at 110 gms.  Surprised how playable the T100 iron was, good feel and better looking vs T200.  Still want to try the Ping G425 irons coming out in January.  Might offer more forgiveness.  

 

 

Sounds to me like you might just want a new set of irons. 

 

Just some thoughts. I was thinking about your original post and changing iron shafts.

 

You mention higher flight. Yep, losing some swing speed might indicate a new shaft is needed. But then again, you're only swinging that 130 gram DG shaft "full out" max 18 times per round. Saving just 30 grams over only 18 swings in 4 hours will help with fatigue ? Doesn't seem to add up. Maybe try Gatorade or some other sports drink (NOT joking) ?

 

My SS is declining. Of that I'm sure. But playing golf for ~4 hours in 95* heat is far more likely to cause fatigue than a 30 gram heavier shaft swung 18 times per round.

 

And hearing anyone talk about distance with tools designed for consistent accuracy makes me shiver a bit. 

 

Last new set I bought was almost 9 years ago and I tried every shaft (and weight) I could find over at least 6 differents days/sessions and the DGs were clearly the most consistent for me, especially with respect to dispersion. They were 2-3 yards short of most of the other (lighter weight) shafts. A true "no brainer".

 

I'm guessing the better/more experienced the player the more likely he (or she) is to "swear by" their shaft of choice and most of them, rather than try to change the shaft to alter flight characteristics, would rather learn to play with a slightly lower ball flight. I know I would (am). 

[Pasatiempo]

I do want a new set.  You have a point.  Maybe I should be looking at the club head to help elevate the longer irons and stick with the tried and true DG. 

 

 

[nsxguy]

14 hours ago, Pasatiempo said:

I do want a new set.  You have a point.  Maybe I should be looking at the club head to help elevate the longer irons and stick with the tried and true DG. 

 

FWIW, I hit a lot of the newer clubs.

 

As I mentioned, the "dispersion vs. distance" results for my 9 year old G20s was the deciding factor for me. Until and unless I feel the weight of the shaft is causing significant issues (and no, I'm not sure what that point is) they will be my preference unless another shaft works better.

 

Whenever I pick up a head I want to try the first shaft I put in it is the DGS300 and proceed from there.

 

Good luck on your quest.  

[peltopiri]

Did you ever find a replacement for S300?

I've started the same quest. Right now 1-2 x soft stepped DG S300 or C-Taper Lites 110/115 are possible choices but I think I should go even lighter and/or give up my blades & forged irons for a set of P790 or something similar.