Iron fitting put me in T100s with MMT shaft

[Carolina_Rebel]

Had a recent fitting for a new set of irons and the numbers came out with the MMT shaft being most optimal with T100s.  I have some concern over a composite/graphite shaft...curious on opinions if you would go with the suggestion or ignore and go with KBS / something else.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Carolina_Rebel

[jeffrey r]

I don't quite understand the concept of getting fit, and then not trusting the results (assuming it was a competent fitting).  MMT's are some of the best graphite shafts around.  That would make really nice iron heads with the T100s, and really nice shafts, equals really nice irons.  What weight did you get fit into with the MMT? 

[Carolina_Rebel]

5 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

I don't quite understand the concept of getting fit, and then not trusting the results (assuming it was a competent fitting).  MMT's are some of the best graphite shafts around.  That would make really nice iron heads with the T100s, and really nice shafts, equals really nice irons.  What weight did you get fit into with the MMT? 

 

I should have included...your right the point of the fitting was to see what was the best / most optimal setup.  It was a more than competent fitting, so no issue there.

 

I guess I was not expecting to get fit into graphite shafts and had previously never really considered it as an option.  It was the MMT 90 (98 grams).

 

It was my first experience with the entire fitting process, so was curious how often people take the suggestion vs have hesitation with it.  I am likely overthinking a fairly straightforward process. 

[jeffrey r]

21 minutes ago, Carolina_Rebel said:

 

I should have included...your right the point of the fitting was to see what was the best / most optimal setup.  It was a more than competent fitting, so no issue there.

 

I guess I was not expecting to get fit into graphite shafts and had previously never really considered it as an option.  It was the MMT 90 (98 grams).

 

It was my first experience with the entire fitting process, so was curious how often people take the suggestion vs have hesitation with it.  I am likely overthinking a fairly straightforward process. 

 

All good.  Makes more sense with some context.  I think this is sort of a new era with graphite shafts.  You've had premium graphite shafts around for awhile with shafts like Steelfibers and Recoils, but now there are MMT, Project X Catalyst, Kuro Kage, etc.  I am in my late 40s, and I have kind of thrown in the towel in general on steel shafts.  Just too much pain associated with those, and I have iron sets with Steelfibers, Recoils and Kuro Kage.  The shafts are fantastic, I have virtually no negative effects like golfer's elbow, and the performance is there. 

 

If the MMT 90 were working for you in the fitting, then nothing wrong with that, and view it as if you were fit into KBS Tour 90, or True Temper 95, or Nippon 950, but simply in graphite which will make your joints much happier, trust me.

Edited May 4, 2021 by jeffrey r

[Aviador Naval]

I recommend you proceed with caution...

 

If you had said, "I just got fit and every shot I hit with the MMT was like vinegar strokes..." that would be one thing.

 

However, you said (paraphrased), "I went to (just one) fitting (that was good but involved a limited data sample of my swing on that day) and it turns out that MMT produced (marginally) better numbers (than other things I tried that day and am more used to )..."

 

Graphite shafts have come a long way.  They fit a great many people including somewhat strong, highly skilled, high swing speed players.  If you truly like them, swing away.

 

I went the premium graphite route a few years ago and simply could not adjust to the difference in feel/sound.  Had it been a true medical issue, I'm sure I could have worked through it but since high quality lightweight steel such as Nippon are an option I went back to steel - albeit lighter.

 

I recommend a trial with a single club you hit well (e.g., 7i or 8i).  Either re-shaft a single iron, or order a single iron, or buy a single iron off eBay and have it re-shafted.  A few buckets of balls and some twilight type rounds on the course hitting multiple shots will tell you much more definitively if graphite is the proper answer for you.

Edited May 5, 2021 by Aviador Naval

[jomatty]

Personally I would want to go and hit the graphite back to back with the other shaft I was considering.  Look at the numbers and the feel.  See if you are still having second thoughts, and if the other shaft is close to as good.  For me, graphite is a must, as I’m a physical wreck.  If you don’t have a compelling reason to use them I would want to make sure they were the right option.

[Carolina_Rebel]

29 minutes ago, Aviador Naval said:

I recommend you proceed with caution...

 

If you had said, "I just got fit and every shot I hit with the MMT was like vinegar strokes..." that would be one thing.

 

However, you said (paraphrased), "I went to (just one) fitting (that was good but involved a limited data sample of my swing on that day) and it turns out that MMT produced (marginally) better numbers (than other things I tried that day and am more used to )..."

 

Graphite shafts have come a long way.  They fit a great many people including somewhat recently strong, highly skilled, high swing speed players.  If you truly like them, swing away.

 

I went the premium graphite route a few years ago and simply could not adjust to the difference in feel/sound.  Had it been a true medical issue, I'm sure I could have worked through it but since high quality lightweight steel such as Nippon are an option I went back to steel - albeit lighter.

 

I recommend a trial with a single club you hit well (e.g., 7i or 8i).  Either re-shaft a single iron, or order a single iron, or buy a single iron off eBay and have it re-shafted.  A few buckets of balls and some twilight type rounds on the course hitting multiple shots will tell you much more definitively if you graphite is the proper answer for you.

 

Probably sound advice, basically it boiled down to recommendation for the MMT was based off I was slightly more efficient with it.  Producing slightly higher ball speed on average with the MMT (maybe 119 on avg vs 118ish it was within 1 mph) from a slower swing speed on average (again within 1 mph). 

 

It just seemed a very marginal difference to me.  But again, being the first time I've done a true iron fitting I could be reading too much into it.

[adonad]

I am not sure if anyone actually went through testing of both. Any thoughts on Accra 90i vs MMT 90?

[Rapidcat]

MMTs aren't cheap, are they?

 

Are you buying the clubs from the fitter?

[Aviador Naval]

1 hour ago, Carolina_Rebel said:

 

... basically it boiled down to recommendation for the MMT was based off I was slightly more efficient with it.  Producing slightly higher ball speed on average with the MMT (maybe 119 on avg vs 118ish it was within 1 mph) from a slower swing speed on average (again within 1 mph)...

 

Another word of caution - the highlighted portion of your statement is NOT the objective of iron fitting.  The objective of iron fitting is to find a clubhead that produces the ballflight you want/need (launch, spin, peak height, descent angle), with a sole configuration that supports your turf interaction needs/wants and then pairing it with a shaft that leads to hitting the middle of the clubface most often that in turn is most likely to lead produce the tightest dispersion.

 

I'm not very shaft sensitive.  There are however a couple of exceptions.  Project X LZ is one of those exceptions.  Every single time I've demo'd irons either for fun or for intended purchase, I've achieved 1.5 to 2 mph better ballspeed with it than any other shaft when using the same clubhead.  After seeing the same result multiple times, I fell to temptation while rationalizing the slightly greater dispersion as simply not being fully used to the shaft.  Predictably, when the new set arrived, I was about a half club longer and a touch higher with each iron - but, my dispersion increased and didn't improve over a fairly reasonable adjustment and evaluation period.

 

A 160 yd 7 iron to a nice tight circle beats a 170 yd area weapon every day of the week...

[Carolina_Rebel]

13 hours ago, Aviador Naval said:

 

Another word of caution - the highlighted portion of your statement is NOT the objective of iron fitting.  The objective of iron fitting is to find a clubhead that produces the ballflight you want/need (launch, spin, peak height, descent angle), with a sole configuration that supports your turf interaction needs/wants and then pairing it with a shaft that leads to hitting the middle of the clubface most often that in turn is most likely to lead produce the tightest dispersion.

 

I'm not very shaft sensitive.  There are however a couple of exceptions.  Project X LZ is one of those exceptions.  Every single time I've demo'd irons either for fun or for intended purchase, I've achieved 1.5 to 2 mph better ballspeed with it than any other shaft when using the same clubhead.  After seeing the same result multiple times, I fell to temptation while rationalizing the slightly greater dispersion as simply not being fully used to the shaft.  Predictably, when the new set arrived, I was about a half club longer and a touch higher with each iron - but, my dispersion increased and didn't improve over a fairly reasonable adjustment and evaluation period.

 

A 160 yd 7 iron to a nice tight circle beats a 170 yd area weapon every day of the week...

 

Completely agree a tight circle beats an area weapon every day.  That's my concern over the recommendation of the MMT, it had a larger dispersion than any of the other options and at only less than a yard average distance gain -- all other metrics (launch angle, spin, etc.) were almost identical.

 

I feel dumb for going into a fitting to only disregard the recommendation, but then again hate the feeling of being upsold something that is not entirely necessary. 

[phizzy30]

Go with the MMT.  You won't regret it.  I tested them first and they are fantastic.  All the stability of steel but with feel and they are easy on the joints due to vibration dampening.  Steel shafts are so out of date.  Some of the guys on tour have already switched over to graphite/composite including Bryson. 

[North Butte]

4 hours ago, Carolina_Rebel said:

 

Completely agree a tight circle beats an area weapon every day.  That's my concern over the recommendation of the MMT, it had a larger dispersion than any of the other options and at only less than a yard average distance gain -- all other metrics (launch angle, spin, etc.) were almost identical.

 

I feel dumb for going into a fitting to only disregard the recommendation, but then again hate the feeling of being upsold something that is not entirely necessary. 

Boy, that description sounds like a no-go. Even slightly worse dispersion with irons would need to be offset by a considerable gain somewhere else IMO.

 

Not to mention the price!

[Pepperturbo]

What the OP experienced is unusual.  Reputable fitters use steel shafts, and only go to graphite when a buyer says he wants graphite, and they tend not go to the most expensive graphite shafts.

 

Never heard of a fitter defaulting to expensive $70+ ea MMT graphite iron shafts in a new set of irons either, regardless of LM stats.  I would NOT trust that fitter. 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Pepperturbo

[phizzy30]

59 minutes ago, North Butte said:

Boy, that description sounds like a no-go. Even slightly worse dispersion with irons would need to be offset by a considerable gain somewhere else IMO.

 

Not to mention the price!

Normally I would agree with you.  If steel were an option for me, I would go with the C-tapers again.  That's the shaft I was fit into when they first arrived on the scene years ago which I gamed for quite some time.  I need something that's mid-low/low.  I don't have the luxury of choosing between steel and composite/graphite anymore.  Too many injuries and age.  The MMT were worth every penny for me.  Dispersion was the best out of all the non steel options and these don't over spin into greens.  Game changer if you ask me. 

[cardoustie]

did you hit off grass or mats?

[Carolina_Rebel]

37 minutes ago, cardoustie said:

did you hit off grass or mats?

 

It was inside off a mat

[shart6]

The only way to know is build a couple and test them on the course.

[vakaviti]

MMT's are the real deal - have 2 sets of them in irons and wedges. Hands down beat any of the previous steel shafts for me personally

[NRJyzr]

21 hours ago, Carolina_Rebel said:

That's my concern over the recommendation of the MMT, it had a larger dispersion than any of the other options and at only less than a yard average distance gain -- all other metrics (launch angle, spin, etc.) were almost identical.

 

I'm a big fan of graphite, but this part of your post suggests to me you shouldn't go with the MMT 90.

 

How heavy were the other options you were hitting?  If you were comparing 90's to more standard weight steel, or even 105g-110g steel, it sounds like heavier graphite would be an option for testing.

 

MMT shafts are quite good.  There are quite a few weight options that can be explored.  There's more to iron fitting than finding the best ballspeed (has been mentioned already), I can't help but wonder if the MMT105 or MMT125 would have given you better dispersion (or heavier Steelfiber, Accra graphite, etc).

 

Random thoughts as the morning caffeine kicks in

 

[Pepperturbo]

On 5/5/2021 at 8:39 AM, Carolina_Rebel said:

Completely agree a tight circle beats an area weapon every day.  That's my concern over the recommendation of the MMT, it had a larger dispersion than any of the other options and at only less than a yard average distance gain -- all other metrics (launch angle, spin, etc.) were almost identical.

 

I feel dumb for going into a fitting to only disregard the recommendation, but then again hate the feeling of being upsold something that is not entirely necessary. 

If the fitter's recommendation has some degree of bias, dispersion was not tight, plus less than a yard gained, something is NOT right.  Going into a fitting you learn, doesn't mean you have to be deaf and dumb and accept what ever is said or sold to you.  Walk away.