Stiff vs Extra Stiff

[texas_golfer]

First I’ll start by saying I’ve never even swung an extra stiff shaft in my life. I’ve always just played stiff flex. Don’t consider myself a huge hitter or fast swinger. Just always assumed I’m right there in the middle and played stiff and for most past it’s always worked out well. 
 

that said. I’m in the market for a second set of irons. Wanting something a little different than my everyday gamers. Haven’t even decided what I want.  Leaning towards something like Miura baby blades (the one irons I’ve always drooled over). I can just take out on fun rounds once in a while. But not something I’d probably want to game every day.  Or something on the complete other end or the spectrum. Maybe something like JPX Forged or ZX5. Something a little more forgiving than my everyday irons. For those times I take a little hiatus or working on my swing. 
 

either way. Getting off topic a little.  But what I’m thinking of doing is getting some extra stiff shafts in my second set. Just to see. I’ve often heard get the stiffest shafts you can hit. 
 

so my question is. Without going and getting properly fit, what are some general consensus for when to go extra stiff vs stiff? I know swing speed doesn’t tell the entire story. But I was on a Trackman recently and my average 7 iron is about 87-88mph and 168 carry.  As a general rule of thumb? , where does that fit in? 
 

 

[ChipNRun]

Here's the key question: on days when you don't have your Class A swing, can you hit the extra stiff shafts reasonably well?

 

One point on choosing shaft flex: What is your swing tempo? If it's abrupt from the top, you may benefit from stiffer shafts. Also note, there's no industry standard for Stiff or XStiff shafts. The labels may be useful within one company's shaft model, but it doesn't translate to other companies.

 

Before you decide, look on WRX Classifieds. Notice all the people trying to unload irons with X100 and PX 6.5 shafts? Maybe there's a message there...

 

30 minutes ago, texas_golfer said:

where does that fit in? 

 

Omigosh, you've tapped into WRX Law No. 1 - Go get fitted!

 

OK, relax... Best way to do this would be to visit some golf shops and hit used sets of irons with XStiff shafts. Many shops will let you buy a set of used irons, and you bring them back after a month if they don't work out. (nature and amount of refund will vary)

[Fairway14]

39 minutes ago, texas_golfer said:

 

so my question is. Without going and getting properly fit, what are some general consensus for when to go extra stiff vs stiff? I know swing speed doesn’t tell the entire story. But I was on a Trackman recently and my average 7 iron is about 87-88mph and 168 carry.  As a general rule of thumb? , where does that fit in? 
 

 

 

The benefit to extra stiff shafts is that they may help you to hit straighter shots. The negative to extra stiff shafts is that they may provoke too fast of a swing tempo-pace, which causes mishit shots.

The only way to know for sure if extra stiff shafts will be good for you is to buy  a set and play a few rounds of golf.

[Stuart_G]

8 hours ago, texas_golfer said:

so my question is. Without going and getting properly fit, what are some general consensus for when to go extra stiff vs stiff?

 

The simple and most reliable way to figure it out (without access to a LM or fitter) is to:

 

1) Use stiff if the x-stiff feels too stiff

and

2) use x-stiff if the stiff feels too soft.

or

3) the ball flight results are better with one flex compared to the other (side-by-side comparison).

 

It may seems obviously simple - but this is what it really boils down to.

 

There is no standard for flex so which way you go can change based on which shaft model you are testing.  The ONLY way to figure out the best choice as well as the pro's and cons of that choice is to actually hit the shafts and compare the results.

 

There are no universally applicable pros or cons to going either softer or stiffer, it's 100% subjective.  Some people will be better off leaning toward the softer choice, some will be better off leaning toward the stiffer choice.  Some people can swing both with equal results.

 

If you don't have access to any shafts you can demo (e.g. OEM fitting cart at a local retail box store or pro shop, demo days, testing a friends club, etc..), it's usually better to buy a single shaft of both flexes, install them and test them out before buying a full set of shafts for the whole set.

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Stuart_G