How did Heavier or Lighter shafts affect your iron performance?

[RoyalMustang]

Just a quick question for all of you who changed shaft weights, particularly from the advanced player level (swing speed of 105+, good ball striking)

 

1) if you went lighter, how did it impact your game (down to 95-105g).  Tempo changes good or bad?    

 

2) if you went heavier (120-130g), same question?  Good move?  

 

I have been swinging a 120g shaft but am considering a change to something lighter.  I am a strong player and can swing a heavier shift, but I wonder if a lighter shaft will help my tempo.  I often "pull down" on my hands and get too aggressive; I need to find whatever facilitates a smoooooth swing....think Louis O. 

 

[gripandrip]

Average about 105 on my driver swing speed... not much more anymore. Currently playing to a ~2 HC.

 

Switched from DGS300 to Steelfiber i95. No issues for me at all. I stayed with DG400's in my wedges. Initially I thought I had issues with dispersion, but after a couple of rounds, it was no longer a concern.

[mogc60]

I used 6.5 rifle/project x or X100 most of my golf life. Tried others as well but those were my staples. 125-128 grams. Switched to Catalyst 100 and had no issues or changes other than less pain and fatigue. Great ball flight, dispersion, distance control. 
First few range sessions took a bit to get used to the lighter weight in my takeaway, other than that I’ve never noticed any real change. 

[mackepa]

I have found that around 120 grams is the “sweet spot” for my iron game. Anything heavier and I start swinging hard to try to get the shaft to feel like it’s loading. Anything lighter than 120 and it starts to feel like a toothpick. I tend to also play my irons over length since I’m a little taller. 
 

I currently swing driver about 110mph but I don’t really go after my irons with the same effort. I currently love the KBS $-Taper 120 Stiff. 

[erikro]

Biggest difference for me is with the s300 shaft I feel it more the next morning. With a 105 gram shaft I have no trouble. 

[sociojeje]

My ss is 105. To me, profile matters so much more than weight. I am playing ns950gh. But i can play modus 120, elevate tour, and s300 equally well. But I don't like any KBS shafts at all.

[Fairway14]

1 hour ago, RoyalMustang said:

Just a quick question for all of you who changed shaft weights, particularly from the advanced player level (swing speed of 105+, good ball striking)

 

1) if you went lighter, how did it impact your game (down to 95-105g).  Tempo changes good or bad?    

 

2) if you went heavier (120-130g), same question?  Good move?  

 

I have been swinging a 120g shaft but am considering a change to something lighter.  I am a strong player and can swing a heavier shift, but I wonder if a lighter shaft will help my tempo.  I often "pull down" on my hands and get too aggressive; I need to find whatever facilitates a smoooooth swing....think Louis O. 

 

I am a   120 gram iron shaft player for 30 years. I did spend a couple of years playing 95 gram iron shafts, and it was o.k., but my shot accuracy , carry distance control, and swing tempo were all better with 120 gram iron shafts, so I returned to playing that weight.

[TwistedSister]

Don't swing at 105 ,  closer to 95 but play to a 3 ish.  I went from the 105 Modus down to Recoil 680's  After getting used to the weight difference my game went back to where it was and the lighter weight helps to make it so I don't get tired towards the end of the round... Not to mention the help with the elbows... Swing weight from d3-4 down to d0-1. Seems to be perfect.  I do not have to swing overly hard to get the carry I need. 

Edited October 23, 2021 by dhacker56

[HugoBear]

DGS300 130 only for me.

‘Hit modus 105’s and was hitting irons 10-15 yards shorter than DGS 300.

‘Just tried DGS 120’s and also hIt them worse than the 130’s.
just can’t get away From Dynamic Gold 130’s.

[ShowMe]

Several years ago, I went from PX 6.0's to Steelfiber i80s because of chronic elbow tendonitis.  No issues at all with my swing and the tendonitis went away.

[chipa]

I played X100's until I tried various shafts some as light as 95 grams. I ended up with 115 grams shafts(uncut). I also went lighter in my woods from 85 grams (trimmed) to 65 to 80 grams (trimmed). My driver ss would be around 110 if I used one.

[Ri_Redneck]

I play graphite iron shafts, but only 115g and higher. I like a club with some heft. If they get too light, it throws my sequencing off and balls go everywhere. I can't say I've ever gotten too heavy in my irons, but 80g is the top of what I like in my driver and FWs.

 

BT

[Shrek74]

My previous irons were heavy TT Dynamic Gold shafts. Now these new irons are TT XP95 shafts, which are way lighter. Short answer - I hate them. The light shafts are horrible for my swing. I wasn’t fit for these irons, which was the main issue. I’ve done fittings twice this summer, both times I was best in the TT DG120 shafts. Longer distances, most accurate, etc. so I’ll be ditching these irons for new ones with those heavier shafts.

[Leska]

Ive gone from mizuno 919 forged with Nippon 105 x-flex wich are 112grams i belive to KBs 130 x-stiff in Taylormade 770 Irons wich are in the 132gram Range   

Swingspeed is 113-115 with driver

Can honestly say its changed my game. With the old Irons i was constantly figthing Hooks and the left miss in generel ! After Ive gotten the new shafts the left miss is pretty much gone and i Play a fade like with my driver. My handicap had gone from 7.8 to 4.8 in a few months without doing anymore pratice ( i almost never pratice ) and play 1-2 rounds each week excecpt in the Winter time ( the weather in Denmark is crap in the Winter ) and Ive never been lower in handicap. My All time lowest with the old Irons was 6.2

I honestly belive come spring/summer, i can get to 2-3 handicap with the new Irons/shafts 

Ive greatly benefitet from heavier shafts

Edited October 22, 2021 by Leska

[VUnit469]

I found going from a lighter to a heavy shaft helped my dispersion decrease a little.

 

I found going back to lighter again by default I’d start to hit little fades until I mentally tried to compensate for it.

 

I feel the heavier shaft helped shallow the club during down swing and encouraged the core body be more present in the down swing. Help stop me getting real handsie during down swing and rushing.

 

Driver swing speed around 113MPH and shafts was 95g to 130g I believe.

[Hoyoymac]

Recently changed irons and went from KBS Tour V 110 gram Stiff to KBS $-Taper 125 gram Stiff and found that I’m hitting the ball much straighter.  Going heavier has really toned down my left miss.  

 

My normal shot shape is a draw.  I do not fear the draw turning into a hook now.

 

Trajectory, distance and spin are all similar.  Dispersion is tighter.

 

Still using KBS Tour V 125 gram stiff shafts in my wedges.

[Fairway14]

This is an interesting thread topic because club companies and fitters, for several years now, have been selling the concept of lighter weight shafts.

For example during a fitting it is common for a player to strike a dozen or more 6-iron shots with a lightweight shaft and the fitter comments that swing speed/ball speed etc... improve with a lighter weight shaft, so the customer buys it. But on the golf courses the player (s) usually realize that the light weight iron shafts cause their swing tempo to become too fast and shot making suffers.

So far most of the comments in this thread seem to favor that heavier iron shafts are helpful, which is the opposite of what fitters try to sell.

[Thomas A]

I just switched from the XP S300 (Wilson FG Tour F5) to KBS C-Taper Lite (Sub 70 699 Pro). Possibly has to do with the head as well, but my peak height and distance are way better. I wasn't launching the Wilson's very high. Now all of my irons are finally getting up to where I want them. The C-Taper Lites are pretty interesting. They are lighter but feel stiffer if that makes sense. 

[AP76]

S300 seem to work best for me. Driver swing speed around 110. Tried lighter shafts but definately feel most comfortable and confident with DGS300.

[cheeser]

Swing to swing, I didn't quite notice a difference in performance between by PX 6.0 (120 g) and my Modus 105 (106 g).  After 12-13 holes, I can definitely tell that I struggle loading the PX 6.0.  So to answer the question, I prefer a somewhat lighter shaft due to strength and stamina.

[bbfifas]

For me going heavier had more negative consequences then going lighter.  I have a smooth swing, so heavier makes me feel like I have to swing harder and messes up my tempo and causes the flips.  Also end of round on a hot day does effect me with heavier shafts.

 

Lighter I go I can focus on no tension in the grip or shoulders and just swing the club.  I have settled with the modus 120 (114g) and is that sweet spot for me.  120 g too heavy, 95 g just feels a little too light but I could certainly play it.  

[Rocky Ball-boa]

8 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

My previous irons were heavy TT Dynamic Gold shafts. Now these new irons are TT XP95 shafts, which are way lighter. Short answer - I hate them. The light shafts are horrible for my swing. I wasn’t fit for these irons, which was the main issue. I’ve done fittings twice this summer, both times I was best in the TT DG120 shafts. Longer distances, most accurate, etc. so I’ll be ditching these irons for new ones with those heavier shafts.

I have a similar experience. I play the 130g (I believe?) TrueTemper S300 shaft normally, and on a whim I bought a set of JPX 850's with X115s in them. So not too much lighter, but very noticeable.

The 850's are 2-3 degrees stronger than my regular clubs, so I was expecting a bit more distance. But it seems I can't get the same speed with the lighter shaft, so it kind of cancels out in some weird way? I hit them about the same distance.

Plus, I'm much more wayward with the lighter shaft.

 

That said though - I'm open to the idea that I just need to play more with the lighter shaft - I think we as golfers can adapt to pretty much anything given enough time and incentive.

 

But as I stand now, a lighter shaft makes my side-to-side dispersion much worse.

[vandyfan]

I moved from progressive weight KBS shafts (90 g in long irons, 100g in mid and 110 in short) to KBS Tour 120g through the entire set. So far I feel like tempo is better and dispersion is definitely better. I swing 106-108 with a driver and I just played those progressive shafts without thinking much of it. I was in the market for new irons and was going to stick with mid weight shafts but I tried out some Modus 120g shafts and immediately felt like it was better for my tempo. I also did not see any real drop-off in speed which was interesting. Another interesting benefit is it feels like it is easier to hit 90% shots with my irons because I can feel the shaft/club better. Now I have more of a "soft, regular, stepped on" arsenal with my irons which is especially helpful in the longer irons for shots into the wind where I am don't want to try to blast it and have it spin in the wind. 

[MattM97]

I went from some 85-90g shafts in an off the rack set, honestly not fit well or at all for me and then into the AMT shafts so 106g in the long irons up to 130g in the short irons. For me I found much better feel and tempo in my swing where lighter I couldn't feel the head so I just hoped I was in the right position and swung. 

[jomatty]

I swing the driver a little less than 105 and play to a 3-4.  Steelfiber i95 work really well for me.  The 110’s were ok but felt like they took a lot of effort towards the end of the round.  
it is counterintuitive to me to consider going lighter to try to smooth out/Louis O your swing.  I would be inclined to go heavier or just work on your tempo rather than try a lighter shaft.  That said, to give the annoying answer, nothing anyone tells you will be of much use.  Some people do fine with light shafts, while others have major issues.  Only way to know for sure is to get fitted or at the very least do some experimenting.  You can always pick up some used single clubs with different shafts and experiment with them.  

[Ger21]

Went from DG S300 to 95g Fujikura Pro Iron.
First time swinging them my swing was off a bit, but within 2-3 rounds I've completely adjusted to them.
I'm now much less tired and no joint pain after rounds. Played 36 a few weeks ago and felt like I could play 36 more.

[mcs4]

My swing speed is around 105 when injuries aren't flared up. I've tried everything from 65g graphite (Aldila Rogue Pro) to 130g steel (S300), and found that I could generally make anything work. However, my sweet spot seems to be around the 115 area. Heavier is fine for wedges and short irons but does start to feel like too much work after that. Lighter starts to generate some timing issues, particularly for shorter clubs and finesse shots, although I think I probably could get over it with enough commitment. I did find that lighter shafts specifically gave me trouble when hitting out of the rough.

[Joselo]

i went from mizunos mp59s dinamic gold stiff shaft to a much lighter nippon 105 on mp20s hmb

its been difficult to get used to what i feel is a very different lighter shaft, i really felt the change and did take some time to get use to it. i found i was so aggressive on the swing with the stiff shaft

 

i play 3,4 times a week and although the change took some time to get used to it, i dont get tired as before, plus i have discovered a new ball flight a couple of extra yards on carry

 

overall i feel happy with the change to lighter shaft, but it took some time to get use to it

[Pepperturbo]

I am not aware of my SS, but played 120g 6.0 PX steel for a long time.  Medical issues were leading me to move to lighter weight shafts, or so I thought.  I moved to 115g 5.5 PX steel, then 110g 's' composite Steelfiber, even tried 95g 's' Steelfiber, and MMT 105 's'.   Lighter weight shafts typically have mid-bend profiles, which doesn't mesh with my fast tempo.  The only way they could be the answer is I adjusted my mechanics/tempo/transition.  Thing is, when playing serious golf, thinking about adjusting swing mechanics is not in the best interest of competition.  

 

If you move to lightweight steel or composite shafts, success depends on your tempo and SS.

 

My next try was heavier composite shafts, so I went with 's' MMT 125g in 5i-LW.  These shafts are mid-high bend and work nicely with my fast tempo.  I regained some yards, dispersion is still low, yet my body now benefits from graphite.  For my 2i-4i I had 90g, 92g, 94g stout high bend Tensei AV White AM2 's' installed which is perfect.  All is good. 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Pepperturbo

[evoviiiyou]

I went from Modus 130S to PXLZ 6.0 SS1x to PXLZ HS1x to my current gamers PXIO 6.0 (110 grams) and couldn't be happier. Always to an MOI build for SW etc...but definitely can be more consistant it seems when I take breaks for a couple weeks with no practice and jumping in for 18holes vs back when I was 120gram plus in shafts.  Is it all the weight, I don't think so, I do think profile helps for familiarity and then weight and flex help with consistency.  I think these days, its all about spin rate and launch angles which then play to a distance. I am happy I went for a fitting and tried a lot of shaft varieties before committing the set to my bag.