How did Heavier or Lighter shafts affect your iron performance?

[JDIL]

Slow swing speed. 7 iron around 140 with P790s. Always fitted into lighter shafts. 90-95 grams. Never found consistency. Played a 115gram S300 shaft and had the best day striking ever. Followed it up with on course testing of Modus Neos, regular, and  Modus Tour 130 Stiffs, and was hitting better again. Same heads too.

 

I have a hit complex, and the heavier shafts somehow quiets it down. I have smaller hands and so tried an undersize grip. Didn't know it was 5 grams lighter and could not hit that club for the life of me. Maybe it's the grip size, maybe it's the weight. 

 

115 might be a lot so I'm testing Elevate 105s now.

[Mob]

I moved to graphite iron shafts about 10 years ago due to elbow tendonitis issues.  I did some testing on Flightscope a few times, and my dispersion seemed to be best with 95 gram iron shafts, so I went with that.  I do wonder if a 110 gram shaft may be alittle better for me, but typically my miss is a pull/hook and it is a swing issue, not a shaft issue.  I have been through many different graphite iron shafts and tested even more, and I seem to gravitate back to Steelfibers.

[Jesus g]

I went from the Nippon modus 105X to the TT DG Tour Issue X100. I learned in my fitting that the shaft was to light and contributing to the flipping of my hands. During my fitting we went heavier, slightly larger grips (3 wraps of tape). I found my ball flight was lower, higher spinning, better angle of dissent and my dispersion was ALOT better. It's hard for me to say that the heavier shaft was the only thing that contributed to my more consistent play but i definitely feel more confident with my irons than i ever have.

[Nard_S]

Used 115-120 gram shafts for many years. Improved distance & accuracy going to 125-130. Like S400 right now. Play heavy shafts but seek to make them swing light.

 

For me: Easy to drop, the benefits of going heavier take more time. Heavy forces a higher discipline of swing, does not allow as many bad habits to endure. I've done a lot of experimenting.  I'm finding that if you figure out heaviest you can handle, then back off 5-8 grams, that is ideal shaft weight.

[TJ83]

I was in modus 130x ball flight was too high, dispersion was a little weird too. Then I went the opposite way to modus 120x and got along well with those but then started to feel like they were too light (due to swing changes) finally settled on DGX7 and they are great for me. Lower flight, knocked a tiny bit of spin off which is good because I'm a high spin player anyway. I'm play off +1, driver SS around 121 ish. 

[Myherobobhope]

On 10/21/2021 at 2:22 PM, 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. 

 

115 mph swing speed… that’s with my bulked up driver (75 gram shaft, extra 4 grams in the head)… I simply get along better with heavier shafts.

 

i lose control and feel in lighter stuff… I’m actually sending my zx5s back to get them reshafted with the c tapers I wanted (I assume they are still on back order).

 

heavier tends to always be better for me… I really want to try 80-90 gram driver shafts, just an issue of availability.

[venturagolfer87]

I got fit for irons for the first time ever at the beginning of this year.  Always just defaulted to various brands of 115-120g range shafts, most recently the PX LZs.  Ended up getting fit into Fuji Pro 85s shafts.  Biggest impact was that I added about 10 feet of peak height, while maintaining the same backspin and launch as my old irons.  The result was softer landing shots and around 5-6 yards of added carry on average.

[jimb]

I have tried several different iron shafts over the past couple of years.  Doing my own shaft work helps keep the costs down and allows me to experiment in outdoor conditions.  As a senior with a relatively consistent tempo I made the switch to a 105g shaft, the Project X IO in 5.5 flex.  I have also tried this same shaft model in the 6.0 and the difference for me has been night and day.  The 6.0 flex in the IO is 5 grams heavier than the 5.5 and the feel for me is noticeable.  I don't feel I need to force it and I get my normal distance.  So, my tempo stays consistent.  I am sensitive to feel of swing weight and I have these shafts at D2 on the scale, except for the 9 iron and PW, which I have at D3.  I think shaft weight is the first factor to look at when picking a shaft and that includes over flex.

[iNeedMoreGolf]

I started shooting my best scores with heavier shafts... 120grams.... i also have lightweight shafts 97g i can shoot good scores with but i notice my best is the 110g to 120g. I really am fit to 110g and it's probably best for me but i got one set of irons at a good price with rifle 6.0 so i think those are 115g? Another set are modus 120g and the third set is nippon  pro 97g. I never even thought i would be able to swing a heavier iron shafts but to be honest its not that much different. My best rounds go to the heavier shafts. I think flex and trajectoy has a bigger impact on iron play. Most shafts for me only brought flight down a little but enough to help alot. Also to be fair the heavier shaft weights i play dont particularly seem super heavy and ive swung other same gram heavier shaft that felt wayy heavier.

[metal_on_a_stick]

Lifelong .355 taper player switched to .370 version of DG S400 thinner steel walled parallels so much easier to load.  decending weight is welcomed as well as long as swingweight is maintained throughout. 

 

RIP taper tip irons.....

[Jbar]

I was in 105-120g for a long time then Steelfiber i95 for a short time. Now I’m using s400 in irons and wedges which felt so perfect.

[Tanner25]

Went from a heavier shaft to the XL Halo iron Cypher shaft, which is 59 grams and 5.0 flex (a) shaft. It is much lighter than the HB3's shaft. Having difficulty adjusting to the lighter shaft. But, I think it is a big change and it will take time.

Edited October 23, 2021 by Tanner25

[lil_dRew]

I think all depends on feel of the player and tempo in their swing. I am a pretty slow takeaway moderate tempo player. Anything quicker and my timing is all off. So with the more deliberate swing I can still feel where the club head is with a lighter shaft. I totally understand comments above saying that they can't feel the club with (probably) faster swing speeds and tempos. Just all about marrying up that feel of the player to what feels right! Fitting is the way to go so you can try as many combos as you can. 

 

105 D SS, and I have played lighter iron shafts for 10 ish years. Went from the DGs300 (close to 130gm) as typical with any iron in the 2000s, to KBS Tour V S 110 gm, and currently in KBS $ Taper lite S (specs say 100gm). 

 

For me the move to lighter shafts with the KBS help me later in the round with not so much back fatigue. Hence carry distance and strike quality for the whole round has been maintained. Took some getting used to for sure that first move. I remember my timing was totally off going from Titleist ZB DG S300 to Nike Vapor Pro KBS Tour Vs. But dedicated range sessions and banging balls.. it has all worked out! Played myself to a single digit over the years, currently at a 4. 

 

 

[jwb10]

Just went from Modus 105 to MMT 80. Really interesting as my reaction , mentally, was that the shafts couldn't stand up to my swing. Of course that was nuts so now that I have practiced and played with the new shafts, they are great. Smoother, less jarring and really accurate. Fun

[mr_b_lack]

SS usually 105-108 (0 Hc), used to play 125g shafts in Titleist CB's and in PXG's. Switched to Accra isteel 115's in a set of Miura TC 201's and double hard-stepped. Definitely was fighting a bad transition before, and seems to be less so now. No increase in dispersion, and if anything I don't fight hooks as much now so seems to have been a good mix of lighter weight without giving up much in flex.  

[tacklingdummy]

Lighter shafts are good to a point. It is always finding the sweet spot where you have good dispersion while getting some distance gains. Iron shafts have the ability to go lighter without increasing the torque much, so accuracy can be maintained better. However when driver/fairway/hybrid graphite shafts get lighter the torque levels increase substantially and accuracy can decrease a lot. That is the biggest problem with going light is keeping every club in the bag with the same accuracy and dispersion.

 

On top of that, if you go light in your irons, your driver/fairway/hybrids feel much heavier, but again there are no lightweight low torque driver/fairway/hybrid shafts. I would definitely go lighter if driver/fairway/hybrid graphite shafts were able to be constructed with lower torque levels to keep good dispersion.  

[ChipNRun]

From 1994 to 2014 I played with a custom-fit set of component clubs: Pro Tour Black heads (flat lie), with TT Dynalite S300 (~120 grams, high launch cousin of Dynamic Gold). Good feeling clubs for more than a decade.

 

In my late 50s, I started losing distance. I decided to go with R-flex shafts across my bag. First set was Calla X20 irons with 106-gram Uniflex shafts. Smoothed out the swing. Two years later, I went to X20 Tours with PX 5.0 rifle-flighted shafts (115 grams). Went OK for three years, but started struggling with shafts again.

 

Reshafted the X20Ts with NS Pro 8950.GH irons (R-flex, 97 grams). Again, this smoothed out my swing, helped me swing more on tempo. (A month after reshaft, I sank my first hole-in-one with the 6 iron!)

 

In 2017 I got my current irons w/KBS Tour 90 R-flex ~100 grams, going for even gapping on lofts. Seemed to work well at first, with good contact with tungsten soles.

 

But, a couple of life things were happening. I was about ready to retire, which meant I could play more golf. But, more golf was putting more strain on my arthritic right hip, which was not getting any better.

 

Fast forward. I am now testing out my new Mavrik MAX irons, which finally arrived. Graphite shafts ~ 70 grams in R-flex. Also got wedges reshafted with Catalyst 80 (~85 grams) graphite shafts. The wedges are helping my tempo, but the MAX irons feel a little light, hard to tell when I'm at the top.

 

Club designer Tom Wishon cautions that golfers who decide to really go light sometimes overdo it. At regrip time, I may need to get some tungsten powder put down the shafts to increase SwWt to D2. I had asked for D2 when I ordered them, but was advised this would make for a reeeaaaly long delay time for delivery.

 

So, with MAXs I'm swinging more on tempo. Last season I replaced long clubs, and ended up about 10 grams lighter in the shafts, so this is in part a sync-up across the bag. But, I still have to overcome accidental kill shots because the MAXs feel light.

[sneaky_pete]

play off a handicap of 3 and always played shafts in the 115g range, most recently the True Temper XP115 in a stiff flex.  got fit a few months ago and the Mizuno swing optimizer put me into a Project X 6.5 a full 10g heavier and a flex stiffer than I have ever been before.  the fitter reckons this shaft came up as I have a fairly aggressive transition.

 

Driver swing speed is 105 (hasn't changed in 25 years), 50 years old, I weigh around 70kg wringing wet and am about 5'10".  thought i'd be going to a lighter shaft!  

 

I like the 6.5 a lot - much tighter dispersion and I lost my draw which was bordering on being too excessive.  I can still hit a baby draw but my stock shot now is a straight dart.  thought i'd be buggered swinging the heavier shaft but after a couple of games I don't notice the extra weight.  I get good spin numbers and a nice ball flight that I think is slightly higher than the XP115's -  which I needed.

[tiger-vs-me]

SS 100 here, went from PX 5.5 to the lighter Oban ct100 in r+ with Apex21

i have the feeling that there is „nothing in them“ so i changed, with my new t100s to kbs tour90R

[kjbuckeye]

Tested DG, DG120 and DG105 side by side.  All in a Mizuno 921 forged head. Quick changing of shafts because they were all fitting cart components. DG was fine but I did not like swinging all that weight. Lacked club speed, ball speed, distance. DG120 felt good. DG105 felt too light and I felt like I was flipping the release with inconsistent timing. I have found I prefer a shaft weight between 110-120 grams. 

 

I felt changing the shaft quickly and often allowed me to find what worked and didn't. I've heard reps on tour only let those guys swing a shaft a couple times and switch it because they will make changes to make the shaft work. I think we all can to some degree. 

 

My rec..., if you are able, hit a couple shots, change shaft, hit a couple shots, change shaft, etc. It will probably be pretty evident what allows consistent timing and impact. 

[makaveli]

I went lighter throughout the bag and my tempo is on the smooth side but my first built set of irons had DG S300 shafts and it didn’t take long to realize it was too much weight. I like the Steelfiber i95 and the Modus 105. If you can, try to go down 10g at a time. Lighter worked for me and it helped with late round fatigue. 

[jah7838]

I used DGTI s400 shafts for most of the last 7 years, and s300 shafts for the few years before that.  Last year, I decided to make the switch to the Modus 125s in my irons and the Modus 125 wedge shafts.  I didn't hate the Modus, but I wasn't as consistent with them.  I initially made the switch just because I felt like it might be best for me as I get closer to 40.  After a year, I felt that I needed to get back to what was working before, especially after demoing the Srixon ZX7 off some grass with a s300 shaft since the Modus 125s wasn't an option.  After a couple of swings, I could tell the difference for my swing.  

 

I decided to switch back to the s400 shafts, and I've noticed that my consistency has come back.  This past weekend, I played in a 2 day tournament this past weekend, and hit 21/36 GIR and won 2 closest to the pins.  

[tsecor]

went from S400TI (132g) to 115g LZ......biggest difference was the "feeling" of a quicker tempo. Not sure because you cant measure tempo.   I thought 17g would be somewhat of a game changer, but as amateurs, this sort of change really doesnt matter all that much when you are in the middle of your round. IMO all the people talking about the "huge" changes are fabricating a lot of it in thier minds, but if that leads to confidence, great!! its almost like players buying into all the marketing hype of a new ball or driver that goes 15 yards further with each new change. 

 

When I went to the 132 g shaft from a 120 i had gained aa tiny bit of stability but nothing major.  I still shoot 80 with a 132g shaft or a 115g shaft. 

 

 

[ccorrada]

I've got X100 AMT's and they are the best of both worlds, heavier in the short irons and lighter in the long irons.

[eleson]

When I use Mizuno's swingDNA it always places me in heavy shafts to try to manage my aggressive/violent transition. 

I've been recommended PX7.0 even though me swing speed doesn't warrant that.

[Thayneil]

On 10/26/2021 at 8:19 PM, tsecor said:

went from S400TI (132g) to 115g LZ......biggest difference was the "feeling" of a quicker tempo. Not sure because you cant measure tempo.   I thought 17g would be somewhat of a game changer, but as amateurs, this sort of change really doesnt matter all that much when you are in the middle of your round. IMO all the people talking about the "huge" changes are fabricating a lot of it in thier minds, but if that leads to confidence, great!! its almost like players buying into all the marketing hype of a new ball or driver that goes 15 yards further with each new change. 

 

When I went to the 132 g shaft from a 120 i had gained aa tiny bit of stability but nothing major.  I still shoot 80 with a 132g shaft or a 115g shaft. 

 

 

Why cant you measure tempo?

 

My swing speed meter measures chs plus time of swing.

 

For me i try and get as near 1.0 seconds.Sometimes too quick at 0.85 to.0.9

 

Thats tempo?

[tsecor]

I looked this up and this is what i found......Tempo is the ratio of your backswing time to your downswing time, so i guess you can quantify it somewhat.   After reading some articles, i find  the average tempo for a professional golfer is somewhere between  2:1 and 3:1 depending on whether they are holding a wedge or putter vs. a driver.  I do not know how this is related to shaft weight though. 

[PureDivots]

Ive jumped around a bit in recent years. From S400 132g and AMT to LZ 6.0 120G to C Taper Lite X 115g and now on LZ 6.5 125g. To water it down there is two things that happen for me depending the weight. Distance and dispersion. When I go light distance goes up, but dispersion goes down. When I go heavier distance goes down and dispersion goes up. I went to a slightly hotter iron JPX 921 forged and slight heavier with the LZ 6.5 at 125g. The combination has been working well so far getting a bit of distance lost back while benefiting from the dispersion I see from the heavier shaft. 

Edited October 27, 2021 by DaltonSTL

[slytown]

Old thread, but I tried 120g yesterday when I usually play 130g. Didn't see an improvement in swing speed. No real difference in delivery either. However, it did feel like more work to guide the club. My conclusion was that after 20 years playing 130g that weight has more to do with comfort and tempo fitting than it does for adding speed. I do like the idea of changing weight to make path a little better in transition, but for me the comfort of the 130g outweighs any small benefit in speed from a lighter shaft.