Back to DG S300, Alternatives before I buy???

[ELW]

61-year-old, 6hcp, high ball, high spin, aggressive swing. Been through several fittings the past 10 years.  Every iron fitting was 90g shaft in R or S. None ever really worked. Shaft Optimizer shows 110-120 S shafts. Past 2 years played 790's with SteelFiber 110 S then 95 S. Decent but wearing out the toe.  After some research on toe forgiving clubs, I call our Titleist Pro and tell him I want to try T-300. After we talk, he says it's a shaft issue.  We meet, he sets down the T-300, AMT Black S and after a few swings, I hate it. He puts down a T-100S, with DG S300 and bingo - center of the clubface and straight.  Back to my club, toe; new set-up center.  Always liked the PX LZ, so hit PGA Store and hit DG, LZ 6.0, LX 5.5.  DG and 6.0 virtually identical numbers but DG tighter. 5.5 is all over the yard. Today grab the DG and an LZ 6.5 (pro does not have 6.0) out to a hole and 40 mins later going back and forth the DG is both a bit longer and straighter.  If I was 30 again, I would have already ordered the DG, but despite the performance, and the way it loads feels great, you know you are swinging it, and I have some concerns over time given my age.  This is probably a stupid question but any other older players finding success in the DG S300?  Any similar alternatives before I make an investment? Our fitting cart is limited but I have a PGA Store nearby and they have everything.  Thanks

[bvanlieu]

I don't see the DG120 or even 105 listed up there in things to try 🙂 If the profile works for you it works for you, there are many folks on here still playing heavier steels they like. I'd be curious if the 120 works for you, and try the 105 for grins though its likely going to be on the light side if you enjoy a heavier ~130g weight.  

 

 

 

 

 

[phizzy30]

Go with what works for you.  Also, at  your age, you may want to consider graphite shafts unless your joints are 100% healthy.  MMT 125S will play closest in terms of launch/spin and EI profile.  Being older myself(42), I play the 125TX and it's been a game changer which is similar to the the X100 which I was fit for a long time ago.   

Edited November 24, 2022 by phizzy30

[lefty1978]

The S300 are the best shafts ever made. I'm 44 and still play the profile. I have both the 130g originals and the 120s, the heavier originals feel best.

[jvincent]

10 hours ago, ELW said:

This is probably a stupid question but any other older players finding success in the DG S300?  Any similar alternatives before I make an investment? Our fitting cart is limited but I have a PGA Store nearby and they have everything.  Thanks

 

I have never liked the feel of the DG, but if you are looking for something smoother feeling in the same weight class have a look at the Nippon Modus 125 or 130. 

 

The 125 and 130 have very different profiles so you'll need to try them both but it sounds like weight is more important for you.

Edited November 24, 2022 by jvincent

[ELW]

2 hours ago, bvanlieu said:

I don't see the DG120 or even 105 listed up there in things to try 🙂 If the profile works for you it works for you, there are many folks on here still playing heavier steels they like. I'd be curious if the 120 works for you, and try the 105 for grins though its likely going to be on the light side if you enjoy a heavier ~130g weight.  

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you I was looking to try the 120 as well.  i think the 105 is too light.  I spent some time hitting my current SteelFiber 95's side by side.  Distance was the same but dispersion with DG was 100x better.  But man can you feel the difference.  With the 95 is seems like a 1 lb hammer hitting the ball at 100mph. The DG, a 10 ib hammer at 90mph.

[Ger21]

18 minutes ago, jvincent said:

I have never liked the feel of the DG, but if you are looking for something smoother feeling in the same weight class have a look at the Nippon Modus 125

Came here to say this. Longtime S300 player, but played a few rounds this spring with Modus 125's, and they are very similar.

 

Played DG S300 for 20+ years, then switched to AMT Tour White when I turned 56. You might want to look at the AMT, with the lighter weight long irons.

 

If you have any soreness after playing, or joint pain, seriously consider the move to graphite. I switched two years ago and it made a huge difference in stamina, and how I feel after a round.

[ELW]

41 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

Go with what works for you.  Also, at  your age, you may want to consider graphite shafts unless your joints are 100% healthy.  MMT 125S will play closest in terms of launch/spin and EI profile.  Being older myself(42), I play the 125TX and it's been a game changer which is similar to the the X100 which I was fit for a long time ago.   

I have SteelFibers now and got them due to age.  I will look at the MMT line. Thank you

[ELW]

2 minutes ago, Ger21 said:

Came here to say this. Longtime S300 player, but played a few rounds this spring with Modus 125's, and they are very similar.

 

Played DG S300 for 20+ years, then switched to AMT Tour White when I turned 56. You might want to look at the AMT, with the lighter weight long irons.

 

If you have any soreness after playing, or joint pain, seriously consider the move to graphite. I switched two years ago and it made a huge difference in stamina, and how I feel after a round.

I played the original AMT's in AP2's several years ago and they performed well.  I took one out of the fitting cart today to try.

[ELW]

27 minutes ago, jvincent said:

 

I have never liked the feel of the DG, but if you are looking for something smoother feeling in the same weight class have a look at the Nippon Modus 125 or 130. 

 

The 125 and 130 have very different profiles so you'll need to try them both but it sounds like weight is more important for you.

I would agree it's a weight issue. I can get handsy and I think the weight helps.

[teedub21]

I've been playing 90-95g "R" flex graphite for a while now.  Bought a set of Wilson Tour V6 irons with 90g graphite shafts and fell in love with the irons again (bought a set when they were new and eventually moved them down the road).  Came across a set of used Wilson Staff Forged CB irons, the V6's replacement, but they had DG S300 shafts.  I was worried it was way too much shaft for my swing, but the deal was right and figured I could re-shaft them.  Clubs arrive, take them to the range, and wow, feels great.  Have played a number of rounds with them and have been surprised to see that I've given up zero distance and am finding the center of the club face more consistently.  My miss always lived out on the toe previously.  I'm 53, not a high swing speed player, and the heavier shafts seem to be working much better for me.  My miss is usually thin as well and I feel like the added weight is getting me down on the ball more and actually taking some divots.  

[ELW]

Thanks for the suggestions. Yesterday I was able to hit, and jump onto a few holes (course was open and empty), Nippon 120s - no go, everything short and a bit left, along with the DG and an AMT white. The DG and AMT were virtually identical in feel and performance. I have now worn out the fitting cart at my club. Might hit PGA tour store to see if they have some of the other suggestions here.

[Ger21]

2 hours ago, ELW said:

The DG and AMT were virtually identical in feel and performance.

For me, AMT are easier to hit and launch higher in the long irons. But when you get down to the 9i & wedge, they are the exact same shafts.

[Poor Mans Ty Webb]

I’ve been wondering recently about DG’s push into lighter weight irons with the same profile. I know that the marketplace is much more diverse and they’re competing with other OEMs, for one thing, but I’m also wondering if changes in loft progressions are having an impact, too. 
 

For context, I play a set of Hogan AEPs from the early 2000s, and I’ve outgrown the Apex 4 shaft. I have a spare MP-60 6 iron laying around with a S300 shaft that is an absolute dream to hit, so I was very interested in switching to either S300 or X100. It’s tricky to demo things that will profile like the AEP,  but I was able to recently try the AMT White in a T200. I tried both shaft profiles and preferred the X100, but I felt like I had to really step on both of them, where the MP-60 is a more comfortable swing.

 

Here’s the thing, though, lofts and head weights of the T200 7 iron are the same as the MP-60 6 iron, but the shaft is shorter in the 7 iron. So my question is, does that mean that DG is basically being de facto hard stepped into some newer iron heads? If so, it’s not impossible to think that many ams would struggle a bit more to handle the traditional DG, and part of that solution would be lighter weights or soft stepping. Am I totally off base?

 

I ended up purchasing an AEP 6 iron with an X100 for testing, and I’m hoping it works out. If not, I’ll probably turn my attention to DG 120s or soft stepping. 

[Ger21]

5 minutes ago, Poor Mans Ty Webb said:

So my question is, does that mean that DG is basically being de facto hard stepped into some newer iron heads?

No, because the length difference is in the butt end, which has a minimal effect on flex.

[Howard_Jones]

On 11/24/2022 at 12:40 PM, bvanlieu said:

I don't see the DG120 or even 105 listed up there in things to try 🙂 If the profile works for you it works for you, there are many folks on here still playing heavier steels they like. I'd be curious if the 120 works for you, and try the 105 for grins though its likely going to be on the light side if you enjoy a heavier ~130g weight.  

 

 

 

 

 

If DG is the profile that "jives" the best with you, find the WEIGHT range of DG thats the best fit of today, and at 61 yr old, i would suggest you try the 120 series.

Im "right above", "best before date" myself, and i used to play DG Sensicore that was 124 grams uncut (R label or FIRM/ R+ actual flex due to hosel specs and tip length), and i still prefer that butt flex area (FCM 4.9 in my case), but now im down to a combo similar to a 108 gram shaft as uncut wgt. (My driver has shaft thats 60 gram uncut, playing to 44.00"  and irons is "standard" (37.50 #6 iron)  for reference.

[North Butte]

This is off-topic to the actual question but the thread reminds me of my own personal DGS300 experience. I used nothing else beside DGS300 iron shafts (specifically that model) for the first 16 or 17 years I played golf. Once I branched into lighter steel shafts everything about the game became easier and I gained height and distance on all my iron shots except maybe the shortest irons (GW, PW). 

 

But to this day, if I pick up a set of clubs with 120-130g stiff shafts in them they feel like, "Wow, these are just perfect". That is until I hit a few balls and notice that each shot comes out about half as high and 15 yards shorter than normal. Then I put them down. But man, they feel so right!