Anyone switch to graphite going back

[atom bomb]

At the end of the year this year I was having a lot hand pain that would last for several days.  The last time it happened I had no grip strength for a week.  Went to the doctor and they found nothing wrong and chalked it up to a muscle contusion.  

 

I decided to make the switch to graphite in order to hopefully reduce some of the vibration and stress on my hand.  My 7i swing speed runs between 95-97mph.  I stopped in my LGS but they did not have any xstiff graphite options to try.  I was playing Px LS 6.5 125g shafts.  They suggested I try the MMTs in 125g or the L series LA golf shafts.  I am located in SC PA and the suggestions they had were 2nd swing in wilmington or club champion.  I decided to run down to 2nd swing they only had the MMT in 105g xstiff and did not have the LA shafts.  I took the gamble and ordered some MMT 124 tx based on the 105 swings. 

 

It is January golf in PA now and have managed 3 9 hole rounds and one complete round so far and am not loving the shafts.  Overall they feel a lot lighter than my Px eventhough they are both 125g.  I can definitely feel the forgiveness at impact with less shock on the hands.  They also seem a little softer in flex and are launcher a lot higher and spinning more but they may be my swing with the cold and extra layers.  

 

I will most likely end up breaking down and paying the fitting fee at a club champion if needed to get access to other shafts.  Has anyone else with higher swing speed gone to graphite?  Did you stay with it or did you eventually go back?  Has anyone hit the L series vs. MMT?  Any other shafts suggest? 

[Ri_Redneck]

If they have the same static weight, but feel light, it's a balance point problem. Weight can be added to the head to fix this. Add lead tape, a couple grams at a time until the weight feels right. You seem like a strong swinger, so that shouldn't be an issue for you. However, the "soft" feel is most like due to the higher torque the MMTs have compared to the PX steel. Adding weight will probably make that worse. And THAT you can not fix without changing the shafts. From what I have heard, LA has lower torque and a firmer feel than the MMTs. Some other options are the Steelfiber i125 CW or Recoil Proto 125 F5. Again, you may run into a balancing issue if the shop is not astute to that and just builds to a SW, but lead tape is your friend!

 

Graphite shafts are great for those with chronic pain issues, but fitting with them seems to escape the common club builder. I play the old Aldila RIP Tour 115s, which were discontinued cause they were super tight and "dead feeling" to most who tried them. But, apparently, I like that! I MOI matched mine to suit my swing and they perform great. I practice A LOT and have to use mats pretty often. Graphite is the only thing that allows me to keep playing.

 

BT

[tocino]

I switched from S300's to Accra prototype iCWT 95s's when i upgraded my irons from an old set of 710AP2's to used set of 714AP2's. I was looking for lighter steel shafts but i figured i would eventually change to graphite as i got older so might as well try them out. While i did get more distance out of graphite, i found i was getting more flyers than i was used to and dispersion wasn't as tight as my old set. My misses turned into gigantic hooks, especially in the mid and long irons. I think a heavier weight graphite shaft might've helped more but I'm back to S300s again with no plans on switching anytime soon (barring injuries or other health concerns). 

[blarkin97]

I tried out Steelfiber i110 for a quarter of the season.  I liked everything about the shaft EXCEPT for the extra distance / fliers.  I was hitting my normally lofted 7 irons almost 215 yards.  The energy transfer on graphite shafts is insane.  I was trying them out to see if they would help some back issues and they did to a point but not enough to keep them in the bag.  Going back to steel shafts with prosoft inserts in them

[taki27]

How does a graphite shaft cause flyers?

[third-times-a-charm]

23 minutes ago, taki27 said:

How does a graphite shaft cause flyers?

It doesnt, unless it caused him to strike the irons BETTER and hit the actual sweet spot on the irons more often.

[tocino]

26 minutes ago, taki27 said:

How does a graphite shaft cause flyers?

maybe i used the wrong terminology? I would say i was fairly consistent on  my distances for full swings with the old set. With the graphite shafted irons i gained about ~+5 yards over all but every now and again i would hit something 10-20 yards longer than expected. 

[atom bomb]

Thanks for the response.  My LGS built me a 790udi 2 iron right before chritsmas with a 9x ventus black shaft that is a beast but told me straight up the swingweight was way to light for me and to keep adding lead tape until it felt it good.  4 layers across top half of the club later I am loving it.  Since they never said anything this time I never gave it a second thought.  I also went from standard plus 4 grips to midsize plus 4 grips which would of decreased the swing weight as well.  I dont have easy access to lauch monitor(may pull the trigger on the new rapsodo) but I will start adding lead tape to the 7 iron and start swinging in the garage until it feels "normal". Then give it a go on the course and measure the final preferred swing weight then match the rest of them. 

Edited January 30, 2023 by atom bomb

[phizzy30]

MMT 125TX does launch a bit higher and spins more than than the PX LS and dispersion can get iffy if you tend to go after it.  L-Series does tend to be more stable especially if you have an aggressive transtion with late release.  Also lower launch and slightly less spin.  You may or may not like the feel because it does feel more stout and although I think it still has feel to it, a couple of my clients said that they felt harsh.  Your ss with 7 iron is just a hair slower than mine so I don't think you'll have a problem loading them properly.  Just remember that they also tend to play stiffer to flex which is why you may want to consider going down a flex so you you get enough spin. 

[AmateurAmateur]

On 1/29/2023 at 5:52 PM, atom bomb said:

At the end of the year this year I was having a lot hand pain that would last for several days.  The last time it happened I had no grip strength for a week.  Went to the doctor and they found nothing wrong and chalked it up to a muscle contusion.  

 

I decided to make the switch to graphite in order to hopefully reduce some of the vibration and stress on my hand.  My 7i swing speed runs between 95-97mph.  I stopped in my LGS but they did not have any xstiff graphite options to try.  I was playing Px LS 6.5 125g shafts.  They suggested I try the MMTs in 125g or the L series LA golf shafts.  I am located in SC PA and the suggestions they had were 2nd swing in wilmington or club champion.  I decided to run down to 2nd swing they only had the MMT in 105g xstiff and did not have the LA shafts.  I took the gamble and ordered some MMT 124 tx based on the 105 swings. 

 

It is January golf in PA now and have managed 3 9 hole rounds and one complete round so far and am not loving the shafts.  Overall they feel a lot lighter than my Px eventhough they are both 125g.  I can definitely feel the forgiveness at impact with less shock on the hands.  They also seem a little softer in flex and are launcher a lot higher and spinning more but they may be my swing with the cold and extra layers.  

 

I will most likely end up breaking down and paying the fitting fee at a club champion if needed to get access to other shafts.  Has anyone else with higher swing speed gone to graphite?  Did you stay with it or did you eventually go back?  Has anyone hit the L series vs. MMT?  Any other shafts suggest? 

I tested the L series vs the MMT's quite extensively (although only in my long irons). The LA golf is significantly lighter than the MMT, and their Xstiff version plays a lot stiffer than the MMT. MMT was superior to me. the LA golf shafts were put up for sale after about 2 weeks. 

[vakaviti]

4 hours ago, AmateurAmateur said:

I tested the L series vs the MMT's quite extensively (although only in my long irons). The LA golf is significantly lighter than the MMT, and their Xstiff version plays a lot stiffer than the MMT. MMT was superior to me. the LA golf shafts were put up for sale after about 2 weeks. 

 

Opposite for me I had MMT 125TX and LA Golf L series from 4 to lob wedge and found the MMT to be extremely heavy switched to L series and haven't looked back.

[ctscup]

I have been considering the switch from PX LZ 6.5 to LA iron shafts.  I have been following the graphite movement for the past few seasons and one of my pals switched mid summer last year and can say with confidence he will never go back to steel.  I think this summer I will bite the bullet and see if there is true worth in the added stability and consistency of the bend profile that can be achieved with graphite.

[Godfather]

I am never going back to steel. Before I made the switch (from AMT White), I tested multiple shafts out.
 

I didn’t have access to all the shafts I was interested in via Club Champion or similar so I did it all at home. I bought a used MP18 MMC demo 6i head and a bunch of demo adapters and a handful of shafts so I could test them all together. I tried MMT105 (highest launching for me), Recoil 110, Steelfiber FC115, Catalyst 100, and Elevate Tour (not graphite, but has new version of Sensicore).

 

Being able to hit shots and try fades and draws back-to-back was great and made the decision easier. I’ll never go back to steel. 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Godfather