Different shafts in irons/wedges?

BruceWayne · February 21

I got fitted for new irons (4-pw) last year with steel fibre shafts and my wedges (52,56,60) have off the rack steel shafts. Is the difference a detriment? I’m a 2 handicap and didn’t notice a ton of difference….if I was to change, should I get the same spec shafts as my irons?

Pepperturbo · February 21

It depends on the weight of the steelfiber shafts. I wouldn't want irons and wedges to match, but that's me; used to play SF i110cw S in 2-9i, and SF i125cw S in PW, SW & LW, then moved to MMT.

I am a feel player, was a 2 index, now 4... and probably much older. I have MMT 85S in new T100 3-PW, and DGS200 in SM9 F52/12 and M58/8. Yes, there's a large weight difference, but it's not a detriment to good play. Besides, I seldom use either of those two wedges for full shots, though it does happen.

I am considering switching out 6i-9i MMT 85s for MMT 105s. I've tested 105s and 95s, 125s and PX 5.5, PX 5.0 and have a set of wedges with MMT 125TX 8i shafts, plus tested a few other shafts, and always go back to S200. Don't have a clue why.

ajbillings · February 21

Really depends what you like. I have Axiom 125X irons shafts (130g) and for wedges I usually like to match the iron shaft for the gap wedge since it is primarily for full swings with some use around the green. I also prefer slightly heavier shafts in wedges (134g). No issues going from graphite to steel in my case. Seems like wedges are really personal preference and some like 8i shafts, some like a stiffer tip section, some like an active tip section, some like to play the same shafts in their wedges (Or go same shaft and go down a flex), etc. Steelfibre is supposed to have some good wedge shafts though - https://www.truetempersports.com/en-us/steelfiber-private-reserve-wedge-graphite-iron-shaft.html. The only graphite wedge shaft I really liked/thought about pulling the trigger on was the LA Golf WV Wedge shafts, but holding out to see if Fujikura makes an Axiom wedge shaft in the next couple years. For steel I really like the Nippon Modus 115/125 wedge shafts and S400

Edited February 22 by ajbillings

Manz60 · February 22

hi, this may help https://wishongolf.com/2012/09/13/will-wedge-shafts-improve-my-game/

M60

DYOS4 · February 22

Steelfibers i95 Stiff in irons, KBS Tour Stiff in the Gap wedge, 56 and 60. Finished the year as a plus handicap. Experiment, try things, go with what works.

nitram · February 22

Take the time to read the first 6 pages of this thread and it will answer all of your questions.

ChipNRun · February 22

A big thing to consider is the resulting weight difference between the shafts. Many people prefer the wedge shafts to be slightly heavier, as it is a precision scoring club and the extra weight helps you drop it into the slot on downswing.

From my personal experience from 2014 reshafting:

Calla X20 Tours: PX 5.0 rifle flighted / 115 grams --> NS Pro 8950GH / 97 grams
Cleveland CG14 wedges with stock TRAction (~120 gram proprietary wedge flex) --> KBS Tour R-flex / 110 grams.

REshafted the irons that summer, kept the wedge shafts same. But, following spring, I started having trouble with distance control on partial wedge shots. The 23-gram difference between NS Pro and TRAction was a bit much. So, the KBS reshaft lightened the wedges - but not too much - and swing tempo returned.

BruceWayne · February 22

Thanks everyone for replying. Some great insight and reading to do. I have some more reading to do but right now for the amount I play (20-25 rnds). I don’t think I’d benefit too much from changing shafts but like I said I’ll continue reading and researching. Thanks again guys!

bhard315 · February 22

In my experience, different wedge shafts haven’t done anything to help, nor harm my wedge game. I’ve played S200, S300, Tour Issue S400, X100, C-Taper, KBS Tour, KBS Tour 610, Modus 125, Modus 130, Project X, DG Spinner, and many more in my wedges. My performance didn’t change for the most part on the wedges. I’ve had yardages vary ever so slightly between some shafts and the feel at impact is different between some, but nothing was better than the stock shaft that the wedge came in. For the most part, I still hit my full swing number pretty easily whether it was a custom shaft that matched my iron set or the standard wedge flex that came off the rack.

What does help me with wedges is getting a little heavier swingweight through lead tape on the heads. Being able to feel the head throughout the swing a little more was more important for me particularly in partial shots and pitch shots. Everyone has their own thing that helps or deters them but partial shots (which is most of my wedge game) didn’t benefit from stiffer/softer or lighter/heavier shaft change. Just a heavier head that allowed me to trust my swing and let the club do more of the work.

Edited February 22 by bhard315

TacoCarl · February 23

This is a highly debated topic. Many fitters now recommend matching shafts and even many tour pros are matching shafts but giving their wedges one step softer in flex, and sometimes a touch heavier.
personally i just matched mine and love the consistency across the set. My wedges still feel heavier because the swing weight is heavier, which is nice, but I actually quite like the predictable shaft characteristics across my whole set now.

I say do what feels right to you but if you’re buying custom wedges anyway, why settle for the stock “wedge flex” that’s fit for nobody and then get the shaft closer to what you normally swing with other irons.

dmeeksDC · February 23

I do not think graphite in set vs steel in wedges matters at all. Weight does. I like more shaft weight in my wedges. I think a little heft helps. Not going hard with those irons, not a lot of full shots, need a smooth tempo. Current set is C Taper 120 in irons, standard s300 in all three wedges. Probably a 10g difference. Happy with that setup.

Check the WITBs of Tour pros. Tons of pros with DG s400 shafts in their wedges regardless of what they have in their irons.

Edited February 23 by dmeeksDC

anth · February 23

Agree with this 👆🏼

Used to be a proponent of matching wedge shafts with your irons for consistency. But now I play the same shaft in my wedges, but the heavier model. I do agree that the heavier shaft helps with pitching and chipping, and indeed any swing where you are trying to swing at less than your normal speed