Putting a steel shaft in a hybrid adapter

[thedunedain]

I've been thinking of putting a steel shaft in my hybrid recently to try to get more consistency for what should be a cheaper price than trying a bunch of graphite options.  I'm looking to build it out myself and wanted to know if there is any special trimming/tip prep involved for putting a steel shaft into an adapter.  I know most adapters are .370 so I'd need to make sure it's a parallel tip shaft.  Outside of that, do I just butt trim to 3 iron length?/follow the 3 iron trimming instructions but instead of putting it in a clubhead, put it in an adapter?

[Puttersaurus Rex]

19 minutes ago, thedunedain said:

I've been thinking of putting a steel shaft in my hybrid recently to try to get more consistency for what should be a cheaper price than trying a bunch of graphite options.  I'm looking to build it out myself and wanted to know if there is any special trimming/tip prep involved for putting a steel shaft into an adapter.  I know most adapters are .370 so I'd need to make sure it's a parallel tip shaft.  Outside of that, do I just butt trim to 3 iron length?/follow the 3 iron trimming instructions but instead of putting it in a clubhead, put it in an adapter?

If you want to use a taper tip shaft, you will need shims.  Or use the .370 as you mentioned.

 

Typically straight in for the adapter.  Tipping will be more dependent on the over-all build, and specific to what you are trying to acheive.  Note that build results can differ depending on the hybrid head weight.  For example a 4 hybrid head that weighs the same as a 4 iron will be easier to build and swingweight at comparable lengths.

[RSLP]

6 hours ago, thedunedain said:

special trimming/tip prep involved

1. If the Project X U shaft, follow their tipping instructions 

2.if an iron shaft, using your 3 iron example

a. Get hybrid weight with adapter 

b.  Adjust weight to approx 240 g, and tip trim for a 3i

c. Trim to length for a 3i

or , just match the hybrid weight to an iron head weight and tip trim to that iron club head , but cut the length to a 3 iron.

say it weighs 

 

experiment with the 10-12 dollar shafts until you got enough data to do it on a 30+ shaft

[gentles]

My advice is to cut the shaft to the length of the equivalent iron, and you will proably need a bit of extra head weight to get the swingweight back up to the right level. When using a (presumably heavy) steel shaft if the shaft is a bit long it can get a bit heavy and you can lose the feel.

 

I played a Dynamic Gold 105 Gram X100 in a 3 hybrid for years - will probably end up back in at some point too. 

[Urb]

1 hour ago, gentles said:

My advice is to cut the shaft to the length of the equivalent iron, and you will proably need a bit of extra head weight to get the swingweight back up to the right level. When using a (presumably heavy) steel shaft if the shaft is a bit long it can get a bit heavy and you can lose the feel.

 

I played a Dynamic Gold 105 Gram X100 in a 3 hybrid for years - will probably end up back in at some point too. 

This right here.  Use same shaft as rest of irons.

[Stuart_G]

15 hours ago, thedunedain said:

Outside of that, do I just butt trim to 3 iron length?/follow the 3 iron trimming instructions but instead of putting it in a clubhead, put it in an adapter?

 

Generally for any club - you want to fit for length first, then shaft weight second and swing weight 3rd.   The shaft material doesn't really play any part - it's the weight and stiffness profile that matters not whether it's steel or graphite.

 

For some stronger players, going heavier can sometimes help with consistency - and for any player going shorter can also usually help with consistency.  But every one is different as to what will work and what will be needed to accomplish the goal.

 

Hybrids are quite a bit longer than a 3i and there is no reason you have to go down to 3i length just because you're using a heavier steel shaft.   Now that's not saying there is anything wrong with going down to that length - except that the lie angle might be a bit too flat at the shorter length for most hybrid heads.

 

The point is that it really takes some testing by you to figure out what that best length might be with the heavier shaft.  

 

If it were me, I'd build it longer than 3 iron length - maybe start +1"   - and then go to the range and do some testing with some lead tape to adjust head weight.  Testing shorter playing lengths by simply choking up and adjusting head weight by feel for each length test.

 

Then once you find the best length and head weight - you can use the stiffness feel of the club during that test to see if any additional tipping might be warranted  (assuming a single length blank, parallel tip shaft).

 

[thedunedain]

Thanks all for the feedback, it's been really helpful.  My current plan is to go with a DG105 X100 to try out first since I'm playing the X100 TI.  I want to get one more thing clear before I get into it--since I'll be ordering a 0.370 shaft, I'll be tip trimming and butt trimming to get it to the right club flex.  Would I follow the standard tip trimming instructions listed for the 3 iron even if I'll be putting it into an adapter instead of straight into an iron hosel?  If we're assuming I want everything standard, that means the tip trim instructions for the 3 iron is 1/2", then I'd butt trim to preferred length.

[Stuart_G]

42 minutes ago, thedunedain said:

Would I follow the standard tip trimming instructions listed for the 3 iron even if I'll be putting it into an adapter instead of straight into an iron hosel? 

 

Tip trimming is based on the final adjusted head weight.   The adapter has nothing to do with it - other than the weight of the adapter needs to be included in that final head weight.    And that final head weight will depend on what length you end up playing it at and what swing weight is a good fit for you.    So if you end up with a 'standard' 3i head weight (240 gm) then you'd tip trim it like a 3i.    If it ends up more like a 2i head weight (233 gm), you'd use the 2i tip trim recommendations, etc...

 

Of course that's just a starting point and assumes you want it to feel like a DG105 is designed to play (which will likely be a bit softer than a the standard 130 gm DG).   In order to get the best fit (for feel), it's always possible additional adjustments to the recommendations might be needed.

Edited April 16 by Stuart_G

[jah7838]

I've used a steel shaft in my 4 hybrid for a majority of the time that I've played it.  I only recently went to a heavier graphite shaft, but still prefer feel through the turf that I get with the steel shaft.  As for tipping and playing length, I tipped it like a normal 4 iron shaft when I first went with that experiment, and never had any issues with the shaft playing stiff to flex when I probably should have tipped it for a 3 iron based on head weight. I didn't know what I was doing, but it worked just fine. 

 

I eventually put a tip weight and adjusted the removable weight in the head to something a little heavier as well to get it to swing weight similar to my irons.  I played it 1/4" over the standard 38.5" 4 iron length, and that hybrid was in my bag 95% of the time for 10+ years.  It was an Adams Super 9031 23* with a DG s300 shaft.  I only started to go lighter a few years ago because I'm getting older and those heavier shafts are harder to load when I get tired at the end of my rounds during the summer.  

 

You can leave the club a little longer that way you can tip more if you want to start by tipping a little softer based on head weight.  I know some people don't like using tip weights, but I didn't find them to affect how they made the club play in a negative way.