Any graphite or light weight alternative to Accra Red 130?

[Amarsuperstar]

Hi, I did a bunch of searching and couldn't find anything that applied so hoping ya'll can share your insights and experiences. I haven't been able to get a fitting experience that I really thought was great. Hoping to get a few options for me to try and seek out. 

 

TL;DR Looking for graphite or lighter steel alternative to Accra Red 130 M5. Stock Axiom 125x didn't seem to be it. 

 

Goal: After not playing in my 20's I'm trying to get back to my high school plus handicap range. Looking for a set of irons with very clear feel that still can help with ballstriking that isn't where it once was. I live in Michigan now and trying to practice this winter indoors has been brutal on my joints. My clubs range is now mats most of the time which beats me up as well. For that reason I was really hoping to go to graphite or something lighter. That's fine if it's not in the cards for me. 

Hdcp: 1

Experience: Have played x100's (meh) and PX6.5 (don't like). 

CHS: Today 6i CHS was 103mph. Last week 7i was 105mph. 

AoA: pretty consistently -1.8. Working on getting a little more down but always been pretty shallow. 

Spin: 5500-5800rpm no matter the setup with Callaway Chrome Tour. 

Peak Height: 150ft consistently. I mention because I would love to bring this down. 

Miss: heel

 

Got fit into Srixon Z Forged II with Accra iSteel Red 130 m5 (x). +0.75". Really liked the feel of the shaft and the dispersion was awesome. Honestly didn't know anything about the this shaft and can't find much discussion on it. Surprised to be back in an MB but I hit it great. Fluke? I'm an MB lover but I really don't care for the aesthetic at all. Would prefer anything else, really. They seemed forgiving. Also hit the Mizuno Pro 243 and JPX923Tour well. Didn't hit the Blueprint S well but I like the look and think it might have been user error. All off mats so didn't get to experience turf interaction. 

 

Modus3 120x and 130x  - love the feel but both 120x was way too soft (feel was torqued open) and 130x was closer but still a little bit the same way. Misses were right unless I really tried to shut it down and then I hit ducks. 

KBS - not sure which model, I think it was C-Taper, but didn't work for me. Board-y. 

Axiom 125x- the only extra stiff graphite they had was this and the MMT. Went straight left. Tried correcting and went way right. Felt like I was overloading it. I was also getting tired by this point and my contact was suffering a little. Truly didn't feel great, but if this might be my best option I can certainly go back and start with this one. 

 

So - thoughts on shaft options? Other heads I should consider, or anything between these options to think about? I asked for the Modus3 120TX but they didn't have it. Same with Recoil Dart V F5. Didn't try the MMT but I could ask about it again. Fitter was pretty adamant it was going to be worse for me than the Axiom. 

 

I truly appreciate anyone willing to lend their insight. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16 by Amarsuperstar

[rbpwrx]

You've got a lot of speed, and I'm guessing load the tip more than the handle? I've found the MMT tapers in TX to be pretty stable but smooth, kind of a mid bend. I like the 125g, which isn't much lighter than your Reds, BUT it might *feel* lighter, plus easier on the joints. I have it in my 20* U500, and it's good. 4i shaft, so hard-stepped once, and NOT their UT shaft, this is the regular iron shaft. I'd give those a shot if you can find.

[Pnwpingi210]

On 4/15/2024 at 8:21 PM, Amarsuperstar said:

Hi, I did a bunch of searching and couldn't find anything that applied so hoping ya'll can share your insights and experiences. I haven't been able to get a fitting experience that I really thought was great. Hoping to get a few options for me to try and seek out. 

 

TL;DR Looking for graphite or lighter steel alternative to Accra Red 130 M5. Stock Axiom 125x didn't seem to be it. 

 

Goal: After not playing in my 20's I'm trying to get back to my high school plus handicap range. Looking for a set of irons with very clear feel that still can help with ballstriking that isn't where it once was. I live in Michigan now and trying to practice this winter indoors has been brutal on my joints. My clubs range is now mats most of the time which beats me up as well. For that reason I was really hoping to go to graphite or something lighter. That's fine if it's not in the cards for me. 

Hdcp: 1

Experience: Have played x100's (meh) and PX6.5 (don't like). 

CHS: Today 6i CHS was 103mph. Last week 7i was 105mph. 

AoA: pretty consistently -1.8. Working on getting a little more down but always been pretty shallow. 

Spin: 5500-5800rpm no matter the setup with Callaway Chrome Tour. 

Peak Height: 150ft consistently. I mention because I would love to bring this down. 

Miss: heel

 

Got fit into Srixon Z Forged II with Accra iSteel Red 130 m5 (x). +0.75". Really liked the feel of the shaft and the dispersion was awesome. Honestly didn't know anything about the this shaft and can't find much discussion on it. Surprised to be back in an MB but I hit it great. Fluke? I'm an MB lover but I really don't care for the aesthetic at all. Would prefer anything else, really. They seemed forgiving. Also hit the Mizuno Pro 243 and JPX923Tour well. Didn't hit the Blueprint S well but I like the look and think it might have been user error. All off mats so didn't get to experience turf interaction. 

 

Modus3 120x and 130x  - love the feel but both 120x was way too soft (feel was torqued open) and 130x was closer but still a little bit the same way. Misses were right unless I really tried to shut it down and then I hit ducks. 

KBS - not sure which model, I think it was C-Taper, but didn't work for me. Board-y. 

Axiom 125x- the only extra stiff graphite they had was this and the MMT. Went straight left. Tried correcting and went way right. Felt like I was overloading it. I was also getting tired by this point and my contact was suffering a little. Truly didn't feel great, but if this might be my best option I can certainly go back and start with this one. 

 

So - thoughts on shaft options? Other heads I should consider, or anything between these options to think about? I asked for the Modus3 120TX but they didn't have it. Same with Recoil Dart V F5. Didn't try the MMT but I could ask about it again. Fitter was pretty adamant it was going to be worse for me than the Axiom. 

 

I truly appreciate anyone willing to lend their insight. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

La golf l series 120 - 5 flex.  This shaft is a graphite shaft that will hold up to your swing speed just fine and won’t feel as boardy as the c taper.  They are pricy, but about the only thing out there that fits your criteria.  It’s probably not going lower your ball flight or spin that much but it will likely help with dispersion.

 

Not knowing all your swing dynamics and basing this off the shallow angle of attack, swing speed, and 150ft peak height your likely not taking much if any loft off the club at impact. As someone who’s been in that position (100+ mph 7 iron and high dynamic loft at impact) a shaft isn’t going to significantly reduce that.  What I can share is learning how to deloft the club and giving up a little speed (7 iron now 95-98) has increased my carry across all the clubs, lowered peak height to about 110-120, and decreased dispersion.  I spent the better part of two years chasing a shaft to fix my ball flight vs the one month of drills to fix my dynamic loft at impact.    Good luck with where ever your journey take you!

[bvanlieu]

If you liked the Accra steel....did the fitter not put you into a iCWT to try ? Can tip it for your speed easily, 115 is the heaviest 2.0 weight. 125g was available in the older 1.0 line but hard to find as new old stock at this point.

[Amarsuperstar]

2 hours ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

La golf l series 120 - 5 flex.  This shaft is a graphite shaft that will hold up to your swing speed just fine and won’t feel as boardy as the c taper.  They are pricy, but about the only thing out there that fits your criteria.  It’s probably not going lower your ball flight or spin that much but it will likely help with dispersion.

 

Not knowing all your swing dynamics and basing this off the shallow angle of attack, swing speed, and 150ft peak height your likely not taking much if any loft off the club at impact. As someone who’s been in that position (100+ mph 7 iron and high dynamic loft at impact) a shaft isn’t going to significantly reduce that.  What I can share is learning how to deloft the club and giving up a little speed (7 iron now 95-98) has increased my carry across all the clubs, lowered peak height to about 110-120, and decreased dispersion.  I spent the better part of two years chasing a shaft to fix my ball flight vs the one month of drills to fix my dynamic loft at impact.    Good luck with where ever your journey take you!

Thanks! I've noticed our speeds are similar and have been following your posts. I've been thinking about the L-Series in 5 or 6. Such a tough price pill to swallow. Especially since I'm not even 100% convinced that graphite will really help my joints. Might be nice to have such a high balance point since this build is going to be +0.75". 

 

The Accra's were actually shocking in their ability to bring flight down, even if it was only a little. I didn't know they existed and after I tested I looked at Russ Ryden's review. He seems to concur about the uniqueness and potential of the profile. 

 

Definitely working on shaft lean. My release pattern sucks. I had a shoulder surgery and even though I'm recovered I developed some super bad habits from it. Instead of rolling the arm over and releasing I hang on for dear life and my left wrist extends to release the club. 

[Amarsuperstar]

4 hours ago, rbpwrx said:

You've got a lot of speed, and I'm guessing load the tip more than the handle? I've found the MMT tapers in TX to be pretty stable but smooth, kind of a mid bend. I like the 125g, which isn't much lighter than your Reds, BUT it might *feel* lighter, plus easier on the joints. I have it in my 20* U500, and it's good. 4i shaft, so hard-stepped once, and NOT their UT shaft, this is the regular iron shaft. I'd give those a shot if you can find.

 

I think I load the handle quite a bit. Based on the patterns of the past few "fittings" I've done, I think I'm more sensitive to torque than CPM or deflection in the mid or tip sections. If it's got a stiff handle and low torque I seem to be able to make it work. 

[Amarsuperstar]

2 hours ago, bvanlieu said:

If you liked the Accra steel....did the fitter not put you into a iCWT to try ? Can tip it for your speed easily, 115 is the heaviest 2.0 weight. 125g was available in the older 1.0 line but hard to find as new old stock at this point.

 

Did not try the iCWT. Not sure if it was available there. Definitely looks interesting. Kind of a wild profile with how quickly it softens drastically from the handle. 

[rbpwrx]

2 hours ago, Amarsuperstar said:

 

I think I load the handle quite a bit. Based on the patterns of the past few "fittings" I've done, I think I'm more sensitive to torque than CPM or deflection in the mid or tip sections. If it's got a stiff handle and low torque I seem to be able to make it work. 

Cool. I am similar (although partial to a soft handle). Another suggestion:

 

Aldila RIP Tour SLT (super low torque). They are really firm, and feel heavy. Torque down around steel - 1.0, 1.2, 1.4. Like that. Nice weight around 115g.

 

They were discontinued years ago, but pop up on the Bay from time to time, sometimes in full sets. I have a 2X hard-stepped Tour Stiff, not TX, in another 3-iron, and it's plenty.