Moving from Steel to Graphite in irons. Any favorites/recommendations?

[lefty74pgh]

I’m turning 50 this year and have had some shoulder pain, hand pain and tennis elbow the last few years, so I’m thinking I need to move to graphite and possible midsize grips.

 

I’ve been playing Nippon Neo 950 GH irons shafts for the past 5 years, so I’m thinking I would stay at 90-105 grams in graphite.  I swing 7 iron around 88-90 mph.  I’ve read a bunch of threads on this topics and it seems the favorites are DART 90/105, MMT 105 and a little on KBS TGI 90/100.  
 

I’ve only hit Recoil 95, DART 75, MMT 80 and TGI 85 (Cobra).  I was looking at possibly doing a fitting, but can’t find these shafts in a fitting cart.

 

Any recommendations or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

[bvanlieu]

LOOOOTS of threads. Steel Fibers are popular for a reason as well. That's some good 7i speed, I'd be looking at the heavier end vs. lighter end for you to start. 

[lefty74pgh]

Thanks for the reply.  I’ve somewhat focused in on the MMT 105, DART 105 and TGI 90 based on the threads I’ve read.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to hit any of them.

Edited Friday at 12:19 AM by lefty74pgh

[MiloMalt]

I'm unfamiliar with Nippon Neo 950 GH so can't give much info on graphite that plays similar but you'll find 105 is a very common weight for graphite iron shafts these days and manufacturers have been able to make the 105 weight play quite soft but also quite stiff so you should have plenty of options at that weight range.

[Golfcrzy]

I settled on the project x io steel with my 225s because that’s what global golf had second hand. I saw and loved the EF-02is and was fitted into them with the SteelFiber PR i95 (pr mostly for aesthetic). These are very smooth shaft’s and I really enjoy playing them. 
 

I had been playing the Epons all year but yesterday flipped my Mizuno irons back in. It is very hot and I prefer the turf interaction of the more compact head. I have noticed really no problems or major differences going back to steel after enjoying these graphite composite shafts. So, I’d recommend those as a comfortable place to begin experimenting from. I do intend to use both, depending on conditions frequency. The graphite is definitely helpful on the joints. 

Edited Friday at 01:51 AM by Golfcrzy

[anth]

Unless the Neo 950 GH is vastly different to the normal 950 GH I think your best bet is the Recoil 95.

 

I moved from the 950 GH to the Recoil 95 seamlessly. Couldn’t speak to the Recoil Dart but if I was looking to try the Dart I would start with the 90 version.

 

 

[Godfather]

Unfortunately, two of my favorites that I would recommend trying (Recoil 110 and Catalyst 100) have been discontinued. Recoil is reportedly one of the best at dampening vibration. Recoil 110 is smoother than 95 in my opinion. 
 

I think your list is good. I’m playing MMT 105 now. They are heavier than the 105 suggests, which is great for me. FYI - there is another recent thread talking about that. 
 

I would wait on changing grip size. Graphite will likely fix your elbow and shoulder pain so no need to change another thing. Graphite worked for me and my buddy and tons on here. I have a set with Modus 105x and while I like them, after a few rounds I can feel a little elbow twinge keeping in. Graphite is where it’s at!
 

Lots of good wedge options, too. I started with Recoil 110 in my wedges and now have Recoil Prototype 125 for a little more weight. 

[lefty74pgh]

1 hour ago, Godfather said:

Unfortunately, two of my favorites that I would recommend trying (Recoil 110 and Catalyst 100) have been discontinued. Recoil is reportedly one of the best at dampening vibration. Recoil 110 is smoother than 95 in my opinion. 
 

I think your list is good. I’m playing MMT 105 now. They are heavier than the 105 suggests, which is great for me. FYI - there is another recent thread talking about that. 
 

I would wait on changing grip size. Graphite will likely fix your elbow and shoulder pain so no need to change another thing. Graphite worked for me and my buddy and tons on here. I have a set with Modus 105x and while I like them, after a few rounds I can feel a little elbow twinge keeping in. Graphite is where it’s at!
 

Lots of good wedge options, too. I started with Recoil 110 in my wedges and now have Recoil Prototype 125 for a little more weight. 

Thanks for the response. I definitely think I need to move to graphite. I agree on the grips and that I’ll stay with standard and the graphite shafts should help.

 

I played ZZ65 (108 grams) for ten years then got fit and went down a hole with PX 6.0/5.5, then got fit into X100 by Ping and Titleist. That’s when the issues started. Ended up getting fit into the Nippon Pro 950GH shafts that have been pretty good.

 

I’ve tried the Recoil 95 and it was okay. Kinda good or bad, not much consistently. Talked with a guy that swore by the KBS TGI 90, but I was only able to hit the TGI 85 from Cobra (May be a proprietary shaft). 
 

Do the MMT 105/play stout? I’ve read a bunch of threads that say they play stout. I have a MMT 70 in a Callaway UW that works well. I tend to do better with mid/low to mid/shafts. VA Slay in driver, Rogue Silver fairway, MMT 70 hybrid and VS Proto in hybrid.

 

I was wondering about the wedges if I should stick with steel or go graphite. I see a mixture when people move to graphite in the irons.

 

Thanks again.

[Tampajoe3]

I switched to Steel Fiber shafts and like them.  I went more flexible after reading that they play stouter than labeled. 

I have the fc70 in my apex.  I was playing Modus 105 previously.

I'm still playing steel in my wedges.

 

Edited Friday at 03:31 PM by Tampajoe3
adding wedge comment

[ChristopherMcDonald]

MMT gets my vote. Plays a lot like steel to me but definitely less jarring on the thin shots. Pured shots are sweet. Overall less vibration

[Pepperturbo]

I understand the OP's challenge.  Most fitters don't have the funds to stock all the best composite shafts, and it's even more challenging if someone is left-handed.

 

Anyway, ten plus years back I began dealing with osteoarthritis in my left wrist and knee.  About 5–6 years back decided to go from my trusted PX 6.0 120g shafts to composite; started with SF i110cw in 2i-PW which lasted for about 2yrs; outstanding shafts.  But I wanted heavier shafts so moved to MMT 125S for under 2yrs in 620 MBs, before switching to lighter weight MMT 95S in 3i & 4i, and 105S in 5i-PW in the new T100 3i-PW.  My SS is +/- 85 and over 70yrs young.  

 

As a feel player, the individually braided strands of 304 Stainless Steel integrated into the shaft’s prepreg layers towards the tip enhances the feel of MMT iron shafts, makes D3 SW easier too, thus reasons behind my choice.

Edited Friday at 05:39 PM by Pepperturbo

[jeffrey r]

6 hours ago, lefty74pgh said:

Thanks for the response. I definitely think I need to move to graphite. I agree on the grips and that I’ll stay with standard and the graphite shafts should help.

 

I played ZZ65 (108 grams) for ten years then got fit and went down a hole with PX 6.0/5.5, then got fit into X100 by Ping and Titleist. That’s when the issues started. Ended up getting fit into the Nippon Pro 950GH shafts that have been pretty good.

 

I’ve tried the Recoil 95 and it was okay. Kinda good or bad, not much consistently. Talked with a guy that swore by the KBS TGI 90, but I was only able to hit the TGI 85 from Cobra (May be a proprietary shaft). 
 

Do the MMT 105/play stout? I’ve read a bunch of threads that say they play stout. I have a MMT 70 in a Callaway UW that works well. I tend to do better with mid/low to mid/shafts. VA Slay in driver, Rogue Silver fairway, MMT 70 hybrid and VS Proto in hybrid.

 

I was wondering about the wedges if I should stick with steel or go graphite. I see a mixture when people move to graphite in the irons.

 

Thanks again.

 

I think the MMT 105 is pretty true to flex. They certainly don’t play “soft”, and some on here have said they play stiff. They are so comfortable to use, and as noted, will truly solve joint pain. I played 9 holes Wednesday night with my son, played 18 today, and am playing 18 Sat and Sun as well. I will come out of Sunday’s round a bit wiped out, but with no joint pain. That is huge (and I am over 50).

 

Anecdotally, I have hit the KBS TGI 100, and those are very stiff and low launching. I love the SF i110 R. I thought I really liked the Recoil Dart 105, but there was something about that profile that did not mesh entirely with my swing. Excellent shafts though. Good luck.

 

Edited to add: the MMT 105 TX ss1x are terrific in my wedges. I have nary a steel shaft in my bag, and I am all for it.

Edited Friday at 08:05 PM by jeffrey r

[Nessism]

18 hours ago, anth said:

Unless the Neo 950 GH is vastly different to the normal 950 GH I think your best bet is the Recoil 95.

 

I moved from the 950 GH to the Recoil 95 seamlessly. Couldn’t speak to the Recoil Dart but if I was looking to try the Dart I would start with the 90 version.

 

 

 

Nippon 950 is a fairly soft to flex shaft.  Most Nippon's are.  I agree with the Recoil's.  I've played both and liked them.  Steelfiber is a much more boardy feeling shaft.  MMT is also good.  Lots of good options.  I also like the Accra shafts.  These are designed to be tuned for flex by tipping, and easy to pencil point for use in taper tip heads.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/386303474053

[jshim000]

I went to graphite last year - from KBS tour v stiff.  Tried steelfiber, Recoil, and Axiom.  A little pricey but went with Axiom and never turned back.  Was looking for the 105s but went with 105x.  Didn't really gain distance but what i gained was on better dispersion and forgiveness on my wrist/elbow/shoulders on mishits.  

[urjc22]

Love my Axiom 105s

[gripandrip]

I've been playing the SF95S for about the last 7-8 years. I switched from the DG300S. Very similar profile, but definitely less harsh on the joints and hands. The only option I would be looking at right now would be the MMT 105S. I like the slightly heavier shaft, and they are just smooth as silk. When I was trying them out, they were slightly better in dispersion than my SF, but not enough to warrant a change.

 

I like a little lower flight shafts and have a pretty smooth transition.... that seems to matter with graphite.

 

One other shaft I'd like to try is the Axiom with velocore. I play a ventus shaft in my driver, and it is the real deal for me. Wonder if iron shafts are the same??

[Mike_C]

Tried a lot, started with heavier Recoils but ended up a Recoil 95 F4 user for several  years. Had KBS TGI 90s in a set last year,  like them quite  a bit too, but the 90s were just  a tad too light for me.  Currently in Recoil Dart 105 F4, really like them, like a bit more stable standard Recoil. 

 

Never a fan of Steelfibers for some reason. 

[j4663535]

Fujikura Pros should also be looked at

[lefty74pgh]

Thanks for the reply’s. I played tonight for the first time since Easter, because of a few injuries from playing tennis.  Took a few holes to get warmed up, but it definitely confirmed that I need to move to graphite in my irons.  All the graphite shafted clubs were fine, but I struggled with my irons all day. I’m moving to either Mizuno Pro 245 MMT 105, Wilson DynaPower Forged Recoil Dart 105/KBS TGI 90 or TM P790 MMT 105.

[BYK]

Loooooove my steelfibers

[tomg1969]

On 7/4/2024 at 11:04 AM, lefty74pgh said:

I’m turning 50 this year and have had some shoulder pain, hand pain and tennis elbow the last few years, so I’m thinking I need to move to graphite and possible midsize grips.

 

I’ve been playing Nippon Neo 950 GH irons shafts for the past 5 years, so I’m thinking I would stay at 90-105 grams in graphite.  I swing 7 iron around 88-90 mph.  I’ve read a bunch of threads on this topics and it seems the favorites are DART 90/105, MMT 105 and a little on KBS TGI 90/100.  
 

I’ve only hit Recoil 95, DART 75, MMT 80 and TGI 85 (Cobra).  I was looking at possibly doing a fitting, but can’t find these shafts in a fitting cart.

 

Any recommendations or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

I’ve played or currently play all 3 of the options that you mentioned. 
You’re a little quicker than me (7 iron is 84-85) and i have a quick transition. 

Dart 105 are the most stout out of this bunch but still feel good and you should be able to easily handle them. 

 

Recoil 95 are a solid choice. Feel a little dead/muted. Launch higher than the others. 
 

MMT 105 i have the least experience with. Feel similar to Dynamic Gold steel shafts. Nothing in particular stands out. Good shaft. 
 

TGI 90 are my current favorite. They feel “powerful”, have a pretty stiff tip section and are accurate. 
 

Hope that helps! All of these are good options. At your speed, if your have a quick transition, I’d take a look at Dart 105, along with the TGI. 

[NJBigFish22]

I went from Modus 105R to MMT 85R.  I have a set with Steelfiber 95R coming soon so will be interested to see how I get along with them.

[rx1232]

I went from project x and KBS tour shafts to the Fujikura Travil series aka the JDM Axioms.  They have some rubber woven into it that helps shock absorb. Really love them, my body thanks them for it after each round. 

 

Plays softer to flex so had to go to x flex. 

[NRJyzr]

On 7/4/2024 at 10:04 AM, lefty74pgh said:

I’ve been playing Nippon Neo 950 GH irons shafts

 

MMT 95 might be worth a look, they're approximately the same weight as the Neo you're playing now.  Even the MMT 85, which specs at 88g in stiff, wouldn't be too large a weight drop from 950 Neo.

 

It might be worth picking up a single shaft to test.  I went this route when researching graphite iron shafts, because of the lack of demo availability.

 

One thing worth noting, the 950GH and Neo play somewhat softer than same flex rating DG (just using DG as an example).  

 

[Godfather]

On 7/5/2024 at 9:32 AM, lefty74pgh said:

Thanks for the response. I definitely think I need to move to graphite. I agree on the grips and that I’ll stay with standard and the graphite shafts should help.

 

I played ZZ65 (108 grams) for ten years then got fit and went down a hole with PX 6.0/5.5, then got fit into X100 by Ping and Titleist. That’s when the issues started. Ended up getting fit into the Nippon Pro 950GH shafts that have been pretty good.

 

I’ve tried the Recoil 95 and it was okay. Kinda good or bad, not much consistently. Talked with a guy that swore by the KBS TGI 90, but I was only able to hit the TGI 85 from Cobra (May be a proprietary shaft). 
 

Do the MMT 105/play stout? I’ve read a bunch of threads that say they play stout. I have a MMT 70 in a Callaway UW that works well. I tend to do better with mid/low to mid/shafts. VA Slay in driver, Rogue Silver fairway, MMT 70 hybrid and VS Proto in hybrid.

 

I was wondering about the wedges if I should stick with steel or go graphite. I see a mixture when people move to graphite in the irons.

 

Thanks again.

I have also read MMT 105 play stout, but I don’t really feel it. I’m not super sensitive to flex, though, to be honest. I prefer a stiff plus. PX 6.0 is fine for me. I feel the MMT 105 stiff straight in is fine. To me, they just feel steady with a pleasant, muted feel.
 

Side note on flex: only shaft I ever thought felt too stiff to hit partial shots comfortably was KBS Tour stiff. Maybe it was the counterweight thing since they aren’t known to be extra stout. I’ve had no issues with other stout stiffs or some X flex shafts so it seemed odd. 
 

As for Recoil 95, I never liked their feel. I have a set of ZX7s with them (stiff, but hard-stepped) and added lead tape down the shafts to give a little more heft. Recoil 110 feels better for sure. 

Edited 18 hours ago by Godfather

[SnowbirdTom]

Just flipped from Srizon ZX7/Z Forged II combo irons with Modus 120 stiffs to Epon AF-302s with Graphite Design AD 95s in stiff.  The Srixons had GP Tour Velvet +4 mids on them and it helped with the hands. Barely noticed a change in swing tempo, but my shoulders and elbows are thanking me.  Also playing jumbo grips on the Epons due to arthritis in both hands.  They truly help with the aches and cramping.  I tried the standard grips the Epons came with while waiting on the Chamois jumbo grips to arrive, but two rounds had me hurting bad.  They went on yesterday and should be tested today.

[chisag]

... I find graphite iron shafts to be like the parable of blind Indians touching different parts of an elephant and all coming away with different ideas of what an elephant feels like. Recoils feel very dampened or feel great. Steelfibers are too stout or just right. MMT's somewhere in between. 

... I enjoyed playing Recoil 95 stiff flex for several years but like others here, I found they were a little too dull. On the opposite end I found the TGi 85 in stiff that came with my King Tours to be brittle feeling with very little feedback. I gave them 5 rounds and installed some i95's. I noticed all the great ball strikers on the LPGA Tour play Steelfiber and I was intrigued so I tried Steelfiber 95's in stiff and for my swing they were quite boardy and went back to my Recoil Prototype 95's. A year later after talking to a Rep at the show, he had me hit some Steelfiber i95's in regular flex and I loved them from the first swing and I have been playing them ever since. 

[Pepperturbo]

20 hours ago, jeffrey r said:

 

I think the MMT 105 is pretty true to flex. They certainly don’t play “soft”, and some on here have said they play stiff. They are so comfortable to use, and as noted, will truly solve joint pain. I played 9 holes Wednesday night with my son, played 18 today, and am playing 18 Sat and Sun as well. I will come out of Sunday’s round a bit wiped out, but with no joint pain. That is huge (and I am over 50).

 

Anecdotally, I have hit the KBS TGI 100, and those are very stiff and low launching. I love the SF i110 R. I thought I really liked the Recoil Dart 105, but there was something about that profile that did not mesh entirely with my swing. Excellent shafts though. Good luck.

 

Edited to add: the MMT 105 TX ss1x are terrific in my wedges. I have nary a steel shaft in my bag, and I am all for it.

I've been considering soft stepping MMT 105TX for 52 & 58.  What shafts did you get for that?

[jeffrey r]

29 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

I've been considering soft stepping MMT 105TX for 52 & 58.  What shafts did you get for that?

 

 I ordered these wedges custom from Taylormade. They have the MMT 105 S and TX as options, so I just selected the TX and soft-stepped once.

 

They work really well IMHO. A little heavier than the 105 S which I like in wedges.

[Pepperturbo]

32 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

 

 I ordered these wedges custom from Taylormade. They have the MMT 105 S and TX as options, so I just selected the TX and soft-stepped once.

 

They work really well IMHO. A little heavier than the 105 S which I like in wedges.

Does soft-stepping once mean they used 105 TX 9i shaft and cut to length?

 

 

Edited 15 hours ago by Pepperturbo