8 iron shaft in a wedge.....?

[cjhenry01]

I plan on trying this but I cannot for the life of me figure out what the length of an 8 iron taper tip shaft is.

Anyone know? 3_ or 4_?

[Johnny]

that would be softstepping (twice).. just butt trim the shaft to whatever length you want for your PW..

[mjf34g]

that would be softstepping (twice).. just butt trim the shaft to whatever length you want for your PW..

Johns right on. I do it in all my wedges.

[mike0814]

that would be softstepping (twice).. just butt trim the shaft to whatever length you want for your PW..

Johns right on. I do it in all my wedges.

 

... it's actually only a single soft-step ... at least relative to standard retails sets, which utilize 1-9 iron shafts (the wedge shafts being the same as the 9 iron). there are tour shafts available that step down one more for the pw/sw/lw. i should say this is true for dynamic gold, not sure about rifle .. and not true for something like tour concept (which utilizes 2-p shafts).

 

it's a great idea to get a little more feel without sacrificing any performance.

[cjhenry01]

So what is the length of the taper tip 8 iron?

Is it 37.5"?

[mike0814]

So what is the length of the taper tip 8 iron?

Is it 37.5"?

 

yes, for dynamic gold. the tour dg's i referred to offer a 36.5" pw shaft. i see that black gold offers 10 shafts (1-pw). tour concept has 9 (2-pw). not a rifle guy, so i don't know how they do it.

 

so, technically the 8 iron shaft (37.5") would be a double soft-step, but compared to any retail pw/sw/lw you purchase off the rack, it equates to one step weaker flex.

 

hope this helps.

[cjhenry01]

mike0814,

Great Info!!!

How would it equate to a retail Vokey wedge with an S-200?

[mike0814]

mike0814,

Great Info!!!

How would it equate to a retail Vokey wedge with an S-200?

 

one step higher = one soft-step installed. if you're really sensitive to feel, you might notice the difference in weight between a S2, S3, S4 causing a slightly stiffer feel as it gets heavier. i feel the difference between a 588 cleveland with the S4 9 iron shaft and a Vokey/Mizuno/TM/most other wedges with S2 9 iron shafts.

 

bottom line ... if you like the S200 in your wedge (a lot of guys do for sure), go with the 8 iron S2 ... you'll get just slightly more (softer feel) ... this will not (likely) translate to any appreciate performance difference. but, in the wedges it's all about feel ... as you know because you are considering this. depending on how this feel impacts (or does not impact) your swing, you may hit the ball slightly higher or lower, but not by any appreciable amount.

 

i think it's a great idea ... go for it.

[wjdpar1]

So if a DGS300 is soft stepped once, what flex is it?

 

Thanks

[cjhenry01]

mike,

Is a 9 iron S-200 what comes in the retail Vokey?

If so, I'm looking for a shaft that will be slighlty stiffer than the S-200 I have in my Spin Milled Vokey yet I would like to retain the softer feel of the S-200 as much as possible. What do you think? Maybe an S-300 7 iron shaft?

[mike0814]

So if a DGS300 is soft stepped once, what flex is it?

 

Thanks

 

still s300, just a fraction softer.

[mike0814]

mike,

Is a 9 iron S-200 what comes in the retail Vokey? YES, in the sand and lob wedges; I believe they use the S-300 in the 52* and lower lofts.

If so, I'm looking for a shaft that will be slighlty stiffer than the S-200 I have in my Spin Milled Vokey yet I would like to retain the softer feel of the S-200 as much as possible. What do you think? Maybe an S-300 7 iron shaft?

 

ok, now you're talking something different i think. you could ask joe k. if he can get a 36.5" s-200 shaft (one step stiffer). beyond that, it's a tough to say ... you could go with a 9 iron shaft in the s-300 or s-400 (i.e. slightly heavier but same step pattern).

 

the 7 iron s-300 shaft will be noticeably softer, not stiffer.

[cjhenry01]

mike,

In the past I have tried Parallel S-300's tipped to TT's tipping instructions of 4.25" in my wedges and they just turned out way too stiff. Since the taper tip 9 & PW are the same length shaft, will a taper tip 9 be just as stiff as the above? Maybe I should go with the taper 8 iron in either the S-300 or even the S-400.

[mike0814]

mike,

In the past I have tried Parallel S-300's tipped to TT's tipping instructions of 4.25" in my wedges and they just turned out way too stiff. Since the taper tip 9 & PW are the same length shaft, will a taper tip 9 be just as stiff as the above? Maybe I should go with the taper 8 iron in either the S-300 or even the S-400.

 

cj,

 

i think you're over-thinking this stuff. parallels are different feeling than tapers, no question. i've had a few and what you typically find is that the long irons are a bit softer in parallel and the short irons stiffer. i would guess that a 4.5" tip would equate to stiffer than the 9 iron taper, but not positive.

 

i can't remember the original club you wanted to reshaft to be honest, but it's likely a .355 hosel (taper) ala vokey/tm/mizuno/cleveland/virtually all others. for the most part (not exclusively) only the component manufacturers use .370 hosels (parallel).

 

go with the s-300 8 iron shaft and you'll be fine. a good clubmaker like joe can orient the spine in the strong position, which will make the club feel its tightest ... for a short wedge shaft if won't make that much difference.

 

in the end, since you're uncertain and trying for a small tweak ... you may have to experiment ... fortunately, a dg iron shaft is the lowest priced thing out there.

 

don't over-think it ... just try the s3 or s2 8 iron shaft.

 

you might describe your situation to joe and see what he recommends, but it will likely be the same as what i have ... and there is no guarantee it will be right. also, there is no guarantee the s2/s3/s4 will feel the same from clubhead to clubhead ... the shorter the shaft, the less difference you will feel.

[cjhenry01]

Thanks Mike, your knowledge is second to none.

Now, as far as parallel shafts, do you think I should trim them to TT's 8 iron trimming instructions?

I guess I should tell you my plans first. I have a vokey wedge w/ a taper S-200 and 2 SMT wedge heads which take parallel tip shafts. I will go ahead and try the taper 8 iron shaft in my vokey but what should I do with the parallel shafts in order to get them to play similarly?

[mike0814]

cj,

 

appreciate the compliment. i known a fair amount for some time and have learned more and more by hanging/playing with joe k.

 

good decision to try the 8 iron taper in your vokey. as to the parallel, i'm not 100% certain in matching the feel to a taper ... but, off the cuff, i've have to say your best bet would be to trim to 8 iron specifications.

 

this question might be worth a call to joe, though he's out of town until saturday/sunday. alternatively, there's plenty of guys with good club knowledge around here ... you might start another post regarding matching tapers to parallels in a wedge. someone might have experience/insight.

 

are you doing the work yourself by chance ... just curious??

 

in the end, my experience tells me this ... you can seek all the advice you want, and if you seek it from the right guys (someone like joe being about the best) ... you'll stand a good chance of achieving what you want. but, not always ... only you can determine what is the right feel you like and what works and what doesn't. joe or i can't swing the club for you.

 

and not to be preaching, but don't ever hang your hat on something like a frequency machine ... i can't believe guys say something like "if you're in the 100-105 range, make sure you stick to a frequency of 250-255" or whatever ... that thinking is absolutely ridiculous. in my mind, it really shows a lack of knowledge. trial and error, feel is the only way to go.

 

with a short dg wedge shaft, you're not talking about much variance or cost to experiment.

[cjhenry01]

mike,

I just received an Adams Puglielli wedge from an auction I won on Ebay and it has an S-300 in it. Any idea if it's a taper 9 iron shaft? How can I tell?

[mike0814]

mike,

I just received an Adams Puglielli wedge from an auction I won on Ebay and it has an S-300 in it. Any idea if it's a taper 9 iron shaft? How can I tell?

 

... i've heard that's a pretty nice wedge ... congratulations. align the face with your vokey and then check the step pattern. if they match, the answer is yes. i'd be 95% certain that would be the case without seeing them.

[cjhenry01]

mike,

Using the same head, let's say for example a retail Vokey, how would a taper S-300 8 iron shaft play versus a taper S-200 9 iron shaft?

Which would be stiffer?

Which one would be softer?

Tks,

Chris

[mike0814]

mike,

Using the same head, let's say for example a retail Vokey, how would a taper S-300 8 iron shaft play versus a taper S-200 9 iron shaft?

Which would be stiffer?

Which one would be softer?

Tks,

Chris

 

i would say the s300 8 iron shaft would be just slightly softer.

[cjhenry01]

Softer feeling, but would it play stiffer?

[mike0814]

Softer feeling, but would it play stiffer?

 

no.