I tend to base my decision more on durability. For instance, which shaft will stay the straightest after repeatedly being plowed through the fairway leaving divots so large that golf carts have to avoid them for fear of getting stuck. If I were fitted, I think they'd had me a bag of shovels.
Had a fitting at a large golf chain, was told due to my height and swing speed I needed stiff. After a summer of misery first thing my pro did was change me into regular and the ball flight change was almost instant. Even with my ropey technique I felt more comfortable. As below comment suggests I think most of us are conditioned to think stiffer the better but it doesn't seem that rings true.
I am so going for a fitting this year, never been but I am getting much better at golf, now play off 14hdcp, I think a full bag fitting is in my future lol
I got fitted as a 15 handicapper whs scoring system and I’d recommend it if you have the money/passion for the sport. I do believe in the equipment I got and once I get to the next milestone I will probably get fit again. Good luck!
The problem with fittings is that they're only as good as the person doing the fitting. I recently had a guy give me a quick fitting with only a 7 iron. After I hit a few, he checked the markings on the tape & told me I should have a 2 degree flat. I hit a few more, then he told me I need a 2 degree upright. This was at Dick's, so be certain you check the fitter's reputation before you get fit. I'm sure there are hacks in this area as well as instructors.
I've had to research who I'd trust to do my fitting. Like you said the person really does matter. I'd also say that for expensive purchases in life you'd want to put in the work (esp. regarding an expensive golf purchase). I would definitely not go to Dicks for a fitting. I would recommend choosing a place that has a good fitter + trackman + has a place where you can see your ball flight outdoors (aka not on a indoor simulator). Also, even if you do get fit, unless you know how to use your equipment, it might be better to learn the craft better (not saying that anyone reading this doesn't , but just in general). I went to get fit when I felt I had a decent grasp of my swing and can make adjustments to fix it (around 15 handicap and I was playing with one-length clubs which were giving me landing angle issues). That being said, it's always awesome to get new clubs regardless of skill. :D
@@Leepfall My thoughts exactly! Most of us would find that money spent for lessons would be a better investment than for new equipment. But still; it's also difficult to find a pro who can improve YOUR game & not a 1 size fits all approach. For many, it's a job & nothing else.
My last fitting for irons I was recommended regular shafts, moving from stiff. On swing speed alone I should be in stiff. What I found was that different shaft manufacturers have their own flex standards. I can use KBS in stiff that will produce similar results to DG in regular. Thankfully we went for figures and results rather than just the label. I also found that different shafts alters strike point on the face. I wish a fitting lasted three hours!
Got fitted for new Mizuno Hot Metal irons using their shaft optimizer device. I'm 62 playing off 11 HC and it put me into a graphite A-flex shaft after playing steel. Wasn't as whippy as I expected and smoothed out my tempo. Is there any way you could do a review of the optimizer for us and see if it would recommend the same shaft you use? Thanks for considering it and hoping you get out on course soon.
@@markwoodward1716 You'll like them. Hope you get to try their shaft optimizer and test all their suggestions. Really interesting how it decides the 3 best options based on how you're swinging the club that day.
Did the Mizuno fitting and they recommend a shaft and grip with their iron heads which didn’t perform as good as my old set of irons so getting fitted with a particular brand is not the best option.
@@TheBigBananaaa taking both opinions into consideration; proposed course of action is to go in 3 times over course of 2 weeks and test Ping vs Mizuno; my top contenders for this season. Thank you both for your insight! I have a great shop (Fiddlers Green) 20 minutes up the road. www.fiddlersgreen.com/
Went to Titleist National Fitting Centre in St. Neots,Cambridgeshire last summer twice for irons and driver/fairway/hybrids.Fitters there are superb, 45 minute session doesn't seem long enough, time goes too quickly. Result was t200 irons KBR tour reg flex,1 degree upright and half inch longer .Driver and fairway/hybrids Hzrdus smoke black 80 gram. Tried many options of shaft and head combos.These gave the best numbers on trackman.Fully recommend the service they give you there.
Just a few weeks ago I got fit into Mitsubishi Kuro Kage stiff graphite shafts swapping over from regular flex steel. So far in my practice I'm hitting a lot more consistent indoors. Unfortunately I live in an area in the US that gets a lot of snow so I'll be waiting a bit to course test them. But I am excited and encouraged.
I think the main thing when choosing shafts is the feel you prefer. I once heard a fitter say it’s not how fast you swing it, it’s how you swing it fast. Each shaft has tempo, transition, launch/spin and load characteristics that are unique to certain deliveries. That’s where a good fitting comes in and where you can get mixed results when buying stock offerings.
You’re right I think I had a bad fitting I have stiff shafts in every club but when I hit my friends clubs in regular they feel so more natural to me I like the lighter feel and I still hit them consistently I think the fitter just looked at swing speed
@@mikeS-ow7lc True, fittings can be a funny thing. I saw an interesting podcast by the guys at mygolfspy talking about the dynamics of a fitting and how it goes sometimes. Often times people over swing or feel a lot of pressure to swing faster because they’re being watched and tracked on the monitor and it’s not really their natural swing so you end up with something it doesn’t necessarily fit you perfectly. I think some of it is trial and error if you can get to a big golf store where they have demos that you can hit you can make your own decisions that way too. Seems to be a little bit more of a natural way like your experience with your friends clubs. A good fitting for any club will not make your good shots any better but what it should do is make your bad shots slightly better i.e. you end up pin high instead of short, really your dispersion is improved not only left to right but front to back.
Its a lot less to think about when you get a stiff shaft tho. Its more consistent even at a lower swing speed. But you might have to hit 80 or high 70s to get the right ping on the ball. Or do something like use supersoft balls.
You are correct, My graphite shafted clubs are stiff, my irons are regular. I swing quick, but never found a difference with stiff irons. My 4 iron is 205. Driver speed 105-110 average.
I'm a 49 year old and use Reg Shafts. Fujikara Atmos Blue 5R in my Driver, Fujikara Atmos Red 6R in my 3wood, Modus NS Pro Tour105 in my hybrid and UST Recoil 95 F3 in my irons. Works Ok for me (sometimes...)
Recently got irons re shafted....from heavily tipped 5.5 rifle (playing x flex) to KBS C Taper lite (stiff). Certainly made a difference to be refit after 10 years!! Back don’t hurt as much from putting a gorilla swing on every iron shot, and the overall club weight was down by 41 grams!!! Makes a huge difference.
Never looked at the shafts in a fitting the fitter hands me the clubs, I just hit the shots & give them feedback. The fitter is there to help you get consistent strikes with good launch & spin, all I want is control. I play Mizuno JPX 921 Tour with Project X LZ Steel 5.5, 115g shafts.
I think way to many game stiffer shafts than they need. If you warm up for 30 minutes before a 1 hour fitting your always going to be at a quicker speed than in you roll out the car 10 minutes before your tee time. Then consider swinging at your best might be a stiff/x stiff but is the average/bad shot that quick? I'm between reg/stiff shafts and after fittings have the choice with numbers being close but always gamed the softer option
Long way to get there but totally agree, I’ve got a slow iron swing, but I’ve played out my skin with x100’s and had a mare with them and regular, it’s about finding something that feels right and working in the minor details from there, I’d love to be locked in a room with endless clubs and a monitor though, and I won’t come out!
I'd like to learn how to do club fittings, restorations and repairs... how do I gain this knowledge? Are there classes? Is it a certified license or whatnot? Help! Thanks for any help or info!
Thanks for the video...I was just fitted for and purchased a set of Titleist, T200 irons with the graphite Mitsubishi kuro kage black 55g regular flex. Tested well in the studio...can’t wait for it to warm up outside.
Interesting test and very close numbers, would love to see you take this out onto the golf course when they are back open I would like to see a video of different length and different weighted driver shafts
interesting findings, depends what you are looking for distance or accuracy. Would have been better using the white and red shaft to show the difference there as well.
Excellent James but what I’d really like to know is what’s the difference between stiff steel shafts from different brands, like project x to kbs to modus, to dynamic gold and so on.
Something not talked about is there are no real industry standards for what makes a golf shaft “stiff” or “regular.” Or what’s the difference in the two. In some reading I was doing, data found one mfg’s stiff was the same flex as another’s regular. So key is to get on a launch monitor and see the results, don’t worry as much about what’s printed on the golf shaft especially if comparing different brands. Cheers.
I would be interested in graphite v steel. As I have toyed with the idea of graphite as I carry . My thought is lighter to carry , may increase club head speed and spin into greens ?
Definitely more speed with graphite & lighter to carry. Spin is determined by strike speed & quality of strike. If you expect to spin it like pros without good speed, sorry, but it won't happen.
I've never been custom fit for any of my clubs. Just bought off the rack. Just been to look at my clubs to check. Driver - Project X -7C3. 73g 6.0 Stiff. 3 wood - Fujikura Max 65FW - Regular 2H - Mitsubishi Rayon hDiamana - Regular Irons - Taylor Made Burner 2.0 - Regular. Hopefully going for a gap test when we're allowed so will be interested to see my swing speeds and distances to review whether I'm even using the right clubs for me. My bank balance and wife hope so. ;-)
I was fitted to KBS C Taper Lite X-flex with the mizuno analyser, tried others but they're def the best for me. Not all flexes are equal! I don't swing fast enough for X flex but a light shaft makes them spot on
Prior to back pain (sciatica), I was playing at scratch. Post-surgery I found I had lost a lot of distance & consistency (I had gone from driver CHS 0f 101- 102 MPH stock to 85 "yikes", of course, it could be that I got fat, weak, and old? Nah, can't be that.) so I bought a set of Callaway Mavrik/Max irons with regular graphite shafts for more speed and set 2 degrees weak for more height. After 18 months of not so good iron play, the 6I shaft broke in the hosel (?) so I went back to my steel-shafted Tommy Armour Irons and am hitting them great (both sets were fitted by a pro). I don't know what I've learned other than you can spend a lot of money on golf clubs that don't help your game...and getting old sucks.
I hear it really comes down to HOW you swing vs how fast that will affect the flexion of the shaft at least with irons. Kick point and other things can also be affected.
Great vid. Got fitted into the modus3 tour 105 stiff for my irons and over the last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking that I may should have carried those shafts into my wedges instead of the dynamic gold “spinner” shafts. It’s amazing how much shafts can effect your golf shot and consistency.
I have tried reg flex and kept hitting to the right went to stiff it moved left went to modus 3 120 extra and hit it straight great video james always love your content
James, I can see my post from two years ago. And now, I'm ready to purchase a new set of Apex DCB irons. I went to 4 fittings last week: 2 of them said regular flex, 1 recommended stiff (because of a little tighter dispersion), and the fourth recommended stiff at first, but then changed to regular. All said I had a very smooth tempo. 7-iron distance was 162-168, with a swing speed at 73-80 mph. My handicap is 10. So..... help me James! Does it appear that I should stay in regular flex? I will say I'm 64 years old, and don't see my swing speed going up any higher!
"Deader" was always my feeling about stiffer shafts. Been using R shafts for a long time simply because I like the soft feel, just like I prefer a soft-feeling ball and a soft insert in the putter face.
Hiya James,custom fitting is a must but it needs to be a complete fitting ie a couple of years ago just as an experiment I got some cheap muscle back irons from Nordica golf,Cayman X 2 irons,I got them in a stiff shaft,oversized grip,2 ins shorter and 3 degree stronger loft.....the upshot of this is that I am still playing these off a handicap of 5 and getting on ave 169 yds with my 7 iron,with them being this short they felt so comfortable and controllable and I am 5ft 10 so the standard fitting length went out of the window.Have to say that the full set of 4-GW only cost me around £200 which was an added bonus anyway I'm starting to sound like you now and waffling ha but my point in this was that you don't need to spend a fortune on clubs if you know how to tinker with them a bit phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I need to sit down now.
For some reason I use stiff shafts in driver-hybrids and regular in the irons. I really notice the flex in the woods with reg shafts and it puts me off rather than any performance thing, but i cant feel the irons flex.
JR do a video on graphite v steel please. B4 lockdown I was looking at buying ping 410's with graphite shafts as I was getting 10 yards a club more distance!
Hi Jim. I will be buying some new irons soon. I am I high handicap golfer. But I’m getting better and expect to be in the low nineties or high eighties soon. My question is this. I’m thinking about doing roughly half and half. 5 6 7. Graphite. 8 9 and wedge regular flex (Steel). I’m hitting some very old titelest irons now. So what do you think ? Good idea or bad idea ?
I have a swing speed with a 7 iron of 75 mph I have always used regular shafts but last year I went for a fitting at ping Gainsborough I the fitter put kbs tour 120 stiff which surprised me they were alot heavier than my previous set because they were only 85 grams and have taken some speed of my swing
I've said this for a while and you need to try!! I had same nspro 950 S & R in Honma irons. They are the same weight but it's the bottom knuckle of the shaft that's different. The reg is further down so it kicks easier.
Can't believe I missed this sorry James , Im 58 play off 1 and only have a swing speed of 79-80 with a 7 iron , but I use the s300 s I always have done , I've been for so many fittings and for some reason I hit better with these shafts the best , is it a weight thing , flex point thing I have no idea , I just love the s300 s but I think I should be in r300 s , great vlog , so sorry for missing it M8 ⛳👍
I’m using KBS Tour 90 regular flex in my speedzone irons. I’m not the fastest swinger 77mph with 7 iron. Felt really nice and gave me the best trajectory of the 3 shafts I tried
I bought a Haywood Signature 7 iron with Aerotech Gener8 stiff shafts. I'm going to try it Wednesday. My regular shafts have been steel. My Calaway X tour forged has Dynamic gold x100 My Mizuno JPX EZ Forged have XP 95 s300.
I have been looking at new irons for a while just have not had the budget to upgrade. I went to a couple different shops and had them evaluate my swing speed and one shop said I could still play stiff and another said I need to go regular. My swing speed is on the border depending on the day. If you don’t mind me asking, when you fit someone that is borderline as far as swing speed do you favor the slower swing speed?
DEADERERRR is my driver after this weekend. I cracked my TM M5 driver 😔. Now I am in the market for a new driver and shaft. Using the 10.5d M5 and a Hzrdus red 62g XS shaft in the upright shaft position . I am leaning towards the SIM Hzrdus smoke XS now that they are cheaper. You being a user of this driver. Would you recommend the Sim as an upgrade over the M5 or perhaps stick with the M5? Channel content wise, I would love to see more content like this. My golf pals pay no attention to shaft flex, lie angle etc. using my M5 in the upright shaft position raises the lie angle and helps me a ton. I would love to have more JRob info on lie angles cause and effect. Congratulations on the new changes recently. Love the channel.
What is your opinion regarding the need to have graphite shafts evaluated for the spine location in order to place the head and shaft together to idealize consistency. Scott
62 yrs old and I've always used regular shafts (XP 95 R300) and out-hit most of the guys in my league. My fitter told me I was right on the verge of going into stiff shafts, but he said I have such a relaxed/easy tempo, he recommended staying in regular. The stiff shafts to me feel like I'm hitting the older (hard-as-a-rock) Top Flight balls vs. a ProV1 with the regular shafts. My personal preference is the regular shaft. Most of the guys in my league build their ego by announcing they have stiff shafts in their clubs (which makes no sense) and based on their distance and swing speeds, should definitely be in regular shafts.
James fitting is definitely a must I was due to visit Sinjin over in Germany next week, obviously due to covid that’s not happening or likely to happen for quite some time, James do any know of any fitters in the UK with the same level of precision as Sinjin please help ! Chris
I'm a senior player using graphite senior shafts, but there are different senior shafts as well as steel. Is there really a discernable difference between a graphite 65gr & a 55gr shaft for more speed? Another reason I ask is because I'm a lefty who has enough trouble finding clubs from big-name companies who basically seem to think lefties don't exist. I know the demand is lower, but still, give me a break. So insisting on 55gr shafts lowers the selection even more which is why I'm asking about shaft weight. Thanks in advance. An update to this post where I answer my own question. I tried both & definitely felt a difference between the two which surprised me for what seems like such a small amount.
I have regular shaft on my irons and stiff on my driver, I hit my driver straight and far and my irons have a slice, this may sound like a silly question but would I benefit from a stiff shaft on my irons as it works for the driver or is it because the swing pattern is different from driver to irons 🤷♂️
Project X 6.0 120g. Got fitted a while ago and went from the same shaft in the 5.0 (not fitted) to the 6.0. Also I can’t stop picturing James in the power stance for every close up of a club head
So, I was fitted late last summer for T200s with LA Golf AXS 85R shafts at the time…I was coming off of hip replacement 3 months prior, so it probably wasn’t the best time to do a fitting…anyway…I got the clubs, and was never able to hit them well…I could not hit the same place on the club face twice in a row, couldn’t repeat a swing, couldn’t feel the club at all and had no idea if I hit it well or not…I changed grips (hoping for a cheap fix since the heads were expensive, as were the shafts!)…but that didn’t help…Today I went to my local golf shop (not where I got fitted), and asked to test a T200 with a stiff shaft and they put in an AMT White S300…night and day…my swing speed with the 7 iron is about 80, so not ideal for the white model…I plan to go back to test the red and black to see if they are any different. But clearly the shafts play a huge part in the swing, feel, and consistency…I was able to hit shot after shot very well, was able to hit fades and draws on command…I could not even try shot shaping with the LA Golf shafts as I couldn’t feel anything…we’ll see how it turns out….helpful hint when you go to a golf shop and hit on their computer…bring your own club so you can calibrate distances, AND, bring your own ball since the flight will change depending on the ball, e.g., a Pro V1 v V1x for me is a huge difference in apex height and spin…
I’m an average golfer who is always stressing out when buying new clubs with all the options, this video put me at ease, I’m not on the PGA TOUR so stiff vs reg doesn’t matter to me or the average golfer who golfs with his buddies 👍🏻
fitted for T100s last year and spent the full hour choosing the right shaft as I had already picked the head I wanted through testing. Got AMT white S300 to keep spin down
Are you able to add KBS Tour and Project X shafts as well? Would like your opinion on feel and dispersion. I prefer feel of Rifle over S300, but have never hit a KBS. Thanks James!
As you mentioned in there, lie angle, i have mine up 1, if you changed your lie angle down, would that help your draw, and make it more neutral/fadie? nice test between, the R300/S300 Shows the S is right one for you, for dispersion at least. I found something similar that i had more control with a Stiff shaft compared to a regular version of the same shaft (Nippon Modus).
James please respond I love your content. I’ve just been ping today and they fitted me with a ping stock shaft that’s in between a regular and a stiff shaft 65g. I’m a 6hcp driver club head speed 97mph on average I’m 43 now. It gave me an additional 5mph with 2000mph less spin. From 4500 to 2500. Gave me 30 yards extra carry. Shaft is massive I’d say more important than the club. Have you heard of this shaft?
What are you thoughts about the weight of shafts as well as flex? Would a regular flex light shaft give the same delivery as a regular flex heavier shaft, for example? I ask as when I was fitted for my irons I was fitted with regular flex 120g shafts not the 95g shafts.
I was just fitted with the new 2021 t200 with the amt black s300. Initially was the amt red regular flex but today went back and tried the other shaft and the stiff was exact same performance but I had more feel with it
I got fitted tried both Stiff and Regular, the most consistent was regular shaft. But now that I have them on the actual course I can't seem to stop hooking the ball...and not a draw its a giant hook. Maybe its in my head...I always had stiff previously....and always had a slight draw as my natural pattern.
True temper VSS elevate 105G stiff in my apex pro 2019’s 4-PW. Also have played the KBS C taper 105 in the past couple years. Liked them both...just a timing mechanism is all as opposed to fast needs stiff etc
As im getting a little older, im finding shaft weight seems to matter more than club stiffness. But maybe im not playing often enough to notice the difference
Absolutely. Weight & profile matter because they affect your timing. There's also no standard of what "stiff" means. I've been recently on a shaft odyssey & Steelfiber i95cw stiff is radically stiffer than TT Elevate 105 stiff. New set with Modus 105 hard-stepped regular is on the way. Hopefully this will be it for a while. Dispersion & control are ultimately what matters. I hit KBS C taper left every single time. Project LZ very straight but always falls right at the end. Can't hit a draw with them no matter what. Modus I can work both ways. Just keep trying things until you find what really works for you.
was fitted for my TM 790 (Nippon Modus 120) ànd feel the stiff shift works great and have come down to.5.6 from 8. Swing speed with irons around 86-90.mph. Not fitted for TM SIM driver and 3 wood which have a slight fade.. swing speed 105 ish. Suppose I need fitted for shafts at top.end!
I was in an old 704cb set with regular flex, finally went for a fit and got put into a px lz 6.5 so that’s x-flex! Would never ever have thought that so just shows how important a fit is! Not changed my best shots but made my bad less bad for sure!
I was just fitted on my 50th birthday and even though I was swinging 92 mph, my fitter had me leave with regular flex. Was driving the 7 iron 200 yards so yeah I’m happy.
I would like give a slight warning ....when it comes to driver especially ....I changed back 5 years ago from stiff to regular flex and got great results in dispersion ....so when I bought new again 2 years ago I didn't get fitted just went with what specs had been working but did change manufacturers in shaft and club ....and it went all wrong and spent a lot of time spent practicing thinking it was me ....come to find out after another fitting for my current driver that a stiff shaft was best for me with the new head and shaft , even though my club head speed was about 3 to 5 mph slower than when I first got fitted 5 years ago...with that being said some shafts are alot different even though they may both be stiff ,regular, lite etc different manufacturers can have very different feelings and flex .....so again taking the time to get fit is always the safe play
NSPRO MODUS 3 TOUR X-stiff. Chose them based on fitting data. Liked the feel of the Proj X LZ 6.5, but grouping was much tighter for my swing with the NSPRO. Started with shaft optimizer to narrow down the list. Did try a few outside the recommended, but the ones it recommended all had decent feel and groupings. Good tool Getting ready to get new irons (JPX921 Tour) and I am interested in the AMT shafts. Unfortunately, my pro shop fitters only have 7i test heads and shafts, so can’t see how I like the AMTs from top to bottom or properly explore 921 HMP as a 4/5 option. Everyone touts getting fitted and exploring combo set options, but it doesn’t seem like many fitters are equipped. They just got the RADspeed wood fitting set and it only included 2 (of 3) driver heads and 1 (of 5) metal woods. Vendor demo/fitting kits need to be better
I've been interested in shaft weight as of late. Does one swing a lighter club faster? Kind of ties into the graphite vs steel conversation. Does it make sense for players with faster club head speeds to play around with graphite stiff shafts. Some pros have put graphite in play. Definitely interesting stuff to think about. If it wasn't -23 outside....
A lighter shaft will always be faster. If your swing speed is below average, especially if you're a senior, or a woman, you definitely need graphite, but there are different weights & flexes of graphite as well. Only when it comes to women's shafts is there a big difference. Most men's graphite are 65gr or 55gr which to me, likely is not a noticeable difference unless you're an elite player.
@@mikerodrick2430 Interesting. I am definitely not an elite player. I am about a 7 handicap (not official but around that area - capable of shooting par one day and +10 the next) so not horrible I guess. That said, I am a short male that swings a driver at about 100mph club head speed. Maybe slightly lower now as I get more out of shape. So not super slow but not fast either. I guess I continue to think about stuff like this to try to get a little extra speed. I have played stiff shafts almost my entire life and thought about keeping the feeling shaft but at a lighter weight. Maybe it is all so minor that I wouldn't notice much. However, I have two different sets of irons, P790 and JPX 900 forged, and I can feel noticeable differences in weight. The JPX feel significantly lighter. I think about steelfiber shafts and if those have any legitimacy in the grand scheme of things.
I use stiff S300 XP95’s. I like how the lighter shaft allows you to really feel the weight in the club head. These are high launch but I’ve no trouble keeping them low if needed. The key reason was feel though both off the club face and within the swing. Teamed them with the Ping i500s and they work well for me.
Mark crosfield did a great video on shafts. Took an L flex and Xs graphite shaft put them in a driver had a pro hit and compared launch conditions and it came nearly identical. While the shafts behave differently on the machine. The human body makes micro compensations to bring them about back to same location. My takeways 1.)still get fitted but reduce the urge for expensive shaft upgrades 2.) don’t put yourself into shaft paralysis because you don’t think your clubs are not perfectly optimized
Just before lockdown I had a fitting for t200’s and I tried multiple shafts but settled on the amt white r300. It just felt better for me than the others. 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
love the vid james! always nice to see how people swing different shafts and to see the results. here's what I'm currently gaming driver- velix alpina 675reg woods- tensei blue 65stiff irons- kbs tour 90 stiff wedges kbs wedge shaft 115 reg
Interesting test as during lockdown I swapped out my S300 130g shafts from my Callaway x forged for a set of true temper sl 100g reg shafts . I can now swing much easier and am far more accurate. I think its more to do with weight than flex though??
Mr. Robinson- This was a very enjoyable and helpful video. Even as a duffer I worry overmuch about R vs. S shafts, and I think it probably is not something to pay that much attention to.
Lie angle is just as, if not more important than shaft flex. It determines how the club contacts the ball & ground. If you're too upright or too flat, you'll be hitting off the toe or heel which will be accentuated on everything other than flat lies. Side, downhill , & uphill lies will be a nightmare, or at least less than desirable results.
I actually have a set of the older Taylormade firesole Graphite Irons - the copper colored ones.. and I noticed that when I use like even the cheap iron sets.. they seem easier to swing than the firesol graphites.. The firesol graphites seem to be heavier, and take a lot more effort to swing.. I was looking at getting fitted for a new set.. but was wondering if I'm crazy.. or if the Taylormade firesol graphites have any known history of being heavy/difficult to swing for others.. I have a practice studio in my garage, and compared the 2.. and after using the firesols for a couple years have had quite a few muscle injuries..then in my test noticed the weight/effort swing differences between the 2 sets and wanted to get someone elses input..
How about the difference between driver, 3w, 5w, hybrids, irons, and wedges? I have a stiff driver, stiff 3w, regular hybrid and irons, then wedge flex with wedges.
Went to PGA Superstore to get fitted for Mizuno JPX 921 forged, was put into nippon 950 stiff, canceled the order the next day, (buyers remorse, price), went back two weeks later and a different fitter at same store put me in a 105 regular, which felt better and easier to get the same yardage as the stiff. Well, the first order was shipped and I'm waiting for my second order to come, i'll compare how they play and send one set back. The point is two different fitters recommended different shafts.
And THAT'S the problem with being advised about getting fitted. Some will be better than others, & who the better ones are, depends on who you ask. It blows. If you're a weekend player with not much time to practice, you may as well buy off the rack unless you have a really fast swing speed or a really slow one. Otherwise, you'll never notice the difference.
I totally enjoyed that video comparison. 2 issues with the video: Your vest sounds like Corduroy pants, and you used a TaylorMade wrench. Obvious tainting of the results. ;) I have played Stiff shafts as long as I have been golfing (since I stopped playing Baseball), and I recently got a set of irons with the AMT Black R300 shafts, and I really can’t tell the difference on the course. Jus Sayin. Keep up the great work. Cheers!
I tend to base my decision more on durability. For instance, which shaft will stay the straightest after repeatedly being plowed through the fairway leaving divots so large that golf carts have to avoid them for fear of getting stuck. If I were fitted, I think they'd had me a bag of shovels.
One day, my friends and I ate funny mushrooms and spent the evening hitting foot long divots at each other in the park. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Had a fitting at a large golf chain, was told due to my height and swing speed I needed stiff. After a summer of misery first thing my pro did was change me into regular and the ball flight change was almost instant. Even with my ropey technique I felt more comfortable. As below comment suggests I think most of us are conditioned to think stiffer the better but it doesn't seem that rings true.
I am so going for a fitting this year, never been but I am getting much better at golf, now play off 14hdcp, I think a full bag fitting is in my future lol
I got fitted as a 15 handicapper whs scoring system and I’d recommend it if you have the money/passion for the sport. I do believe in the equipment I got and once I get to the next milestone I will probably get fit again. Good luck!
The problem with fittings is that they're only as good as the person doing the fitting. I recently had a guy give me a quick fitting with only a 7 iron. After I hit a few, he checked the markings on the tape & told me I should have a 2 degree flat. I hit a few more, then he told me I need a 2 degree upright. This was at Dick's, so be certain you check the fitter's reputation before you get fit. I'm sure there are hacks in this area as well as instructors.
I've had to research who I'd trust to do my fitting. Like you said the person really does matter. I'd also say that for expensive purchases in life you'd want to put in the work (esp. regarding an expensive golf purchase). I would definitely not go to Dicks for a fitting. I would recommend choosing a place that has a good fitter + trackman + has a place where you can see your ball flight outdoors (aka not on a indoor simulator).
Also, even if you do get fit, unless you know how to use your equipment, it might be better to learn the craft better (not saying that anyone reading this doesn't , but just in general).
I went to get fit when I felt I had a decent grasp of my swing and can make adjustments to fix it (around 15 handicap and I was playing with one-length clubs which were giving me landing angle issues).
That being said, it's always awesome to get new clubs regardless of skill. :D
@@Leepfall My thoughts exactly! Most of us would find that money spent for lessons would be a better investment than for new equipment. But still; it's also difficult to find a pro who can improve YOUR game & not a 1 size fits all approach. For many, it's a job & nothing else.
What does that roughly cost?
My last fitting for irons I was recommended regular shafts, moving from stiff. On swing speed alone I should be in stiff. What I found was that different shaft manufacturers have their own flex standards. I can use KBS in stiff that will produce similar results to DG in regular. Thankfully we went for figures and results rather than just the label. I also found that different shafts alters strike point on the face. I wish a fitting lasted three hours!
Got fitted for new Mizuno Hot Metal irons using their shaft optimizer device. I'm 62 playing off 11 HC and it put me into a graphite A-flex shaft after playing steel. Wasn't as whippy as I expected and smoothed out my tempo. Is there any way you could do a review of the optimizer for us and see if it would recommend the same shaft you use? Thanks for considering it and hoping you get out on course soon.
going to get fitted for these this Spring!
@@markwoodward1716 You'll like them. Hope you get to try their shaft optimizer and test all their suggestions. Really interesting how it decides the 3 best options based on how you're swinging the club that day.
Did the Mizuno fitting and they recommend a shaft and grip with their iron heads which didn’t perform as good as my old set of irons so getting fitted with a particular brand is not the best option.
@@TheBigBananaaa taking both opinions into consideration; proposed course of action is to go in 3 times over course of 2 weeks and test Ping vs Mizuno; my top contenders for this season. Thank you both for your insight!
I have a great shop (Fiddlers Green) 20 minutes up the road.
www.fiddlersgreen.com/
Went to Titleist National Fitting Centre in St. Neots,Cambridgeshire last summer twice for irons and driver/fairway/hybrids.Fitters there are superb, 45 minute session doesn't seem long enough, time goes too quickly. Result was t200 irons KBR tour reg flex,1 degree upright and half inch longer .Driver and fairway/hybrids Hzrdus smoke black 80 gram.
Tried many options of shaft and head combos.These gave the best numbers on trackman.Fully recommend the service they give you there.
Just a few weeks ago I got fit into Mitsubishi Kuro Kage stiff graphite shafts swapping over from regular flex steel. So far in my practice I'm hitting a lot more consistent indoors. Unfortunately I live in an area in the US that gets a lot of snow so I'll be waiting a bit to course test them. But I am excited and encouraged.
DUDE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT FOR THE LAST 2 years THANKYOU. Sorry for yelling just excited to watch
You’re the best
Hahaha appreciate you Andrew
Appreciate you more. I can’t test all the new equipment but so I live vicariously through you
I think the main thing when choosing shafts is the feel you prefer. I once heard a fitter say it’s not how fast you swing it, it’s how you swing it fast. Each shaft has tempo, transition, launch/spin and load characteristics that are unique to certain deliveries. That’s where a good fitting comes in and where you can get mixed results when buying stock offerings.
You’re right I think I had a bad fitting I have stiff shafts in every club but when I hit my friends clubs in regular they feel so more natural to me I like the lighter feel and I still hit them consistently I think the fitter just looked at swing speed
@@mikeS-ow7lc True, fittings can be a funny thing. I saw an interesting podcast by the guys at mygolfspy talking about the dynamics of a fitting and how it goes sometimes. Often times people over swing or feel a lot of pressure to swing faster because they’re being watched and tracked on the monitor and it’s not really their natural swing so you end up with something it doesn’t necessarily fit you perfectly. I think some of it is trial and error if you can get to a big golf store where they have demos that you can hit you can make your own decisions that way too. Seems to be a little bit more of a natural way like your experience with your friends clubs.
A good fitting for any club will not make your good shots any better but what it should do is make your bad shots slightly better i.e. you end up pin high instead of short, really your dispersion is improved not only left to right but front to back.
"I think the main thing when choosing shafts is the feel you prefer." she said 😂
Its a lot less to think about when you get a stiff shaft tho. Its more consistent even at a lower swing speed. But you might have to hit 80 or high 70s to get the right ping on the ball. Or do something like use supersoft balls.
You are correct, My graphite shafted clubs are stiff, my irons are regular. I swing quick, but never found a difference with stiff irons. My 4 iron is 205. Driver speed 105-110 average.
I'm a 49 year old and use Reg Shafts. Fujikara Atmos Blue 5R in my Driver, Fujikara Atmos Red 6R in my 3wood, Modus NS Pro Tour105 in my hybrid and UST Recoil 95 F3 in my irons. Works Ok for me (sometimes...)
Recently got irons re shafted....from heavily tipped 5.5 rifle (playing x flex) to KBS C Taper lite (stiff). Certainly made a difference to be refit after 10 years!!
Back don’t hurt as much from putting a gorilla swing on every iron shot, and the overall club weight was down by 41 grams!!! Makes a huge difference.
Never looked at the shafts in a fitting the fitter hands me the clubs, I just hit the shots & give them feedback. The fitter is there to help you get consistent strikes with good launch & spin, all I want is control.
I play Mizuno JPX 921 Tour with Project X LZ Steel 5.5, 115g shafts.
I think way to many game stiffer shafts than they need. If you warm up for 30 minutes before a 1 hour fitting your always going to be at a quicker speed than in you roll out the car 10 minutes before your tee time. Then consider swinging at your best might be a stiff/x stiff but is the average/bad shot that quick? I'm between reg/stiff shafts and after fittings have the choice with numbers being close but always gamed the softer option
Im in same boat i play project x 5.5 lz iron shaft
Also at a fitting you might be going all out, swinging harder than you usually would on course
Long way to get there but totally agree, I’ve got a slow iron swing, but I’ve played out my skin with x100’s and had a mare with them and regular, it’s about finding something that feels right and working in the minor details from there, I’d love to be locked in a room with endless clubs and a monitor though, and I won’t come out!
I'd like to learn how to do club fittings, restorations and repairs... how do I gain this knowledge? Are there classes? Is it a certified license or whatnot? Help! Thanks for any help or info!
Thanks for the video...I was just fitted for and purchased a set of Titleist, T200 irons with the graphite Mitsubishi kuro kage black 55g regular flex. Tested well in the studio...can’t wait for it to warm up outside.
Same except I haven't bought them yet after seeing the quote.
Is a 55g not a senior, A, or lite, depending on the manufacturer? I believe a 65gr is a reg. Or not.
Interesting test and very close numbers, would love to see you take this out onto the golf course when they are back open
I would like to see a video of different length and different weighted driver shafts
interesting findings, depends what you are looking for distance or accuracy. Would have been better using the white and red shaft to show the difference there as well.
Just moved into the KBS $Taper Lite 100 Stiff. What a HUGE difference. Love them!
Excellent James but what I’d really like to know is what’s the difference between stiff steel shafts from different brands, like project x to kbs to modus, to dynamic gold and so on.
Something not talked about is there are no real industry standards for what makes a golf shaft “stiff” or “regular.” Or what’s the difference in the two. In some reading I was doing, data found one mfg’s stiff was the same flex as another’s regular. So key is to get on a launch monitor and see the results, don’t worry as much about what’s printed on the golf shaft especially if comparing different brands. Cheers.
I would be interested in graphite v steel. As I have toyed with the idea of graphite as I carry . My thought is lighter to carry , may increase club head speed and spin into greens ?
Definitely more speed with graphite & lighter to carry. Spin is determined by strike speed & quality of strike. If you expect to spin it like pros without good speed, sorry, but it won't happen.
I've never been custom fit for any of my clubs. Just bought off the rack. Just been to look at my clubs to check.
Driver - Project X -7C3. 73g 6.0 Stiff.
3 wood - Fujikura Max 65FW - Regular
2H - Mitsubishi Rayon hDiamana - Regular
Irons - Taylor Made Burner 2.0 - Regular.
Hopefully going for a gap test when we're allowed so will be interested to see my swing speeds and distances to review whether I'm even using the right clubs for me. My bank balance and wife hope so. ;-)
I was fitted to KBS C Taper Lite X-flex with the mizuno analyser, tried others but they're def the best for me. Not all flexes are equal! I don't swing fast enough for X flex but a light shaft makes them spot on
Prior to back pain (sciatica), I was playing at scratch. Post-surgery I found I had lost a lot of distance & consistency (I had gone from driver CHS 0f 101- 102 MPH stock to 85 "yikes", of course, it could be that I got fat, weak, and old? Nah, can't be that.) so I bought a set of Callaway Mavrik/Max irons with regular graphite shafts for more speed and set 2 degrees weak for more height. After 18 months of not so good iron play, the 6I shaft broke in the hosel (?) so I went back to my steel-shafted Tommy Armour Irons and am hitting them great (both sets were fitted by a pro). I don't know what I've learned other than you can spend a lot of money on golf clubs that don't help your game...and getting old sucks.
I hear it really comes down to HOW you swing vs how fast that will affect the flexion of the shaft at least with irons. Kick point and other things can also be affected.
Great vid. Got fitted into the modus3 tour 105 stiff for my irons and over the last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking that I may should have carried those shafts into my wedges instead of the dynamic gold “spinner” shafts. It’s amazing how much shafts can effect your golf shot and consistency.
I have tried reg flex and kept hitting to the right went to stiff it moved left went to modus 3 120 extra and hit it straight great video james always love your content
James, I can see my post from two years ago. And now, I'm ready to purchase a new set of Apex DCB irons. I went to 4 fittings last week: 2 of them said regular flex, 1 recommended stiff (because of a little tighter dispersion), and the fourth recommended stiff at first, but then changed to regular. All said I had a very smooth tempo. 7-iron distance was 162-168, with a swing speed at 73-80 mph. My handicap is 10. So..... help me James! Does it appear that I should stay in regular flex? I will say I'm 64 years old, and don't see my swing speed going up any higher!
Use a project x5.5 shaft in my irons and stiff in woods/hbs.
The 5.5s are notionally between reg and stiff, but they are pretty stiff in my view.
"Deader" was always my feeling about stiffer shafts. Been using R shafts for a long time simply because I like the soft feel, just like I prefer a soft-feeling ball and a soft insert in the putter face.
And don't forget 😉 a nice soft woman 😍
Hiya James,custom fitting is a must but it needs to be a complete fitting ie a couple of years ago just as an experiment I got some cheap muscle back irons from Nordica golf,Cayman X 2 irons,I got them in a stiff shaft,oversized grip,2 ins shorter and 3 degree stronger loft.....the upshot of this is that I am still playing these off a handicap of 5 and getting on ave 169 yds with my 7 iron,with them being this short they felt so comfortable and controllable and I am 5ft 10 so the standard fitting length went out of the window.Have to say that the full set of 4-GW only cost me around £200 which was an added bonus anyway I'm starting to sound like you now and waffling ha but my point in this was that you don't need to spend a fortune on clubs if you know how to tinker with them a bit phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I need to sit down now.
70g Mitsubishi MMT graphite regular in my irons....love them..56 year old....cheers from Canada
For some reason I use stiff shafts in driver-hybrids and regular in the irons. I really notice the flex in the woods with reg shafts and it puts me off rather than any performance thing, but i cant feel the irons flex.
What is your ss?
JR do a video on graphite v steel please. B4 lockdown I was looking at buying ping 410's with graphite shafts as I was getting 10 yards a club more distance!
Hi Jim. I will be buying some new irons soon.
I am I high handicap golfer. But I’m getting better and expect to be in the low nineties or high eighties soon.
My question is this.
I’m thinking about doing roughly half and half.
5 6 7. Graphite. 8 9 and wedge regular flex (Steel).
I’m hitting some very old titelest irons now.
So what do you think ? Good idea or bad idea ?
I feel the stiffness of the shaft is less noticeable then the weight. Depends on what you like d1, d2 d3. Could you do the same test with the driver?
can you explain the weight system please?
@@Mickkazzie th-cam.com/video/fa9C8QDjK-I/w-d-xo.html
There’s swing weight and overall weight... in a recent iron fitting, I could tell a huge difference between a 115 to 105 to 95 gram shaft.
@@TXBubba76063 ooooh. thanks mate
@@davidbowe9999 thanks man, helps plenty
I have a swing speed with a 7 iron of 75 mph I have always used regular shafts but last year I went for a fitting at ping Gainsborough I the fitter put kbs tour 120 stiff which surprised me they were alot heavier than my previous set because they were only 85 grams and have taken some speed of my swing
Never been fitted for clubs but am definitely coming to see you and Gaz for driver fitting. I’ve no idea how fast I swing the club.
I've said this for a while and you need to try!!
I had same nspro 950 S & R in Honma irons. They are the same weight but it's the bottom knuckle of the shaft that's different. The reg is further down so it kicks easier.
Can't believe I missed this sorry James , Im 58 play off 1 and only have a swing speed of 79-80 with a 7 iron , but I use the s300 s I always have done , I've been for so many fittings and for some reason I hit better with these shafts the best , is it a weight thing , flex point thing I have no idea , I just love the s300 s but I think I should be in r300 s , great vlog , so sorry for missing it M8 ⛳👍
I’m using KBS Tour 90 regular flex in my speedzone irons. I’m not the fastest swinger 77mph with 7 iron. Felt really nice and gave me the best trajectory of the 3 shafts I tried
I bought a Haywood Signature 7 iron with Aerotech Gener8 stiff shafts. I'm going to try it Wednesday. My regular shafts have been steel. My Calaway X tour forged has Dynamic gold x100 My Mizuno JPX EZ Forged have XP 95 s300.
I have been looking at new irons for a while just have not had the budget to upgrade. I went to a couple different shops and had them evaluate my swing speed and one shop said I could still play stiff and another said I need to go regular. My swing speed is on the border depending on the day. If you don’t mind me asking, when you fit someone that is borderline as far as swing speed do you favor the slower swing speed?
Perfect time for this review, brother. I am re-building my clubs over winter and cannot decide on what flex shafts to go with
DEADERERRR is my driver after this weekend. I cracked my TM M5 driver 😔. Now I am in the market for a new driver and shaft. Using the 10.5d M5 and a Hzrdus red 62g XS shaft in the upright shaft position . I am leaning towards the SIM Hzrdus smoke XS now that they are cheaper. You being a user of this driver. Would you recommend the Sim as an upgrade over the M5 or perhaps stick with the M5?
Channel content wise, I would love to see more content like this. My golf pals pay no attention to shaft flex, lie angle etc. using my M5 in the upright shaft position raises the lie angle and helps me a ton. I would love to have more JRob info on lie angles cause and effect. Congratulations on the new changes recently. Love the channel.
What is your opinion regarding the need to have graphite shafts evaluated for the spine location in order to place the head and shaft together to idealize consistency. Scott
62 yrs old and I've always used regular shafts (XP 95 R300) and out-hit most of the guys in my league. My fitter told me I was right on the verge of going into stiff shafts, but he said I have such a relaxed/easy tempo, he recommended staying in regular. The stiff shafts to me feel like I'm hitting the older (hard-as-a-rock) Top Flight balls vs. a ProV1 with the regular shafts. My personal preference is the regular shaft. Most of the guys in my league build their ego by announcing they have stiff shafts in their clubs (which makes no sense) and based on their distance and swing speeds, should definitely be in regular shafts.
This response is right on the money. I have the same situation in my league.
James fitting is definitely a must I was due to visit Sinjin over in Germany next week, obviously due to covid that’s not happening or likely to happen for quite some time, James do any know of any fitters in the UK with the same level of precision as Sinjin please help ! Chris
I use dynamic gold S300 130g shafts. Got fitted for irons couple years ago and they do the job perfectly.
James, I'm using the MRC Tensei AV Silver Graphite Shaft senior flex 55gm in my Wilson D9 irons.
I'm a senior player using graphite senior shafts, but there are different senior shafts as well as steel. Is there really a discernable difference between a graphite 65gr & a 55gr shaft for more speed? Another reason I ask is because I'm a lefty who has enough trouble finding clubs from big-name companies who basically seem to think lefties don't exist. I know the demand is lower, but still, give me a break. So insisting on 55gr shafts lowers the selection even more which is why I'm asking about shaft weight. Thanks in advance. An update to this post where I answer my own question. I tried both & definitely felt a difference between the two which surprised me for what seems like such a small amount.
I have regular shaft on my irons and stiff on my driver, I hit my driver straight and far and my irons have a slice, this may sound like a silly question but would I benefit from a stiff shaft on my irons as it works for the driver or is it because the swing pattern is different from driver to irons 🤷♂️
I use The White AMT S300 that you are testing, in Mizuno MP-18 SC heads. Beautiful combination.
I'd love to see this same type of experiment with fairway woods and varied swing speeds. Great vid!!
True Temper S300 Stiff. I just need to go out and play!
Project X 6.0 120g. Got fitted a while ago and went from the same shaft in the 5.0 (not fitted) to the 6.0.
Also I can’t stop picturing James in the power stance for every close up of a club head
So, I was fitted late last summer for T200s with LA Golf AXS 85R shafts at the time…I was coming off of hip replacement 3 months prior, so it probably wasn’t the best time to do a fitting…anyway…I got the clubs, and was never able to hit them well…I could not hit the same place on the club face twice in a row, couldn’t repeat a swing, couldn’t feel the club at all and had no idea if I hit it well or not…I changed grips (hoping for a cheap fix since the heads were expensive, as were the shafts!)…but that didn’t help…Today I went to my local golf shop (not where I got fitted), and asked to test a T200 with a stiff shaft and they put in an AMT White S300…night and day…my swing speed with the 7 iron is about 80, so not ideal for the white model…I plan to go back to test the red and black to see if they are any different. But clearly the shafts play a huge part in the swing, feel, and consistency…I was able to hit shot after shot very well, was able to hit fades and draws on command…I could not even try shot shaping with the LA Golf shafts as I couldn’t feel anything…we’ll see how it turns out….helpful hint when you go to a golf shop and hit on their computer…bring your own club so you can calibrate distances, AND, bring your own ball since the flight will change depending on the ball, e.g., a Pro V1 v V1x for me is a huge difference in apex height and spin…
I’m an average golfer who is always stressing out when buying new clubs with all the options, this video put me at ease, I’m not on the PGA TOUR so stiff vs reg doesn’t matter to me or the average golfer who golfs with his buddies 👍🏻
Hiya James how about shaft weight comparison my coach says a lighter shaft could help but don't know any downsides. Cheers.
Hi James just got a set of taylormade rac irons with rifle stiff shafts looking forward to get them on the course
fitted for T100s last year and spent the full hour choosing the right shaft as I had already picked the head I wanted through testing. Got AMT white S300 to keep spin down
Are you able to add KBS Tour and Project X shafts as well? Would like your opinion on feel and dispersion. I prefer feel of Rifle over S300, but have never hit a KBS. Thanks James!
As you mentioned in there, lie angle, i have mine up 1, if you changed your lie angle down, would that help your draw, and make it more neutral/fadie? nice test between, the R300/S300 Shows the S is right one for you, for dispersion at least. I found something similar that i had more control with a Stiff shaft compared to a regular version of the same shaft (Nippon Modus).
James please respond I love your content. I’ve just been ping today and they fitted me with a ping stock shaft that’s in between a regular and a stiff shaft 65g. I’m a 6hcp driver club head speed 97mph on average I’m 43 now. It gave me an additional 5mph with 2000mph less spin. From 4500 to 2500. Gave me 30 yards extra carry. Shaft is massive I’d say more important than the club. Have you heard of this shaft?
What are you thoughts about the weight of shafts as well as flex? Would a regular flex light shaft give the same delivery as a regular flex heavier shaft, for example? I ask as when I was fitted for my irons I was fitted with regular flex 120g shafts not the 95g shafts.
I had a Driver fitting and was skeptical!
Surprised at the difference in yardage !
It definitely made a difference for me. Glad I went.
I was just fitted with the new 2021 t200 with the amt black s300. Initially was the amt red regular flex but today went back and tried the other shaft and the stiff was exact same performance but I had more feel with it
Nippon Modus3 105R. Used the 105S last year. Also good. I like the kick of the regular...
What’s your swing speed ?
I got fitted tried both Stiff and Regular, the most consistent was regular shaft. But now that I have them on the actual course I can't seem to stop hooking the ball...and not a draw its a giant hook. Maybe its in my head...I always had stiff previously....and always had a slight draw as my natural pattern.
True temper VSS elevate 105G stiff in my apex pro 2019’s 4-PW. Also have played the KBS C taper 105 in the past couple years. Liked them both...just a timing mechanism is all as opposed to fast needs stiff etc
As im getting a little older, im finding shaft weight seems to matter more than club stiffness. But maybe im not playing often enough to notice the difference
Absolutely. Weight & profile matter because they affect your timing. There's also no standard of what "stiff" means. I've been recently on a shaft odyssey & Steelfiber i95cw stiff is radically stiffer than TT Elevate 105 stiff. New set with Modus 105 hard-stepped regular is on the way. Hopefully this will be it for a while.
Dispersion & control are ultimately what matters. I hit KBS C taper left every single time. Project LZ very straight but always falls right at the end. Can't hit a draw with them no matter what. Modus I can work both ways. Just keep trying things until you find what really works for you.
was fitted for my TM 790 (Nippon Modus 120) ànd feel the stiff shift works great and have come down to.5.6 from 8. Swing speed with irons around 86-90.mph.
Not fitted for TM SIM driver and 3 wood which have a slight fade.. swing speed 105 ish. Suppose I need fitted for shafts at top.end!
I was in an old 704cb set with regular flex, finally went for a fit and got put into a px lz 6.5 so that’s x-flex! Would never ever have thought that so just shows how important a fit is! Not changed my best shots but made my bad less bad for sure!
For a 18 HC would stiff or reg make any difference?
I was just fitted on my 50th birthday and even though I was swinging 92 mph, my fitter had me leave with regular flex. Was driving the 7 iron 200 yards so yeah I’m happy.
Looking to upgrade my irons soon. Don’t really understand shaft affect on swing. Maybe I should splash out on a fitting?
Fitting are free at most stores now 😉😜⛳👍
Never asked at stores. Thanks for that though. Will look into it once we allowed out lol
James does Huddersfield golf club do driver and fairway woods fittings?
I would like give a slight warning ....when it comes to driver especially ....I changed back 5 years ago from stiff to regular flex and got great results in dispersion ....so when I bought new again 2 years ago I didn't get fitted just went with what specs had been working but did change manufacturers in shaft and club ....and it went all wrong and spent a lot of time spent practicing thinking it was me ....come to find out after another fitting for my current driver that a stiff shaft was best for me with the new head and shaft , even though my club head speed was about 3 to 5 mph slower than when I first got fitted 5 years ago...with that being said some shafts are alot different even though they may both be stiff ,regular, lite etc different manufacturers can have very different feelings and flex .....so again taking the time to get fit is always the safe play
NSPRO MODUS 3 TOUR X-stiff. Chose them based on fitting data. Liked the feel of the Proj X LZ 6.5, but grouping was much tighter for my swing with the NSPRO. Started with shaft optimizer to narrow down the list. Did try a few outside the recommended, but the ones it recommended all had decent feel and groupings. Good tool
Getting ready to get new irons (JPX921 Tour) and I am interested in the AMT shafts. Unfortunately, my pro shop fitters only have 7i test heads and shafts, so can’t see how I like the AMTs from top to bottom or properly explore 921 HMP as a 4/5 option. Everyone touts getting fitted and exploring combo set options, but it doesn’t seem like many fitters are equipped. They just got the RADspeed wood fitting set and it only included 2 (of 3) driver heads and 1 (of 5) metal woods. Vendor demo/fitting kits need to be better
I've been interested in shaft weight as of late. Does one swing a lighter club faster? Kind of ties into the graphite vs steel conversation. Does it make sense for players with faster club head speeds to play around with graphite stiff shafts. Some pros have put graphite in play. Definitely interesting stuff to think about. If it wasn't -23 outside....
A lighter shaft will always be faster. If your swing speed is below average, especially if you're a senior, or a woman, you definitely need graphite, but there are different weights & flexes of graphite as well. Only when it comes to women's shafts is there a big difference. Most men's graphite are 65gr or 55gr which to me, likely is not a noticeable difference unless you're an elite player.
@@mikerodrick2430 Interesting. I am definitely not an elite player. I am about a 7 handicap (not official but around that area - capable of shooting par one day and +10 the next) so not horrible I guess. That said, I am a short male that swings a driver at about 100mph club head speed. Maybe slightly lower now as I get more out of shape. So not super slow but not fast either. I guess I continue to think about stuff like this to try to get a little extra speed. I have played stiff shafts almost my entire life and thought about keeping the feeling shaft but at a lighter weight. Maybe it is all so minor that I wouldn't notice much. However, I have two different sets of irons, P790 and JPX 900 forged, and I can feel noticeable differences in weight. The JPX feel significantly lighter. I think about steelfiber shafts and if those have any legitimacy in the grand scheme of things.
I use stiff S300 XP95’s. I like how the lighter shaft allows you to really feel the weight in the club head. These are high launch but I’ve no trouble keeping them low if needed. The key reason was feel though both off the club face and within the swing. Teamed them with the Ping i500s and they work well for me.
Try a better quality elevate 95 ets you’ll thank me later(owned both)
Loved this. Your Top 5 golf channel on you tube for me.Great work👍.
Mark crosfield did a great video on shafts. Took an L flex and Xs graphite shaft put them in a driver had a pro hit and compared launch conditions and it came nearly identical. While the shafts behave differently on the machine. The human body makes micro compensations to bring them about back to same location. My takeways 1.)still get fitted but reduce the urge for expensive shaft upgrades 2.) don’t put yourself into shaft paralysis because you don’t think your clubs are not perfectly optimized
Just before lockdown I had a fitting for t200’s and I tried multiple shafts but settled on the amt white r300. It just felt better for me than the others. 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
Really enjoying that intro song and your editing timing with your words and intro. Nice vibe and nice touch.
love the vid james! always nice to see how people swing different shafts and to see the results. here's what I'm currently gaming
driver- velix alpina 675reg
woods- tensei blue 65stiff
irons- kbs tour 90 stiff
wedges kbs wedge shaft 115 reg
Interesting test as during lockdown I swapped out my S300 130g shafts from my Callaway x forged for a set of true temper sl 100g reg shafts . I can now swing much easier and am far more accurate. I think its more to do with weight than flex though??
Mr. Robinson- This was a very enjoyable and helpful video. Even as a duffer I worry overmuch about R vs. S shafts, and I think it probably is not something to pay that much attention to.
James, I'd be really interested to see what difference the lie angle makes to shot shape.
Lie angle is just as, if not more important than shaft flex. It determines how the club contacts the ball & ground. If you're too upright or too flat, you'll be hitting off the toe or heel which will be accentuated on everything other than flat lies. Side, downhill , & uphill lies will be a nightmare, or at least less than desirable results.
I actually have a set of the older Taylormade firesole Graphite Irons - the copper colored ones.. and I noticed that when I use like even the cheap iron sets.. they seem easier to swing than the firesol graphites.. The firesol graphites seem to be heavier, and take a lot more effort to swing.. I was looking at getting fitted for a new set.. but was wondering if I'm crazy.. or if the Taylormade firesol graphites have any known history of being heavy/difficult to swing for others..
I have a practice studio in my garage, and compared the 2.. and after using the firesols for a couple years have had quite a few muscle injuries..then in my test noticed the weight/effort swing differences between the 2 sets and wanted to get someone elses input..
I’m currently using regular flex shafts, but looking into switching to stiff flex.
How about the difference between driver, 3w, 5w, hybrids, irons, and wedges? I have a stiff driver, stiff 3w, regular hybrid and irons, then wedge flex with wedges.
Can a player use a xstiff even though his swing speed doesnt dictate that , would the xstiff mean tighter shot dispersion.
Went to PGA Superstore to get fitted for Mizuno JPX 921 forged, was put into nippon 950 stiff, canceled the order the next day, (buyers remorse, price), went back two weeks later and a different fitter at same store put me in a 105 regular, which felt better and easier to get the same yardage as the stiff. Well, the first order was shipped and I'm waiting for my second order to come, i'll compare how they play and send one set back. The point is two different fitters recommended different shafts.
And THAT'S the problem with being advised about getting fitted. Some will be better than others, & who the better ones are, depends on who you ask. It blows. If you're a weekend player with not much time to practice, you may as well buy off the rack unless you have a really fast swing speed or a really slow one. Otherwise, you'll never notice the difference.
What was the verdict? Which did you like better ?
I totally enjoyed that video comparison. 2 issues with the video: Your vest sounds like Corduroy pants, and you used a TaylorMade wrench. Obvious tainting of the results. ;)
I have played Stiff shafts as long as I have been golfing (since I stopped playing Baseball), and I recently got a set of irons with the AMT Black R300 shafts, and I really can’t tell the difference on the course. Jus Sayin. Keep up the great work. Cheers!
my iron shafts are True Temper AMT White S300
I use a regular as a junior and I’m fine but it could be a problem if my swing speed improves drastically
I switched from playing Project X 6.0 (stiff) to Nippon 950GH (reg) and gained 15 yds on my irons.
Shot dispersion with the stiff was left of center and the reg pulled shot dispersion to center.
I have KBS Tour X shafts in my AP3s. Best set of irons I've ever had. First time with x-stiff shafts in my irons