Change to graphite shaft for irons 8- PW. Advice please

[Swinglowandslow]

Hello
At present my Srixon irons are steel R flex.
I am over 80 yrs old and thankfully still vertical and playing once/ twice a week.
Handicap is now 20 plus because distance has fallen away.
So, I changed from irons 3-6 to fairway woods 9 and 5, the latter with 7 wood loft.
These two fairway woods are a real game changer for me. They are great. I hit them so well, and consistently.
They are Taylormade fitted with Fujikura 50A shafts. I’m sure it is the shafts which have made the difference. Apart from the consistent hitting in accuracy, I was pleasantly surprised with the distance they are giving me.
Which is leading me to think that my remaining 7 to PW irons should have graphite 50A shafts.

Can anyone recommend if this is a good idea or not and if so, what is the best way to achieve it.
Re- shaft my existing irons, or can I buy individual irons which fit the bill, and if so, which to try etc.

Anyone experienced a similar changeover, if so, what problems if any to avoid, etc

Views appreciated. Thanks

 

[anotherdouble]

Hello
At present my Srixon irons are steel R flex.
I am over 80 yrs old and thankfully still vertical and playing once/ twice a week.
Handicap is now 20 plus because distance has fallen away.
So, I changed from irons 3-6 to fairway woods 9 and 5, the latter with 7 wood loft.
These two fairway woods are a real game changer for me. They are great. I hit them so well, and consistently.
They are Taylormade fitted with Fujikura 50A shafts. I’m sure it is the shafts which have made the difference. Apart from the consistent hitting in accuracy, I was pleasantly surprised with the distance they are giving me.
Which is leading me to think that my remaining 7 to PW irons should have graphite 50A shafts.

Can anyone recommend if this is a good idea or not and if so, what is the best way to achieve it.
Re- shaft my existing irons, or can I buy individual irons which fit the bill, and if so, which to try etc.

Anyone experienced a similar changeover, if so, what problems if any to avoid, etc

Views appreciated. Thanks

I have changed to graphite in irons but not enough usage to comment. Imurg is your man

 

[ManinBlack]

I've got Srixons with graphite shafts.they are easy to hit. I have added 1½" to the 4,5 & 6, which has further softened the shafts & given me a bit more distance which, at 79 years old, I need. I'd recommend the switch with possibly 1" extra length.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I'm not your age but I do have a dodgy back and a glacial swing speed. I changed from regular steel shafts to senior graphite last year. Zero negative consequences. I'd highly recommend it

 

[Imurg]

Do it
You won't regret it
I would go and see a Pro for a fitting, explaining that you may want to keep the heads and reshaft them
As to which shaft...that may depend on the weight of your current ones....you don't want to drop too much in weight otherwise it can really mess your timing up...
That's not to say it will though..
Generally they recommend not dropping more than about 20g in weight
Balance point can affect things too...many steel shafts are fairly low balance - more weight in the tip z- whereas some graphite are the opposite.
So it's going to depend on what shafts you have, how well you hit them and then finding a weight that works...trial and error can be costly
Seeing a fitter..less so.

 

[rulie]

Do it
You won't regret it
I would go and see a Pro for a fitting, explaining that you may want to keep the heads and reshaft them
As to which shaft...that may depend on the weight of your current ones....you don't want to drop too much in weight otherwise it can really mess your timing up...
That's not to say it will though..
Generally they recommend not dropping more than about 20g in weight
Balance point can affect things too...many steel shafts are fairly low balance - more weight in the tip z- whereas some graphite are the opposite.
So it's going to depend on what shafts you have, how well you hit them and then finding a weight that works...trial and error can be costly
Seeing a fitter..less so.

Good advice. Some people just change and adapt. I went from NSPro 110 gram to Recoil 75 or 80 gram without significant issues.

 

[clubchamp98]

Good advice. Some people just change and adapt. I went from NSPro 110 gram to Recoil 75 or 80 gram without significant issues.

I went from 95g steel to 65 recoil graphite and have really struggled with them.
So much I’m thinking of going back to 95 g steel.
I was fitted at PXG.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Recoil Dart shafts in Ping i530 irons 19° to 47° for me since last month. I don't have a particularly slow swing for a 65yr geezer, but I am finding them easy to play with.
My first irons with graphite shafts and I have been playing golf for a very long time.

Did a full bag Ping HQ fitting in October.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Thank you very much for the advices given. I have now found out about something called “ swing weight”
Research reveals the SW for my new fairway woods is D1.
And the SW for the remaining irons is D3. So, a difference, which might explain…

I find the swing with the fairway woods so pleasant and easy., it suggests that I might not go too wrong if I replace my irons with some which are by the same manufacturer and have graphite shafts with same swing weight.?
And I see that such irons are available.
But I shall decide on this with a fitting with the Pro from whom I got the fairway woods. I’ll ask him to bring his lead tape.

Thanks again for you inputs

 

[apj0524]

About 2 years ago I had a fitting and tried a few and eventually settled on the Steelfibre i95, I haven't lost distance and have gained a bit of height which isnt a bad thing but I never looked back

 

[clubchamp98]

Thank you very much for the advices given. I have now found out about something called “ swing weight”
Research reveals the SW for my new fairway woods is D1.
And the SW for the remaining irons is D3. So, a difference, which might explain…

I find the swing with the fairway woods so pleasant and easy., it suggests that I might not go too wrong if I replace my irons with some which are by the same manufacturer and have graphite shafts with same swing weight.?
And I see that such irons are available.
But I shall decide on this with a fitting with the Pro from whom I got the fairway woods. I’ll ask him to bring his lead tape.

Thanks again for you inputs

I think swingweight with woods are a bit different than irons.

But not everyone is standard.
You might just suit a lighter swingweight.

 

[spongebob59]

I went from 95g steel to 65 recoil graphite and have really struggled with them.
So much I’m thinking of going back to 95 g steel.
I was fitted at PXG.

Get a cost to reshaft @ PXG.
They reshafted my irons to 95g Steelfibre at a very reasonable cost.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

I think swingweight with woods are a bit different than irons.

But not everyone is standard.
You might just suit a lighter swingweight.

Thanks. I think lighter is better at my age. You wouldn’t believe the difference in strength going from 60 yrs to 80yrs.
But I’m not complaining , just recognising

 

[clubchamp98]

Thanks. I think lighter is better at my age. You wouldn’t believe the difference in strength going from 60 yrs to 80yrs.
But I’m not complaining , just recognising

Yes I know I’m in the same boat.(68) now.

My speed has changed over the years and a wrist injury pushed me towards graphite shafts.
They just havnt worked for me I just can’t feel the head.

Take your time and try to try a few on the course.
I think in a warm fitting studio you can make mistakes.

 

[nickjdavis]

Thank you very much for the advices given. I have now found out about something called “ swing weight”
Research reveals the SW for my new fairway woods is D1.
And the SW for the remaining irons is D3. So, a difference, which might explain…

I find the swing with the fairway woods so pleasant and easy., it suggests that I might not go too wrong if I replace my irons with some which are by the same manufacturer and have graphite shafts with same swing weight.?
And I see that such irons are available.
But I shall decide on this with a fitting with the Pro from whom I got the fairway woods. I’ll ask him to bring his lead tape.

Thanks again for you inputs

Unlikely in my experience....not many are sensitive to what is, in reality, a subtle swing weight difference (cue a raft of folks piping up saying they can reliably differentiate a swingweight change of 1 point ). Far more folks are far more sensitive to shaft weight changes and they will notice the difference between a 60g and 70g shaft (whilst maintaining the same swing weight) far more.

Swingweight is an arbitrary measurement that too many folks get hung up on (especially when changing grips), as the way it is measured has little in common with the dynamics of a golf club during the swing.

 

[rulie]

Thank you very much for the advices given. I have now found out about something called “ swing weight”
Research reveals the SW for my new fairway woods is D1.
And the SW for the remaining irons is D3. So, a difference, which might explain…

I find the swing with the fairway woods so pleasant and easy., it suggests that I might not go too wrong if I replace my irons with some which are by the same manufacturer and have graphite shafts with same swing weight.?
And I see that such irons are available.
But I shall decide on this with a fitting with the Pro from whom I got the fairway woods. I’ll ask him to bring his lead tape.

Thanks again for you inputs

It will be interesting to hear what the Pro says and does about the swingweight.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Thank you.
I am now going to try to get a fitting as to which graphite shaft will be best.
As it happens , today, with my mate, I tried his graphite. r shafted 8 iron, having hit my steel one fat(), an all too common experience!
I hit it perfect, would you believe.
So,afterwards I had a look in the Pro’s shop to see if what shaft was in the irons I had in mind. And,… though he has the woods and hybrids, and steel shafted irons on that make , he didn’t have any graphite shafted irons.
I had in mind that a Pro fitting would be me trying to, say, 8 iron together with graphite shafts in R flex, and also A flex, of suitable weights .eg.50 or 60;

Can a typical Club Pro do that, or is a specialist fitter necessary?
Can different shafts be fitted into the same head during a fitting ( like you can with woods) or is it a longish job to change heads?

Reading these posts, I get the impression that trying different graphite shafts isn’t as big a deal as I am am thinking it is.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Can a typical Club Pro do that, or is a specialist fitter necessary?
Can different shafts be fitted into the same head during a fitting ( like you can with woods) or is it a longish job to change heads?

Reading these posts, I get the impression that trying different graphite shafts isn’t as big a deal as I am am thinking it is.

Can a typical club pro do all that? Not usually no, it’s not always down to skill set lacking but usually as they don’t often have everything available to them as it’s costly to set up that kind of fitting bay to have so many different options available.

Can a specialist fitter do that? Absolutely they can as that’s literally their business model and will often have a vast array of shafts, clubhead you name it.

It’s really not a big deal at all. Perhaps have a word with your Pro he may not have what you need for the fitting, however he may have contacts that will do the fitting for a small fee and allow you to then order through him so you get best of both worlds a full quality fitting for what you need and you get to support the Pro with your purchase.