Educate me about golf shafts.

[craigstardis1976]

Over the last couple of days, I had the opportunity to try out a set of forged irons for the first time. They were small headed Mizuno irons with a minimal cavity back and the shorter irons were blades. They were actually very easy to line up and I quite liked their compact size. Did not experience the perceived lack of forgiveness and I would not say by any means I am an awesome ball striker. Toe shots fell away from target as expected!!

I swing a 6 iron about 70mph, and it goes about 150 yards. The shaft in these were Dynamic Gold R300 that I have been told is quite a stiff shaft and that I would need more clubhead speed to get the most out of them.

For some reason my downswing with these irons is more aggresive. I can feel the club throughout the swing and the only way I can describe it is I feel the weight along the length of the club when I swing it as opposed to mainly at the head end.

My clubhead speed also was around 74-76 mph but with no discernible loss of control.

I took the set to a local clubmaker who said he has seen this before that slightly heavier and stiffer clubs can help some people find a balance between swinging as hard as they can (I have a smooth tempo) and keeping control. He also said it is not always true that lighter clubs mean you will swing them faster...only the potential is there....

So what am I not understanding? I know some may so do not over think about it but that is not the way my mind works. I do know there was a very different feel and I felt the clubs were heavier but also I knew where they were in my swing that was a huge help with timing.

Am I making any sense? The more I write this out, the more confused it seems!!!!!

The clubmaker also suggested a small ebay experiment of getting a steel sgafted fairway wood for cheap and comparing that as a well.

Thanks,

Craig.

 

[duncan mackie]

I'm afraid I don't understand your question; but even before that I wouldn't consider the DG R300 as stiff...

 

[fundy]

R300 isnt a stiff shaft but a regular shaft, he may have meant it may be on the stiff side for a 70mph 6 iron swing though.

If you swing it 5mph faster than your own, and have a better feeling of where the clubhead is, then it sounds as though its a better fit for you!

Personally hate lightweight shafts, but then I swing it fast so prefer the control the heavier shafts appears to give me (some would laugh having played with me!)

If it works for you then go for it

 

[ppauls150]

What are people's thoughts on what shafts you should have for your club head speed? I got my new clubs from American golf and really I should have probably questioned it more but cause I was wanting my new clubs just didn't really ask. My club head speed is around the 100 mark and would have thought I would have needed stiff shafts but when they came I had regular shafts what's the big difference from knowing what speed to what shafts you should have?

 

[the_coach]

often perceptions of whats actually happening is a little ways different

wondering what kinda shafts you have been used to using leading up to this try out

have you tried the 'new' clubs with the 'regs' out on the course or range or launch monitor inside, if out in play what were the ground conditions like
what is giving you the figs of a usual 6i to 150

did you notice that the flight of these new irons seemed a tad low

as a general note 'stiffer' shafts (& the r300's at 70mph-ish would act stiffer as they wouldn't get loaded overmuch) would give less feel of the clubhead weight at the end of the stick, so maybes the 'feel' of the whole club weight as a 'unit' made you be aware of where the end of the stick was through the motion

lighter shaft so a 'different kick point & profile' designed to help lower swing speeds launch the ball a ways better 'up' in the air would give more of a sensation of the weight of the clubhead & as it would be flexing under load more the clubhead 'lag' to shaft would be more noticeable

a lighter shaft's profile in how it flexes is more designed to help with launch angle rather than the benefit of just being light so folks swing it a ways faster, that's possible, but often times not the case - it's the shafts design to get the ball 'up' that's the real help to a slower swing speed. as you got to get some 'air' flight for the ball to travel

with a 6i folks would need to be swinging it at 77/78/79mph with all the other good parameters of AoA, LA, center strike so optimum efficiency/smash factor for the 'carry' distance to be 150 yds

maybes the ball is going some 150 yds because a good bunch of that is 'roll out' with a lower trajectory than would be the ideal, if so that would be case throughout the set, if ground conditions change that 6i would maybes back some 15-20 yds

great that the feel you getting appears to be better - but would really recheck real careful the distances & ball flight to be sure that overtime through a year of different ground & weather conditions that you wouldn't be disappointed with the results