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I've been getting lessons with a PGA instructor and I've increased my iron distance. My 7 iron goes about 155 now. I noticed that my ball flight has gone up considerably as well. Can I continue to play my DG R300's or will I bring my ball flight down and gain some distance and control by going to S300's?

You have probably increased you SS a bit but probably no way over 10-15 mph. Instead your are making better contact on th sweetspot, this is likely the main reason for increasing distance. I'd stick with the R-300s.

Stick to your R 300s. If your SS goes up to100 or 105 MPH, or the ball starts consistantly hooking more than you expect, try a heavier shaft like an S100 or 200 before going for the 300s. THe softer shaft will give you the feel of a good release.

Noobie: if your carry distance with your 7 iron is 155 yards, you by no means need a stiffer flex shaft in your irons. I hit my 9 iron that far, and I play a R flex, so you might want to check out going the other way if any thing. I'd recommend you check out TrueTemper's website and find a store with the ShaftLab system and get checked out for the correct flex for you. Swing speed isn't the main factor you need to consider, it's how much load you put on the shaft. It's worth the money they will charge because it's the only system I know of the measures how much load you put on the shaft. You might be surprized at how much straigher and more consistant you hit the ball with the correct flex shaft for the load you create. Good luck with it, and kept it up with the lessons.

Tru Temper's shaft lab suggests that I play S300. They recommend S300 for anything beyond 150 yards w/ 7 iron (as far as I can tell). I have pretty good "lag" in my swing and the shaft feels "whippy" and my balls go higher than ever. I may experiment with one iron and see if I hit it better.

I would switch my self. Swing speed is only part of the problem. If you don't loose any distance....and distance with an iron is all relative......a stiffer shaft is usually more accurate.

maybe you can try an inbetween kind of flex and go with the rifle 5.0's as they're supposed to be a regular+. the rifles will go for about an extra $10 per shaft but it's a possible solution

Noobie: Where did you get that information on how far you hit a 7 iron? Did you have your swing tested on the ShaftLab system, or was that something someone told you? The reason I ask is that I hit my 9 iron 150 yards and my 7 iron 180, and the ShaftLab test recommended I go to an A flex shaft in my irons, not a stiff as you stated you were told. That's completely backwards of what the shaftlab system comes up with. Unless you actually had your swing tested with the ShaftLab system, the one with the driver and 5 iron with wires coming out of the grip end, the one that measures some 3000 points along your swing, I can't recommend you go with what you were told. When I was tested(twice), my swing speed was never a factor, it wasn't checked and I wasn't asked about it. Nor was how far I hit the ball a factor. The only thing the ShaftLab system does is measure the load you put on the shaft and the actual time you are taking to swing the clubs. I don't mean to come across like an expert, but I find it really hard to believe you were tested on the ShaftLab machine and came away with a recommendation of Stiff shafts in your irons. I'm sorry, but that doesn't make any sense at all. After I had the second test, I called True Temper and talked to a tech, and he confirmed what the test had shown. I told him my swing speed with the driver tops out at 105 or so, and he said that doesn't matter, the most important thing is how much I load the shaft, and if my test results come back A flex, that because I just don't load the shaft enough for a stiffer shaft. I also hit some balls after the shaftlab test at the same store and we compared my accuracy with my clubs, an A flex iron and a R flex iron he let me try. I hit the A flex about the same as my clubs, but the R flex shaft gave me much better accuracy. My average distance right and left of the target center line was less than half of what I was getting with my stiffer shafted irons.

So, you might want to think about that, when you read what another member posted about stiffer shafts being more accurate. That's not true at all. If you don't load the stiffer shaft enough, you will in fact lose acccuracy, not gain accuracy. According the the guys at the store I went to, that's true for just about everyone they have tested. The correct shaft flex is the most accurate, not the stiffer one. If you ask TrueTemper, they will confirm that for you. Sorry to be a pain in the butt on this, because I've read all the same things about going to a stiffer flex for more control, and a softer flex if you want more distance. And it's just not true. Maybe it was in the past with old equipment, but it's not any more.

Could be. Swing speed is not really the determining factor, like the above guy said, it is how much and at what point you load the shaft. As he said, he hits his 7 iron about 180 and has an A flex. I can hit my 7 about the same distance yet I get recommended a stiff to xtra stiff on the shaft lab. So do have your swing tested.

I believe Noobie was referring to the section on True Tempers website where you can get a quick static fitting. It does indeed recomend S flex for anyone who hits 7i 150 or more. It asks you your tempo, then distance with a 7i.
If you drag the cursor to 148 you get an R flex recomendation, drag it to 150 or more, S or X flex. Definitely DO NOT go buy new shafts just based on that. It is a VERY simplified fitting that could be way off. FWIW I hit 7i 155 as well, and have just got rid of my S300s for R300s...much much better shaft for me.

hi Oneputt, I just used the Shaftlab website on Tru Temper's website. I thought that was what you were initially referring to. BTW, your distances are similar tour players. Do you play most of your rounds way above sea level? I've had my driver swing fitted couple of times and play S flex in those. I'm mostly concerned about the trajectory as I play in mainly links style courses.

Hi Noobie: I do play at altitude, but when I have played at sea level, Cabo san Lucas, last year, it only made a difference of 1/2 a club length, about 7-8 yards. A normal 9 iron for me is 150, and I was hitting it 160, before I backed off a little. You're correct, my distances with the irons is about what the tour pros get, I just wish I could get close to what they get with the woods off the tee. Even figureing in for the altitude, my carry distances would be fine compared to most of the pros, I'm one club longer than most of them. Sunday, when I played a 95 yard par 3, I choked down an inch on my SW(average carry is 105), hit the ball solid, and landed the ball about 30 yards past the flag. Had to be 125 yards with a choked down SW, I couldn't believe it and have no idea how it went that far. First time I ever hit it that far with a SW.
You state that you play mostly "links" courses and you play a S flex shaft. If it was me, I'd have you hitting an A or R flex shaft with a higher kick point. That would increase your distance and keep the ball flight down a little so you got a lot of roll on those "link" courses. I understand that you want a lot of roll on those courses, but I believe a softer shaft with a high kick point would give you more carry distance and maintain the roll at the same time. That's what I'd recommend, but I don't have any "links" course by me to test it on the course. In and case, please do get tested on the ShaftLab in a store, and then hit some balls with different shafts to see what you get. My guess is a softer shaft would bet you more total yardage and more carry, for when you need it to get over water or some other hazard in your way. If you do get tested, MAKE THAT WHEN, please let me know what the recommendations are. I'm interested in what the test results will be.

he's already hitting dg's - you'd recommend a shaft with an even higher kick point? also, the "links" courses here are mostly a misnomer. there are really no TRUE links courses in the states and the type of roll you're talking about would not be a big factor

I'm not that concerned about the roll. It's the wind which knocks down my iron shots by up to 3 clubs on windier days. A lot of the courses in the Bay Area are right along the sea so there is quite a bit of wind anywhere you go. I started this thread more than 4 months ago and I actually had decided to stick w/ R300's for the time being. If I switch out, I would only do it for something lighter like DG SL's or something completely different like Project X's. For now, I'm happy with my R300's although I'm not able to be as consistent with it as couple of months ago even though my swing has made some huge strides. Also there is the factor that Mizuno's have typically weaker lofts than its American (ie Callaways) counterparts by about half a club (my 7 iron is 35 deg while many 7 irons are 33 deg).

BTW, I believe the Rifles 5.5 are R+.

nope the 5.0's are r+
http://www.royalprecision.com/precis...lighted_i.html