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Old June 2nd, 2007, 09:37 PM
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Arrow Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

Ok, I need some advice....I currently own a set of Callaway BB irons (2004) and I love em. They have turned my game around and got me from 100's to mid 90's in about a year of playing. They are stock RCH75 reg flex graphite. I am wanting to reshaft them very soon. I just dont know what type to use to best suit my needs. I am looking for max accuracy. I hit my 7 iron about 150-155 yards, with a controlled swing. Alot of people say the reg. flex is WAY too soft for me, and also say oem graphite(ie RCH shafts) are usually much softer than advertised. Should I go steel or graphite? I am 29, 6'1 tall, 205lbs ,and I have been playing about 2 and a half years now. I need shafts to take my game to the next level and keep me as accurate as possible. I am looking for mid trajectory as I already hit high now. I dont mind giving up distance for a gain in accuracy at all. Is there a difference besides feedback in steel? I am just scared to change to steel because what if I get them done in say rifle 6.0 shafts and cant hit to save my life.lol. Ive noticed steel feels heavier than my current shafts. Will this affect my swing enough to it up? Or should I just stick with graphite? Can you give me some pro's/cons on them and what shafts would suit my needs best in both steel and graphite. Your opinions as fitters help alot. After I hear back, I will go see my clubmaker and hit the Vector launch monitor and dial them in. Do these monitors help? I am just wanting to get 100% dialed in clubs to drop kick me into the next level to make my game better than where it is now. Thanks !!!
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Old June 2nd, 2007, 09:45 PM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

My clubmaking knowledge is limited. Two things I know though: 1) Switching from graphite to steel will change the swingweight of the clubs (that's the felt weight of the head while swinging). 2) A stiff, steel shaft will increase your accuracy (in both directions - if you swing bad, it's going to show up even more), and reduce the distance compared to the graphite.
If I decided to do it, I'd definitely have a certified club maker fit the clubs to me while I was at it.
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Old June 2nd, 2007, 09:50 PM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

I just switched to steel from graphite and like the steel better. I feel I get more accuracy and no loss of distance. In fact I'm hitting my irons a bit further.

Unless you have physical issues you don't necessarily need graphite. I reshafted with Rifles and they have a dampener built in and I've yet to experience any "stinging" on mishits. They are heavier than graphite, but I honestly don't notice the weight difference. I'm very pleased with the Rifles and the fitter who spent so much time with me to get the correct shafts.
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Old June 3rd, 2007, 06:11 PM
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Arrow Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

Thanks for the reply guys, I appreciate your input. Well today I tried a True Temper Dynamic Gold shaft in the S300, which I guess were +1/2 inch measured out to my needs. I hit a few balls at the range with this 7 iron and it was odd but mostly all my shots I took would literally slice after about 100 yards of straight flight. They all took off sraight, then turned right on me! Does this mean the club shaft is too soft for me, and it cant kick fast enough to straighten out? I then took out my current reg flex, RCH75's which are supposed to be WAAAYYY too soft for me, and hit them like I normally do with no issues really. I cant figure it out. Is it maybe that I am not used to the different club/and the steel shaft? Any input on this is greatly appreciated. I am just scared to switch to different shafts because what if this happens with my current irons? Im trying to switch to steel, but if I have to to save my game I can always stay graphite like with say a UST pro 95 or Fuji Vista or comparable in stiff/ x stiif flex. What do you all think of this? Thanks
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Old June 3rd, 2007, 06:20 PM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

Quote:
Originally Posted by quicksr20 View Post
Thanks for the reply guys, I appreciate your input. Well today I tried a True Temper Dynamic Gold shaft in the S300, which I guess were +1/2 inch measured out to my needs. I hit a few balls at the range with this 7 iron and it was odd but mostly all my shots I took would literally slice after about 100 yards of straight flight. They all took off sraight, then turned right on me!....
It means that you've put side spin on the ball. Slightly outside-in swing, almost without doubt.

Quote:
Originally Posted by quicksr20 View Post
Im trying to switch to steel, but if I have to to save my game I can always stay graphite like with say a UST pro 95 or Fuji Vista or comparable in stiff/ x stiif flex...
I can't comment on the Fuji shaft, but the UST ProForce 95 RV2 shaft is the one I chose for my hybrids. They're fantastic shafts, and can be tipped to an intermediate flex (regular can be tipped to firm - stiff can be tipped to something close to an X).
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Old June 3rd, 2007, 08:08 PM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

With the whole outside-in swing..
The odd thing is that I wasnt doing it with my current graphite irons, they were pretty straight. Weird huh ...Yes I agree the UST's are nice, and about the same price as the Rifle shafts. Is there a reason why more players sway towards steel than graphite? I mean I like my graphite shafts but I wish they were stiffer for more control. What is so bad about graphite, besides being more expensive?
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Old June 3rd, 2007, 08:24 PM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

There is nothing "wrong" with graphite. Graphite just isn't quite as accurate as steel. I firmly believe in having your graphite shafts spine aligned - forget about how the graphics line up, I want consistency.
Graphite tends to hide slight mistakes, where steel won't. Every swing mistake is going to show up more with steel. That's been my experience, and it may be why you hit your irons straighter with the graphite than you were with steel.
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Old June 5th, 2007, 08:29 AM
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Arrow Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

Yes I do agree with the spine alignment on the graphite. I for some reason , and maybe its because I have had graphite shafts for so long, just feel comfortable with them opposed to steel. For some reason I had almost jitters every time I swung the demo'ed S300 shafted 7 iron(KZG II something that looks alot less forgiving than my BB '04's). It was as if I changed my swing or tried too hard to make it work for me. Then my shots would go bad. My question is, will the Vector Launch Monitor along with my clubmaker be able to tell if I just stick with a graphite shaft or steel shaft by swing characteristics? I think my clubmaker is always wanting me to get steel, but if for whatever reason it may be, I shoot them worse, I dont want to be stuck with something that will have me worse than I was before. I was originally just wanting to upgrade to a better graphite shaft, like the UST V2 95 or equivilent. I know they cost more money, but its not that much more, and I look at it as a sound investment to improve your game and make you enjoy this great sport even more. If it cost me 100 or so more dollars for graphite over steel or vice versa, fine with me, money well spent. Sorry I spewed at the mouth via keyboard, but as you can tell I like to write, and have many questions when it comes to finding the perfect fit of shaft for my swing. Thanks!
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Old June 5th, 2007, 01:32 PM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

It’s funny quicksr20 I just went through this about a year ago. I switched my Callaway BB fusion graphite shafts out with a True Temper s200 (stiff) shaft. It took me awhile to get comfortable with them. I had an immediate loss of distance, but my accuracy improved. With the graphite shafts, it appeared as if I was “overswinging” but with the heavier steel I was able to swing fast but yet stay in control.

I echo everyone in saying go get a club fitting. It’s the best way to get an idea. Also I sent my sticks to Callaway and they gave me the steel shafts and installed them for FREE since the graphite has a higher cost point….Maybe the can do the same for you.
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Old June 13th, 2007, 10:16 AM
Big Borgel Big Borgel is offline
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

The slice would generally mean the shafts are too stiff for you, if they were too soft, you would be hooking the ball. Consider a firm flex in steel, between reg flex and stiff. My advice would be a LM session and a visit to a club fitter, based upon the data from your LM session, $$ well spent! enerally graphite shafts are for seniors or golfers with shoulder,wrist or elbow issues, they absorb the shock better. If they happen to play longer, it's only because they are usually 1/2" longer in length. JMO
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Old June 13th, 2007, 01:26 PM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

Quote:
Originally Posted by quicksr20 View Post
. Alot of people say the reg. flex is WAY too soft for me, and also say oem graphite(ie RCH shafts) are usually much softer than advertised. :
Seriously, why would you care what anyone other than a pro says about your equipment? It sounds like you are hitting these clubs well, and quite frankly, they are some of the easiest and most effective golf clubs out there. Unless there is some issue with your ball flight that you have not mentioned, I would not do anything with the stock shafts with the exception of seeing a good clubfitter and being checked for length, loft, and lie. There is no reason why can't drop another 10 strokes off your game with your current sticks.
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Old June 16th, 2007, 10:54 PM
Indacup Indacup is offline
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

My 2 cents worth....

1) The shafts you have in those TM's are (aside from the Exsars in Mizunos) the worst OEM shaft in the industry...they have a horrble deflection consistancy...usually softer than stated and never aligned properly.

2) If the steel shafts you tried were 1/2" longer than you had THREE things going against you...stiffer, longer and HEAVIER than you're using...of COURSE these are going to go away from you.

3) The science of graphite shafts have changed dramatically over the last few years...now you can get a good set, select weight, lauch angle, torque and feel at or in some cases cheaper than premium steel shafts....and every bit as accurate and due to the density, can make them hit longer with same accuracy.

Don't give up on graphite!

The reasons to use graphite far outweigh the reasons not to....assuming you're talking to an open minded person...
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Old June 18th, 2007, 09:29 PM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

Being a professional clubmaker I strongly reccommend that you "Get Fit". By this I mean a complete fitting. What ever shaft you choose you want the one that fit's you. You need to know things like, swing speed, ball speed, launch angle.spin rate. swing weight. Which ever shaft you choose, have them frequency matched and spined. And most importantly remember in golf " One size does not fit all"
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Old June 20th, 2007, 10:21 AM
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Re: Graphite or Steel for my irons Advice Needed !!

Quote:
Originally Posted by golf658 View Post
Being a professional clubmaker I strongly reccommend that you "Get Fit". By this I mean a complete fitting. What ever shaft you choose you want the one that fit's you. You need to know things like, swing speed, ball speed, launch angle.spin rate. swing weight. Which ever shaft you choose, have them frequency matched and spined. And most importantly remember in golf " One size does not fit all"

Ditto!

Make sure they take your tempo and transition into consideration. If you generate a lot of clubhead speed and have a smooth tempo, then you can use a more flexible shaft. I use R flex TTDG300s and go at the ball like no tomorrow. You have to take all those comments at the course with a BIG grain of salt.

BT
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