What Iron Shafts Actually Do – No Marketing

I’ve went from kbs 85 to 105, to modus 125x, back to modus 120s, and then down to mmt graphite 85 due to a hand injury, and now back to a dynamic gold 120 (at about a 90mph 7ir/113 driver) In my experience that 105 area felt great as a balance of tempo and feel. That’s just me bouncing between healthy and hand injury but I never felt like my shaft was making me miss, it did however make me feel comfortable

I just got fitted for $-Taper 130X shafts a few months back by Bryan LaRoche (Bryan Golf) and have been hitting more greens than ever. I had played DG X100 Sensicore and Modus 120X in the past and the Royal Precision flighted Rifles way back in the day (didn't like the feel). Certainly loved the feel of the Modus shafts, but I seemed to like to hit them left. They didn't react well in my hands - or should I say, I didn't react to them well. I tried X100, PX LS 7.0, C-Taper, Modus 130, and an Accra ISteel Red. The $-Taper helped me keep the ball online more - I certainly can't curve them as much as other shafts I have played. I could have played the PX or PX LS 6.5 or C-Taper and been OK. The $-Taper's felt best out of that bunch.

And I concur - there wasn't a ton of launch/spin rate changes in any of them. I wanted the ball to stop going left as much as I could. Mission accomplished!

The whole regular vs stiff vs extra stiff thing is the dumbest shit ever. Everyone think they're all macho and goes "well, I need a stiff shaft." No, you probably don't. I know I've wasted a couple hundred bucks on trying to figure out what I actually need.

I’m surprised at the intro. I’m a 64 year old, 4 HDCP. Play about 200 rounds a year. The iron shaft has always been a source of worry for me. I consider the iron shaft FIRST & FOREMOST. (I buy new irons every year. Sometimes 2 sets) I would be surprised if I’m in the minority. Perhaps I am.

Great topic and content Matt.

I've always felt this whenever I go for fittings. Was it the shaft or was it the fact I'm inconsistent and actually put a good swing on the ball? I feel the same way about game improvement irons. I was always fit for hot metals and p790s but it never translated to me playing better on the course. Now I play Zx7s and even though I'm still inconsistent, my distances are much more predictable so I ended up shooting better scores. I also don't hit well in simulators so it seems to fitters like I'm worse than I am.

F7 130 mph Ball speed ....'I'm a bit slow"...what a joke ! lol

I´ve heard some claim that going from a "softer" shaft that you get in most wedges, into something a bit stiffer than your iron shafts will make a massive difference in ball flight. Several degrees of launch and 1000-2000rpm of backspin on full swings. The specific example was going from a stock S200 to a X100 8 iron shaft tipped 1/8 inches. Or to use a Project X 7.0 PW shaft if you use Project X 6.5 in your irons.
Do shaft stiffness matter more in wedges?

Hi Matt , I would like to see how shaft length in irons effects the swing , I have access to hundreds of sets of irons so I rarely play more than 2 rounds in a row with the same set , most of these sets are the wrong length for me because most are standard length and I am 6ft4 but it seems whether I play 1/2 short or up to 1 1/2 long ( including lie angles of 2 flat to 5 up ) I figure it out in 3 or 4 holes and play about the same with them all , just wondering if you have seen a common mistake , I am not a bad player ( 6 hcp and when I don't have the chipping yips I get to a 4 ) I would like to make irons more of a strength , they are more just average.

I was a fitter for about 6 years before 2010 and the advent of all the great tech. I was certified with many company's. I had a suspicion early on, that what really mattered has hitting the club face. Using strike tape I offered to do a blind fitting with a ping s57 head with 5 different shafts, varying weight and kick point. After being fitted for length and lie. And would hit 25 shots with each, changing every 5 breaks every 25. and just chose the shaft with the "heatmap" in the middle or where they wanted to hit it on the face. Worked pretty amazingly, what shaft "fit" a certain golfer and all I can say is, I was never asked for a refund so.... Have a nice day!

Nice one Matt.

Wow just releasing heat today. Keep it up!

You and Ian must have had interesting conversations about what “really” matters! 😂😂 He drives himself crazy with the minutiae.

I will always respect and enjoy your zero-BS approach to topics.

Weight is something I'm super sensitive to, probably because I only weigh 185 lb soaking wet. Anything past that is preference for me. I LIKE a shaft that feels soft and reactive, but can PLAY anything basically the same as long as the weight (and swing weight) is where it needs to be.

Love this video.
I learned a while ago that my biggest factor with shaft is the one I can consistently make good strikes with.

If it works, thats the winner.

So would it be fair to say then that playing a mid-mid shaft with a 2-piece/low spin (low end) ball be a cheaper option than using low-low shafts with 3-piece/higher spin (high end) balls?

Love it, Matt. Excellent presentation. Most people have inherent biases and have that glimmer of hope that magic marketing buzz word "tour" in the name. However, most people also have a very serviceable sense of proprioception (you sense of your body in relationship to itself) that informs the player if this metal rod in their hand feels natural to swing. Beyond that is the point of diminishing return.

What I hate most in this industry is the marketing buzz serving up the next thing to take you so step away from your tour card. Buy our training aid, grips are the most neglected thing that could be keeping you from being a plus handicap, these irons turns this Domino's pizza delivery driver into the number 1 player in the world, these shafts have magical launch and spin characteristics, etc. You will be fit into clubs, shaft, a grip and potentially a ball that fits your swing and level at a singular point in time. Thereafter, you determine what the result of that fitting will be. Every pro will score better than you with whatever you put in their hands because golf is a hard game and they are better at it than everyone else. That's reality. The purpose of a fitting is to make the game slightly easier for you at a given point in time. So yes, the fitting is helpful... but they're changing 4 things: club head, shaft, grip and ball. Get your money's worth for all of those things but realize that no amount of money is going to affect the space between your ears or give you hours of repetition required for muscle memory to develop.

🙌👍🇸🇪

Thanks!

Thanks!

When i did my iron fitting, it was very clear i was very sensitive to weight. Im a high speed, aggressive transition swing, i had a hard time finding the face with anything lighter than 125, other than that, i couldnt feel any differences between the 4-5 i tried in that weight range, but definitely hit oban and PX LZ better than anything else for whatever reason. Oban had the "best" numbers, but those two were so close it was easy for me to go with the PX because it was $30 cheaper per shaft.

Just move to the US, build your brand, make trillions. Kudos on your authenticity, no bull, no bias - just great info.

Some grip size testing would be really cool to see

Great reminder video Matt. I’m one who likes to tinker and play around with numbers but sometimes I got wayyyy too deep down the rabbit hole. At the end of the day you gotta play what feels right and is consistent you can’t always think about maximizing every little thing. Something you said struck a cord. “You’ll forget about the golf course” which is a great reminder.

I play with the shaft that has the nicest label. I wish I was joking.

I agree that it can be minor differences between shafts, but I feel like those minor differences can have a relatively large impact on the course, which is another area we don't see tested. I ended up having to build a bunch of identical clubs (except for the shaft) to figure out which one fit me best in real playing conditions. And yes, there were large differences to strike location, consistency, and shot shape (for me).

Glad to see more content from you. I really appreciate your approach to the subjects you are explaining. I've been able to spend a lot of time hitting different graphite iron shafts. I've concluded that I am most comfortable with a shaft that weighs no less than 85 grams or more than 95grams (I prefer 90-95 as it feels best to me). I like mid launch and mid spin. For some reason, shafts with lower torque feel more stable to me. I have no idea why. I play R flex in my irons. I truly don't know what all of this means. It just seems to work best and the feels are better.

I couldn't agree with you more !

In my opinion the job of the shaft is to deliver the head to the ball as efficiently and consistently as possible, and the club head is what controls the ball flight.

I hit different shafts when I bought new irons this year. Dropped down in weight from 115g to 105g but the revelation was how different the same weight KBS and Nippon shafts felt.

i think the differences in shafts won't out do our inconsistencies. if i have a 15yrd dispersion with my 8 iron, no shaft is gonna help that, im using the whole face.

Great info! I wonder if you use the Mizuno Swing Analyzer at all and if so, how much do you rely on its recommendations?

Great video. Before i customized my own irons last year, i read a lot abt grips, shafts, clubs + I hit some irons with different shafts etc from the grass.
Then i realized what i did/didn't like. I always used the old DG R300 with MP60irons. Never had ball flight problem. Just wanted to have another set with modern tech irons.
Tried Recoil F4 stiff felt light n whippy, Tried Project X 5.5, 6.0 felt bit boardy, DG 120 didnt like. KBS tour 120 good for a few shots but was heavy for a full round. So i got KBS Tour Lite Stiff with P790 (2023) with Swingweight around D1.7. I like a more balanced club weight. So happy with this combo. Just straight high shots with a lot of distance, great spin and tighter dispersion. It's perfect to my swing speed. I just wanted Rory's type of shot and got exactly that.

Just curious if you ever use the mizuno swing analyzer tool for fittings? If so what's your opinion on it?

how can the club bouncing off the hard surface not replicatung turf conditions give correct ball compression flight results? also indoors, no true outdoor on course conditions ie wind, humidity?

Great content Matt. You’re one of the few guys on here I feel like I can trust for unbiased information. Cheers.

This is an excellent video Matt. Thanks! I love how you are so good at breaking down these things in terms us non-fitters can understand. You offer a unique perspective in this space!

Great video Matt!

Can you help ? I butchered a set of irons and now I am trying to get them back to the correct swingweight. Could you tell us the standard swingweight for all the irons ? Should they all be same or progress from D1 to D5 for the wedges ? Help

Excellent video and love the honesty.

One question I have always had with shaft fitting is... Surely when swapping from 130g Project X 6.5 to a 100g KBS $Taper Lite, the change is swing weight has as big an impact on how you react to the shaft, than the shaft weight and profile itself?

If that is the case, then a shaft that doesn't work for a player in a fitting could actually be fine at a different swing weight. While finding a shaft you like during a fitting and then having a set built to a different swing weight (like the standard OEM spec), could actually make the club perform differently.

Thoughts?

Matt, Great content!! I'm 67 and reasonably fit. I swing my 6I around 83-85 mph, driver right around 100. I currently use Accra TZ115i that my club maker tipped when assembling. The result is a shaft that's around 6.9 using the Project X scale. I hit them great!, Previous to the Accra's I was using TT Dynamic Gold Tour x100. My swing speed was a little lower but I timed them better therefore had more center strikes and surprisingly more distance. Neither of these shafts would be suggested for me in a fitting. I've tried senior flex, light weight shafts and I couldn't find the center of the face to save my life. The only place I notice the difference is my energy level from holes 15-18 starts to fade from swinging a heavier shafted clubs.