Iron Shafts

What is the difference between DG S300 and rifle 6.0? I currently have the former fitted in my irons but have heard that the rifle shafts are a much better option.

Anyone have any experience of them?

I find rifle shaft a bit lifeless compared to True tempers but I have tried their new Project X shafts and found them superb, trouble is they are 3 or 4 times the price of everything else!!!

Its a matter of personal opinion, you really have to try them for yourself. Personally unless I had the cash for the X's I would stick with TTDG's.

D.

Cheers for that, yes i'd heard they were expensive. Think i'll just stick with my DG's.

I notice you have MP60's, I've heard these are awesome clubs and am thinking about a new set for the summer.

The 60's are the best irons I have used, which is probably why I have had them a year and a half now, which is a long time for me to have a set of irons.

They are a good compromise between blade and cavity back. and nothing, I mean nothing, sounds, feels or plays like mizuno irons.

D.

Yes everyone says that about Mizuno irons, I'm quite happy with mine but I've been told they MP60 will improve my game as they are a cut above.

Hi Mizunoman - could you expand a bit?

The reason I ask is that I play Callaway X16's with rifle 5.0 shafts in them. No reason other than they were cheap on ebay! Not fitted or anything like that. However, I'm about to go to Hot Stix golf in Scottsdale, Arizona to have a custom fitting. They spend 90mins using lie boards / launch monitors / software etc. to give you a detailed report as to what equipment would be best for your swing.

Just wanted to get a bit educated before hand about some of the terminoligy that is likely to get thrown around and anything I should ask about while I'm there.

The one thing I do like about my rifle shafts is the appearance - I love the smooth surface - I actually find the steps in normal shafts somewhat distracting at address now.

Hi Carter,

I find that Rifles feel a little unresponsive compared with True Tempers. Its just a matter of personal preference with such things, you have to watch you dont take a set of shafts you arent 100% happy with, just because they give the best numbers on a launch monitor.

Generally, the lighter the shaft you can control the better. Lighter shafts mean increased clubhead speed and a higher launch angle and a bit more spin.

I would say one thing about callaway irons though, they tend to be quite heavy in the head so a slighly stiffer but lighter shaft might be good for them since it would keep the weight of the club down, but the stiffer shaft would keep the heavy head from overpowering the whole club.

Good Luck

D.

__________________
Longniddry Golf Club Champ 2005.

In the Taylor Made Bag:

Callaway FT-3 Tour 9.5 Aldila NV 65S

Callaway Steelhead 3 Wood

Callaway Steelhead 5 Wood

Callaway X-16 3-PW

MacGregor Tourney 52 Degree

Cobra Phil Rodgers 59 Degree Rusty

Odyssey DFX 2-Ball

Callaway Tour iX

Thanks Mizunoman - that's really useful.

In terms of an iron shafts that is both light and stiff, which one is the industry standard - is it the TT Dynamic Gold S300? I understand that rifle shafts of the same stiffness are typically a bit heavier - is that a fair statement?

Not sure if the fitting will lead to me getting completely new clubs or just to tweak the ones I've got. I guess X-16's are completely out of date now - if I'm going to get new shafts, I may as well get new clubs. Although I think I'd like something with a thinner topline than is typical on Callaways.

At the very least, the folks at Hot Stix say they will adjust loft and lie angles on my existing clubs as part of the cost of the fitting.

Stick with the X-16's Carter, they are good bats, unless of course you want a change then I would recommend a set of MP60's or Taylor Made TP Combo.

In terms of shaft weights Dynamic Gold and Standard Rifles are about the same weight-125-130g. Thats quite heavy for a steel shaft these days.

Rifles Project X product is about 115-125g, but their Microlite 80 product weighs in at 97g. True Tempers TX90 range is about 100g but they make an alloy shaft called the GS75 which is a pretty impressive 86g!!

as far as difference in cost goes only the Project x's are really pricey, i think the Microlites will probably be the cheapest, but the best combination of weight, price and quality is probably the TX-90's

D.

__________________
Longniddry Golf Club Champ 2005.

In the Taylor Made Bag:

Callaway FT-3 Tour 9.5 Aldila NV 65S

Callaway Steelhead 3 Wood

Callaway Steelhead 5 Wood

Callaway X-16 3-PW

MacGregor Tourney 52 Degree

Cobra Phil Rodgers 59 Degree Rusty

Odyssey DFX 2-Ball

Callaway Tour iX

Once again, thanks Mizunoman - this is very educational for me. I've always been a bit bewildered by all the various shaft options, so this is very helpful (and sorry for hijacking your thread Daviesec!).

A quick look at the various shafts on Golfsmith shows you know your onions - microlites and TX-90's run at about $10 to $12 per shaft - project X more than double that.

I've gone from DGS300 to Rifle Flighted 6.0 and couldn't be happier.

The 6.0 play about half a flex stiffer than the DSG300 which is great for those people like me for whom stiff is too soft but X too lifeless. Carter's 5.0 would play about R+ on normal flex scales. Cally X-16 are superb clubs. If I could be pried away from Mizuno irons (that's all I've ever played) it would be Callys but I'd go for the X-18 PS.

The flighted version of Rifle Flighted move the kick point so that the short irons have a lower flight while the longer irons have a higher flight than standard. They are probably the best compromise between the full project x and DSG if you don't fancy Black Golds. They certainly aren't lifeless but they are more suseptible to hitting high spin shots. They just seem more sensitive to when you get the 'wristy flicks' which end up generating high spin than DSG so you need to concentrate on hitting with 'dead' wrists to hit low, boring trajectory shots.

As a side note, I am possibly the only person I know that doesn't like the MP-60's. Compared to the MP-32's, I find them clunky and difficult to hit which is frankly bizarre considering what a huge Mizuno fan I am and that everybody else I know absolutely loves them. Probably just a freak occurrence of my swing and the set I demo'd and that I hit the 32's beautifully.

__________________
Cleveland Launcher 460 - Aldila NV 65 x-stiff
Callaway Big Bertha 3W - Aldila NV 75 x-stiff
TaylorMade Rescue Dual TP (16°, 19°) stiff
Mizuno MP-32 2-PW Rifle Flighted 6.0
Titleist Vokey Wedges 52°, 56°, 60°
Scotty Cameron Circa 62 #3 35/330

The best thing i ever did was get rid of my 6.0 rifle shafts. Too stiff and as mentioned no feel. Do yourself a favour and spend some time trying different shafts before you buy as it can make a world of difference.