DO YOUR IRON AND WEDGE SHAFTS MATCH?

[RetiredBoomer]

I don't play specialty wedge shafts.
My numbered irons and my wedges all have the exact same model shaft,
but my driving iron doesn't.

My driving iron has a .370 hybrid version of the very same .335 shafts on my driver and fairway wood.

All of my clubs except putter have the same wrap-style model grip.

I like stuff to match these days,
although I can well remember having a bouquet of mis-matched shafts in my previous bags.

Is shaft matching important to you, and if so, what matches what? Grips?

I know that it my case, it's mainly to calm my head.
I match them, but I can't honestly say if it's important or not.

[Rob Person]

All my Stix clubs are matching.  All my woods are same brand. My putter is the factory one.  Grips, are subjective imo,  and should have some design match, bu5 not required.  

[PhilM75072]

To answer the question, no. I have graphite, senior flex shafts in my irons, 5-GW, but steel KBS shafts, heavy and Stiff flex in my SW and LW. For what I use them for, I feel the heavier steel shaft provides more consistency.

[vandyland]

@RetiredBoomer No, but part of that is an economic constraint. I have Axiom 125X graphite shafts in my irons to save my elbows. I like heavy weight shafts, generally. I have standard stiff 115g shafts in my wedges. What I would really like would be to have 125g stiff axiom shafts in my wedges (to keep the weight the same but since I don't usually swing my wedges 100%, have a little more flex in the shafts). They don't make Axiom 125 in stiff (only X) so the next best option would be Nippon 130 Stiff. But reshafting my wedges is prohibitively expensive so I just stick with what I have for now. Maybe my next wedges will have Nippon 130s in them. 

[cnosil]

Yes and no.   My PW and GW are same heads as my other irons so they have the same shaft. I use those for full swing so same shaft makes sense.  My SW and LW have different shaft to replace the heavier stock shafts that came with them.  This was based on feedback from a fitter that I played with at one of the MGS forum outings.  I typically only play partial shots with them.  

[Off Map Oscar]

Yes. For now. 

[MrBandit]

Actually when I got my new Wedges from Sub70 they gave the option to match my current irons shaft to keep the same feel. Didn't think much of it at the time but after playing with them almost a year not sure why I didn't do this earlier.

Transition from Iron to wedges feels seamless

[RyanGi]

My Irons and wedge shafts are the same mfg, same weight and flex and with roughly the same profile but different models…per my fitting…who am I to argue? They swing great and are nice and light (which I do better with). All are regular flex except my LW which is stiff since it’s (almost) never a full swing. The Pro at the course I play suggested that after watching my wedge shots and I think it’s helped out around the green. 

[Shankster]

I am all over the map right now.  In 2022 now I guess it was. I was fit into the T100S or 620 CB.  The fitter left it up to me because he liked the launch and spin characteristics of the T100S a little better, but there wasn’t a whole lot of difference from what I remember.  Either way, both irons I tried every X shaft they had on the cart.  Ended up with Project X LZ 6.5 being the shaft that performed the best for me, I had been fit into these before but someone who hits moon balls I didn’t think that a “Launch Zone” shaft would work for me… but, the numbers didn’t lie.

 

Currently have a 790 Udi with Peoject X 6.5 100g

3-PW have C-Taper S

48° KBS 410 Wedge, heavy as it gets

54° stock S200 or whatever it is

56° Project X LS 6.5

 

To be honest as Rick would say, I wish they still made those funky DG Spinner shafts.  When I tested the Bridgestone wedges they all had them, and I absolutely loved those shafts, remind me of the Project X LZ in terms of how they felt.  
 

I plan to in all of my upgrades get that LZ 6.5 shaft, including wedges.

[Donn lost in San Diego]

Nope.  Irons are graphite fitted to me, Mizuno wedges on their own DG steel and a newer KBS steel Hi-Rev 2.0.  No problem.  My best clubs.

Wedge swing is a different swing because it is usually a different job that full swing iron.

Now, I don't hit a 150 yard 45 degree "wedge".  45 degree is an 8 iron, not a wedge.  I hit my longest Mizu 50 deg wedge around 90 yards.

[funkyjudge]

On 8/20/2024 at 9:03 AM, RetiredBoomer said:

I don't play specialty wedge shafts.
My numbered irons and my wedges all have the exact same model shaft,
but my driving iron doesn't.

My driving iron has a .370 hybrid version of the very same .335 shafts on my driver and fairway wood.

All of my clubs except putter have the same wrap-style model grip.

I like stuff to match these days,
although I can well remember having a bouquet of mis-matched shafts in my previous bags.

Is shaft matching important to you, and if so, what matches what? Grips?

I know that it my case, it's mainly to calm my head.
I match them, but I can't honestly say if it's important or not.

My last three generations of irons have all had KBS Tour Graphite (TGI) shafts, and the last two generations of Edison wedges, including those that are currently in my bag, have progressively heavier KBS TGI shafts in them. I go from 75 to 85 gram TGI iron shafts to 90-95 gram TGI shafts in my gap wedge, and 100 gram TGI shafts in my higher lofted wedges.

Recently, I have gone to a set of Maltby TS1 IM irons with Maltby forged wedges. In these clubs, I have Fujikura Axiom 75 shafts in the irons, including the gap wedge and Aerotech SteelFiber Players Spec graphite wedge shafts (108 to 110 grams). I thought about using the 105 gram Axiom shafts in the wedges, and may do this if and when the Maltby wedges need replacing.

For many years, I used steel wedge shafts (Nippon Modus 115 or KBS models, both wedge-specific), along with the graphite iron shafts, particularly when I was playing 95 to 110 gram SteelFiber graphite composite shafts in my irons. However, now that I have transitioned to lighter-weight graphite iron shafts, I decided to go with progressively heavier versions of the same shafts in my wedges.

Edited September 8 by funkyjudge

[RetiredBoomer]

5-9:                                                                   KBS C-Taper Lite, Golf Pride CP2 Wrap
46, 52, 58, 64°, chipper:                                    KBS C-Taper Lite, Golf Pride CP2 Wrap.

5-9 irons are matching models, albeit blended.
46, 52, 58° are matching models, not to my numbered irons
64° is a specialty sand iron and matches chipper
All ten have matching shafts and grips through custom order.

I'm a sight player more than a feel player, so I guess that I like things to look in order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Indy_Oz]

Current setup for clubs and shafts is in my auto-sig.

Shafts:

Driver has a stock shaft that differs from the FW woods, as Callaway didn't offer the same options as Titleist. Fairway woods (TSR2) have matching shafts. I toyed with putting a Tensei White x-stiff 85g shaft in my hybrid to match the FW shaft model (but not weight), but the current shaft works well as-is.

I take the approach of full swing irons and wedges having matching shafts, so 5i-GW (50*) have matching shafts (KBS C-Taper Lite XS). I don't use the P790 GW, although I do have it (it has a different shaft in it). At some point I need to change my 50* to match the Project X Rifle shaft in the new P770s when they arrive- assuming I like them and they win a place in my bag!

56* and 60* have OEM Wedge flex shafts. I toyed with the idea of a 56* with the same shaft as the irons and I might try that next time I need to replace it. But right now I like the S400 shaft in that SW. I have another 60* (higher bounce than current gamer) in my garage that also has an S400 shaft. Current 60* is a Vokey and has their stock wedge shaft and that's working well.

Grips:

Driver, 3W, 7W & 3H all have Jumbomax STR8 Tech grips. Driver and 3W have Medium STR8 Tour Wraps. 7W & 3H have X-Small STR8 Tour Wraps. Ultimately they will all match, as I've been experimenting with different grips the past year.

5i-LW(60*) all have GP Tour Velvet Plus4 Midsize, with approx 3 extra wraps to fatten them up. I love the reduced taper of the Plus4s Midsize. I'm not yet sold on Jumbomax grips for the irons, but I'll try a couple in future, once the P770 test is finished. Fattening up the Golf Pride Tour Velvet has given me a grip I like... for now.

 

[Purdyd]

I have always matched grips.

With my new clubs I matched the sand wedge shaft with the iron shafts but with a soft step.  

driver, 3W and 2 hybrid have different shafts 

I have discovered that I am affected by shaft weight.  It changes my timing.

but I haven’t noticed this in sand wedges.  I do prefer my gap and pitching wedge to be the same shaft as other irons as these will be used more often with full swings.

And I can remember a Titleist driver fitting years ago where I hit the 110 gram shaft farther than the other lighter shafts.   Which both the pro and I thought was interesting.  

But I have also discovered more recently  that a lighter shaft is easier on my body so I have lightened everything up.

 

 

[lmh3]

No, KBS Tour V in irons, KBS 610 shafts in the wedges. Currently experimenting with a BGT ZNE Red in the 60°.

[wely324]

Modus 125x in irons, gap wedge is x100, sand is s400, lob is dynamic gold wedge shaft. 

[Shankster]

On 9/8/2024 at 8:14 AM, Shankster said:

I am all over the map right now.  In 2022 now I guess it was. I was fit into the T100S or 620 CB.  The fitter left it up to me because he liked the launch and spin characteristics of the T100S a little better, but there wasn’t a whole lot of difference from what I remember.  Either way, both irons I tried every X shaft they had on the cart.  Ended up with Project X LZ 6.5 being the shaft that performed the best for me, I had been fit into these before but someone who hits moon balls I didn’t think that a “Launch Zone” shaft would work for me… but, the numbers didn’t lie.

 

Currently have a 790 Udi with Peoject X 6.5 100g

3-PW have C-Taper S

48° KBS 410 Wedge, heavy as it gets

54° stock S200 or whatever it is

56° Project X LS 6.5

 

To be honest as Rick would say, I wish they still made those funky DG Spinner shafts.  When I tested the Bridgestone wedges they all had them, and I absolutely loved those shafts, remind me of the Project X LZ in terms of how they felt.  
 

I plan to in all of my upgrades get that LZ 6.5 shaft, including wedges.

I’ve had a change of heart… the standard project x is the money shaft… and I’m considering doing 6.5 in the irons, and the 7.0 in the wedges.

[cnosil]

7 hours ago, Shankster said:

I’ve had a change of heart… the standard project x is the money shaft… and I’m considering doing 6.5 in the irons, and the 7.0 in the wedges.

Why did you decide to go stiffer in the wedges?  

[Shankster]

5 hours ago, cnosil said:

Why did you decide to go stiffer in the wedges?  

More for the weight.  Thinking back, I played my best wedge shots with the Bridgestone’s with that funky DG Spinner Shaft, it was quite a heavy shaft.  I don’t need any help with adding spin I get plenty of that with wedges, maybe a 9 iron shaft instead of the wedge shaft if I wanted some “feel”, but I am not too concerned about that.  I have a Project X Hazardous 6.5 in the 2 iron and it feels like a R or softer, and the same one in the hybrid that I can’t feel at all.  I see Bridgestone is making clubs again, hopefully they bring it back to the US. Probably my favorite wedges of all time.

[KC Golf]

I always go different flexes and now weight with my wedges. 

I have KBS Tour Lites in my Takomos which I really like. So I moved to lighter wedge shafts. They say they are stiff but I find them a bit softer. 

[TK2HOUSE]

No. But my wedges and irons are not the same brand. Heads are not the same weight either. Fitted for both and results came out different. Not dramatically different shafts but different brands (modus3 for irons, dynamic gold for wedges).