Hello from a newbie

[Badger]

Hello everyone,

I guess I'll start by saying what a great forum this is. My golf addiction started some 20 years ago, I played religiously for the first 14 until I ruptured a tendon in my left wrist. I took 4 years off from the game and only have been playing again for the last two seasons. I wanted to talk about shaft flex, in particular soft stepping. Apparently when I started this game an older gentleman saw me smacking balls on the driving range and gave me some advice, "Buy yourself some good used blades and I'll shaft them properly for you". So I took his advice and let him shaft my clubs for me. After about five years of playing with them I regripped them and saw what he had done. He had put DG X100 in them, but they were 3/4" overlength with no extensions, so lately this got me to thinking he must have soft stepped them twice (putting a 1 iron shaft in a 3 iron and so on), so all these years I thought I was using XStiff shafts when in reality I was swinging something like a stiff. My driver swing speed then was 128mph and I liked the feel of irons actually feeling the flex of the shaft at impact. Now at 47 my swingspeed is a bit slower ;~) and I now play with DGS300 shafts in my irons with 1/2" extensions but I don't get that great feel I use to. I am losing a bit of hieght on my shots and distance (what use to be a 9 iron is now an 8 iron), plus they come in lower with more spin. My question is would soft stepping a set of DG300s get me the feel I want and help with the ball hieght or should I get a shaft with a mid flex point like the KBS? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanx.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Howdy-doo Badger. Does the monicker mean you're a Wisconsinite?

[BK in TEXAS]

Not another CheeseHead!!!!!!

 

Welcome aboard!

[BK in TEXAS]

My question is would soft stepping a set of DG300s get me the feel I want and help with the ball hieght or should I get a shaft with a mid flex point like the KBS? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanx.

Either would most likely feel better for you.....and I'd lean towards the KBS over the DG. A KBS Tour Stiff softstepped would put you pretty darn close to a straight up DG S300.

[The Dansome]

Welcome!

[Walkerjames]

Welcome enjoy

[Badger]

Thank you all for the nice greetings, and the advice on the KBS shafts. As for my forum handle "Badger" it is a nickname my old partner gave me when I first started, but my second fav college football team are the Badgers.

[GolfSpy WD]

KBS feels miles better than DG IMO, but the DG is going to have lower ball flight.

 

Here's a chart from Titleist comparing different iron shafts

 

[Badger]

Mega thank you for the chart, I'm thinking of the KBS Tour 90s S flex and soft stepping them. The lighter shaft will help compensate for the 1/2" over length.

[GolfSpy WD]

Mega thank you for the chart, I'm thinking of the KBS Tour 90s S flex and soft stepping them. The lighter shaft will help compensate for the 1/2" over length.

 

Not a bad idea about the KBS Tour 90, but they'll fly higher than you're used to. Since the DG X100 weighs 130g and the KBS Tour 90 weighs 90g (duh) and factoring for the extra 1/2", you will decrease the SW by 1.44, which shouldn't be noticeable. Still, try them out in store, you can get a +1/2" club with KBS Tour 90 from the Mizuno or TMag fitting carts to give you an idea on how they feel.

 

BTW, awesome bag you got there, post some pics sometime!

[GolfSpy WD]

Here's the KBS shaft chart:

 

[BK in TEXAS]

Not a bad idea about the KBS Tour 90, but they'll fly higher than you're used to.

ya I think that's a big jump from your SS X100's....who knows though....it might be just the ticket. You should probably go hit them both side by side though...just saying.

 

DG X100 - 130 grams

DG S300 - 130 grams

KBS Tour Stiff - 120 grams

KBS Tour 90 Stiff - 100 grams (I think)

KBS Tour 90 Regular - 90 grams (I think)

[revkev]

Welcome

[Marina Jason]

Welcome Mr. Badger .

[Blade]

Welcome, glad to have ya!

[Badger]

Thanks for the info on the KBS tour 90s, it got me to thinking that the tours may be my best bet. Problem is I have no place near to test them, so I'll have to go on blind luck and testimonials.

[RoverRick]

Welcome Badger.

 

Just because they are or were overlength does not necessarily mean they are soft stepped. With the .355 taper tip, you do not tip trim the shaft, but they come over length and have to be butt trimmed. The only way to really know is to have the frequency checked.

 

I am a huge fan of the KBS shafts. Everyone who hits my irons with the KBS Tours in them remark about how great they feel. However, I am playing some MP33's right now with the X100s in them. I simply have not changed them out yet. There is a huge difference between the S300 and the X100 to me. And an even bigger difference between the X100 and the KBS Tour. I did not like the C Tapers. Well, I did but they simply were not the best fit for my swing. Just like I love the looks of the Project X, they are so clean looking. They just do not work as well with my swing as the X100 or KBS Tour. I am probably going to soft stepping the KBS Tour X in the MP33s but while they are listed below, I have not actually installed them yet. I had them in some MP32's but bought the MP33's and sold the 32's a couple of weeks ago. Since the MP33's had X100s in them I kept them that way, waiting until several days of bad weather and then I will change them. I first have to strip the chrome off of them.

[RoverRick]

Confession time. I do not know how much of this is real or imagined, but right now I have MP33 8,9,P with KBS Tour X and another with DG X100. Same length and flex and weight. In the longer irons I love the feel of the KBS. However with the short irons I tend to hit them thin. Not so with the x100s. This is part of the reason I have not converted the whole set. I have one complete set plus an extra 8,9, P.

 

I am under going some swing changes this time primarily because my full swing short irons are not reliable. Once I get this issue squared away I will look at changing this shaft. Just moments ago I swung these one after the other. The x100 I hit the mark on the carpet I wanted. The KBS I went just over he mark. This was not a full swing but something I felt I should say.

 

These feel vastly different in the swing so you need to check them out.

 

 

The imagined part is about the feel. Not the part about having extra clubs. I have them to pound balls into the net and not wear out my gamers.

[Badger]

Hey Blade your profile says your in New Mexico, I grew up in Albuquerque, and plan to return when I retire. The state motto "The Land of Enchantment" is so true, especially when you haven't been there in awhile. I finally got a job that allows me to take a vacation, so I have a tenative plan to return for a couple of weeks :~)in the fall.