Stiff or regular Flex (Irons) HELP

[AmberLamps]

Im a N00b, played about 10 times last year on a $100 set of craigslist irons. This year I decided to take the game more seriously and have been putting in time at the local Golf shops, trying different Irons. I have settled on the Cobra Bio Cell Irons and I have been "fitted" by a few people at the diff shops.

The first 2 fittings the shop pro recommended I use REGULAR flex shafts because im "right on the border of regular and stiff, I swing around a 88 - 90 right now.


Then I went today and I was fresh, hadn't hit any balls yet and the golf pro got me a regular and a stiff, I didn't see any difference in distance with the clubs but we noticed a lot more accuracy with the stiff as opposed to the regular which sent balls wide a lot.

Is it better for me to buy the Stiff as I will be getting better this summer and will probably grow into the stiff. Or should i buy the regular because its more forgiving?

Also I wanted steel shafts and they accidentally gave me the Carbon shafts. I don't know anything about carbon, and am planning on switching them out for the steel shafts tomorrow.


Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.


Oh if it matters, Im 32 y/0 6" male, 185 lbs

 

[golf4life]

Well, I'd say if distance was the same and dispersion was better with the stiff, you should go with the stiff shafts. The right flex shaft is about more than just swing speed.

Graphite (carbon) shafts can be as good or better than steel, but if you were fit into the stiff steel originally then yeah, you should probably get those swapped.

If you were getting the good numbers with the graphite stiff shafts though, I would stick with them.

 

[AmberLamps]

The only thing i like about the Carbon shafts is how light they are in my bag. I don't really care for how they feel while hitting them though. I took these Carbon irons to the range today and was hitting the 6 iron about 174-180 consistently. These clubs are amazing compared to my old ones.

 

[mcrobertsjmac32]

Im no expert, but at a Ping fitting demo day last week a Ping fitter told me that for irons if a shaft is too stiff for u that u may lose some tiny distance, but accuracy will be better. I have very heavy stiff shafts in my irons and they are perf for the accuracy im going for

 

[Hawk]

Demo Day hacks are the worst source of information. That kind of statement is exactly why that is the case.



OP - if your driver is 88-90 then you'll be fine in R flex. If that's an iron swing speed, stiffer would probably be better. Most people don't grow into shafts btw.

Don't let the R flex stigma affect your decision.

 

[ddec]

If you are on the border of R and S, go with the Regular.

 

[TheDoctor]

I had a fitting last week and was on the border between regular and stiff and I had slightly better numbers with the regular so that is what I have chosen

 

[Scrap Iron]

I would see how the graphite shafts work for you and take Hawks advice.

 

[Barberakb]

IMO you will be fine with either. Pick which one you like better.

My driver SS is 105 and I normally play stiff shafts but have tested multiple clubs in regular flex and can play them with no problem.

 

[AmberLamps]

Thanks for all the gr8 advice here. I returned the clubs and went to a different store and had one more guy do a fitting for me. We went with the regular flex steel Cobra Bio Cell 4-Gw, also picked up the bio cell driver in stiff. Going out to hit these later and cant wait. Cant really beat the price $299 (irons) $149 (driver) BRAND NEW.

Great to be part of this forum and looking forward to really getting into this game.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

Im no expert, but at a Ping fitting demo day last week a Ping fitter told me that for irons if a shaft is too stiff for u that u may lose some tiny distance, but accuracy will be better. I have very heavy stiff shafts in my irons and they are perf for the accuracy im going for

Agree. When Ping first started selling irons, Karsten only used stiff shafts because of accuracy. Only down the road when marketing changed, was he forced to offer something softer.

Most Pro's today and most fitters though will tell you to play the softest shaft you can control.

 

[ArmyGolf]

I play Reg flex in my irons. I don't really know the x's and o's of why it works for me but it does.

 

[Shakey]

I go back & forth between R & S depending on the irons I'm hitting. If they are a distance based iron, then I'll go with a S. If they are more of a "players" iron, I'll go with the R.

BTW, Amberlamps is a solid forum name. I still watch that video every now & then. "Ooh, you leaking"

 

[CAA_Beat]

Thanks for all the gr8 advice here. I returned the clubs and went to a different store and had one more guy do a fitting for me. We went with the regular flex steel Cobra Bio Cell 4-Gw, also picked up the bio cell driver in stiff. Going out to hit these later and cant wait. Cant really beat the price $299 (irons) $149 (driver) BRAND NEW.

Great to be part of this forum and looking forward to really getting into this game.

That's some solid choices right there. Be sure and let us know how they work out for you.

 

[mcrobertsjmac32]

Agree. When Ping first started selling irons, Karsten only used stiff shafts because of accuracy. Only down the road when marketing changed, was he forced to offer something softer.

Most Pro's today and most fitters though will tell you to play the softest shaft you can control.

I prefer heavy stiffer shafts in my irons. Its like throwing darts

 

[mcrobertsjmac32]

Demo Day hacks are the worst source of information. That kind of statement is exactly why that is the case.



OP - if your driver is 88-90 then you'll be fine in R flex. If that's an iron swing speed, stiffer would probably be better. Most people don't grow into shafts btw.

Don't let the R flex stigma affect your decision.

I think for irons they are right stiffer can be straighter for some. Drivers that is not the case in my testing

 

[Hawk]

You think or you know?

 

[mikedean441]

I prefer heavy stiffer shafts in my irons. Its like throwing darts

I like heavier in wedges not so much in the irons for full swings though. but that's just me I'm certainly no dart thrower

 

[mcrobertsjmac32]

You think or you know?

I know they are more accurate for me. My swing speed isnt even close to fast enough for the shafts I play in my irons, but I love them for accuracy. I dont want to say "I know" to someone looking for advice cause as we know in golf what works for some may not for most or some.

 

[mcrobertsjmac32]

I like heavier in wedges not so much in the irons for full swings though. but that's just me I'm certainly no dart thrower

Lol neither am I but I throw alot more now than I didi

 

[AmberLamps]

Ok just got back from the range...WOW...I am in love. I mean lets put things in perspective, Im going from a $100 set of craigslist clubs to these, but WOW I never thought it would make that much of a difference. Im more excited about the Bio Cell driver than the clubs tbh. Although the clubs are amazing and i was hitting the ball the best I have ever hit it. The Driver tho....I was sending beauties out what seemed 250-275 yards. I have never been able to hit a ball this far.

I cant really tell much of a difference from the carbon shafts i hit yesterday, besides the weight. Like others said I don't think its going to make a huge difference tbh. These regular steels felt just gr8. I think steel gives me a bit more feedback from the ball than the carbon, which i couldn't really feel when i was mishitting it as much.

Going to see if i can get in a quick 9 holes tomorrow after work.

 

[Hawk]

I know they are more accurate for me. My swing speed isnt even close to fast enough for the shafts I play in my irons, but I love them for accuracy. I dont want to say "I know" to someone looking for advice cause as we know in golf what works for some may not for most or some.

You are correct there.

I got tied up with real life and didnt' have time to get into this last night, but my main point in the beginning was concerning the statement you passed on from the demo day guy. Of course we'll see that some guys do better heavy and some do better light.

The point is though that going stiffer doesn't just mean you'll lose a little distance and gain a little accuracy. Entirely player dependent and it's a blanket statement that gets tossed around like it's a catch-all fact, when it's nothing more than a broad (mythical) generalization.

 

[NullNomad]

Ok just got back from the range...WOW...I am in love. I mean lets put things in perspective, Im going from a $100 set of craigslist clubs to these, but WOW I never thought it would make that much of a difference. Im more excited about the Bio Cell driver than the clubs tbh. Although the clubs are amazing and i was hitting the ball the best I have ever hit it. The Driver tho....I was sending beauties out what seemed 250-275 yards. I have never been able to hit a ball this far.

I cant really tell much of a difference from the carbon shafts i hit yesterday, besides the weight. Like others said I don't think its going to make a huge difference tbh. These regular steels felt just gr8. I think steel gives me a bit more feedback from the ball than the carbon, which i couldn't really feel when i was mishitting it as much.

Going to see if i can get in a quick 9 holes tomorrow after work.

I have been watching this thread intently because my wife just went through a similar scenario this past week. I have been relaying the information everyone has provided here to her and she took that with an open mind to a fitter. She isn't a big girl, but she has a pretty strong swing and has always played regular mens flex. Well as age would have it and not being able to maintain her swing speed like she used to, she stepped down to a women flex and also went with Cobra last Friday. WORLDS of difference. All her clubs are longer and straighter, but the feel and the enjoyment of the game are back with a vengeance.

Glad your experience was a positive one as well.