Talk to Me About Iron Shafts

Let me first say that the impetus for this post is that Nate's review of the X Forged has me stupidly thinking about getting new irons next spring. And that thought made me realize that I know virtually nothing about all the different iron shafts on the market.

Here's a little background: I'm pretty sure that every iron shaft I ever played until 2015 was a DG S300. When I was looking at new irons in 2015, I wanted something that I might be able to flight a little lower. The options around here for testing different iron shafts are pretty limited, but I got a chance to try both the S300s and KBS Tour V with the XR Pro head I was planning to buy. I gained some distance with the Tour V (which I definitely liked) and they launched a little bit lower, so I went with those. Fast forward two years, and now KBS Tour V is the only shaft I have played recently. I really like it, with one exception - I could use a little more stopping power. Just to be clear, I know full well that some of the lack of stopping power is head-related and condition-related, and not shaft-related (I played the Cobra Forged Tour irons for most of the spring and summer with the Tour V, and I had no trouble at all stopping even the long irons in Oklahoma). But I also know that the Tour V is advertised as a low-spinning shaft. I wish I had some spin numbers to help, but I don't, although I may be able to get some of questionable accuracy from a simulator.

With all that said, I'd love to hear from THPers about which shafts I might want to take a look at if I were to consider something other than the Tour V. Ideally, I'd like to gain a little stopping power without sacrificing distance. I'm not necessarily looking to move to a higher launching shaft, but I wouldn't be totally opposed to it either if it could give me what I'm looking for (but I already hit the ball pretty high And I'm realistic in knowing that head matters more than shaft, and there probably isn't a unicorn out there. But I know a lot of you have played a lot of different shafts, so I'd love to hear any and all thoughts.

i might be wrong, but i think if holding greens is your ultimate goal you would be better served looking to increase launch rather than spin. i don't think you're going to see massive spin changes by swapping shafts, but you may see good launch, apex and descent changes.

i can't recommend nippon shafts enough. the entire modus line is fantastic. smooth feel but great dispersion and plenty of stopping power. i have played 105 and 120, and tested 125 and 130. love 'em all.

I second the Nippon Modus3 recommendation, but from what I've read and have been told if you're looking for lower flight you'll want to check out the 120s or 130s.

mr.hicksta said:

I second the Nippon Modus3 recommendation, but from what I've read and have been told if you're looking for lower flight you'll want to check out the 120s or 130s.

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it's so head dependent. i played the 120 for a couple years in j15df and it launched really high, and spun just fine. then i played 105 in z565 and it launched low and spin was a bit of an issue. now in my tmb the 105 is launching high and spinning beautifully.

the only modus i would be afraid to game is 130. it felt so heavy i couldn't get much out of it, although the numbers on good strikes were decent. but i loved the 120 and 125, and now love the 105. recently tested against amt white, kbs tour, pxi, recoil, and accra iseries, and the modus won out.