Does Shaft Flex Make ANY Difference???

[@erictouchet5434]

WOW.....I would've figured there would be a HUGE difference between the 5.0 v 6.0 shafts. That's actually quite amazing. Its opened my eyes a lot. Thank You!

[@matthewhall2320]

I love it when this type of video on flex is posted. Always the same results, but loads of comments that disagree with the evidence in front of their eyes. I can see weight making more of a difference to most people. Can you do that video James? Take the heaviest stiff shaft and the lightest you can find and hit loads of shots with it. I switched from heavy PX LZ to S300 AMT because the weight of the PX felt tiring as a round went on. I thinks there’s about 15g difference which feels massive to me.

[@maxgrahlher2206]

Matthew Hall Yes absolutely agree. That‘s what most fitters say today as well.

[@vika0194]

You get the same results but some can’t control a ball with a different shaft

[@richardneel6953]

@@vika0194 There was no difference in James' dispersion. You're claiming something that the test didn't bear out. Admittedly, we're all different. But, there are plenty of videos on KZbin showing actual proof there's no meaningful difference in numbers between regular and stiff shafts. But, players will tell you they like the "feel" of one type of shaft over the other. There's too much focus on gear and not enough on player ability. Play the shafts you want but claiming there is measurable difference in results when the test doesn't bear that out is just illogical.

[@vika0194]

@@richardneel6953 Why Are you just repeating what I said? But with more words?

[@richardneel6953]

@@vika0194 Because there's plenty of evidence that suggests that shaft flex makes no difference in dispersion. James test bears this out.

[@soulsurvivor3428]

I am now using Royal Precision FCM 5.5 with a soft tip trim. I made these clubs years ago, and only recently been in shape enough to start using them again. Pure!

[@dougdavis8367]

My handicap is 18 and I am 66 years old. I find regular in irons and hybrid but fairway woods and driver old farts flex.

[@marshallcook3113]

I do club building, and the most notable thing to me is swing weights. The flex matters to a certain degree, the swing weight is differently the most important factor. Also where you put the weight too. If you put the weight in the hands its harder to feel but if you put it in the shaft tip you can feel it.

[@danielc114]

You mentioned it in there James, the “feel” is different though. And what I have learned in near 30 years of golf....you can’t underestimate feel

[@tonydg6086]

I went from the 6.0 project x steel to mimaya f2 smakwrap graphite. No difference in carry distance but the graphite are just easier on my aging joints

[@gunnarjinx]

For me as a low hcp golfer it's easy to just "hit" a ball with almost any type of shaft... what it all comes down is the possible SHAPING and how easily I can shape it multiple ways.... high, low, left & right... rainbow flight... airline take off ect. Nippon Stiff Tour 120 did it all for me in a very comfortable way.... tried many shaft types and flex ... there was noticeable difference ... specially when wind was added to the equation ;) Cheers James... Iceland ... Out :)

[@superskank1467]

From what i can gather a regular shaft may make someone with a faster swing go a bit to the left and much harder to work the ball left to right, maybe wrong though. I personally play with dynamic gold regular in Mizuno mp60's bought off the shelf around 11 years ago, Love them.

[@roccomicelotta3798]

Nice video, very helpful for me….Thank You, Ric

[@LuxuryFragranceBoss]

Shaft model matters more than the flex as they all vary with their kick/flex points etc. which is affected by how you load the shaft in your individual swing. I was recently fitted for my new irons and tried about 7 different shafts all the same flex but hit the Nippon Modus 3 120 8 yrds further and straighter than anything else, just because it was working in harmony with my swing. Also just because a shaft feels great in 1 set of irons doesn't mean it will behave the same in another set due to head weighting. Moral of the story get custom fit with whats right for your swing, it may cost a little more but its worth the extra!

[@newmanfertig886]

Yeah. Go in the next day and you'll hit another shaft better. All hype. Karsten put all stiff shafts in ping 2's. Everybody played them well period well not everybody but most people. People can play stiff flex doesn't matter.

[@KenMagee]

My girlfriend definitely prefers the stiff shaft. Ball speed varies. OK I'm gonna stop now.

[@seanosullivan7769]

Ken Magee what kind of trajectory do those give, would they be low shooting or does it just shoot up

[@GRUNGELEOPARD]

I haven’t done many hole in ones but my shaft has always been stiff then, maybe easier to shoot straight when using stiff.

[@WaffleNutz]

Mine prefers longer, more whippier shafts. Preferably black for some reason.

[@brandonlassiter6941]

Your shafts don't cause you to spray all over the place?

[@cubuffs4life275]

Just make sure you get her permission before attempting to play the back 9.

[@robbreeze7599]

Great video James. It confirmed my suspicions when a Pro tests different shafts. But an “average” golfer? Let Mark repeat this test please.

[@Freigeist.]

He didnt test different shafts, only different flexes of the same one. I can tell you that i went club fitting a few days ago, hit many balls with different shafts and the difference in l/r distrubution and leangth were noticeably worst with some of them. HCP -4 so probably not "the average", you need a decent swing id say, otherwise it would be pretty hard spotting any difference.

[@adamvlassis4090]

I love when you, mark cross field, mygolfspy and others make these videos because I know comments will be entertainment. I just switched from the Project rifle 6.5 to modus tour 120 x. I'm a 4 handicap and can't really tell whats different. keep up the videos I enjoy them.

[@jameystarke6778]

I play project x shaft. I typically play a stif shaft (6.0). When I last got fitted I found I didn’t like the weight of the 6.0. The Club fitter recommended I “tip” the 5.5 which would give it the flex of a 6.0 but the weight of the 5.5. Very happy I did.

[@matthalo1224]

I play dynamic gold x-100 shafts.... I recently came off dynamic gold s300 shafts... but when I started I played the cb alta stuff regular shafts from ping. So from a stiff regular to extra stiff I can tell you there is a huge difference for me. I can feel the flex of the club on my downswing and I really find it weird so I prefer extra stiff

[@coegj]

Feel, individual feel to me is everything. I have had more than my share of irons and woods and if it feels good keep it or them until it doesn't feel the same. Everything changes as we age, gain strength, lose strength and the same with flexibility. I have had shafts with no feel at all like lead pipes and then shafts where you know exactly where the bend/kick point is and love that feel and flight or hate that feel and flight. Just a couple swings is enough to know whether a club stays in the bag or goes back on the market. But back in the day the S400 was my favorite shafts in mid to long irons and the S200 in my short irons and wedges, but back in the day was forty plus years ago, damn it, I miss those days.

[@JonathanMoosey]

I play Dynamic Gold S300 shafts in my older Mizuno MP-67 blades and I have a high launch and a high spin rate. I don’t have a fast swing speed per say but I found that the Project X 6.5 does everything it needs to do to get my numbers in the right direction and straighter as well.

[@apaulmcdonough2170]

Thanks, James. Good Video. "Numbers Testing" in recent years have disproved many of the "Shaft Myths and Lore" of old. So, 718 AP2 (5-9), plus Vokey 46 & 50 SM6 / All Standard Length and Loft, Bent 1 degree Flat / using PROJECT X LZ 5.5 (115 gram) Then, Vokey 54 V Grind and 58-06 K Grind / Standard L & L, Bent 2 Flat / using P X LZ 5.0 (105 gram) I prefer a firmer Feel and moderate Weight for the Shaft, yet I like a Softer Feel at Ball (2019 Pro V1x) Impact. As for Driver & Woods, 917 D2 Diamana BLUE "S" - 70 Grams. 3, 5, 7 - 917 F2 Diamana BLUE "S" - 80 Grams. ALL Four are Standard Length and Hosel Adjusted "Flat". Thanks Again, James.

[@jacobmccain8082]

Played KBS forever before trying Aerotech steelfiber i110s this year. Much easier on my wrists and elbows but it took a roll of lead tape to make them feel right. I play Stiff all the way through except my hybrid which I play in regular. That's what came in it when I bought it and I planned to replace it but liked it a lot.

[@bryanlina4724]

I think irons would be closer than long clubs. I improved dispersion drastically moving to tour x stiff in my driver and ordered one for my 3 wood also. Changed my swing which increased speed and feel like strike moved all over the face. X stiff improved that and based on testing made my 3 wood the same. Waiting for my 3 wood shaft from ping to test on course but you might try this same test with woods.

[@paulcarrier3794]

I was amazed how little difference there was. I think then it all comes down to feel.

[@M82RKY]

Especially on a steel shaft, graphite is another story

[@Mas87458]

Always chosen shaft on feel not flex or weight, so many variables to consider, strike and swing angles will override any shaft.

[@vs-mz8nn]

Very interesting. I swapped all my irons to 5.0(older Mizuno JPX800 pro= show me more forgiving clubs to hcp 6) from S300 TT, biggest change - variety and shape up to 7 iron, it feels also more consistent in distance. Avg low 80,high 70, but also even par 1x! Riffle shafts also boosting your confidence in my opinion. ( rest of hybrid,3W n driver I have stiff n heavier shafts). Wedges still more towards stiff... weird combo isn't it🤣

[@jjwong3]

I use dynamic gold s300 shafts for my apex irons. Tbh, I have tried different shafts, and the only difference in shaft flex I noticed is feel. The regular flex just feels whippy to me, and I don’t like that feeling. Numbers and dispersion are the same though. So I choose to use stiffer shafts purely due to feel.

[@rclarkrep100]

I agree with your evaluation. Same results for me. I go back and forth. I do think shaft length for me is important as I am tall and go extra 1".

[@maccarossi]

I’m an average mid handicapper and play a Project X 6.5, tried a few shafts during a fitting and none have better numbers of felt better than this one, ended up with a PX 6.5 with JPX 919 Forged irons and they are beautiful

[@andyhenderson8757]

I chose graphite, since I liked the feel better. Mamiya regular flex, one length Cobra forge tec irons, despite having quite a high swing speed. My wedges are dynamic gold s200, which feel pretty nice around the greens and within 80 meters. I did notice a change in my F9 Speedback, where i trade in the regular one, for the Camo with the even flow shaft. A little adjustment in my setup and technique, but i hit 290 meters the other day, compared to a high of 265 with the previous x stiff shaft. I think it's very difficult long process of you were to perfect and try out every possibility with every club head, so for me, it's about the feel mostly.

[@altheman25]

I play Dynamic Gold R300 in my irons. Finally got rid of the last stiff shaft hybrids and went to Aldila reg flex. Seems to be more noticeable in hybrids and woods.

[@toddcogan2649]

I'm swinging a local fitters brand graphite flex shaft because I picked up a set 5-PW for $10 in a thrift store and they are hard for me to control. But I have learned to swing about 80% and I am shooting consistently in the mid 80's. My club head swing for an iron averages 98 mph and these shafts make the ball flight ridiculously high and a huge draw. My stock shot is a draw but they make it so much more dramatic. I am hoping to get fitted next month for a steel shaft set and really get consistant!

[@justinstephenson9360]

Weight and length are probably more important. The answer ultimately depends on the individual. I have tried both regular in my Epic and stiff in an M6, swing speed was the same but in each case fitter was clear that the flex was right for me, I could not tell the difference but the numbers suggested the M6 in stiff was better, although not enough to make it worth spending £400

[@jjd9990]

I've got a mix, reg in driver and irons stiff in 4wood and wedges

[@adrianadams6237]

Kbs c taper x stiff 130 in my Ap2 718 for me it was feel. I used to use px 7.0 in my old Ap2 and wanted a change. I tried px6.0 but lost distance it felt as if I was holding back on it. I have tightened my dispersion with the c tapers. Ultimately tho if you have the speed for the weight and flex of the heavier shaft it comes down to feel and how comfortable you are swinging within yourself.

[@michaelticehurst5275]

I've played Project X 6.0 for about 6 years, love 'em....I recently tried (and fitted) the JPX Tour 919's, and the optimum shaft for me was the X's 5.5 115 LZ....Much more feel, and great punch. Maybe it's time for a trade in for me James.

[@waltdv]

My swing speed is what you’d expect from a 58 y.o. mid- handicapper. I play TM P760 with Project X Rifle 6.0. With the weight of the Rifle 6.0 shafts I can feel the club in space in my back-swing and I like the kick of the club on strike. My previous set was TM M4 with Fujikuira Atmos Red standard flex. I struggled with accuracy and never had a sense of feel with the lighter shafts. I had an immediate improvement in accuracy with the Rifle shafts but lost some distance because the P760 is a more traditional lofted club. I'll take the trade-off.

[@ktkl68]

I play Titleist MBs on DGS300. Went to Club Champion to hit some AP2 with DG tour 120. Same club head speed of 92 mph with a 6iron but the carry increased by 10 yards with tour 120 shaft.

[@kairax848]

I played the Project X 6.0 (soft-step). My swing is very aggressive and compact. Love the heavy feel and the flex. I don’t recommend it, if you have a slow swing. My old shaft was a Nippon, it tend to balloon all my irons. Main reason why I switched. Great shaft, but highly recommend you get fitted. Don’t get caught up on stiffness, look at how it feels in your hands.

[@uwrossl]

KBS $-Taper 120 in my Srixon Z 785's. Feel great. Don't feel like boards like the C-Taper did and not as high launching as the tour. Great dispersion in the fitting and haven't disappointed on the course. Weight seemed to make the biggest difference in the fitting. I would like to see if you tested a stiff Project X 6.0 against a stiff Project X LZ. More significant weight difference. See if dispersion changes on a shaft with the same flex but different weight. I'm toying with putting the $-Taper Lites in Stiff in my 4 & 5 iron as the 120's do feel a bit heavy.

[@ronchristian9019]

PX 5.0 in my Mizuno EZ Forged and love them

[@garyleahy4537]

I was hitting the Dynamic Gold S300 for years and two years ago went to the R300. Picked up a good 15-20 yards throughout the irons. Still hit stiff with Driver, fairway woods and hybrids but with the irons, saw a massive difference

[@apaulmcdonough2170]

Same Make and Model head with the Irons when you changed Shafts?

[@ericdye5970]

Great comparison. I play stiff but when I borrow a regular iron of same type I don’t notice a difference, this matches your results. I do notice a significant difference in graphite shat flex on my driver.

[@jaybyrne4562]

I use Project X 6.5 in irons. Only went for that because it felt the best and had best performance during testing. It's 120g so was a big change from the stock stiff shaft I had before at 80g true temper

[@DrgonStar]

For me, it seems to be more about profile and weight. I should care about Iron shafts but I play whatever comes stock in them, usually Dynamic Gold or KBS I think :). I currently play a mini driver with a high launch shaft and it works because of my attack angle and simplifies my game. Lightweight might increase my swing speed but I feel like I have no idea where the clubface is during my swing. The heavier weight also helps me slow down my tempo.

[@bmathis26]

The stiff shaft will go father because of the shaft deflection and your timing change due to your higher swing speed... your timing though in the video is really solid and you are indeed a good golfer so hence close carry I could not do that even close to as well as you did... project x shafts because of the slightly bigger od also helps stabilization... better test would be an L A R S X in a 4h or 3h you might see a change. I game nippon modus 120 X which I feel it’s a great shaft!!! Great video and thanks for the daily content

[@markspriggs1962]

All down to personal ability surely? As you know at my Ping fitting the NS Pro Modus3 105 Tour stiff shaft dramatically improved my dispersion stats compared to the Dynamic Gold and Ping AWT shafts.

[@locobenno9435]

went for an iron fitting after years of adapting to whatever I had in my hands and making my own changes, put me into an AMT X100 White and wow I can finally concentrate on shot making rather than shot wishing....wish it was this easy 30 years ago when I started playing

[@carlharvey249]

Just had custom fitting for mizuno 919 forged, I have swing speed of 115mph+, could only hit correctly in fitting with x-stiff, everything else I had less control of the club head

[@MrSomeone544]

Probably because of the weight of the shaft

[@seancook2264]

Nippon NS Pro. Customs fitted and build. Shaft effectively a timing mechanism. Different for different people. Hence the need for multiple bend profiles, balance points and weights.

[@andya2665]

I think weight makes more difference than flex, however, flex does make a small difference to me. I use the Project X LZ Tour 5.0, 90g , graphite with my MIzuno MP54s. This is the absolute best shaft i have ever used. So good I saw how rare they are and bought a second set of these shafts on ebay. A close second is the Ozik Program 130, which I have in my Bridgestone J38 DPCs. A great combo. Honorable mention, KBS Tour 90, which i have in Nike VS Pro Combo 2014s.

[@markthegolfaddict9051]

Fitted last 2 iron sets with KBS C Taper 120 stiff. Love the flat flight it gives and fights the wind.

[@todpharis4996]

Di you mention “feel”? Which one felt better or more controllable? With the numbers the same I would say you are picking the shaft that gives you the best “feels” and that is important as well?!??

[@Cherdos962]

When I got my fitting for my I500s I wa fit into the Project X LZ 6.0 and love the feel the ball flight with hat shaft.

[@glennwiebe5128]

I have to agree with you, James, that the MP-18 is a fabulous looking club. I think it's the best iron to date, bar none. While the MP-20 is close, the 18 is better. Regarding shafts, I've had S300 in my irons from the start and love them. I've got stiff in my driver and 3w but x stiff in my 5w. I love the x stiff 5w! My driver swing speed is 105+. I've tried regular shafts and they feel like they're flying all over the place. No thanks!

[@fm_benz3569]

Got regular steel mid launch shafts on my irons, I do notice they seem to go really high, and my hybrids are the same shaft however dont go nearly as high and have a stiff shaft on my driver. I dont think it makes too much difference with your irons but I notice a big difference when it comes to the driver, maybe try that out!

[@codyclark2471]

mizuno 919 hot metal project x lz 5.0 thinkin about graphite shafts though... is it better to change shafts or just get a whole new iron set...changed my diamana driver shaft to a fujikura air speeder lighter and my slice has gone away i do hit a few more hooking shots but mostly straight and my drives are finding fairways even on bad shots. regular flex

[@patrickmonell6536]

Great video! I was fitted with kbs c taper 130 extra stiff due to overpowering my old shafts and creating a ballooning effect on my iorns! Thanks for the great content for my morning coffee James! Cheers mate!

[@davidboddy4207]

I have Project X 5.5 in my irons (fitted) and all my others I 'fitted' myself, driver is a Project X Black 6.5, carry 2 hybrids no 3 wood and they are a Speeder stiff and a Recoil stiff, I love the feel of them all in the respective clubs.

[@jonahmorie631]

Would you say the 5.5 play stiff or firm? Everywhere I look I find conflicting opinions.

[@davidboddy4207]

@@jonahmorie631 I think the 5.5 feel a bit more firm than stiff

[@AMDking0007]

Still using a set of old Callaway Memphis 10's. Old reliable and super consistent.

[@ScottDreyfus]

I used to play 6.5 until nippon brought out the 130 Modus. I got more sidespin out of the 6.0 and couldn't time the weight drop to 5.5

[@trulsrohk470]

Currently play S300 dynamic golds, but have been fitted to protect x 6.0 using more than one method

[@dickturnip504]

Over many years of playing golf (64 actually!!) I have found that using too flexible shaft in irons tends to produce "fat" shots, so although I'm now 77, I still use DG S300 ahafts in my irons but 'R' shafts in my driver and 5 wood, with 12 degrees of loft on driver. Has anyone else found this tendency? What does James think causes such fat shots with "flexy" irons, I wonder?

[@gmuzz]

Not overly surprised about the lack of difference in irons. Would be good to see the same for driver shafts as I definitely saw a difference between reg and stiff shafts when fitted.

[@charlesrohl7635]

I just got fit and purchased the Mizuno 919 hot metal's w/the project X 5.5 115 regs.🥰 Love e'm !!

[@Freigeist.]

If your shaft is too weak for your speed, it will reach its maximum point of "flex" before you hit the ball, and at contact it will already be on "the way back". Obviously thats very minor but it can screw your contact up. I also gained like 3-5 meters per iron when i switched to X-stiff, because of the aforementioned. What might be even more intresting is the difference in kick points of different shafts.

[@patrickscribner]

I use a project x lz 5.0 shaft in my irons, I tried the 5.5 and the 6.0 shafts as well, I just liked how light the shaft felt. numbers between the 5.5 and the 5.0 were almost identical in peak height and distance, but for me the spin numbers were significantly different between the two shafts.

[@olli981]

Got true temper S300 105gramm in my jpx919 forged. Chose this ones over every heavier Models because it felt a Lot better. With 120 or 130 Gramm i couldn't feel where the clubhead was during the Swing

[@banditbaker1675]

As there is only 10grams difference between the PX5.0 & the PX6.0 (and they have the same construction) you won't see much if any difference in Ball flight but might feel the weight difference. If you are serious about learning about shafts and their performance I would suggest that you hop on a plane and visit Ian Fraser at TXG in Toronto.

[@matt79hz]

X flex in driver, 2iron, and 4 wood.. then modus tour 120 S 4-p.... the x in 2 iron is sometimes a handful but damn nice when it works! (And quite straight on slight mishits).

[@ZaxDrumsGolfandMore]

I agree with some here who want to see the difference between graphite and steel shafts!! Not a big difference in your comparison between the regular and stiff I am really surprised!! I thought there would be a big difference!! I remember when I was younger and I switched to a stiff shaft on my driver cause the regular I kept on duck hooking it.

[@richardprosser9305]

I'm using DG 105s Reg in my TM P790s. That shaft resulted in tighter dispersion and it felt better for me. Also found stiff rated shafts more difficult. It just me I surpose!

[@daveeklund6277]

I did not think the shafts would be so close in numbers. I figured the 5.0 would go much higher and maybe spin more than the 6.0. Thank you for the video. I’d like to see this test with driver shafts.

[@erichinds9327]

I play the 6.0 to keep my ball flight down, had regular but ball just ballooned, I do like them.

[@darrenbell6376]

Project x evenflow green regular in driver and 3 wood, kbs tour 105 stiff in wilson staff c300 forged works a treat for me

[@TheMadstrad57]

I've played PX 6.5 for years and like a heavier shaft. Had a Mizuno fitting and tightest dispersion was 6.0 but preferred weight of 6.5 Mizuno soft stepped a 6.5 to flex of 6.0 👌

[@dickturnip504]

Too stiff a shaft can make you feel powerless and cause you to thrash at the ball and mistime shots-----worsening the more you use it. I find this particularly the case with irons.

[@ihorsmith9298]

I performed a similar test using a stiff versus Xstiff tour shaft. The Xstiff shaft tended to give me a few yards more and they flew straighter. I also seemed to feel the stiff shaft flexing during my down swing. I may have biased the results somehow as I knew which shaft I was hitting.

[@sgf7649]

I don't think it's a case of the shaft flex doesn't matter, as you've shown if it's the same line/range of them there probably won't be much difference. However if you compared shafts across bend profiles, kick points and weight you'd find a greater difference. I'm speaking from experience - pretty much a noob and I picked up the F7 One Lengths in R flex, played them alright, had my first lesson after a year and found out I was hitting 7° toe down, went to a set of Ping S56s in X Flex (KBS Tour) and immediately levelled out as the club head wasn't drooping at impact as the shaft could withstand the forces (my average 6i clubhead speed is 101-103mph with a moderate tempo). So I guess you'll only ever find the answers you want to find based on the questions you pose at the start. Is there a difference in flex in general, maybe not, but shafts overall, absolutely I believe so.

[@marksamuel5347]

Hi James, I would expect you to hit further with the 5.0 than the 6.0. My swing speed is somewhere around 85mph with a 6 iron. When I bought my Irons I tried the stiff shaft and was slicing crazy to the left (I'm a lefty) Depending on your speed I would expect a slight Fade with the 6.0 shaft ...

[@michaelgarza4479]

I use the recoil ZT9 shaft on my big bertha irons. Feels great when u feel the flex on solid shots

[@terrydomnakis3750]

I use DG S300 AMT shafts in my irons. I think it all comes down to feel for the individual player...

[@mikebest634]

Think there is more to just flex ,kick point and weight is more important ,always used true temper s 300 's ,went for a fitting and now use KBS c taper lites in 115 x ,feels smoother by a long way and no where near as harsh as s 300 .With out looking at the labels you would think the KBS was the weaker flex , s 300 always makes the head feel heavier to me as well ,my dispersion and height is miles better now .Wish I had a proper fitting a couple of years ago .

[@jotukr9]

I play the Mizuno JPX 900 Forged. I stick ‘em with Project X graphite 5.0. I like all the whip I can control. Picked up a little distance due to the lighter weight not the flex.

[@darylskogstad9399]

Very interesting vid but surprising...So currently I am gaming 2 sets of irons, old razr x tour with px flighted 5.0 and wilson fg tour 5 with s300dg, now I am looking at upgrading my irons but am unsure what shafts would work the best, looking at zx 5 srixon irons and was thinking px lz shafts 5.0 to get trajectory...11 handicap... 93 mph driver swing speed...any thoughts. Thks

[@MarkJYule]

My 2p... most players can play the next flex up/down. It depends on the player too, a pure swinger would get less launch/spin from a stiffer shaft and a pure hitter would most likely see more spin/launch and dispersion from the softer shaft. Did you measure the frequency bid the shafts? In theory, RP/TT shafts should have about a 10cpm difference between flexes (though saying that the original PX wasn't FM'd as it was a constant weight design). Saying that I've measured s300 and r300 6i (0.355) shafts and found to vary to the point that they're not that far apart. The parralel ones are worse - you need to sort by weight, then sort by frequency, then you can tip them to a desired slope. I personally play PX 5.5 (the original satins) soft stepped twice. They're about as stout feel wise as s300 (to me). I can play s300 but it's tiring. X100? No chance, in the short irons I can just about get away with it but 6i and under just go nowhere and hurt my hands. :) Flex does matter, play about til you find what works. Don't get hung up in swingspeed though , because it's more about how you get it there ie transition/load.

The Project X 6.0 felt less stiff than dynamic gold x100. The Project X seems to spin more. There's a reason a lot of pros prefer True Temper.

[@canyonaro]

BMWg84 X100 is closer to PX 6.5; PX 6.0 is comparable to S300 (120g weight). FWIW True Temper makes both Dynamic Gold and Project X.

@@canyonaro I'd agree and disagree. The Project X 6.5 is very stout and heavier than the Dynamic Gold X100. I played Project X 6.0s on Ping S56 for years on mini tours and as soon as I switched to Wilson Staff FG Tour blades with DG Tour X100 shafts, I consistently dropped 3-4 strokes per round. I play Bridgestone BX ball.

[@canyonaro]

BMWg84 Project X 6.5 is 125g and X100 is 130g. I agree PX 6.5 feels like swinging a tree - X100 is a lot easier to load. One of my regular playing partners plays PX 6.5 on the same Mizuno irons I play and I can't hit them at all.

[@SezMan716]

Used to play PX 6.0. Currently playing DG s300 and they feel lighter. Not sure on the specs but just a feel thing

[@davidfletcher6836]

Tried mizuno forged jpx with several different shafts, plumped for Nippon modus shafts due to the feel and accuracy. The project X equivalent felt awful in comparison and I wasn't enthused with the amt white shaft.

[@paul_hd1875]

"stiffness" is relative to diameter of the shaft... thus more weight. Let your dispersion accuracy dictate what flex you should chose. Chasing a better "feel", can sometimes cost us accuracy. I did a lesson with my buddy two days ago... took away his OTR 95gr M2's... and handed him my AP2 w/ PX 6.5. Dispersion changed drastically, and strangely enough he hit like 5 shots in a row that never left the target.

[@haltoi01]

At my last iron fitting project x ballooned up a bit compared with dynamic gold stiff.

[@billkendall9110]

James do you think it would be the same result with Mark - Mr Mid-Handi Tester? Does the swing speed have a greater impact on the difference between flex?

[@normansykes3708]

Great info. Next time test the FST Pro Stepless 115 iron ($9.99 per shaft) shaft vs the more expensive Project X Stepless shafts. Now I love to save money and I’ve played those shafts before and they performed well.

[@mylesberg5731]

I play PX 5.5. I like the weight and consistency of these shafts, but I imagine you can get used to any shaft in the end. I've seen other videos agreeing with you regarding how little difference there is between shaft flexes. I'd like you to do this shaft comparison with your driver..

[@juliustrexler9829]

I play the PX 6.0 and I'm thinking of dropping back to the 5.5 or 5.0 (getting older...lol)

[@calebross3790]

The 5.5 are money

[@jasonjordan8578]

Totally agree, I played the 6.0 a few rounds and shots were leaking to the right, returned them on a playability guarantee and got the 5.5, feels much better👍

[@juliustrexler9829]

Ok I'm sold 5.5's it is

[@rogeliomendez9135]

KBS X stuff C-Taper helped control pulls and hooks. Feel great with KZG blades

[@thomaschumley3904]

I use Dynamic Gold R300. I tried S300 when I got my clubs fitted and it came down to how the shot felt. Everything else was similar to your results.

[@activephysio6776]

Hi great video - what about lie angle adjustments to remove one side of the course on those pull left shots - be nice to see a video on that

[@davebarnes9063]

Quality video as always......I use true temper dynamic gold 120 in my blueprint irons

[@tommiethatcher7265]

I love these type of videos 👏👏 really interesting. I’m currently gaming nippon shafts in my irons which I got fitted for around 6yrs ago and they are fantastic, I just can’t tell you if they are stiff flex or regular flex I trust my club fitter, all I knows they felt amazing and the numbers were awesome. I would definitely love to see more testing like this

[@golf007sd2]

James, the purpose of a "shaft" is to deliver the power loaded by a golfer through his swing to the ball. All aspect of ball direction, trajectory, spin, and hight has to do with the iron's head loft, lie and the golfers swing. Moreover, the type ball a player use will have a profound effect on distance and spin.

[@JamesRobinsonGolf]

Thanks mate. I am aware of all this. Hope you enjoyed the video

[@robertdavis2200]

I play and really like the kbs ctaper 125. I would like to see the difference in senior flex of a driver vs an extra stiff for the extreme differences