Who likes Steelfiber?

Psyber · July 28, 2016

I have been battling tennis elbow for some time and it's slowly getting a little better but I have basically stopped any and all practice outside of maybe one small bucket a week. I'd like to switch to graphite but it is really expensive and I'm not sure how much I will like it. What I am considering is throwing a Steelfiber or Recoil into an extra 7 iron I have here. One it would let me try out the shaft over a long period of time to see how I like it and I can use it to hit more balls for practice without killing my elbow so bad. Currently I am playing KBS Tour 120s in S flex and have a driver swing speed in the low 100s. So my main question for those who use Steelfiber is are they similar in flex to say a KBS Tour? The i95 in regular seems to play how most people would look at a stiff flex from a lot of my reading. So I am bit torn between going with an i95 in regular or stiff. Looking at Aerotech's fitting guide my driver swing speed would put me in stiff but the reality is I swing a driver much different than an iron. I really crank all I have at it because it's a huge head with a ball on a tee. If I try and swing an iron anything like I do a driver I simply tend to raise up and hit it thin so if the i95s tend to play stiff for a regular I imagine it would work well. From what I see Kuchar is playing i95s in S flex and I am certain he had a much faster swing than me.

prorobo · July 28, 2016

I have been battling tennis elbow for some time and it's slowly getting a little better but I have basically stopped any and all practice outside of maybe one small bucket a week. I'd like to switch to graphite but it is really expensive and I'm not sure how much I will like it. What I am considering is throwing a Steelfiber or Recoil into an extra 7 iron I have here. One it would let me try out the shaft over a long period of time to see how I like it and I can use it to hit more balls for practice without killing my elbow so bad. Currently I am playing KBS Tour 120s in S flex and have a driver swing speed in the low 100s. So my main question for those who use Steelfiber is are they similar in flex to say a KBS Tour? The i95 in regular seems to play how most people would look at a stiff flex from a lot of my reading. So I am bit torn between going with an i95 in regular or stiff. Looking at Aerotech's fitting guide my driver swing speed would put me in stiff but the reality is I swing a driver much different than an iron. I really crank all I have at it because it's a huge head with a ball on a tee. If I try and swing an iron anything like I do a driver I simply tend to raise up and hit it thin so if the i95s tend to play stiff for a regular I imagine it would work well. From what I see Kuchar is playing i95s in S flex and I am certain he had a much faster swing than me.

Weight is as much a factor as flex with shaft selection. Kuchar and Snedeker both play i95s but that shouldn't weigh on your decision at all. If you're comfortable with the KBS Tours then you should stick with a similar weight in either the i110 or i125 in stiff. Some say the SteelFibers play a bit stiff to flex and/or feel boardy and soft-stepping is an option to alleviate that somewhat. Seeing as you're in Florida, odds are there's a fitter or two relatively close to you that stocks SteelFibers so you can demo them without having to buy one blind. You can also call Aerotech and speak with one of their knowledgable techs that can help steer you in the right direction.

Stuart_G · July 28, 2016

In addition to the good advice above.

The steel fibers are not really that close to KBS Tours when it comes to the bend profile. KBS Tours have stiffer butt/mid sections with softer tips while the steelfibers have more moderate butt sections and stiffer tips. That doesn't mean they might not work for you, it mainly means that we really wont be able to predict how those bend profile changes might impact how the shafts feel or preform for you and which flex will be the best match. You are just going to have to go try them to see.

Recoils might be a bit closer to the KBS Tour profile so would certainly be worth trying along with the Steelfibers.

Halebopp · July 28, 2016

I have KBS Tour stiffs (fitted for x soft stepped) and a friend of mine has the 110 x SteelFibers. To me they felt like I could make an easy transition to those. They certainly felt smoother, like there was no vibration at all coming through the shaft and the ball flight seemed similar.

Hitn18 · July 28, 2016

I have been playing the Steelfiber i95s in R flex in my Callaway Apex CF16 irons most of this season so I have a good 30 rounds under my belt with the shafts and I love them. I switched from KBS tour 90s in R flex. Just some background on how I ended up with them, like you I developed tennis elbow that I just could not seem to get rid of, add that to age and I thought it was time to explore something other than steel shafts. Got in touch with a local fitter who happens to be one of the best in the country to try out a few options, I won't list them all but I tried most of the composite shafts on the market and just kept coming back to the Steelfibers. Of course feel is very subjective but for me I felt like the the Steelfibers were giving me all of the dampening I was looking for without loosing any of the feel I liked from steel. They are long and very accurate!!!! I will agree with one comment you will see repeatedly about Steelfiber shafts they do tend to play a bit stiff so getting fit for them is a must. As for my tennis elbow without cutting out any practice time or play my tennis elbow is about 95 percent gone.

Cheers,

Jeff

Insu_baek00 · July 28, 2016

Steelfibres dont feel as responsive but enlarge the sweet spot

jrr · July 28, 2016

Made the move from kbs Tour 120 S, after a fitting, to SF 95 R several years ago. The biggest issue initially was the weight change. After talking to SF direct they said 110 would have been the way to go.

The fitter is key, [Hitn 18 if you used the same guy in Va as I did, you got lucky , mine were off in length and sw and he wouldn't do a thing after paying him $600, but that's another story]. My point is OP, the SF's need a knowledgeable fitter as they can be tricky to do correctly. Great shafts though, in the end though I couldn't sink more money into them and went Recoil 95 F4s.

Golf64 · July 28, 2016

I have found with SF you need to drop down a flex. The stiff is really stiff, at least for me. Recoils would be a better fit for me wanting a higher flight.

CJINC · July 28, 2016

My swing speed with a driver is 90-95. I play the SF in 95 in stiff flex. It really is about how you load the shaft. With my swing speed for an iron around 75 mph should be in regular but stiff is better for me .Get fitted for the shaft!

linkerpan · July 28, 2016

I had elbow issues some time ago so bad I recall using rock tape to help and the theraband flexbar for therapy. Then I came to steelfibers. At the time I was playing SS KBS Tours S, so I decided to SS the Aerotechs i95s.

I didn't like the way the performance was, so on a new set I decided go i95s in the normal way and that decision was ratified in a fitting.

Now I am playing the best golf of my life, as the 95g shaft allows me to be aggressive to the ball, improved my swing speed and the stiffness controls my dispersion to a minimum. My fitter even when as far as request the heavier heads to Mizuno so the sw could get to D2. Remember getting those shafts will change the swing weight so try to get an expert to do the swing weight for you. Gotblades here is a member and has done to mine in the past.

And about elbow pain, none in a long time.

Golfrnut · July 28, 2016

Me

KMeloney · July 28, 2016

I like mine a lot. I, too, went to them becaues of golfer's elbow issues. Whereas I rehabbed the elbow issue, it has not returned this year, and I attribute that to the Steelfibers.

I went with 110s in S (I think they may have been soft stepped, but... Maybe not. Need to look at my build sheet again...). I was playing S300s in stiff, and I'd say that the SF brought my ball flight down some (I hit it high), and now that my swing is better, I'd say that they are a bit longer than the 300s as well. Dispersion is much better, too.

I'd say they feel a lot like the S300s, but without any jarring vibrations.

For the record, I had them put in my wedges, too. My fitter and I determined that I might as well keep the shaft performance and feel through the entire set -- and there've been no adverse issues whatsoever.

Psyber · July 28, 2016

Yeah I'm going to have to find someone who has some I can demo. I did try out the Recoils in 95g with F3 flex at PGA Superstore but they couldn't find an F4 shaft anywhere and they had no Steelfiber around. I think I'll try Golfsmith this weekend and see if they have them. I must say, I really didn't mind the reduced weight of the 95g graphite shaft. I might feel different as my elbow improves and I can start doing upper body lifting again. Not that 120g feels heavy but when I'm in better shape the weight of the shaft is hardly noticeable. I found myself getting a bit more aggressive on the downswing with the lighter shaft where the heavier shaft seems to encourage me to relax and stay more in control.