Shaft material. Better player perhaps playing graphite the last 10 years a mistake?

[quine]

Need your advice .  Im A former scratch player who at 56 because of injuries went to graphite in my irons .im currently 66 years old .   Originally aerotech 95s, recoil 95s and now at 66 using mmt 65 shafts … I’m getting lighter and lighter and maybe playing worse and worse .  I still use heavier steel in my 54 and 58 degree wedges and when hitting balls today I had a lightbulb moment.   I seem to smooth out these wedges and have a decent flight as well.  Wondering if I’d be better off going back to steel,  something light weight still with some shock absorption (thinking nippon) .  It’s been so long in graphite that maybe it’s time to rethink it.   Anyone have experience with both graphite and steel and do better with steel ? 

Edited July 29 by quine

[taki27]

Why did you keep going lighter with your graphite shafts?

[vietnameeh]

Id focus on injury prevention and if it means playing graphite you may want to experiment keeping graphite just go up in weight.

[quine]

I kept going lighter due to some injuries and losing speed.  Figuring lighter could help to get back some lost distance 

[rsballer10]

2 minutes ago, quine said:

I kept going lighter due to some injuries and losing speed.  Figuring lighter could help to get back some lost distance 

did you ever hit the same club with different shafts side by side?

 

 

[Pepperturbo]

56 minutes ago, quine said:

Need your advice .  Im A former scratch player who at 56 because of injuries went to graphite in my irons .im currently 66 years old .   Originally aerotech 95s, recoil 95s and now at 66 using mmt 65 shafts … I’m getting lighter and lighter and maybe playing worse and worse .  I still use heavier steel in my 54 and 58 degree wedges and when hitting balls today I had a lightbulb moment.   I seem to smooth out these wedges and have a decent flight as well.  Wondering if I’d be better off going back to steel,  something light weight still with some shock absorption (thinking nippon) .  It’s been so long in graphite that maybe it’s time to rethink it.   Anyone have experience with both graphite and steel and do better with steel ? 

I tested graphite as light as in 50ish, 65ish, and 70ish; I couldn't slow my tempo down consistently, and as a result, I was erratic, with too much left dispersion.

 

Overall, been using composite since 2018, before that PX 6.0 (120g) for 15+yrs.  The change was not for physical reasons just wear and tear, comfort and distance as I fight father time.  However, I did go back to steel recently, out of my love for PX Red 6.0 (lighter 110g version); it only lasted a few months. They are great shafts, but no gains. Didn't like the feel on poor strikes, so reverted to Pro 95i tour spec stiff graphite in 2i-9i, and the same shaft, only 116g in PW and DG Tour Issue steel in 52 & 58.

 

As much as I enjoy steel in my wedges for feel, steel is no longer the answer for my full-shot game.

[gripandrip]

Lighter doesn't always result in faster. I'm a 2 handicap, and moved from DG300S to i95S (Steelfiber). I didn't find any considerable increase in speed due to the lighter shafts. I've tried lighter shafts and can't find my tempo with them. I also play heavier shafts in my wedges (S400). I found that I prefer the heavier shafts, but like the softer feel of the i95's on my older body (I'm 64). I also lost some consistency when trying out lighter shafts. I tried the i110's in SF, but the profile on that shaft is significantly different to the i95's.

 

My backup set of clubs has S300 shafts. I really like the feel of the heavier shaft. I'm thinking about trying the MMT105's for the slightly heavier shafts. On another point, I have made sure to match swing weights between the sets.

 

Good luck.

[quine]

59 minutes ago, rsballer10 said:

did you ever hit the same club with different shafts side by side?

 

 

No,  that wasn’t an option when testing but that’s a wise one.  I’ve booked a Titleist fitting in August,  curious to try the 250 irons (launch version) and will do that for sure 

 

[gdb99]

I’m 63, and want to try out some graphite shafts myself. I bought an older set of irons with 75 gram shafts. Not good. Way too light. I have been fit for steel shafts in the 100 gram range. Tried my buddies Steelfiber i95 regular flex shafts the other. They felt great to me. Looking for a set…

 

There is the possibility that going too light is not good. You loose your tempo..

[rsballer10]

12 minutes ago, quine said:

No,  that wasn’t an option when testing but that’s a wise one.  I’ve booked a Titleist fitting in August,  curious to try the 250 irons (launch version) and will do that for sure 

 

What I've found with fittings is (1) you need a good fitter but (2) that's not always enough. make sure the fitter knows what you like/don't like and what you are looking for. See what they say about shaft weight and let them know you suspect that may be one of the culprits. don't be afraid to steer the fitting a bit. I've had fittings where I hit 1 head/shaft combo, then a completely different combo, then another combo. It felt like we weren't testing anything - was it the head or the shaft? Who knows!!! If that happens, get the guy back on track. Also consider if that happens, do you trust the fitting at all? Sometimes the right answer is to pay the fitting fee and move on.

 

4 minutes ago, gdb99 said:

There is the possibility that going too light is not good. You loose your tempo..

We have a winner folks 💯

[Ger21]

2 hours ago, quine said:

I still use heavier steel in my 54 and 58 degree wedges and when hitting balls today I had a lightbulb moment.   I seem to smooth out these wedges and have a decent flight as well.  Wondering if I’d be better off going back to steel,  something light weight still with some shock absorption

At 57 I went from Dynamic gold to 95g graphite, and played terrible for 2 years. Went back to steel, and started playing great again.
This year went to 120 graphite, and it's been a seamless transition.
If I were you, I'd try some 105g graphite before going to steel.

[Stuart_G]

15 hours ago, quine said:

Need your advice .  Im A former scratch player who at 56 because of injuries went to graphite in my irons .im currently 66 years old .   Originally aerotech 95s, recoil 95s and now at 66 using mmt 65 shafts … I’m getting lighter and lighter and maybe playing worse and worse .  I still use heavier steel in my 54 and 58 degree wedges and when hitting balls today I had a lightbulb moment.   I seem to smooth out these wedges and have a decent flight as well.  Wondering if I’d be better off going back to steel,  something light weight still with some shock absorption (thinking nippon) .  It’s been so long in graphite that maybe it’s time to rethink it.   Anyone have experience with both graphite and steel and do better with steel ? 

 

It seems pretty clear to me.  You do need to go back to a heavier shaft but that doesn't mean you need to go back to steel.  The problem is weight, not material.  So the solution is going to be weight - not material.   There are some decent heavier graphite options available.   Maybe not as much choice as you have in steel above 100 gm - but there are enough to give you a decent amount of choice.   If there are health issues that are pushing you toward graphite - it's best to stick with graphite.    No steel shaft will ever come close to what graphite can do for shock absorption.

 

[phizzy30]

20 hours ago, quine said:

Need your advice .  Im A former scratch player who at 56 because of injuries went to graphite in my irons .im currently 66 years old .   Originally aerotech 95s, recoil 95s and now at 66 using mmt 65 shafts … I’m getting lighter and lighter and maybe playing worse and worse .  I still use heavier steel in my 54 and 58 degree wedges and when hitting balls today I had a lightbulb moment.   I seem to smooth out these wedges and have a decent flight as well.  Wondering if I’d be better off going back to steel,  something light weight still with some shock absorption (thinking nippon) .  It’s been so long in graphite that maybe it’s time to rethink it.   Anyone have experience with both graphite and steel and do better with steel ? 

Keep the graphite and go heavier.  I think your issues happened when you went with the 65 gram shafts.  I'm turning 45 next month and have been rocking graphite for the past 13 years because of injuries and what not.  Steel will be always be steel in that it will always be harsher than graphite even if you put those vibration absorbing inserts in.  Believe me, I've tried those and while they do dampen vibration, it's not as much as you'd think.  

Edited July 30 by phizzy30

[Bt31st]

I have had a similar experience.  55 with some past elbow issues.  Based on my moderate swing speed, I tried to transition to 75 gram graphite.  Tried MMT 75R then Steelfiber 75R.  Had trouble finding the middle of the face with that weight so switched to Modus 105R in new irons.  Much better results so far.  I know I will eventually have to go back to graphite. Problem is that anything around 100 grams or so is very stiff in graphite.  Anyone try to softstep heavier graphite to make it play more like comparable weight steel?  Or the softer FC Steelfibers?

[quine]

Thanks for the great feedback.   Consensus seems to lean toward graphite and that’s the direction I’m definitely leaning towards.   Age and injuries , gotta love them but never going to give up trying to do the best I can.   

[NRJyzr]

On 7/30/2025 at 1:46 PM, Bt31st said:

I have had a similar experience.  55 with some past elbow issues.  Based on my moderate swing speed, I tried to transition to 75 gram graphite.  Tried MMT 75R then Steelfiber 75R.  Had trouble finding the middle of the face with that weight so switched to Modus 105R in new irons.  Much better results so far.  I know I will eventually have to go back to graphite. Problem is that anything around 100 grams or so is very stiff in graphite.  Anyone try to softstep heavier graphite to make it play more like comparable weight steel?  Or the softer FC Steelfibers?

 

Fujikura Pro comes in both stiff and regular at 95g.  May be worth a look.