I have arthritic wrists and elbows and graphite shafts help, but need very soft feeling irons. Are these irons considered soft feeling?
Although there may be softness or hardness differences in the steel used to make an iron, the differences are generally something players can not detect. Blind tests have been done to prove it, but players will believe that they can tell the difference. I think I can, but in reality I probably can’t. The important thing to know is that a hard feeling head is usually the result of a head that does not have the best mass and dimensional characteristics. We have had players, good players, hit our KE4 S iron and ask if it’s forged because it felt so soft. Same goes for our MP-1 Hybrid type iron set. Same goes for the STi. It may not be that way for all, but I believe the stability of the design will impact the “feel” a player will experience. Yes, the 1025 or 1030 Carbon Steel forgings Rockwell hardness is a softer number than the 431 heat treated stainless of some of the cast clubs, but not as much a difference as you may think. We can, and do, heat treat 431 stainless to make them softer. I think the only way to really know if a combination of shaft and head provides you with the softness of feel you need is to try them. The graphite shafts will reduce the low frequency vibrations that travel up the shaft and cause the discomfort simply because of the material. Composite material does that. So you have done the major thing you can do to reduce the stress on the wrists and elbows by playing composite graphite shafts. Combine that with a well designed head that suits your eye and game and you have done what you can to reduce the stress.
Britt Lindsey
I realize the controversy about forged vs. cast. I have hit forged clubs with graphite that hurt, especially on mishits. I now hit Cobra Amp Cells which are cast but never hurt. The ST-I irons intrigue me because of the narrow sole which I like because I am a picker.