(I think) I need to match the XCaliber (red-colored) shaft sold by the Golfworks about 10-12 years ago.  If anyone knows of this shaft or a really close match that is in stock somewhere let me know.  I’ve outlined the details of my saga so far below …

My “gamer” set is old and beat up.  These are the Dynacraft Prophet MB, a true blade but with a shallow cavity and extra weight low on the toe.  These have a very narrow sole that can knife through turf like the blades of old.  They are playable from the worst of lies.  These came out shortly after the 2010 groove rule change, but were never submitted.  I paired them with the stiff XCaliber shafts sold by The Golfworks at the time.   Nothing I’ve ever played has come close to the performance of this set.  It’s just a really good match for my game.

In fitting myself all I really wanted was to create a set that is shiny and new, close to my old set, and USGA approved.  I thought perhaps the new Golfworks TS-4 would come close, but then I also needed to find a shaft.

I ordered the TS-4 heads, did the calculations for a 7.2 gram head-to-head progression, and built up the PW and 4-iron with MPF Pro stiff shafts (BUT with the hybrid shafts, since your stiff iron shafts were out of stock).  By the book these are supposed to be lower torque than the iron shafts.

I had a chance to play/practice with them.  I think I made a mistake with the shafts.  I trimmed them with just a half inch soft step, as the general consensus is that these shafts play stiff.  I don’t think this is true, at least in comparison to other stiff shafts I have played, especially the XCalibers.  After experiencing some control problems with the 4-iron, I did a torque comparison just with my hands.  The MPFs were much easier to twist.  They also were clearly softer.  I think they would work well for a hybrid and a sweeping swing, but it wasn’t a good match for the descending blow that I tend to put on an iron shot.  I’m really looking for something that is tip-stiff, low torque, and in that 85-95 gram range.  Going back to steel seems like a step in reverse.  I should note that the feeling I got using this hybrid shaft for a 4-iron was that it seemed almost “hollow.”  Difficult to describe, but it didn’t feel like there was any material down there despite being only a few grams lighter than my XCaliber gamers and other shafts I’ve played over the years.

FYI, for some reason (that has never happened before), I had trouble pulling the XCalibers and decided just to go with a new shaft after 15 minutes of applied heat.  I’ll have to investigate.  Maybe the thermostat on my gun.  I’ve never lost a shaft in a pull and did not want to make these the first.

Can anyone on the board suggest a match for what I had in the XCalibers?  I’d like to give my business to The Golfworks and even promote the brand in my retirement village.  We have 9 golf courses.