Question

1.29K viewsOctober 19, 2023

BadSwing 14 October 19, 2023 0 Comments

I just purchased a set of 4-PW heads that I want to build with some Nippon 950GH .370 Stiff shafts that are in my current irons. I’ve disassembled my current 7 iron which was measuring 37-1/8. I took the pulled out shaft and inserted into the TS3 head and see that finished playing length with the pulled out shaft is going to be 36-3/8″. So the total difference is 3/4″.

The difference in finished length is do to the combination of a shorter hosel, lower bottom of bore to ground measurement (BBGM) and a deeper bore depth in the TS3 heads.

I understand that the lower BBGM will make the clubs play stiffer than they do in my current irons. So I was thinking of soft stepping the TS3’s by one club (4 iron shaft onto 5 iron, etc). I understand that in soft stepping them the finished length of each club is going to be 1/4″ shorter than they are now.

So here is my question. Is there any way to determine how stiff the clubs will play from the above data? I know that half stepping in the same heads would normally result in something midway between regular and stiff? But with the change in the BBGM and length I’m not sure what the result would be.

Britt Lindsey Answered question October 19, 2023

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Answer 1 · 2023-10-20T10:43:42+00:00

Difficult to say for sure. I am assuming from what you said you are not going to put extensions in to get back to the 37 1/8″ playing length. And, if you are going to let the length be shorter, I am assuming you are not going to add weight back to the heads to get the swing weight back up? Doing nothing to the head weight and length, playing the shorter length, and putting the 6 iron shaft in the 7 iron, etc., my guess is they would probably be 1/3 to 1/2 a flex softer. Honestly, unless the shorter length actually fits you, I think getting another set of shafts and playing the correct length that fits you would yield a better performing club, but I understand if you don’t want to go that route.

Britt Lindsey

Hi Britt,

Thanks for your feedback. I realize that there are a lot of moving parts in this equation and it’s hard to be definitive. And in the end it may be that, as you suggest, the best route to go will be to get nen shafts altogether.

Going back 20 years or so every time I’ve been fitted I’ve always ended up in the Nippon shafts. The last fitting was a couple of years ago at Club Champion where the fitter would not move me out of the shafts I’m currently playing (although he suggested moving me to TM P790 heads). In the end it wasn’t worth $1,200 to do that. That’s why I’m trying to see if I can make what I have work.

Maybe you can help me in this way. Can you give me a sense of how much stiffer a club will play with the 3/4″ reduction in BBGM?

Knowing that will help me figure out what I might be able to attempt to do with the current shafts. And if there is no remedy to my current shafts then it would also help me understand what I might have to do with new shafts to get the right flex in such a low BBGM head.

Thanks,

Tony