Just got Rifle shafts for my irons - Will I be happy?

[Burg]

I finally bit the bullet and got fit for my irons. I have a set of CG4 Tours that I knew had the wrong shafts for my swing but didn't have the funds to make the change until now. To make a long story short, I have a swing speed in the mid-80s with a six iron and the shafts on my CG4 Tours was an ActionLite Regular Flex. I was told by the club-fitter that these weren't stiff enough and that Rifle 6.0 was the way to go so I pulled the trigger.

I've never played Rifle shafts before so I have no idea if I'm going to be happy. Anybody out there have an opinion on Rifles?

 

[Eracer]

I finally bit the bullet and got fit for my irons. I have a set of CG4 Tours that I knew had the wrong shafts for my swing but didn't have the funds to make the change until now. To make a long story short, I have a swing speed in the mid-80s with a six iron and the shafts on my CG4 Tours was an ActionLite Regular Flex. I was told by the club-fitter that these weren't stiff enough and that Rifle 6.0 was the way to go so I pulled the trigger.

I've never played Rifle shafts before so I have no idea if I'm going to be happy. Anybody out there have an opinion on Rifles?

No lack of opinions here, that's for sure. Personally, I had great success choosing my iron shafts by narrowing my choices down to four shafts, then replacing the six-iron's shaft with each of them, hitting the range and playing at least one round with each.

I tested:
Rifle 5.0
Dynamic Gold R300
Dynalite Gold S300
Dynalite Gold R300

It cost a bit extra, because of pulling and replacing the shafts, and it took a little time, but I ended up with the right shafts (Dynalite Gold R300) for my irons, and more importantly, for me.

 

[SiberianDVM]

Burg, several of us play Rifle shafts.

Mine are frequency matched 5.0s that were put together by Dana Upshaw after a visit to his shop in Macon, GA. They were selected after trying 20 or so shafts and flexes on his launch monitor. I gained about 10-15 yards per club over the Apex 4 shafts I was using. I hit the 5 iron 175-180 yards.

6.0 sounds a little stiff to me for that swing speed, but they may be right for you, especially if you have a quick transition.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

The Mizuno rep matched me for 5.5's Flighted with a 6i speed of roughly 81mph.

Realize this also has to do with tempo and transition. So if you have a really quick tempo, you may require a stiffer shaft.

He said I was in between 5.0 and 5.5, although when I told him I have a tendency of getting a little quicker on my tempo then when he tested mine, he said the 5.5 would likely be the better option.

Where I have seen some that even though they have a quicker speed, they have a much smoother tempo and transition and play 5.0

I came from CS-Lites on my old Pings and feel much more comfortable with the added weight.

 

[gunning4u]

I put some in mine just this year and I couldn't be happier. I went with 5.5, I only used the 6 iron distance guide thay have on thier web-site. I hit my 6 about 175 with a smoth swing so I went with the 5.5. I was in-between so I went a little softer but I think I could get away with the 6.0's.

 

[SilverUberXeno]

I'm curious, how fast do you guys swing the driver if your iron speed is only 80? I could be mistaken with the "only" thing though. I just assumed club speed was kind of universal on any full swing. I thought the 5.5-6.0 were pretty stiff.

Inform me!

 

[gunning4u]

108-110 give or take a few but I have know idea what my 6 iron ss is just how far I hit my 6 iron from 170 to 180 yards

 

[Eracer]

Driver 90-95mph (230-250 yards)
5-iron 70-75mph (165-170 yards)

The length of the club adds speed. Which is exactly why swing width is more important than swing length.

 

[Burg]

I'm curious, how fast do you guys swing the driver if your iron speed is only 80? I could be mistaken with the "only" thing though. I just assumed club speed was kind of universal on any full swing. I thought the 5.5-6.0 were pretty stiff.

Inform me!

I swing my driver on average 100 mph. Swing speed is a function of the length of the club (increased swing radius) so your speed should increase as you work through your clubs.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I'm curious, how fast do you guys swing the driver if your iron speed is only 80? I could be mistaken with the "only" thing though. I just assumed club speed was kind of universal on any full swing. I thought the 5.5-6.0 were pretty stiff.

Inform me!

The length of the club adds speed. Which is exactly why swing width is more important than swing length.

There are many factors, one very important being what Eracer mentioned. You also need to consider others like the shaft. I believe the weight of my iron shafts are around 135 grams, my driver shaft is graphite and weighs in at 65g. So while my driver has a 460 cc lightweight head and longer shaft it weighs in at only 334g overall weight, where my 6i weighs in at 442g.

So while my 6i speed is 81 mph, my driver has always been around 103. Although I have been going through a major transition on my driver swing this year to gain accuracy. So the beginning of the year it was around 90 with the changes and has worked it way back up to about 97 last I checked. With a much shorter swing, not to mention cutting 1 inch off my driver shaft. Probably will be about the same as before once I perfect this swing, simply because I am not breaking down and maintaining the swing width and arc that Eracer mentioned.