Graffaloy prolaunch red for game improvement club (Adams idea A3)?

[BioGolfNebraska]

So recently I have decided that I hate the 6 and 7 iron of my Adams idea A7OS set because they are trying to be a "hybrid" between hybrid and iron, resulting in an ackwardly chunky club that is longer than a typical 6 or 7 iron.  I have replaced them with my old Tommy armour 845s 6 and 7 iron, but I would like to get something a little more modern and forgiving that fits with the set a little more smoothly.  I love the 8,9, and PW of my A7OS set, so I decided to try out getting a NON-OS Adams Idea iron to replace the 6 and 7, thinking they should be similar to the OS 8,9,and PW.  I just bought on ebay an Adams idea A3 7 iron (it hasn't arrived yet) for around $20 to give a try.

My only concern is the shaft: it is a stiff graphite graffaloy prolaunch red, which I have red is designed for better players who want a low, penetrating ball flight.  I'm pretty sure this is the stock shaft for this iron (at least the stock graphite shaft), but my question is:  has anyone ever used these shafts on their irons? and will this shaft play very strange compared to my steel stiff shafts?  Do you think the graphite shaft will create too big of a distance gap between my 8 iron (currently my ~110-115 club) and this new 7 iron?

I do not know my swing speed, but I assume it is fairly low (at least with my irons).  My 7 iron only goes about 125 yards, so I thought trying out the graphite might be good because I would like to be able to hit a 7 iron around 140 without having to muscle it (I can hit my T.A. 7 iron around 140 if I really put all my muscle into it, but this gives the chance for a big fat shot).  I do hit my driver 250-270 yards with a little draw now that I am more confident in my full swing (this is a recent thing, as only a couple weeks ago my driver would only go ~200 yards with a fade).

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by BioGolfNebraska

So recently I have decided that I hate the 6 and 7 iron of my Adams idea A7OS set because they are trying to be a "hybrid" between hybrid and iron, resulting in an ackwardly chunky club that is longer than a typical 6 or 7 iron.  I have replaced them with my old Tommy armour 845s 6 and 7 iron, but I would like to get something a little more modern and forgiving that fits with the set a little more smoothly.  I love the 8,9, and PW of my A7OS set, so I decided to try out getting a NON-OS Adams Idea iron to replace the 6 and 7, thinking they should be similar to the OS 8,9,and PW.  I just bought on ebay an Adams idea A3 7 iron (it hasn't arrived yet) for around $20 to give a try.

My only concern is the shaft:  it is a stiff graphite graffaloy prolaunch red, which I have red is designed for better players who want a low, penetrating ball flight.  I'm pretty sure this is the stock shaft for this iron (at least the stock graphite shaft), but my question is:  has anyone ever used these shafts on their irons? and will this shaft play very strange compared to my steel stiff shafts?  Do you think the graphite shaft will create too big of a distance gap between my 8 iron (currently my ~110-115 club) and this new 7 iron?

I do not know my swing speed, but I assume it is fairly low (at least with my irons).  My 7 iron only goes about 125 yards, so I thought trying out the graphite might be good because I would like to be able to hit a 7 iron around 140 without having to muscle it (I can hit my T.A. 7 iron around 140 if I really put all my muscle into it, but this gives the chance for a big fat shot).  I do hit my driver 250-270 yards with a little draw now that I am more confident in my full swing (this is a recent thing, as only a couple weeks ago my driver would only go ~200 yards with a fade).

For 20$, who cares? Worth at least trying it out. Besides, it looks like you already bought it. Not worth reshafting a 20$ club IMO unless you know what sort of shaft you want for sure. You'll pay that much for a new shaft and again for the work.

I never found Grafalloy's shafts to play stiff. If anything, I'd say they're moderately soft to flex. I never hit the prolaunch red in an iron, but it's really more of a mid launch, a bit soft in the butt, and easy to load in the driver.

"Better players" generally are going to play steel or at least a heavier graphite shaft in their irons unless they need distance or shock absorption. The Prolaunch Red doesn't even come in X flex in irons, which tells you it's geared towards slower swingers overall and the "better players" claim is a bit strained. And no, the 80g stiff graphite will play well softer than your stiff steel in all likelihood. It will spin low enough to prevent ballooning, but honestly at that iron distance I don't see much ballooning happening anyway. It will probably work fine for you unless the low weight throws you off or something.

[BioGolfNebraska]

I have had no intentions of reshafting a $20 club.  I'm just curious if I should expect more distance, or if I should swing differently (more lightly?) with this new club with the graphite shaft.  I probably shouldn't be playing stiff steel shafts, anyway, with my swing speed, but I was told they would be better for the long run as I keep playing and my swing improves (I'm 24 and have been playing for a little over a year).  I very rarely hit my 7 iron currently unless we play one local course with a couple of short par 3s, because I am very rarely 120 yards out.  If I could get near 130 or 140 with this 7 iron (but still have the accuracy of a 7 iron, and consistency), the club would be more useful.  This is what I'm hoping for with the graphite shaft and the more traditional (relative to GI irons) style of this 7 iron.

I guess we will see when it comes if I get any more yardage/accuracy with this club compared to the psuedohybrid-like 7 iron of the A7OS set.

[Michael Garrard]

I removed these shafts from my set of A-3's. Arthritis started acting up and on poor strikes it felt like I was using rebar for shafts. This caused me to back away from hitting down on the ball, which caused a lot of thin shots. Good, flsh contact felt great, but I just couldn't trust myself.

Ended up putting Graphie Design G-Techs, trimmed between R and S (combination flex shaft), and I like them a lot.

Hope this helps.

[BioGolfNebraska]

So I just played a round and used this club on some par 3s for the heck of it.  My typical 7 iron hit (with my old a7os club) is ~120-125 yards.  With this club, on 2 holes I hit the club a beautiful 140 yards with a slight draw right on the green (I expected to maybe hit a little further, so I decided what the heck on these 140 yard shots, coming up short is okay on them).  I really like this club and shaft, but haven't gotten to hit it much.  I like hitting it during a round because I am more confident of distances. I do not have a rangefinder, so it is hard for me to tell how far I am hitting clubs at a driving range.

Anyways, this makes me want graphite shafts for all my clubs.. I feel like they are too stiff/heavy for me, maybe?  This is definitely not going to happen, though.  Unfortunately my 8 iron can only be hit 110, but my new 7 iron 130-140.  The OS clubs launch a little too high, I think, which kills some distance for me.  I guess I will see what I can do about trying to get some more yards out of my short irons- I would like to be able to hit an 8 iron about 120 and a 9 110 (about 10 yards longer than what I have now) in order to make some of these short par 3s and short approach shots with easier clubs.

[bunkerputt]

I can't comment on the prolaunch red in the irons, but I'm using it now in my driver at least until the fall winds ratchet back down in Texas.  The launch is definitely low and the spin is incredibly low.  My drives average 11.2 launch and 1800 RPM spin with this shaft compared with most others in the mid 12* and 2200 RPM backspin, same static face loft.  What I get is a medium-height knuckleball that rolls out 50 yards.  Honestly, if I were hitting my 8-iron 110 yards, I would take some lessons, hit the gym, or move to Denver.  No offense intended if you have health issues.

[BioGolfNebraska]

Hah, no offense taken (and no health issues here). i am now at the point where I can crank a 7 iron about 145 yards. However, I tend to swing much more slowly and put it at about 125-130 because I am not confident enough in my full power swing. If I go full swing i still am at the point where I can really duff it occasionally. I can hit my 4 hybrid at the range to almost 200 yards (with roll-out), but I still tend to play it as my 160 yard club on the course. I am very consistent with this 60% swing, but am slowly working it up to around 85% so I can play my short irons/mid irons from reasonble distances.