Spent some time w/the DG S300 and Project X 5.5 today.

[rebby]

So I see a lot of questions on the internet about the DG S300 vs the Project X 5.5/6.0. I have yet to find many responses on this topic yet though so I thought that I'd through my hat into the ring.

Anyway, I spent a few hours at the local golf shop today swinging some Titleist ZB's w/both the DG S300 and the Project X 5.5. My 6 iron swing speed is in the low 90's (average was roughly 92mph) and my transition tempo is on the faster side so both of these shafts may be just a tad on the soft side for me (comments on that?).

I started off w/the Project X 5.5 and did hit some good shots with this shaft. My 6 iron SS was a tad higher w/these shafts than with the JZ's in my i3's and with the DG S300 (average SS was about 94mph) which may have been due to the shaft weight. The X 5.5 felt a lighter than the S300. I hit the ball slightly higher w/the X 5.5 so the total carry distance was roughly the same as with the S300, maybe a yard or two further. The spin rate was also slightly lower, on the average, just a few hundred RPM. I'm not sure that this is significant enough to really matter though.

Flip the statements in the last paragraph and you'll have a pretty good idea of what I thought about the DG S300. It felt a bit heavier, a lot like my JZ's really. SS was roughly the same w/the S300 as well (average SS was about 92mph). With the S300 I hit the ball slightly lower than with the X 5.5 but overall distance was roughly the same with both shafts.

Overall I really liked both shafts but, so far anyway, I'm giving the edge to the S300. The S300 felt a lot better in my hands, it had a slightly softer feel than the X 5.5 and I felt that I could feel the difference between a pure shot and a miss-hit slightly better w/the S300. The X 5.5 was good in this respect as well but a pure shot didn't have that awe-inspiring pure feel like the S300 did. The feel was slightly harsher which meant that the delta between a miss-hit and a pure shot just wasn't as steep.

In the end I was a lot more comfortable with the S300. It felt better in my hands than the X 5.5 did which was likely due to the additional weight. I preferred the feel of the S300 as well.

Based on the numbers I really thought that I'd prefer the Project X over the DG. I was actually pretty surprised. I'll file away today's experience and demo both of these shafts again sometime in the next week or so. I really don't expect things to change, and I'm not looking for them to either (nothing really changed from my first driver demo to my last). I'd like to try both of these shafts in something a little stiffer, 6.0 and X300, to see if that suits my swing a little better. I was pretty consistent but there was room for improvement. Perhaps moving to XS shaft will help in that regard?

As for the ZB? Well, I think that this will be my next set of irons. They had a demo set there so I was able to swing a number of the clubs and I was really happy with them. They felt great (especially w/the S300's), I was able to work the ball at will and they were quite a bit more forgiving than I had expected. I'd still like to demo some ZM's but it's going to take quite a bit to beat the ZB's. Oh, I've crossed the AP2's off the list. They just aren't what I'm looking for this time around.

I'm sure that I left something out so let me know if you have any questions. I'll do my best to answer them.

[polodinks]

i have s300s in my ap1's and loved them and the s300's are my next shaft i also like the extra weight..... it just feels better..... my cousins x20 tours with project x's just felt to flimsy to me in my hands i like a heavier club and those ZB's are my next club as soon as i sell my ap1's

[goblue107501]

I also tested both shafts quite a bit in my search for new clubs.

For me, both the S300 and PX 5.5 performed about the same. Same ball flight, length and control. I had S300 in my old set but was hindered a bit in that if I really tried to get after a shot the ball would typically drift a little left. Plus, I hit a really high ball and had gradually become less and less able to hit something low. I was thinking that the PX 6.0 would be a better fit because I wanted something a little stiffer that would promote a lower ball flight. When I hit that one it was like swinging a steel pipe. I couldn't get the ball to do anything but drift to the right. I was constantly fighting it to get the clubhead to square at the bottom of the swing. I was really disappointed thinking that I would have to just go back to the S300 and have my same problems.

The pro who let me use the Titleist fitting cart suggested I try the X100. From everything I had read and heard before, the X100 was always listed as a stiffer shaft than the PX 6.0 so I figured if I can't hit the 6.0 I would have no chance. I was wrong. The X100 fits me perfectly. I can really get after a shot and the ball stays straight, and I can hit the ball low (well, lower anyway) if I need to. It will take some time to get used to it, but I am very pleased with the decision. I have no idea what my swing speed is and don't really care. I was basing the whole decision on what felt right and what performed the best. The X100 was the winner.

Moral of my story here is that every swing is different and there is probably a shaft that will fit any swing. Just because something is printed about flex and swing speed doesn't make it a law for actual play. They are a good guideline, but you really have to test many options to see what shaft fits your swing. Someone who uses the PX 6.0 might have a slower swing speed than me, but the shaft fits the way they swing.

BTW, the ZB forged clubs are incredible.

[rebby]

It's probably worth mentioning that I hit the ZB's about a club further than my i3's. This is based on the distances that the launch monitor reported (which turned out to be pretty accurate with my driver testing). I didn't have one of my i3's along for the ride though so I couldn't do a direct comparison. For those of you that have ZB's (or even ZM's) do you find that you hit these further than a cavity back (that would be comparable to my i3 blades)?

[rebby]

So I gave this test another shot today. Today I tried the ZB's (they don't have a single ZM) w/the Project X 5.5, DG S300 and DG X100. I also brought my i3's w/XS JZ's along for the ride.

As I experienced before, I really didn't like the Project X. In fact, I quickly scrapped it and really concentrated on the DG S300 and DG X100.

I had all 3 shafts frequency tested and found that the X100 was nearly identical to my XS JZ Cusion shafts. This makes perfect sense to me. The JZ's are stamped True Temper and they're very likely just a PING branded X100 (can anybody confirm this?). The S300 tested just a hair softer than both the JZ and the X100. It sat right between the (fictional) industry "standard" for stiff and extra stiff.

Once again my swing speed settled in around 92mph regardless of what shaft/head combo that I was swinging. My i3 6 iron was going about 188 yards which is roughly what I experience on the course. The ZB went about 196 with both the X100 and S300. I'm guessing that this might be due to the D2 swing weight in the ZB vs the D0 swing weight of my i3's (again, can anybody confirm this?). The length of the Titleist (0.75" longer) may have a bit to do with it as well (the ZB is also 0.5' weaker in loft and 1' flatter).

My consistency with both the X100 and S300 was about the same although I think that I was hitting the S300 a little straighter. With a 92mph swing speed the pro there indicated that I was right in between a stiff and an extra stiff (leaning towards the XS). He felt that XS might be a bit better since it should tighten up my shot dispersion. The launch monitor wasn't really showing any measurable difference in this regard however. Where a difference was noticeable however was in the launch angle. With the X100 I was getting the exact same launch angle out of the ZB that I get with my i3's. With the S300 my launch angle increased by about 2' with no measurable loss in carry.

I currently hit my i3's a little lower than I'd really like. I compensate for this by making a pretty steep descending "attack" at the ball which, I feel, results in some inconsistencies. I think that the higher launch angle would ultimately be a pretty big benefit for me.

So, at this point in the game, I'm looking at either a ZM or ZB with the S300. I'd like to give kudos to Titleist for putting together a pretty solid "off the rack" set of clubs. Somehow after hundreds of swings with both fitting cart and demo sticks, I've settled in on an "off the rack" configuration. The lie angle has been perfect from the start (nearly identical to my green i3's) and even after a ton of testing, it's got the shaft that I prefer too. Thumbs up Titleist!

[mikelaw]

s300 and x100's rock the house for sure!

only reason id like to try project x's is because i hear they are very accurate. any truth to that?

[JYB]

with that kind of swing speed, wouldn't you get 6.0's or 6.5's ? 92 MPH on a 6 iron is fast.

[rebby]

with that kind of swing speed, wouldn't you get 6.0's or 6.5's ? 92 MPH on a 6 iron is fast.

I haven't been able to find an X 6.0 or 6.5 to test. The 6.0 is about the same stiffness as the X100 however and I actually preferred the softer S300.

[JYB]

actually, the 6.0 would be the s400 equivalent. x100 would be 6.5.

[iacas]

actually, the 6.0 would be the s400 equivalent. x100 would be 6.5.

I think that's a bit off.

The S400 is stiff and 134 grams. The PX6 is 125 grams. Even the PX6.5 is only 130 grams. S300s are generally thought to be about PX5.75s if you go by flex.

[The Rambler]

Nippon? Those things are SWEET. I'll never go back to DG

[Lefty731PM]

s300 and x100's rock the house for sure!

A shaft that is matched to a particular swing will suit that player. No shaft can be described as being "accurate".

[SALUKI LEFTY]

What project x shaft is comparable to DG R300 ? I have the DG R300 in my MP57's and love them, just curious what proj x shaft compares to it.

Thanks

[907golfer12]

What project x shaft is comparable to DG R300 ? I have the DG R300 in my MP57's and love them, just curious what proj x shaft compares to it.

I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, a Project X 5.0 is the closest stock that you can get. But I think hardstepped 5.0's are the closer.

[rebby]

I hit the ZB's some more yesterday with the S300 and was very pleased. As I moved down the set I liked the irons more and more. I hit the 5, 7 and 8 the most since at this point I'm trying to decide between the ZB and ZM (with a strong focus on 7 vs 8). Of these 3 I liked the 8 iron the most. The 8 iron is a ZB badged ZM for all intensive purposes. Although not an apples to apples comparison, it's as close as I could get. I also hit a bunch of shots with an S300 shafted 695MB which I really liked as well. At the end of the day I was pretty convinced that I going with ZM's.

I searched high and low and couldn't find any ZM's locally to hit or buy so I called Titleist last week and if they had any suggestions. They had a few names of places that stocked demo clubs but none locally. Oh well, after hitting the ZB's yesterday I decided that I'd call a few of those dealers anyway to see if they were willing to sell their demo sets and offer some type of 30 day return policy if I changed my mind and decided on ZB's instead. We'll I found one. They had a demo set of ZM's with the S300. Best part is, nobody ever really demoed them (I guess that their AP2's got beat up quite a bit though)! They sent me a few pics and they looked new, almost no wear. They offered them to me at a substantial discount and a pretty wide open return policy. I couldn't turn that down.

So, I've got a set of DG S300 Titleist ZM's on the way. I can't wait!

Now I need to decide, do I want to go back to a 3 wood instead of the ZB 2 iron? I'm thinking that I probably will (Callaway FT Tour 15' w/XS Diamana white) since I hit the ZM's further than my i3's anyway which makes the ZM 3 more like my current 2 anyway.

[sk71]

with that kind of swing speed, wouldn't you get 6.0's or 6.5's ? 92 MPH on a 6 iron is fast.

I think JYB is correct. you should chose your shaft based on the manufacturer's data.

Project X fitting chart is attached. Rebby, you should be in PX 6.0 or 6.5. If you are used to hitting s300, my guess is you're not going to like the 5.5's. I was also contemplating the two shafts and because of so many threads and fitters claiming s300 is equivalent to PX 5.5's that I almost ordered it. I have average SS of 88 with the 6i and I was hitting moon shots with the 5.5 and hated the PX. And the frustrating thing is nobody has 6.0's to demo! I was going to stick with the S300 and found the attached chart at Project X website. I just went straight to Roger Dunn and ordered it with Project X 6.0. I figured if I don't like it, i can just return it and get the S300 shafted clubs. (I like Roger Dunn for this reason. full refund within 90 days) No "What if's" know what I mean? well, I took it out and to my surprise, I loved the shafts. I never hit my irons so straight and the low-penetrating ball flight was exactly what I was looking for. Please don't take my input the wrong way...I just want you to try the 6.0's. You'll like it!!!

[907golfer12]

I think JYB is correct. you should chose your shaft based on the manufacturer's data. Project X fitting chart is attached.

I think that is very incorrect, I don't think that you should use the manufacturers data, heck IIRC, on that chart that you mentioned it says "Suggested Shaft." I mean my 6 iron SS is about the same as yours, but my tempo is smooth, so I HATE 6.0's, heck I don't really like 5.5's or S300s. But I think you should choose shafts on feel, and performance, like I said my 6 iron swing speed is right around yours, and my favorite shafts are the R300 and 5.0s. Why? Because my tempo is smooth and I don't load the shaft very well.

[sk71]

Sorry, I attached a jpeg but it won't upload. if this won't work, just goto the link. scroll all the way to the bottom and look for "Fitting Chart"

http://www.royalprecision.com/precis..._projectx.html