Mixed flex shafts in an iron set?

[plainsman]

I have a set of Adams A2 irons with mixed flex shafts. The 3H, 4H, and 7 are regular flex. The 5, 6, 8, 9, and PW are stiff flex. The hybrid shafts are graphite Aldila NV-85 and the iron shafts are steel true temper players lite.

My question is the practical effect on play especially the 7 iron. I only played a few times this year but plan for 3 rounds a month plus driving range time next year. If it makes a difference, I have the A2 GW, SW, and LW all with wedge flex steel shafts. I plan to keep the set for several years.

[firstcut]

Huh.. That's wierd for sure. It doesn't make any sense at all. The only thing that makes sense is the GW,SW, LW.. Those comes stock with the "wedge flex". I'd think the different flexes in the rest of the set could wonk you up pretty good. Probably mess up the consistancy of both feel and distance. But maybe the previous owner had a good reason and it will feel right once you play sme rounds? Considering you could probably get a used set of A2s for pretty cheap I'm not sure it would be worth re-shafting...

I don't think there's much to do but play em for a while and see how much effect it has...

[EquipmentJunkie]

I've heard of people playing softer shafts in the long irons, a friend for example uses PX 6.5 in the 3-5 and 7.0 in the 6-PW, so the softer graphite shafts in the 3H and 4H aren't standard by any means but not unheard of. As for the 7i w/ a different flex, that's odd, my guess is the previous owner lost their 7i and picked up that one as a replacement.

[plainsman]

To clarify how the set ended up this way: I purchased the set new this summer and ordered regular flex for the base set (3-PW). Until a week ago, I didn't realize the shaft stiffness was listed on the little sticker on each steel shaft; it's obvious on the hybrid shafts. This is my first new (and decent) set of clubs. It has been too long for any exchange.

My decision now is to just play them as-is or plan to do some shaft swapping this winter.

[EquipmentJunkie]

SInce you bought the set new it sounds like factory screw up to me while it is to return them to retailer it is not to late to bring this to the attention of ADAMS the manufacturer.

[firstcut]

SInce you bought the set new it sounds like factory screw up to me while it is to return them to retailer it is not to late to bring this to the attention of ADAMS the manufacturer.

I agree... And even then it depends on the retailer. Online, maybe out of luck. Local brick and mortar, better shot. Don't take no for an answer.

[plainsman]

Buying from deep discount online retailers (through ebay to boot) has risks. I didn't examine the merchandise well enough in a timely manner and it has been obviously used at this point. There was an initial error that was corrected. The original shipment had a pair of 4 hybrids instead of one 3H and one 4H. I have no doubt the steel shaft flex issue would have been resolved.

The only Adams issue is the 5 iron was mis-labeled. It is built as a stiff flex but labeled regular. I spent some time in the tech section of the true temper website after noticing the flex discrepancies and differences in the step pattern of the steel shafts.

The important question remains: will mixed shaft flexes have a practical effect on play? If so, at what proficiency level?

My hunch is a golf doctor would say "take 2 aspirin, go play lots of golf, and don't worry about shaft flex until you hold a 15 hdcp." I could be wrong and it's an issue to fix before playing much golf next year. Hence the topic.

[gibbous]

I had a set of irons re-shafted by a custom fitter, and he ended up putting S300's in my 3-7 and X100's in my 8-PW. The interesting thing is that all of these clubs came out right around a 6.0 stiffness once they were put together. Of course I can't see a set from the factory being put together in such a careful way, but it goes to show that the stiffness of the shaft in its virgin state isn't the end-all factor in how the club ends up playing. As I understand it how the shaft is cut and the relative weight of the clubhead that is put on it are equally important factors. The only way (as far as I know) to really know for sure if your clubs are mismatched would be to check the frequency of each and compare them.

[ks8829]

If I were in your shoes, I would not worry about the mixed flex shaft in your set. In the future you might considering having matching flex shaft but at this stage in your golf game, I would'nt worry about it.

I would enjoy the game and focus on hitting solid contact with the ball and practing getting up and down from around the green.

[Fat Slice]

My guess is that if you are thinking about it here, you are thinking about it when you pull out your 7-iron. Either find a way to not worry about it, or get a new club (is my free advice, worth what you paid for it).