Downsides to Graphite Shafts and SGII

[Jaybone]

After not careing for the clubs I played with last year,I purchased a set of Adams A3OS to go with my Hybrids I was playing. I got into them at a good price but haven't really hit them yet. I am nervous about playing them because they are Graphite Shafts. I have a fairly slow swing speed,I feel I lack distance,but hit the ball straight.

What are the downsides to haveing Graphite Irons? Is there any downsides to playing super game improvement irons like the A30s's if my game is kinda above that (about a 12 handi)
THanks

[pshizz]

cant hit rope hooks with them. Wide sole is hard to take divots. Topline is huge/ugly too. Thats about it.

[Power_fade]

Also will lack feel/feedback with graphite.

[Muttface]

I've got graphite on my Tour Edge game improvement irons, and Callaway fairways and driver, and prefer it over steel. I've got a fairly steep iron swing and the graphite supposedly will dampen the impact which is better for joints but bad for "feel".

My swing speed is low also (low to mid 80's at best) and although I've no hard numbers, the shafts (regular flex) seem to me to be more whippy compared to regular flex steel and I think provide a bit more distance. I should probably be playing A flexes, and have even considered woman's flex to try and get some more head speed. Graphite gives you that option.

The forgiveness for mis-hits built into the GI heads would ostensibly detract from the ability to work the ball but I've noticed I can still slice and hook inadvertently so a better player should still be able to steer it in the correct direction when he wants to.

Your best bet is to just go out and hit them and see what you can do.

[glebert]

Don't get down on them before you give them a chance.

[Shindig]

What are the downsides to haveing Graphite Irons? Is there any downsides to playing super game improvement irons like the A30s's if my game is kinda above that (about a 12 handi)

I'm a slow swing speed and I'm at the point of blaming my iron shafts for my poor play. I'm going to ask my pro about them on Saturday and possibly switch my TTDG back in.

Until a month ago, I thought I had steel in my irons. Let me explain. Last August, I wanted a new driver (old one is closed face, figured it was time for a "better player's" driver). I went to a clubfitter, unaffiliated with any club company. They have driver fitting, where you try all sorts of driver and shaft combination on a launch monitor. For a little more, they would do a full wood, irons, and putter fitting. So I figured, let's get all my equipment checked out. Now, my irons were actually fit when I bought them a few months before from Mizuno; I got TT DG R300 shafts, -.5 inches, grip slightly larger (I have long fingers). The fitter at the shop (after I've been playing these irons for a few months) suggested I replace them with AeroTech i70, i80, and i90 shafts, which (he said) are a lighter steel. I've since seen them listed as graphite at places like GolfSmith, but that is far more recent. He said that with my swing speed and the lighter steel, I would pick up some yardage. He also told me that they should be standard length (I figured it was a different standard length; last week, I actually checked this, and wouldn't you know it? These are longer than my steel shafts were). I tried it, got my new driver shaft, 3-wood shaft, and irons reshafted there. I didn't let them touch my putter, despite their telling me it was 1" too big for me (something I will keep in mind if I ever buy another putter). The re-shafting was in August. Last time my handicap dropped? Yep, August 1 recalculation to 16.3. So, what's happened? Note that I have players' irons (MP-57s). When I first got them, an off-center hit hurt, and I could immediately feel it. You know what's weird? Off-center hits don't hurt anymore with the new shafts. For a while, I just figured my alignment was horribly wrong when the shots went everywhere. Now, I think I'm also not hitting my irons anywhere near as solid. When I see my teacher on Saturday, I'm going to figure out a number of things, including whether I should get rid of these shafts and put the old ones back in. As for steel v. semi-steel?: * I didn't gain any extra yardage on the graphite (despite the 45g difference in weight. I don't know why). * I'm hitting my irons far worse than I did when I was using steel. * I'm not getting the feedback from my irons. All this realization has come to me recently, so it's kind of interesting that someone should ask about it at this time. If you have more questions, let me know. (A funny side story: I've met about half a dozen people with these iron shafts around here. The way I know them is they see me hitting the irons, see the shaft, and come and ask me if I got fit for them at the place. I don't know what it is - I have friends who don't use these shafts that got fit at this place. And I am pretty happy with the driver I got fit for there)

[flap]

I have been playing graphite shafts in my irons since my Yonex Super ADX tour forged when Phill first came out of college.I currently have Grapholloy Pro Launch Blue in my X18 Callaway irons with Regular flex.No problems here.