Hard-Stepping

[Bart]

I just got custom-fitted for a set of '09 Burners. My instructor/fitter recommended KBS x-stiff shafts, and I said ok, fine. I'm new to this, so I take his recommendations.

Today, he called and said the '09 Burners can't be fitted with the KBS x-stiff shafts. He said I could switch to the Dynamic Gold x100s, but he still recommended the KBS and that the solution was to "hard-step" the shafts to achieve a stiffer flex.

I've tried to research this online, but I still don't feel like I have a really good grasp of what hard-stepping entails and whether there are any potential problems/issues with doing it. I generally trust this guy, but thought you guys would be a good source of second opinions. The reason I decided to pay the money to get custom-fitted is because I expect to use these irons for a long time and feel like the investment is worth it. But I'd like to know exactly what I'm getting into before I pull the trigger.

Thanks for your help.

[James_Black]

  None said:

Taper shafts are designed for individual clubs to give a specific type of performance assuming a headweight within a given range. If the headweight is higher than that range, the shaft will play weaker. If it's lower, then the shaft will play stouter. A single softstep is assembling a set with the 4i shaft in the 5i head - 7gm heavier so it'll play about 2-3 cpm softer - a subtle difference. A double softstep would be assembling with the 4i shaft in the 6i - wea ker yet, and a noticeable difference. Hardstepping is the reverse - 5i shaft in the 4i, etc.

There you go.

[LBlack14]

KBS shafts are about twice the cost of DG shafts. KBS does come in X-flex, how was he gonna hard step them, up from S or from X? I'd probably find another guy. JMHO

[Bart]

  LBlack14 said:

KBS shafts are about twice the cost of DG shafts. KBS does come in X-flex, how was he gonna hard step them, up from S or from X? I'd probably find another guy. JMHO

Up from S. He said that TaylorMade does not offer X stiff in the Burners 370 tip size.

[misty_mountainhop]

If they're 0.370" hosels you can hard step by tip trimming a given shaft more than recommended for the club i.e. tip trim for a 6i and insert in a 5i head. Can do fractions of a flex this way as well which I don't think you can do in a .355" taper shaft. Soft stepping just goes the other way.

There may be issues with retaining differing amounts of the butt end of the shaft in the finished club but I don't know enough about it to know what the implications will be! A hard stepped 5i will need to retain more butt than a standard 5i to be the same finished length and the butt end is the stiffest part so the shaft may feel a bit on the boardy side. Comments? I may be wrong here!

Any decent club maker/fitter should be able to do this; it's common practice if you know whom to ask.

[LBlack14]

Yeah, if they're .370 they're trimmed to flex, not sure what's going on here.