How do I tell if my old irons have stiff flex or not?

[Kevin18]

Hello,

Long story somewhat shorter, I bought a nice used set of Taylormade R7s (irons, 4-AW) Regular flex, and being a young boy, my body is slowly changing and I am able to swing much faster now. To the point I believe I need stiff flex shafts now. Money is hard on my family right now, so I do not want to buy a new set of irons or reshaft (would cost a fortune.)

So, before this set, I played with my grandfather's custom set. They have very small heads, no offset, practically perfect for my style of play. I don't like playing with "shovels." Here's the thing- how do I tell if they have stiff shafts or now? What would you do in my situation? I plan on leaving Regular flex in my woods because I am on the fence of the two flexes (every "recommendation" I have seen, I am right in the middle) plus then I will tell my self not too swing so fast, therefore having a nice rthym and tempo without rushing my swing!

Thanks so much and may god bless you all! ^_^

[Kevin18]

I bought the iron set a year and a half ago* my bad. I did not just buy them

[shortgame]

The question is..... how much money do you have. You can find a nice set of irons on ebay for about $100 and with nice shafts. Your young and strong so a stiff shaft could be good if you not consistently flying your irons straight. There are so many variables with how a shaft effects your game, you can have stiff shaft and it wont be as consistent as your regular flex shaft. Also how many times do you play a month? I wouldnt go buy new shafts if you playing 2 times a month. Also how long have you played golf seriously?

[Harmonious]

Take it to a fitter who has a machine that measures stiffness (oscillation cycles per minute). Easy process.

[thefootwedge]

If money is tight and you have some DIY skills, you can always (if parallel shafts are fitted) tip cut the shafts and add extentions to the butt end. This will cost you the fraction of the price. This is not the prefered method but will be a lot cheaper and you'll learn about club fitting in the process. check out the DIY shaft installation page on the  golfclubshaftreview.com  website. You'll also find shaft information and trimming information. If taper tip shafts are fitted you can put the 9 iron shaft in the 8 iron, 8 iron in the 7 and so on. You'll only need to buy a new 3 iron shaft

All you'll really need to do all this is.......

1) small blow torch

2) a small pipe cutter

3) 2 pack epoxy resin

4) tape measure

5) Acetone

6) sand paper or grinding wheel

7) Some shaft extentions

8) some new grips.

All this can be picked up cheaply online or local golf store.

Good luck

[Kevin18]

Alright, but is there any like "homemade" test I could do, just a simple "try to bend a club slightly and see what is the firmest" or something to that effect?

[shortgame]

I would ask your local golf pro and see if he has the tools to do it. Dont let the shaft flex get in your head. If you cant afford it than you cant afford new shafts. Save Save Save.