EZ Forged w/ XP 105 Steel vs. Apex w/ TT XP 95

[Catelover]

Hi everybody, I've just registered on these forums to ask you all something very important.

Yesterday I had a fitting session and, to me, the most important thing we came across is that I need a well balanced club (in terms of weight). If I'm feeling the weight on its head, then I'm not being comfortable with it.

First off: I'm 1,85 cm and 90 kgs.

Other important things are that I don't hit the ball so hard (but I knew that, I need to work on it) and values with my current 6 iron are the following:

Club speed: 73.8

Attack angle: -0.2

Ball speed: 103.8

Smash factor: 1.41

Vert. angle: 18.9

Spin rate: 3350

Carry: 136.8

Landing angle: 36.9

So the fitter explained me that my smash factor is good, my spin rate is not and that the ball should fly higher for easier green attacks (this trying to summarize the session to the max).

I badly wanted to try the Mizuno EZ Forged so he gave me a 6 iron equipped with XP 105 Steel shaft and it felt very good. Well balanced and I achieved the following values with it:

Club speed: 73.7

Attack angle: 0.6

Ball speed: 102.7

Smash factor: 1.39

Vert. angle: 20.4

Spin rate: 3454

Carry: 136.1

Landing angle: 39.3

It felt a little bit heavy though so my biggest fear is that it could get tired after a full round of 18 holes.

I also tried: Titleist's AP1 and TaylorMade's SpeedBlade but when I tried the Callaway's Apex with TrueTemper XP 95 shaft my hearth fainted: best feeling all around... But also some weak values...

Club speed: 73.1

Attack angle: 1.0

Ball speed: 98.4

Smash factor: 1.35

Vert. angle: 22.2

Spin rate: 3676

Carry: 128.0

Landing angle: 41.2

I'd go for the EZ forged all the time but I probably should equip them with the Nippon NS Pro 950GH shaft instead of the XP 105 one. But what if this would make me feel the weight in the head mostly, instead of a well balanced club all around as stated earlier? I unfortunately couldn't (and can't) try it out so I'm just feeling clueless... Should I go for the Apex instead? Greater feeling and maybe values that could be improved on the driving range maybe...

Thanks all for the long read.

[MotoGolfer250]

I think what it comes down to is what is more important to you. Is it more important to you to get the extra 9 yards or is it more important to get the feeling you want with each club? I think when you figure that out, you'll know whether to go with the Mizuno or the Callaway

[WUTiger]

What is your current iron model, and what shaft does it have?

As for shafts, here's the specs on the ones you mentioned:

Shaft Model	Weight Range	Bend Pt.	Tip
TT XP95	93-95 gr.	Low	Soft
TT XP105	100-101 gr.	Low	Soft
NS Pro 950GH	94-98 gr.	Mid	Med-Soft

The XP95 and XP105 have very similar profiles. The main difference is the XP105s are 7 grams heavier.

What do you like about the NS Pro shafts? You tossed them into the mix without explaining why. The 950 model is provided to certain club manufacturers; the NS Pro 8950 GH (no real difference) is sold as a component model through Golfsmith and GolfWorks. I bought 8950s for a reshaft of my X20 Tours, and find them  a lively, low-spin shaft.

Part of the problem with the Apex may be its rather low Maltby Playability Factor score (MPF = 337), which is even less user-friendly than the Apex Pro Forged.

Golf.com tested the Apex with both steel and graphite shafts.

http://www.golf.com/equipment/callaway-apex-irons-golf-magazine-clubtest-2014-best-golf-irons

General opinion: Feels solid, rewards solid hits well, but not the most forgiving iron available.

On your Apex carry yardage average: did you have a wide range of values (some good and some bad?) If so, you might have trouble using the model.

The Mizuno EZ line might be the way to go. EZ Forged has an MPF score = 577, solidly in the Game Improvement range.

As far as shaft weight goes, you don't want to have shafts that are too light. This can cause you to overswing, and not be able to feel the irons very well "at the top." If the shaft is too light, you can't feel it "drop into the slot" very well on downswing.

As for XP95 vs. XP105, 7 grams weight different shouldn't lead to fatigue at end of the round; go with feel. In my reshaft, I went from PX 5.0 to the NS Pro 8950GH: 18 grams and a half-flex lighter shaft. But, 85-gram shafts just felt too light.

With the original PX shafts, if I played two day in a row, on the second back nine the shafts felt a bit harsh. As you figured out, the right weight range is critical. Too much or too little can hurt your swing.

[Catelover]

@WUTiger model is Nike VR_S Covert, regular steel shaft (TT Dynamic Gold weighting at 90 grams).

I heard a lot of good reviews about the NS 950GH and I've tossed them in because they would lower the club's weight. As reported in my first post, I've tried Mizuno's EZ Forged irons equipped with the TT XP105 shaft and I felt them being a bit too heavy. The weight balance was great though. So I was wondering if replacing the custom shaft (TT XP105) with a Nippon 950GH would do the trick.

I too think Mizuno is the way to go. I'm currently playing with a 90 grams shaft so a 95 grams one shouldn't make me feeling the club being too light (even though I don't know how much Mizuno's heads weight, but I'm pretty sure they're not lighter than my current Nike's).

I talked to a club maker yesterday and he too told me Mizuno EZ Forged equipped with Nippon 950 is the way. If I should ever feel them being too unbalanced, he could always work on it.

[WUTiger]

@Catelover,

You are on the right track. See what the launch monitor data says, get a short list, and make final decision on feel. Good feel --> confidence.

A good club maker can make any adjustments after you have played with them a season.

[Catelover]

In the end I was able to sell my VR_S Coverts and buy Mizuno forged :)

I pretty much got a bargain from a legit UK website so I couldn't help but change ;D