hi all, i went for a mizuno shaft fitting today as i have gone back to my mp 52's from the i15's as i didnt feel i was getting much feedback from them. the only reason i gave up on the mp 52's previous was that i though the shafts were too stiff! To my shock the results came back that they were too soft for me??? my results were as followed:

swing 89-93mph (6iron)

tempo 9 (same on all 3 swings)

shaft toe down 1 (same on all 3 swings)

shaft kick angle 5 (same on all 3 swings)

release factor 1 (same on all 3 swings)

it then reccomended that i need projext x 7.0 or dynamic gold x100.

Any help in understanding this would be gratefully appreciated.

many thanks shane.

Shane,

Your post raises so many interesting points, some of which I have been researching for the last eight months or so in an attempt to understand why some tour players were hitting their irons further than me notwithstanding me being a faster swinging longdrive competitor.

I learned that with irons (particularly short ones) that swing speed almost becomes a minor issue. Often the less one tries the further and better the ball flies. Swinging well, striking the ball perfectly, and possessing, as you say, a great sense of 'feel'or 'feedback' are more important.  In any event the shorter the club the more the gap closes between a fast  and a slow swinger.

I  had MP32s until 6 months ago, and replaced these with a set of Alpha C-1 Pro heads (plus 2 iron) and shafted them myself. Several times over in fact until they were right.

There are some brilliant iron players here, and I am not one of them, who can talk iron language far better than I can. I can only speak as someone fascinated by the technical aspects of our game and tell you what I personally found:

Forgive me if I am stating the obvious but feedback problems can originate from either the head, or the shaft, or both. More likely than not it is the shaft, but I did also find FB problems from some of my antique 1 and 2 iron thin bladed heads even after proper shafting.       

Assuming that the problem lies with your shafts first let me say that any problem understanding the Mizuno data should first be directed to Mizuno as a matter of professional courtesy. If they fail, in simple terms,  to explain what the data means then I shall be pleased to do so.

My simple experimenting revealed for me that scientific analysis cannot say for one golfer what shafts will provide the best feedback. Such is a matter for personal experimentation and subjective choice.

What I ended up with in my irons was a very strange compromise. I now use graphite Dynamic Golf Stiff shafts tip cropped by two inches. They are consequently extremely powerful shafts which still nevertheless flex more than most experts would be happy with. But their feedback is beyond fabulous. 

I am somewhat perplexed why you should be advised to buy  7.0 shafts. I use such an immensely stiff shaft (a Precision Rifle 7.0) in my 3" overlength 42.50" 1 iron hybrid Longdrive warm up club. I only use it because most 42.50" shafts could not handle a 230g head weight swung at very high speed. There is no other reason why I use that ultra stiff pole in just that one club. 

The stiffest shaft which I heard was being used on tour was Phil M. using  6.5s. But I do not know this for a fact. It is simply what I have been told.

But there may be a good reason for such a recommendation. Again, ask Mizuno.

I hope that these notes on my own dabblings may be of interest. I am a woods chap and the iron experts may shred me, but I have absolutely no problem with that.

 

Thanks for the reply sanders, this was a reply from a mizuno technician/fitter.

Re: Swing DNA shock result????

Fri Jul 16, 2010 2:00 pm

Posted by Fitter

It's means you're a power house! Had your Weetabix?

Quick tempo and lot’s of clubhead speed. The shaft optimizer is recommending exactly the right shafts for you. The clubhead speed and tempo are the main factors of the five aspects that the optimizer looks at to gauge which is the correct shaft for you.

The higher the tempo, the higher the swing speed, the stiffer the shafts you will require.

The toe down, kick and release factors are explained below.

Here's what the shaft optimizer is looking at:-

Clubhead Speed: - How fast the clubhead and shaft are moving during the swing.

Tempo: - How quickly the player transitions from the backswing to the downswing. 1 Being slow, 9 being very quick.

Shaft Toe Down: - A measure of the bowing of the shaft in a downward direction during the downswing. 1 Being very little bowing and toe down, 9 being a lot of bowing and toe down.

Shaft Kick Angle: - The amount of shaft forward bending during the downswing motion. 1 Being very little kick and 9 being a lot of kick in the shaft.

Release Factor: - How and when the clubhead and shaft are releasing during the downswing. Early release or "casting" results in a higher RF number. Late release results in a lower RF number.

It's means you've basically got a good, strong swing so go buy your new Mizuno's!

Shane,

So your got your explanation, right from the 'horse's mouth' so to speak.

Here's the bottom line as I see it:

You visit the Mizuno fitting centre with shafts which you consider to be too stiff, or not providing enough feedback, or both.  You refer to two sets of irons and appear to have used the MP52s for the test. I am unclear if  the stiff MP52s gave you enough feedback.  All that you clearly state are that the MP 52s were too stiff, and the i15s did not provided enough feedback.  

The results appear to suggest that the MP52 shafts were working well for you - the shafts having  medium flexing (5 - kick angle) and were correctly releasing late (1 - release factor).  

I get the impression that possibly in some respects we are very similar: My shafts were working well too, but they felt too stiff and were not giving me enough feedback. I attributed such to the fact that I compete with long, big flexing, drivers.

Piling on the speed in the transition (which you do - you achieved the maximum score of 9) is a very simplistic argument for ordering stiffer shafts. Speaking from a personal view I believe that, by itself, such is insufficient justification. Particularly so if the shaft is not being over-powered and is flexing within its parameters and releasing at the right point i.e. in the impact zone.  Your MP52s appear to have been functioning well. 

The conclusion which the fitting centre reach is "buy new Mizunos." I fail to grasp their logic. The issue with you Shane is surely simple, i.e.  getting fitted with the correct shaft profile?  At the risk of stating the obvious - the shafts in your MP52s can be changed without having to buy a complete new set of irons!

I personally find no  rationale for switching to super stiff 7.0 shafts. But I may later change my mind if Mizuno, or the expert iron guys here, correct any fundamental misunderstanding on my part.