Round two on the discussion of loft… Last time we talked about how irons are getting stronger and how it’s all relative – the reason is more about Trajectory than distance. The reality is also that this opens up a whole different can of worms. How does shaft selection play a role with todays iron?

As irons lofts get stronger, a 7 iron today will be lofted almost like a 5 iron from yesterday. One area where loft does matter is in the spin of the club. At tour level swing speeds, we typically like to see spin rates of 1000 times the iron number (7000 RPM for a 7 iron). As swing speeds slow, we liked to see a little lower – 85 MPH might be 6500 RPM, 80 MPH might be 6200 RPM, etc. A 5 iron back in the day would be proportionate, so 5000 RPM at tour speeds. Guess what? A normal shaft will generate much less spin because of the decrease in loft (meaning a 7 iron may spin at 4500 RPM instead of 6500 RPM), meaning the ball won’t stop as quickly as we need it to. Not good for most players. How do we fix it??

Shaft companies have developed higher launching/ higher spinning shafts. These shafts make a 7 iron spin the same way the old 7 irons would spin, while the new heads get the increased distance and performance we are all chasing. The best of both worlds? YES!! 

Have a player who needs a little more spin with Todays clubs? Try True Temper Elevate MPH 85 or 95, or the KBS MAX 80 in your next fitting. Graphite options abound too. Give it a try. 

Hope this helps. Until next time – happy fitting!!