Thank you Keven!! One for the technical archive that's for sure.

Thanks Matt, we definitely enjoy filming together for the channel.

Thanks Zac!!

I agree, though I kinda wish they double or triple stepped the clubs in either direction and Ian didn’t look at the club so long right before hitting it…. And maybe flipping between them one shot at a time per shaft would be ideal so you even out the warm up versus shaft differences. But I’m splitting hairs. And I worked in R&D for years. Frankly the numbers are close enough doing the video again in a different way feels like a waste of time. I think this video fairly well sets the stepping discussion to rest. It might be a feel difference, and perhaps that makes your swing more or less consistent… but meh. A different shaft, a different ball, or putting a different swing on it ultimately is the only way to really change things.

My range, too. Would make for an interesting test.

Thank you!!

cool bro.

You are absolutely right Adrian. There was a distinct difference in swinging each shaft even though the numbers make it look very similar. I just loved that the outcome was the same launch and spin, that's exactly what I've always seen in testing.

It's a slight difference in weight and CPM. Enough that some players will notice feel-wise & prefer it, but there's no quantifiable difference in performance. Soft stepping twice is more noticeable. Once is VERY subtle.

Thanks Josh

Pulling hard for Tommy but a win for Shubhankar Sharma would be massive for the growth of the game in India.

Thanks Matt, we definitely have more of this to come.

feel and dispersion are however potentially connected but very hard to quantify

@@tomkar35 Exactly Tom.👍🏻

The 8i spinner trick will bring launch down and spin up vs straight in with the same shaft. It's done using the 8i shaft from the same shaft, in one flex higher (x100 8i for s300 iron shafts). There's threads online about it

In extension, 'Tiger stepping' is actually tip trimming the same shaft as irons to create a stronger shaft to go about the same result. It came about as Tiger would play the s400 9i shaft in wedges, tipped to create the s400 PW shaft that doesn't exist anymore.

@@Ryan-fx7jx I know how and why but wondering if the numbers would be way different or if it’s more of a feel thing like in this video

Me too. A single soft step is interesting but not the whole story. What about a double soft step since that is the Tiger stepping. I'm playing around with a 4x soft stepping of an X shaft in a vokey wedge since I normally play stiff. I would wonder if taking the next flex up and 3X soft stepping would move the bend point up enough 1.5" and result in similar flex to the lower flex.

Thanks Michael

I definitely liked that feel the most.

I think this would be a great video

Definitely arrange a gapping session once you have the new irons to dial in your yardages.

Possibly. I think golfers with a quicker more violent transition can be affected more by how a shaft feels.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ian has soft stepped his whole set by now. 😆

@@3rdgroove I wouldn’t be surprised either 🤣

Feel affects delivery and creates more consistent timing. If a player can match the cadence of the golf swing to the load of the shaft results will likely much more consistent. I've said many times, a change in shaft flex is more likely to affect lateral dispersion than vertical dispersion.

@@clubchampionmedia got it. So, hard or soft stepping a shaft can make a difference (in the same way that shaft flex) can make a difference? I’m asking, because this was not the main message from the video (which was very good, BTW).

@@dabdias Sorry Daniel, I'm sure I understand that question. Can you re-read it and check if that was your intended question.

Yes but barely. When soft stepping you're cutting off 0.5" more from the thicker end and 0.5" less from the thinner end so there's a slight weight reduction. But it's less than 1g. The difference in feel is mostly the small difference in CPM and moving the kick point up 0.5". While ball speed, launch & spin were identical, dispersion definitely wasn't. And that's pretty important!

I've never been fit before and kind of just buy standard off the rack stuff. I play like 2-3 times a week and have a super consistent swing, results keep varying. Want to try soft stepping wedges as well that seems like something I would like. I find it hard under pressure to feel the club in my swing.

It’s about a third of a flex for each step.

Kinda wondering this too. Love my kbs tour 130x right now

Lookout for a video on that coming very soon.

@@clubchampionmedia awesome. Can’t wait

Was the club builder Howard Jones?

@@ConnorLyon yes, found the thread. Something about variable wall thickness, and if you hard or soft step need to trim the tip with kbs. Way above my head.

I had to go to an 8 degree TM head turned down to 6. It was a similar problem for me and I tried basically every other brand. But, no other brand allowed me to easily turn down to 6.

You're delivering too much loft at impact, spend the money on a lesson. Will cost less than a new driver & you'll probably be able to keep your current one.

@@jim60631 if it's otherwise a repeatable and efficient swing, then fitting is a way better solution. Changing that swing won't make it any better than a driver with less static loft. Changing the swing will lead to more frustration as you make the change and there is no guarantee you'll benefit.

Agree to disagree.

Fully dependent on *why* you’re hitting your driver high @exrog One recent real world example I corrected was a player who was AoA +2, 118mph swing speed, 4500 spin, 140ft high using a TDLS 9* with Ventus Blue TR 7X. Face revealed a low heel miss which explained the spin but not the launch. Video revealed that he was firing his wrists slightly too early before impact. He was delivering excess loft at impact, which explained the launch. Adjusted his tee height and setup to a middle strike helped some but not all the way. In the fitting bay, we dropped static loft to 7* helped to make it more manageable. If he was playing a tournament right away, this would be the in hand solution. We also did some drills to delay the “casting” he was doing, working to keep his hands ahead of the club head at impact rather than behind. This immediately dropped him to better numbers (120 height, 2500 spin), but would take much more work to implement. This is what we eventually decided on, and then coming back for a refit once the swing changes were solidified. I highly suggest investing in some foot spray to see impact position on your driver, and a tripod for your smartphone to capture some slo-mo video both down the line and head-on to root out the cause.

S400 are heavier and the reason for softer wedge shafts is that you hit a lot of half wedges which you probably don't do with a 7 iron.

@@RCGolf Agreed, but it does matter. It's about feel.

No, hard/soft stepping is not a full flex. You can Google the fcm stiffness scale by shaft manufacturer and see based on the rifle scale how much it stiffens/softens. If memory serves it's like 0.2 of a flex per step with 1.0 being full flex change but varies based on manufacturer

@@jim60631 I couldn't remember. It's been a long time since I read about the difference.