When it comes to the shots you are trying to hit with a 4-iron and a 9-iron, they’re about as similar as the shots you hit with a driver and your putter. With the 4-iron, you are trying to clear the bunker and make the ball stop on the green from long distance. With your 9-iron, getting the ball up in the air isn’t the problem. Ideally, you’re looking for a lower, more-controlled shot so you can get the ball close to the hole.
True Temper’s new Dynamic Gold Flighted steel iron shafts, available through authorized retailers for $40.99 each, are built to handle both of those jobs. To make that possible, True Temper changes the pattern of steps, those little changes in diameter you can see along a steel shaft, from club to club. So, for example,
the step pattern of a Dynamic Gold Flighted 5-iron looks different than the shaft for the 8-iron. Changing the steps pattern lets the company keep the handle firm throughout the set while changing how the tip section bends.
In the long irons, a longer, softer tip section is designed to help launch the ball higher. That extra height can help the ball come down more steeply, which comes in handy when you’re trying to hold a green from 5-iron distance. Transitioning into the scoring irons, the tip section under the lowest step gets shorter and firmer. According to True Temper, that promotes a lower launch with more spin, so you can flight an approach shots down and still get them to check.
There are a few versions of the Flighted shafts with different flexes and weights. The names on the shaft bands take a little decoding, but the letter indicates the flex and the number is the relative weight within that flex. The R300 is regular flex and weighs about 95 grams. S300 is stiff at 105 grams, and X100 is extra-stiff at 115 grams. Then there’s Proto, a heavier version of the X100 that True Temper lists at 131 grams.
In reality, you don’t need to understand the letters and numbers. Let your fitter help you find the ideal version.
However, if you try Dynamic Gold Flighted steel iron shafts in a fitting, hit a long iron and a scoring iron. Hitting a 7-iron can tell you a lot about which weight and flex feel right, but the clubs at either end of the set will tell you more about what you’re buying Flighted for.
David Dusek is a senior Golfweek writer covering golf equipment and technology.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: True Temper launches Dynamic Gold Flighted steel iron shafts
