Shafts are a big deal. They are the key component that has to work within your individual swing characteristics, in order to bring that club face back to the ball at the moment of impact, consistently. In order to do that the weight (primary importance) and bend profile (the way in which the shaft loads) need to work in unison with your tempo. People obsess about flex, but in reality that is actually the least significant in shaft selection (unless you go too stiff and then there is just no feel).
Aside from the functional aspect, the shaft also has to work with your body. Not stressing out your elbow, shoulders or back. I’ll admit that I’ve been seduced by some shafts based on their initial feel and results during a honeymoon period. But, it’s the body aspect that has been a determining factor in my final decision making process.
I’ll put it out there, I love Dynamic Gold. I’ve played it a lot, in many different clubs, and it’s always just worked for me. I love the feel, and the results are totally predictable. However the amount I play, including indoor sessions on mats, has had my elbow in some pain. So I set about looking for a solution…
For a long time a stable Dynamic Gold replacement was Mitsubishi MMT. Wading through many reviews people had insisted that it was very similar to Dynamic Gold, a couple of alleged “insiders” go so far as to say it was modelled off Dynamic Gold profile wise. Yet others thought it was more similar to Project X (rifle). While Dynamic Gold and Project X really aren’t all that similar I actually really like both of them. So based on that it had to be an educated gamble, right? WRONG.
It wasn’t until I purchased a set of the Titleist T100 [2023] irons “off the rack” (with the intention of rebuilding immediately) that the MMT myth was broken. While a fantastic shaft it doesn’t resemble Dynamic Gold or Project X, not to be a direct substitute anyway.
The stock shaft in the T100’s was Dynamic Gold S300, a trusted friend. Before pulling them apart I played a couple of rounds (while waiting for the MMT shafts to arrive). Both outings were awesome. Clubs felt great and the results I got were exactly aligned with my expectations.
So I rebuild the clubs, with MMT 125 Stiff. I get them all finished and take them to the course for their maiden outing. Played horrible. WTF! Try again. Nope, still not able to get the timing and feel of these. OK, what the hell? These are meant to be a drop in replacement, so what the heck is going on here.
And there ladies and gentlemen the expectations are completely shattered.
So I set out on this adventure to try and identify a shaft that can work for me in these troubled times. I pull apart the T100’s and I put a different shaft in each of the clubs, from 4 iron to PW. I’ll note that I have tried UST Recoil in demo clubs previously and not enjoyed it. Similarly I’ve tried AeroTech SteelFiber (both i95cw and i110cw) previously in a couple of sets and hadn’t been great friends.
Many people had supported that the Modus3 105/115/125 shaft profiles were similar to Dynamic Gold, but that given the heat treatment they just felt smoother. So Modus3 125 Stiff was one of the test shafts, which I ended up committing to next, albeit a very short time. Steel is so much nicer/easier to work with than graphite, let alone significantly cheaper. So if at all possible I was hopeful that a steel shaft could have worked. Bottom line it didn’t, and while I do agree that the feel was very smooth, my arm pain remained a concern.
One of the other shafts I tried was a new graphite option, UST Mamiya DART V. Specifically the 120 F4 variant as I typically do favour heavier weights for my tempo. Wow, this shaft was stacking up to be pretty fantastic actually. While I was looking to place the order for a full set of shafts I was influenced by some “industry experts” that the trend was for people to go with lighter weights (a sentiment that I typically don’t agree with incidentally). So rather than go with the 120 gram version I’d enjoyed, I order the 105 gram edition.
After several rounds with the DART V 105’s I was almost convinced that I’d made the right call. But on a few occasions I just felt (real or perceived who knows) like the lighter weight was perhaps a little easy to throw around when one’s timing is off. So I ended up biting the bullet and ordered the DART V 120 F4 and those are being installed immediately upon arrival.
In my opinion the UST Mamiya DART V is the closest graphite shaft to Dynamic Gold. It feels fantastic, looks fantastic (matte black) and is super stable. After many rounds, both indoors and outdoors, the elbow is feeling progressively better. So for me I think I’ve found my new “go to” iron/wedge shaft.
Here is the shameful list of all the shafts that I have trialled to varying degrees over the last 12-18 months.
- KBS Tour Custom Black 120 Stiff
- Mitsubishi MMT 105 Stiff
- Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
- Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 125 Stiff
- Project X LS 6.0
- True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Onyx
- True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 Tour Issue S400
- UST Mamiya DART V 105 F4
- UST Mamiya DART V 120 F4
I’ve been on a similar adventure with driver/fairway shafts. But more on that another day.