What Is Stepping In Golf Irons?
Stepping in irons is a way of adjusting the flex of shafts to suit your swing better. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the basics of stepping in irons and how to choose the right clubs for your game.
What Is Stepping In Golf?
Stepping in golf irons is the process of adjusting the flex of the shaft to match your swing. This can be done by either soft-stepping or hard-stepping the shaft. Soft-stepping involves making the shaft more flexible, while hard-stepping makes them stiffer. If your swing doesn’t quite suit a particular flex then having your irons stepped can make the clubs fit you that much better.
Ideally, you want to get custom fit for golf clubs in order to see the greatest benefit from buying a new set. Getting the right flex shafts in your clubs is an important part of the process.
Getting the best-fitting which shafts for your game will improve your accuracy and distance control which should greatly improve your enjoyment of the game and your scores! There are two forms of shaft stepping, hard and soft.
How Golf Shafts Are Trimmed
Because the heads of the shorter irons weigh more than the club heads of longer irons the shafts need to be trimmed in such a way that you maintain the same flex throughout the set of irons. The shaft manufacturer will specify how much to trim from the tip end of the shaft for each club. If you want to adjust the flex slightly then you would just change the amount of shaft that you remove before attaching the clubhead.
So for example, if you wanted to decrease the stiffness slightly you would remove slightly less of the tip progressively through the set. Effectively putting a 9 iron shaft in a wedge head, an 8 iron shaft in a 9 iron head et cetera.
Conversely, if you wanted to increase the stiffness of the shaft you do the opposite. E.g. put a 9 iron shaft into an 8 iron head.
What Is Hard Stepping
Hard Stepping is a method of re-shafting golf clubs that increases the stiffness of the shaft, say moving from regular towards a stiff flex. It involves increasing the amount you trim from the tip of the shaft which results in a shaft that is 1/4 stiffer.
What Is Soft Stepping
Soft stepping is a technique used to adjust the flex of a golf club shaft to fit a golfer’s swing. It involves trimming less than what the manufacturer suggests, such as trimming a 5 iron like a 4 iron. This is done to make the shaft more flexible. Soft stepping is usually useful for players who can’t quite load the shaft correctly at its “normal” flex.
What Are The Benefits Of Stepping Your Golf Irons
Stepping your irons is all about trying to match the flex of the shaft with your golf swing to optimize your ball flight. A golfer with a slower swing might benefit from soft stepping as it will make it slightly easier for them to launch the ball into the air.
A more powerful golfer might need the shafts hard-stepped in order to get a lower ball flight to prevent ballooning and a loss of distance.
What Are The Problems With Stepping Your Golf Irons
When soft stepping your longer irons can become an issue. If you single step then you effectively can’t have a 2-iron since you can’t trim less than 0 off the shaft. If you were resorting to a double soft step ie moving 2 clubs at a time then you would probably need to drop the 3 iron as well!
Looking at hard stepping the problem occurs at the other end of the bag as the shafts would all end up being trimmed to the same length unless you want to mess about with reboring hosels!
How to Step Your Golf Irons
Soft stepping golf irons is a process of making clubs more flexible by reducing the amount you cut off the tip. This allows for a softer feel on impact when hitting the golf ball, producing a higher launch angle and more forgiving results. I would recommend you visit an experienced custom fitter to check your swing first and also get them to do the job as any mistakes on your part could leave you with clubs that are more difficult for you to use!
If you think you need your irons hard stepped then I would also advise a fitting session to check first and get a professional to do the job!
Should You Get Custom-Fitted Irons?
Getting custom-fitted irons is a great way to improve your golf game and lower your scores. Custom fitting allows you to get clubs that are tailored specifically to your swing, body type, and playing style. This can make a huge difference in the way you hit the ball and how far it goes.
If you’re a beginner, getting custom-fitted irons can be an invaluable experience. It will help you understand more about your swing and what kind of clubs are best suited for it. Plus, since each club is made based on your individual measurements, they will fit your physical attributes. A good set of custom-fitted irons will also help increase accuracy and give you more control over the ball.
If you’re an experienced golfer who has been playing with off-the-shelf clubs, getting custom-fitted irons may still be beneficial as they can help reduce the severity of errors and increase distance and accuracy. The process takes into account all aspects of your swing, such as head speed and club release angle, so that the right equipment can be selected for optimum performance on every shot.
Overall, getting custom-fitted irons is a great way to take your golf game to the next level.
What Is Stepping In Golf Irons: Summary
Stepping irons is just a way of adjusting the flex of the shafts to better suit your swing. It is probably best left to professional club fitters as mistakes could be expensive given how much shafts and heads cost these days.
