Reshaft old TourStage NB-32 irons or fork out for a new set?

[deldridg]

Hi all,

I'm returning to the game after 10 yrs away - was off 7 back then. I'm having lessons and am going to have a crack at getting back to 7 by the end of the year (while keeping my marriage).

Everyone (from mates to pros and especially salesmen, strangely) is telling me to basically ditch my existing set and take advantage of all the advances in gear tech. If so, my first area of focus will be my irons, currently PW to 2 in TourStage NB-32 with S300 shafts, fitted to me about 15 years ago. LW (60) and SW (56) are Cleveland (trusty rusties), woods are the now historic Orlimar TriMetals! :D

Here is my overall thinking on returning to the game:
Focus on my swing fundamentals at the short (<100 m) end of the game, mostly wedge play for a few months with some consideration of the longer clubs thrown in,
Resolve my iron question - keep, reshaft or replace,
Once I know my long term PW loft, then I can gap my wedges - perhaps total of 4??,
Finally consider options for the fairway wood(s) + driver options and get the long game under control.
So if irons are to be my first port of call, I have 3 options:
Keep the existing clubs as they are: enjoy the familiarity but miss out on potential tech gains,
Reshaft them with modern and lighter shafts: will the NB-32 heads be appropriate for this?
Fork out and buy new clubs and get on with it, enjoying my new "forgiving" gear.
I've never had too many concerns with distance, usually somewhere around 260m with driver, 150+ with 7 iron so that's not really a big worry as I see it. Originally I bought the TourStages as I loved their compactness and feel, esp the longer clubs. My swing speed is fairly high according to Trackman, so shaft selection will be critical if I do change. Of course I will be taking advice from my pro.

So - thanks for bearing with me. It would be great to have some expert opinion from folks who are not trying to sell to me anything! :D

Cheers and thanks,
David

[3Puttpete]

Everyone’s selling something

[Daves]

Welcome back to the game David.

Why do you need to reshaft? The S300s should still be fine unless they are damaged or something? If they do need re-shafting then you are probably better to put that money toward a replacement set, imo. A good 2nd hand set should be possible for less than $500.

The biggest gains in terms of equipment will be at the long end of your game, but your biggest scoring gains will be the short game. That is the conundrum I think you have already identified. But you don't have to spend a lot to modernise your Driver and Wood(s). A few models old can usually be had for a fraction of the newbies.

[deldridg]

Thanks for the responses. To your point Daves - it's a good question and I'm only responding to the standard line that club and shaft tech has come a long way since back then and if I am serious about lowering my h'cap, then it's worth considering a change. There is nothing at all physically wrong with my current clubs but I must say that the few new ones I've hit are quite different and I can imagine where I would benefit, perhaps in terms of feel and the oft quoted 'forgiveness'.

Hitting a new Callaway Rogue 3 wood the other day was incredible - almost every shot at least 20m further than my old Orlimar 3W and appeared to be quite a lot straighter on balance. However, as we've both said - the real gains are < 100m so perhaps I should work on the machine itself (yours truly), "wear out" my current wedges and then look to a new or 2nd hand set when some form has been rebuilt. (It's easy to be seduced by shiny new toys and I'm an expert at rationalisation!!)

Cheers,
David

[Daves]

Thanks for the responses. To your point Daves - it's a good question and I'm only responding to the standard line that club and shaft tech has come a long way since back then and if I am serious about lowering my h'cap, then it's worth considering a change. There is nothing at all physically wrong with my current clubs but I must say that the few new ones I've hit are quite different and I can imagine where I would benefit, perhaps in terms of feel and the oft quoted 'forgiveness'.

Hitting a new Callaway Rogue 3 wood the other day was incredible - almost every shot at least 20m further than my old Orlimar 3W and appeared to be quite a lot straighter on balance. However, as we've both said - the real gains are < 100m so perhaps I should work on the machine itself (yours truly), "wear out" my current wedges and then look to a new or 2nd hand set when some form has been rebuilt. (It's easy to be seduced by shiny new toys and I'm an expert at rationalisation!!)

Cheers,
David

S300/X100s are still the most used iron shafts on tour, though there are more expensive Tour versions these days. If they worked for you 15 years ago, they will work today imo.

[3Puttpete]

Hitting a new Callaway Rogue 3 wood the other day was incredible - almost every shot at least 20m further than my old Orlimar 3W

Every new model is 10m longer than the last. You’re giving up 250m

[deldridg]

S300/X100s are still the most used iron shafts on tour, though there are more expensive Tour versions these days. If they worked for you 15 years ago, they will work today imo.

Yes - it's a useful thought and I appreciate your wisdom. Perhaps before forking out tons of dough I need to get the golf fitness back and actually get some decent rounds under the belt first - ie. lots of practice! Will try to park my natural urge to acquire more expensive gear than I actually truly need right now. How often do we see folks rocking up to the range/course decked out with all the high $$$ fancy stuff and demonstrate a swing that would have had the same result if they were swinging a cat by the tail??!! Hard not to be smug when you beat them by 20 shots using gear from the ark! :D

Having said that, I am keen to get a proper handle on my wedge choices soon which will first require me to settle on a PW for gapping purposes. When my scoring at the Terrey Hills pitch and putt gets back to par or better, perhaps then will be a good time to move...

Cheers and thanks! Dave

[deldridg]

Every new model is 10m longer than the last. You’re giving up 250m

I have been known to miss many a putt below 1m, which if I recall correctly adds up to approximately the same number of shots as a 300m drive! :D

Gapping distances in the shorter clubs is my main concern right now. Until I can prove that I score better with driver/fairway woods than with a 5 iron off the tee, I'll try to keep my wallet out of the game!

Cheers,
David

[okitoki]

New grips... that was the first thing I needed to do... even cheap fake grips are better than your old grips...

After away for a oong time tok, i played with my old clubs with the old frips... ended up having a pain in the forearmsfrom gripping roo hard. Pain lasted for a long time before they recovered.

[Oldplayer]

Depends on the type of iron you prefer. If you like a better player one piece forged cb, blade of muscle cavity them not a lot changed in 15 years. Perhaps COG is a little lower these days and soles are generally a bit wider with a a bit more bounce and turf friendly grind.
If however you look at game improvement and SGI irons then a lot has changed. Multi material heads are now the norm, even in players irons like the AP2's. Plenty of good players like these irons for the help they give on miss hits but plenty don't because of the hot face, high launch and lack of spin they provide higher swing speed players.
The only way for you to know is demo them with the right shaft.
Speaking of which I agree with others that at your swing speed the old S300 or X300 would still be appropriate. A heavier rather than lighter shaft sounds right. However some of the stouter nippon and C-taper shafts may perform better for you in term of trajectory and dispersion. Again there is no real way to know other to jump on a launch monitor and see some numbers and/or hit them and see what your eye tells you.
As others have pointed out you can get some pretty good modern irons cheapish second hand so it may make more sense to upgrade rather than reshaft.
Drivers, fairways and hybrids have all come a long way in 15 years so I would be looking to change them up for sure;
Hope this helps.