On Wed, Sep 04, 2002 at 01:39:46PM -0400, Dave Tutelman wrote: > > > What is soft stepping? I think I have an idea. > > It is moving the shafts to a shorter club with no additional tip trimming. > The result is a more flexible set of clubs than before. For most shafts, > soft-stepping by one club is worth a quarter flex (maybe 3cpm). > > > Why not go with a softer > >(more flexible shaft?) to begin with? Rifle 4.5....etc. > > Good question. I can think of two reasons: > > (1) You can get a fractional flex -- e.g.- between R & S -- even with taper > tips. > > (2) If you're working with a set that is already built with shafts, it is > economical. You only have to buy one or two shafts for the longest clubs. > > Maybe there are other good reasons as well.
To elaborate a bit: For a lot of steel shafts you will notice that there is a 2" tip trimming difference between an R flex and a S flex. You will also usually trim 1/2" more tip between each iron. Soft-stepping once will get you a bit more flexy than an S in that shaft. Twice will get what some people call a "Firm" shaft (half-way between R/S). -Dave
