Soft Stepping and Hard Stepping Golf Shafts
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tip trimming taper tip soft stepping shaft flex parallel tip hard stepping golf shaft dynamic gold

You may find from time to time that a customer is caught between two flexes. There is a way to remedy this situation called the principles of soft and hard stepping shafts. These terms mostly apply to taper tip steel iron shafts, but the concept also applies to parallel tip shafts. So, let us explain each of the four scenarios.

SOFT STEPPING

Parallel tip shafts

Let us begin with the easiest example using parallel tip shafts. The flex of a unitized, parallel tip shaft is determined by how much to trim off the tip of the shaft based on the weight of the head. As head weight increases, the amount of tip trimming increases incrementally to maintain the flex the manufacturer designed into the shaft.

Soft stepping on a parallel tip shaft is simply the process of trimming less than what the manufacturer suggests.  For example, if you have a 5-iron, you tip trim the shaft like a 4-iron.  This is called soft stepping once and would decrease the stiffness by a quarter flex.  Soft-stepping twice would be cutting the shaft as a 3-iron or two clubs more and would decrease the stiffness by a half flex.  If you soft step once for one club, you will do so on all the irons and wedges to have a uniform progression of flex throughout the set.

 

Recommended tip trimming by manufacturer

Iron

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

Wedge

Suggested

0"

0.5"

1"

1.5"

2"

2.5"

3"

3.5"

4"

Soft stepped once

0"

0"

0.5"

1"

1.5"

2"

2.5"

3"

3.5"

Soft stepped twice

0"

0"

0"

0.5"

1"

1.5"

2"

2.5"

3"


The downside to soft stepping is two-fold.  First, since you are cutting less off the tip, that means you are cutting more from the butt end.  While the variation is small, it can lead in some cases to a smaller grip size under the lower hand. Secondly, if you have a long iron or hybrid, you cannot tip trim less than zero which will not maintain uniformity in the set.  In the example above would affect the 2-iron by soft stepping once or the #2 and 3-iron by soft-stepping twice.

Taper Tip shafts

Unlike unitized, parallel tip shafts where you take a master shaft and progressively tip trim the shaft as you go through the set, for taper tip shafts there is a suggested raw length for each club in the set.  Below is a chart for True Temper's Dynamic Gold. The 39" 5-iron shaft is not only shorter, but stiffer than the 39.5" 4-iron shaft to offset the heavier weight.  Therefore, if we placed the 39.5" 4-iron shaft into the 5-iron (or soft stepping once), then the club will become more flexible.  Soft stepping twice would be placing the 40" 3-iron shaft into the 5-iron.

 

Recommended raw length by manufacturer

Iron

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

Wedge

Dynamic Gold

41"

40.5"

40"

39.5"

39"

38.5"

38"

37.5"

37"

37"

Soft stepped once

-

41"

40.5"

40"

39.5"

39"

38.5"

38"

37.5"

37"

Soft stepped twice

-

-

41"

40.5"

40"

39.5"

39"

38.5"

38"

37.5"


There have also been non-unitized, parallel tip shafts made where there have been a dedicated length of each club in the set. Examples would be True Temper's GS 85 and 95 as well as the original Rifle shafts that were not sold as blanks.  In cases like that, apply the same principles as you would the taper tip tip shafts.


HARD STEPPING

Parallel tip shafts

Hard stepping is the opposite of soft stepping whereby you elect to tip trim more than the amount suggested by the manufacturer to create a stiffer flex.  There are two things to be aware of when doing so.  First, expect the ball flight to become slightly lower because of the stiffer flex and subsequently shorter parallel tip section.  Make sure you have adequate parallel tip length that the shaft can fully seat into the hosel and you can install your ferrule. You likely will not encounter that problem on steel shafts, but you can easily with graphite shafts.  Lastly, there could be situations with overlength clubs where it might require a shaft extender to be used to achieve your desired length.

 

Recommended tip trimming by manufacturer

Iron

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

Wedge

Suggested

0"

0.5"

1"

1.5"

2"

2.5"

3"

3.5"

4"

Hard stepped once

0.5"

1"

1.5"

2"

2.5"

3"

3.5"

4"

4.5"

Hard stepped twice

1"

1.5"

2"

2.5"

3"

3.5"

4"

4.5"

5"


Taper tip shafts

The concept of hard stepping a taper tip shaft is just the opposite of soft stepping.  However, this is rarely done because you run out of raw lengths when you get to your shorter scoring irons and wedges.  If you examine the row labeled "hard stepped once", notice the 9-iron and wedge entries.  They are the same as before, so they do not become hard stepped.  A 36.5" raw length does not exist in Dynamic Gold so to create uniformity in flex, one would have to tip trim the shaft and re-bore the hosel to accommodate the larger tip diameter.

 

Recommended raw length by manufacturer

Iron

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

Wedge

Dynamic Gold

41"

40.5"

40"

39.5"

39"

38.5"

38"

37.5"

37"

37"

Hard stepped once

40.5"

40"

39.5"

39"

38.5"

38"

37.5"

37"

37"

37"

Hard stepped twice

40"

39.5"

39"

38.5"

38"

37.5"

37"

37"

37"

37"

 

If you are a clubmaker, familiarize yourself with these terms as it is a valuable way to fit some of your customers who may fall in-between flexes.