Question:
Congratulations on your 5 iron success. It is really good to read some positive, good news. Regards from New Zealand Ray.
Response:
I made a BB-shafted driver with awesome results. For the first time, I’m starting to believe that graphite shafts are useful after all. I’m going to try one in a 2I and see how that goes. By using the ultra-light Golf Pride tour wrap grip for big butt shafts I ended up with a club weighing only 345 grams(12-1/8 oz.) with a swing weight of D-5. It performed well but the light total weight made the D-5 feel a little vague. A standard grip weighs about 52 grams, the slip-on grip for big butt shafts weighs 28 grams. I installed a Winn synthetic wrap(not a slip-on) at 11 grams. This brought the total weight down to 335 grams(11-3/4 oz.) and the swingweight up to F-3.
I cant figure out how you got from D-5 to F-3 by reducing the butt end of the club about 20 grams. E0 is more what the usual formula (4g per SW unit) would predict isn’t it, or is the effect magnified with the shorter/heavier clubs (I guess this does make sense)? The cost was nearly $40 to build this club but these days that’s cheap. After I build the entire set my bag will be 2 to 3 pounds lighter.
At this price, it’ll take a while for me to switch completely, but its definitely worth some testing. Seriously if I could hit all my clubs like I hit my driver, I’d be a happy man indeed. Cheers and thanks for the interesting report. Mike
Response:
Hello all, I recently tried my hand at clubmaking and, like most things, I just had to take it to extremes. However, I think I have come up with a very nice club. I have built a 5 iron for testing. I used a Golfsmith Sterling which is a beautiful oversize clubhead. The secret is in the shaft. I used the Grafalloy ProLite which weighs only 64 grams. It is also a big-butt shaft(.865" butt diameter). By using the ultra-light Golf Pride tour wrap grip for big butt shafts I ended up with a club weighing only 345 grams(12-1/8 oz.) with a swing weight of D-5. It performed well but the light total weight made the D-5 feel a little vague. A standard grip weighs about 52 grams, the slip-on grip for big butt shafts weighs 28 grams. I installed a Winn synthetic wrap(not a slip-on) at 11 grams. This brought the total weight down to 335 grams(11-3/4 oz.) and the swingweight up to F-3. What a difference! This club feels like a feather yet has plenty of feel. The balance point is almost at the hosel. It hits very clean and consistent, if there is such a thing in my game 
The cost was nearly $40 to build this club but these days that’s cheap. After I build the entire set my bag will be 2 to 3 pounds lighter. have fun, John Wilson