Finding the correct shaft usually starts with weight. There is no standard for flex between manufacturers. Stiff in one could be another's regular. Bend profile would be the next to determine. It isn't possible to determine if your problem is flex related with the information you included.

Short answer - NO!!!
There are so many different shafts out there, and the flex varies by a wide margin. If you can swing it, go to a real fitter and try a variation of shafts and flexes. I find that a good fitter can analyze your swing and recommend a shaft that fits your swing characteristics. If I listen to my local golf shop I would be best suited at my age and swing speed for either a regular or senior flex in my irons, but my personal experience is that a regular flex felt good but I had better control and the same distance with the stiff flex.

That’s right. For example a Kuro Kage 55 graphite shaft in S flex is comparable with a Tensei blue in R flex.

It could be. If your shaft is not loading, you will lose distance. I was just fitted for regular shafts after playing stiff shafts for the last 25 years. The reason was that I was hitting the ball too low.

I’m recovering from shoulder, and, combined with my age, 68, I am making the switch to regular. A friend, that was a Titleist fitter, recommended lighter and more flexible.

Same here - 64 with shoulder issue . Was 130g shafts - hit them pretty well but not optimally. Got fit into regular AMT and picked up 10 yards and not struggling to get height

What did your PGA Pro and Expert club fitter recommend?

This sounds like a perfect fitting scenario. I would suggest going to get fit and taking a look at the numbers. Use the available data to make the proper decision.

Distance should come second to accuracy/consistency when it comes to irons. You can always club up and down with irons. I am usually in-between stiff and regular. So I would either hard-step regular or soft-step stiff. Since taking lessons during the past year to have a more "efficient" swing, my latest set of T200 Blacks have stiff flex shafts in them.

Going to regular may help, but, no guarantee. Shafts come in different profiles and your current shaft may just not be a good fit for you. Also there is no standard in measuring sfiffness. As an example KBS Tour lite shaft in sfiff is 4.0 frequency and their C-Taper lite can be between 4.5 and 5.5 frequency. Their Tour shaft at their standard tipping for stiff gives a frquency of 6.0. In short shaft stiffness ratings wil vary between manufacter and shafts within each manufacturers. Thus, the best advice as above is to get fit

Like they said go to a fitting. Too many variables in shafts now, and no real standard between manufacturers. They'll find the right one for you with the flex, flex point, etc. etc.

Thought I was dead on with stiff shafts and my fitter handed me a club without me looking at it and told me to hit it. Picked up ten yards over my previous 7 iron. Seemed so much easier to hit. Went to a regular 300 shaft that fitting. He has been in the business over 25 years working for Titleist and knows what he is doing. Me, I am just a layman looking for help.

There are a lot of very good fitters available to assist us and put us in the right combinations. Let's take advantage of their knowledge.

Might add Joseph, at 76, am very happy to be able to hit my 7 iron 150 yards consistently with my T300 irons. Kudos to Titleist and my fitter.

Without any background of your swing mechanics or your ball contact, we can only offer suggestions that may be the problem. A good PGA fitter can isolate if the problem is an archer or arrow problem. A retail store may be too willing to just fit you.

Shafts now have different kick points and torque characteristics. There are higher launching shaft lines that also come in R and S flexes. Flex is only a relative value comparing 2 shafts of the same line. The solution could well be a stiff flex of a higher launching shaft.

Hi,
This is a possibility. Also the shaft’s is crucial in this equation.
A good fitter is the best person to ask.

Best regards,