Conundrum about what driver to play

I have a 15 year old Bazooka 320J with a super stiff shaft that is much longer than most of the stock shafts I've tried out lately. My swing speed with that club is well into the 115 mph range even on smooth swings.

Out of 10 drives, this is what usually happens: 3 drives over 300 yards straight down the fairway, 4 drives somewhere in the fairway or rough at about 250, 2 drives into the woods where I lose strokes, and 1 shank snap hook. I can usually get to most par 5's in 2 and on a 527 yard par 5 last night I drove the ball to the 175 area and ran a 6 iron onto the green. That's great...except I also snap hooked 2 holes in the round and lost strokes.

Yet the last time I went to Pro Golf Discount to try out one of those new weighted drivers with a shorter shaft and 10.5 degree loft, I hit 15/16 fairways, never mishit, but my range was only 240 to 270 with a nice draw. I am 6'4 and 31 years old.

Maybe there is a compromise...

I think there are two compromises... 1) find a driver with a 9° or 9.5° loft. 2) get a driver that is an inch (or two) longer that the one you tried (Or, the compromise might be a combination of the two.) Both of these compromises should add a little distance, but hopefully allow you to maintain the degree of control that you like.

I have a 15 year old Bazooka 320J with a super stiff shaft that is much longer than most of the stock shafts I've tried out lately. My swing speed with that club is well into the 115 mph range even on smooth swings.

Out of 10 drives, this is what usually happens: 3 drives over 300 yards straight down the fairway, 4 drives somewhere in the fairway or rough at about 250, 2 drives into the woods where I lose strokes, and 1 shank snap hook.

I can usually get to most par 5's in 2 and on a 527 yard par 5 last night I drove the ball to the 175 area and ran a 6 iron onto the green.

That's great...except I also snap hooked 2 holes in the round and lost strokes.

Yet the last time I went to Pro Golf Discount to try out one of those new weighted drivers with a shorter shaft and 10.5 degree loft, I hit 15/16 fairways, never mishit, but my range was only 240 to 270 with a nice draw.

These monster 300+ yard drives are giving me opportunities most golfers don't have out there. I am 6'4 and 31 years old.

The shorter shafts feel so great. I feel like I have so much more control. It's like hitting a 7 iron with a giant club face teed up.

Maybe there is a compromise...

By weighted driver w/ a shorter shaft did you mean one of those training clubs like this one? They're not really intended to be played with out on the course. [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/127359/] [/URL]

Sorry, no, I am really out of the loop when it comes to new equipment. I'm talking about how you can adjust the clubs now. All the shafts are way shorter too. Bigger heads and shorter shafts at least from what I've seen.

I find this kinda strange. Yes, driver club heads have become larger over the years, but shaft length has increased as well. The standard used to be 44" for a graphite shaft. Almost every driver today has a shaft longer than that.

It looks like that Bazooka driver was obviously made for distance. It should have a 46.5" shaft. Which was the longest driver in its day. 48" is the max allowed. So yeah, many of today's longer drivers are about 3/4" to 1" shorter than what you have been playing.

Thanks Myrtle. Given the distance I get with this club, would you give up some distance for more accuracy?

Lol. You're asking the wrong guy. My distance is pathetic. I'm lucky to hit one 260. So yeah, I would give up some accuracy for distance. If you're losing 2-3 balls per round off the tee by hooking it OB or pushing it deep into the woods, you may want to try a shorter shaft and see if it helps you find the fairway. The rule is, more distance is worth giving up accuracy IF the misses aren't too penal. For example, we would all take 300 yards in the light rough compared to 265 in the middle of the fairway. But if the extra distance is resulting in penalty strokes, you may want to experiment with a shorter, more accurate driver. The TaylorMade Aeroburner Driver is 45.75". It's only 3/4" shorter than your Bazooka. It's also very light and made to swing fast, just like your Bazooka. Maybe try that out in a stiff shaft and see how it goes.

Thanks Myrtle.

Given the distance I get with this club, would you give up some distance for more accuracy?