Driver Goes ~230-250yds, Should I Change Shaft/Ball?

[Squeakycretin]

Hi

 

Not sure on my swing speed, not had chance to get it measured. Ball speed at toptracer range is around 150mph but I don't know how accurate they are?

 

I hit a Cobra F6 with the weight at the back, set to 10.5 atm. Fujikura pro 60 lite flex shaft, Srixon soft feel / AD333.

 

Id say 5/10 are out the middle, slight fade if anything, a few are high toe draws. Had a good few that finished 230+ and a couple that were at least 250, can't really say how far on the carry but fairways not particularly hard.

 

I know it's hard without seeing swing etc, but does it sound like it be worth trying a stiffer shaft, or a better ball? I'm at the point where I'm not losing as many, didn't lose one on the last round

 

Cheers

[Vinsk]

Hello and welcome to TST. As you said swing videos are pretty much necessary for advice. However swing speed would at least be a measure for you to know that’s easy to obtain. 230-250yds is pretty normal. I wouldn’t expect  a shaft change to give you much more distance if any. But trying a different shaft? Absolutely. Why not? 

[Carl3]

4 hours ago, Squeakycretin said:

Hi

 

Not sure on my swing speed, not had chance to get it measured. Ball speed at toptracer range is around 150mph but I don't know how accurate they are?

 

I hit a Cobra F6 with the weight at the back, set to 10.5 atm. Fujikura pro 60 lite flex shaft, Srixon soft feel / AD333.

 

Id say 5/10 are out the middle, slight fade if anything, a few are high toe draws. Had a good few that finished 230+ and a couple that were at least 250, can't really say how far on the carry but fairways not particularly hard.

 

I know it's hard without seeing swing etc, but does it sound like it be worth trying a stiffer shaft, or a better ball? I'm at the point where I'm not losing as many, didn't lose one on the last round

 

Cheers

150 MPH ball speed would suggest a driver swing speed of about 100 MPH give or take. Looks like you have one of the flimsier shafts in their line up. If you look at swing speed vs distance charts you can see what a 100 MPH speed should get you, which is more than what you report.

If you look at ball data from an Iron Byron set up, most balls fly roughly the same distance. Little variance from a percentage basis especially from a driver, which is your lowest spin club.

I have a similar swing speed and was using the wrong driver. Got fit in 2016 and it totally changed my approach to the game. Have regular flex in every club except driver, which is a little stiffer. Normal drive is a little longer that with the previous club, but less dispersion. When I am really feeling good and taking a rip at it I can get it to sail. With the previous club that would result in a ballooning/crap shot.

[saevel25]

Swing speed is one thing, solid contact is another. 

[ncates00]

4 hours ago, Squeakycretin said:

Hi

 

Not sure on my swing speed, not had chance to get it measured. Ball speed at toptracer range is around 150mph but I don't know how accurate they are?

 

I hit a Cobra F6 with the weight at the back, set to 10.5 atm. Fujikura pro 60 lite flex shaft, Srixon soft feel / AD333.

 

Id say 5/10 are out the middle, slight fade if anything, a few are high toe draws. Had a good few that finished 230+ and a couple that were at least 250, can't really say how far on the carry but fairways not particularly hard.

 

I know it's hard without seeing swing etc, but does it sound like it be worth trying a stiffer shaft, or a better ball? I'm at the point where I'm not losing as many, didn't lose one on the last round

 

Cheers

Depending on your other launch characteristics, 230-250 is a reasonably good carry distance at 150 mph ball speed and with how you are striking the ball.  I'm generally in the mid to high 150's and I carry the ball around 255-265.  However, it sounds like strike could be the main issue for you given the large range of distance gap you provided, or the launch monitor you used is not very accurate.  Play around with the flightscope optimizer tool to see what distance you should see.  Shafts can help, but so long as you are using something reasonable, you're not going to see any big differences (but I admit, I'm no shaftoid).  The biggest thing is getting your strike down because it sounds like you hit fades and toe draws; a different shaft isn't likely to make you hit the ball more consistently and play better golf.  

[Carl3]

6 hours ago, Squeakycretin said:

Fujikura pro 60 lite flex shaft

I am no shaft expert either, but no one would have him playing this shaft, which was the question:

[ncates00]

23 minutes ago, Carl3 said:

but no one would have him playing this shaft

I agree.

 

23 minutes ago, Carl3 said:

which was the question

Sure, but changing the shaft is not going to result in some earth-shattering good play.  It's a shaft.  I can go out and play reasonably well with a friend's clubs, rental clubs, or even my wife's clubs.  I think most people can do that since golf is about the person's skill, not equipment (not to say that equipment doesn't have some effect on play to some degree).

 

1 hour ago, ncates00 said:

shaftoid)

I think you missed my jargon--I used it not to mean "expert."  I used it in a derogatory fashion, i.e., people who get all in a fuss about shafts as it it really matters at the end of the day.  See Mark Crossfield and others who have completed blind testing with different shafts.

[DrvFrShow]

Well, I have a driver swing speed around 94. I recently took a driver lesson. I had a 45 g Riptide R in the driver. The pro put me in a 50 g Riptide 6.0 S. I feel like I have better control over the club head.

Companies are going over to lightweight shafts these days. They've been able to make graphite stronger at lighter weight so that S shaft that used to be 65 g may only need to be 50 g now. 

If your shaft is too flexible your strike may not be as consistent. 

The AD333 is a good ball. It has a urethane cover. They've been discontinued, but you can still find them on Amazon. They're 75 compression and probably great in winter. I play the Srixon Z-Star and love them. Soft around the green. 

[Squeakycretin]

16 hours ago, ncates00 said:

I agree.

 

Sure, but changing the shaft is not going to result in some earth-shattering good play.  It's a shaft.  I can go out and play reasonably well with a friend's clubs, rental clubs, or even my wife's clubs.  I think most people can do that since golf is about the person's skill, not equipment (not to say that equipment doesn't have some effect on play to some degree).

 

I think you missed my jargon--I used it not to mean "expert."  I used it in a derogatory fashion, i.e., people who get all in a fuss about shafts as it it really matters at the end of the day.  See Mark Crossfield and others who have completed blind testing with different shafts.

 

I wasn't expecting "earth shattering good play" - I just wondered if I'm hitting reasonable distance for an amateur with a lite flex, is it worth me trying a stiffer shaft, or could the flex actually be helping me?

10 hours ago, DrvFrShow said:

Well, I have a driver swing speed around 94. I recently took a driver lesson. I had a 45 g Riptide R in the driver. The pro put me in a 50 g Riptide 6.0 S. I feel like I have better control over the club head.

Companies are going over to lightweight shafts these days. They've been able to make graphite stronger at lighter weight so that S shaft that used to be 65 g may only need to be 50 g now. 

If your shaft is too flexible your strike may not be as consistent. 

The AD333 is a good ball. It has a urethane cover. They've been discontinued, but you can still find them on Amazon. They're 75 compression and probably great in winter. I play the Srixon Z-Star and love them. Soft around the green. 

Thanks for the reply, think I will probably try find a decent regular shaft off ebay and see how I get on

[Sandy Lie]

Curious, what is your age?  I’m 65 and my last Launch Monitor swing speed during a Titleist ball fitting was 104 with the driver.

I play a Stiff Flex UST Proforce V2 6F4.  I hit on average 74% of my fairways.  Average distance is 240ish and occasionally shy of 260.  I play the ProV1x.  I’ve tried Taylormade, Bridgestone and other Titleist models, specifically the AVX.  To me the ball performance is not just distance with the driver, but with wedges and putting.  I play the white tees mostly at 6100 to 6300 yards. If I play Blue tees just tack on another 300-400 yards.  It’s more fun to hit 8, 9 and PW to the green than 4 and 5 irons.  But that’s just me. 
 

If your younger spend time finding the right combination of shaft and ball and let it rip!  It’s worth it. Play well.