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39 Year Old Beginner, Senior Shaft?

Vcize

By Vcize,
in Clubs, Grips, Shafts, Fitting

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Vcize Newbie

Vcize

I'm 39 years old relatively athletic, 6' 200lbs, swing speed around 100mph with driver and 90-95 with 7i.

I'm about 4 months into my golf journey. I'm pretty obsessed, I practice almost daily. Right now I just have a set of crappy used Top Flight XL irons that I got for like 20 bucks to get started.

I went to my local shop today to get a 5h. They had 4 used ones I tried out in the simulator. The first 2 I was just shanking every time, or couldn't get the ball off the ground and even on a solid hit the ball would only be like 4-5 yards high and would land after like 70 yards and roll the next 100. The last 2 (Taylormade Sim 2 Max and Stealth) I hit WAY better, way more consistently, etc.

Then I asked one of the guys about the shafts on the Taylormades. Fujikira blue 5A, which he said is basically a senior shaft (one of them was cut down 1" shorter as well). Is this normal for a beginner to hit a more flexible shaft so much better? It was seriously the best I've ever hit a golf ball. Is it worth picking something like that up while I get better, or will it stunt my growth and I'd be better off with a regular shaft and just learning to hit it properly?

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iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

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100 with a driver and 95 with a seven iron doesn’t really add up. Have you had any of these measured on anything accurate?

Either way it feels unlikely to me that you need a senior flex shaft.

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Vcize Newbie

Vcize

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1 minute ago, iacas said:

100 with a driver and 95 with a seven iron doesn’t really add up. Have you had any of these measured on anything accurate?

Either way it feels unlikely to me that you need a senior flex shaft.

No that's just what I pulled up from my Garmin R10 stats just now.  I think I just don't swing as hard with my driver because I'm not confident hitting with it or off a tee yet so I'm more cautious.  I didn't actually go out and measure a full crank to get my max speed if I really go to town on it so I guess it would be higher in that case.

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saevel25 Incredible Member

saevel25

11 minutes ago, Vcize said:

I'm 39 years old relatively athletic, 6' 200lbs, swing speed around 100mph with driver and 90-95 with 7i.

90 mph swing speed for a 7 iron is near PGA Tour average. 

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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Vcize Newbie

Vcize

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(edited)
5 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

90 mph swing speed for a 7 iron is near PGA Tour average. 

I just pulled my max out of the Garmin r10 stats.  I guess if I look through the shots individually they are more commonly in the 81-86mph range.  I must have been really cranking down on it for the shots that were 90.  I can't vouch for the accuracy of the r10, either.  I am an ex-baseball player, if that matters.

I guess overall, getting out of the weeds, the place I'm stuck on would be that I don't have a particularly slow swing speed, but I was hitting MUCH better with a senior shaft.  So do I buy the senior shaft since that was what I was hitting better, or do I stick with  the regular shaft and learn to hit it as well as I was hitting the more flexible shaft?

Edited by Vcize
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Denny Bang Bang Great Member

Denny Bang Bang

@Vcize it’s not unbelievable at all that a beginner, or a not-so-good golfer, can swing a club fast (especially a person with a baseball, hockey, lacrosse, etc. background).  But when the data doesn’t seem to match up, there will be questions.  And of course some people embellish, or don’t truly understand their numbers.

I’d say if you’re piecing together a set, go with something more appropriate (stiff).  As you get better, a stiffer shaft will likely help you get better dispersion.  And a more appropriate club will probably wind up staying in your bag longer before needing/wanting to replace it.  Just my two cents.

Its an awesome game.  Welcome 

 

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Brown E Member

Brown E

What do you normally hit for a 150 yard shot? If you do have a driver swing speed of 100 mph, you would need a stiff shaft most likely. Should see someone that has experience in club fitting to find a used set of clubs.  Just grabbing clubs and 

swinging them without why could mess with you even more.

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Vcize Newbie

Vcize

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(edited)
On 8/20/2022 at 8:16 AM, Brown E said:

What do you normally hit for a 150 yard shot? If you do have a driver swing speed of 100 mph, you would need a stiff shaft most likely. Should see someone that has experience in club fitting to find a used set of clubs.  Just grabbing clubs and 

swinging them without why could mess with you even more.

 

I grab a 9i for 150.

I just played half a round and tracked my shots with Hole 19.  I swung my 7i three times and they went 168, 178, 182.

Keep in mind though I live in Utah at about 4500 feet of elevation so that probably adds some distance.

Edited by Vcize
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