Is this the wrong shaft for me? Help!

[JeffG]

I currently have a TM R7 460, 10.5*, RE*AX 60g mid tip stiff flex shaft (all standard, I guess..came straight from manufacturer). Right now, i'm not terribly happy with the ballfight. I hit this thing WAY to high. I guess you could say I am ballooning alot of shots, so I'm not getting ANY roll...if the ground is even semi-damp, I plug alot of drives.

When i'm teeing off into the wind, I lose all confidence because I send it way up there and the wind just grabs it and accentuates whatever shot I hit (fade into a slice, etc).

However, I am hitting it very straight...hitting most of my fairways, just dont' like the ballfight. So, i'm thinking about getting a 9.5*, same club, and I have the opportunity to get one but it comes with a Graphite Design Tour AD I-65 70g S shaft. I've read as much as I can on these and it says they are designed for "accomplished players with high swing speeds" "Minimal torque" "Lower flight paths" etc.

Well, I did hit on a monitor a year or so ago...and I remember my swing speeds were ~100. Can't remember much about my spin rate or launch angle. My handicap is probably floating around 8-10. My driver distances (with my current driver) range from 245-275 depending on if I balloon it or not.

So, without going to a launch monitor and getting professionally fitted (I know thats what I need to be but nearest one is a long way away), is that shaft going to be a bad match for me or is it just too hard to tell?? Also, is the 10g difference going to be very noticable? Better or worse?

Should I pull the trigger on this driver (I can get it for pretty cheap) or pay a little more and get a new R7 w/ the Aldila NV 65 S?

Sorry for so many questions...just starting to learn more about the equipment aspect of golf!

[JackieTreehorn]

From my experience, shaft flex is very important and a lot of people that can play under 80 or hit a drive over 270 probably needs stiffer shafts than they currently use. Some pros swing <110 and still use x-stiff. As soon as I switched to x-stiff shafts my trajectory immediately flattened like I wanted.

A simple solution might be to set the R7 weights to low trajectory. I have the TM R7 TP, set on low trajectory fade with a heavy swing weight (using the 12 or 14g weights). It is awesome into the wind and I can hit it high if I want too. But I also have a high kick point shaft.

[wigolffan]

well, just my 2 cents but if you want to lower your ball flight look for a stiff tip high kick shaft and you will se dramatic diffrence, my old R5 came with a soft tip mid kick stiff 10.5 degree and it could have knocked a U2 spy plane out of the sky. Switched to an Aldila NV 65 wich has a stiffer tip and higher kick and bingo just were I wanted it.

[JeffG]

Well, the auction was about to end...and it was at a price I couldn't resist ($139.00 plus 12 shipping). So I went ahead and got it. In excellent condition w/ a very expensive shaft for only $150 shipped.

So, i'll hold off selling my existing one until I play with this one for a few rounds. If I don't like it then i'll just put it up for auction or sell it on here.

[wigolffan]

you alsomay want to recheck you rswing speed cus if you are driving 275 your speed is going to be higher then 100. My avg swing speed on driver is 117 (my buddy has a launch mon cus he is a custom club fitter, so we play around on it a lot.) and acording to my skycaddie my avg drive is 285. So if you knockin 275 it has to be higher than 100

[JeffG]

you alsomay want to recheck you rswing speed cus if you are driving 275 your speed is going to be higher then 100. My avg swing speed on driver is 117 (my buddy has a launch mon cus he is a custom club fitter, so we play around on it a lot.) and acording to my skycaddie my avg drive is 285. So if you knockin 275 it has to be higher than 100

Well, 275 is on a rare draw with pretty firm fairways. I'm usually sitting around 255 or so, and when i'm ballooning i'm about 240 maybe. I'm really just now getting more accurate figures since I just got a golfguru GPS last week.

[lordnazgul]

It may be worth checking how you are striking the ball before changing any equipment. If you hit down on the golf ball it will create more backspin and therefore the ballooning you refer to.