To replace driver or not.....

[Alohaed]

Hi all, I need some adivise. My driver is at least 6 years old. Possibly 7, I can't recall. My swing speed calls for a regular flexed shaft and this has stiff. On a good day, I can hit my driver 250 yards total. Therefore I assume longer with the correct shaft. It is in pretty good condition. And I also spent enough money this season already for irons, plus $100 fitting costs, then lessons. I also need a new stand bag too, to use with my push cart. I wrote yesterday about going for a new driver this weekend and driver advise. My question is....... will I gain that much more yardage with a new driver, all the new technology, etc, compared to my current one if I only replace the shaft with a regular flex???

[scgolf]

Go check out your driver speed on a monitor, i would say you'd better play with a regular flex driver shaft if your driver speed is below 95 m/h. Softer flex will add distance. Also the 460 cc driver head will give you a bit larger sweet spot than your current 420 R7. Larger sweet spot will help you hitting a bit more distance and better accuracy.

[sean_miller]

Hi all, I need some adivise. My driver is at least 6 years old. Possibly 7, I can't recall. My swing speed calls for a regular flexed shaft and this has stiff. On a good day, I can hit my driver 250 yards total. Therefore I assume longer with the correct shaft. It is in pretty good condition. And I also spent enough money this season already for irons, plus $100 fitting costs, then lessons. I also need a new stand bag too, to use with my push cart. I wrote yesterday about going for a new driver this weekend and driver advise. My question is....... will I gain that much more yardage with a new driver, all the new technology, etc, compared to my current one if I only replace the shaft with a regular flex???

Go the shaft route first, or trade it in for what you need. There are a lot of decent drivers at PIAS and places like that with virtually no wear.

[Slammin' Sam]

Either option would help your distance a bit and I'm a big fan of the 460 drivers because they're much more forgiving on mis-hit shots but in this case I think it's a matter of how much you want to spend. 250 with a stiff shafted R7 doesn't seem that bad to me so I think I'd go with the reshaft option if for no other reason than because you'll end up getting more bang for the buck. There's also a pretty good chance you'll find someone with a regular flex driver wanting to swap for a stiff flex.

[etlreams]

You should gain more distance with a regular flex shaft. I switched from a stiff flex driver down to a regular flex and increase my average by about 15-20 yards! They were different drivers and different shafts, though... so it wasnt comparing apples to apples.

I would get go to a Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy and try out some used drivers on a launch monitor. See what kind of numbers you're getting. Often times you can get a "last years model" driver for significantly less than a new model. Or...going used is another option.

I bet, if you dont have to have the "latest and greatest" and don't mind getting a used one that's only a year or so old, you can find yourself a good 460CC driver that fits you well for $100-150.

[Alohaed]

Ok. I took a lesson this weekend. As with the lesson for my irons last week, what an improvement in my ball striking and distance for the cost. $55 - 30 minutes. Anyway, I could not help myself. I just purchased a Ping G10 10.5*, regular flex, from TGW for $179. I figure at my handicap, the difference between 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 loft won't make an extreme difference in my game. So long as the driver is more forgiving and accurate than my older one. And I've always read good things about this driver. Better than spending $300 plus for a new one, having similar technology. My only concern is the grip size. Obviously it will be a standard grip, where I need 1 size smaller. No big deal, for another $10 or so I can replace it. BUT, will this make a huge difference in my game until I do replace it? Does anyone now how Ping grips run?

[sean_miller]

Ok. I took a lesson this weekend. As with the lesson for my irons last week, what an improvement in my ball striking and distance for the cost. $55 - 30 minutes. Anyway, I could not help myself. I just purchased a Ping G10 10.5*, regular flex, from TGW for $179. I figure at my handicap, the difference between 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 loft won't make an extreme difference in my game. So long as the driver is more forgiving and accurate than my older one. And I've always read good things about this driver. Better than spending $300 plus for a new one, having similar technology. My only concern is the grip size. Obviously it will be a standard grip, where I need 1 size smaller. No big deal, for another $10 or so I can replace it. BUT, will this make a huge difference in my game until I do replace it? Does anyone now how Ping grips run?

Put your favourite driver grip on it. PING stock grips suck - hard!