Time to Change Shaft Flex

[psulefty]

Hi all, glad to join the forum!

I'm an 11, lefty, with a quick swing.  I have a carry of about 240 and have been playing with stiff shafts in irons and woods for most of my 40 yrs.  Now that I'm 58, I'm seeing a 10 -15 yd. loss in distance, and am wondering if its time to step back to reg in my Woods, or perhaps 5.0s or 5.5s in my irons (My iron shafts are actually ProjX 6.0s). One clubfitter says yes, change, and 2 others say no.

Any counsel on what to look at to make the determination for myself, or direction to a resource that could help?

Thanks much!

[goblue107501]

I am usually a big proponent in using as stiff of a shaft that you can handle.  My question would be this:  can you still get plenty of height on your shots, or have they been getting lower?  That was always my Dad's complaint when he hit my stuff, he couldn't get them up in the air enough to get any distance.  He was always a solid golfer, but as he got older he recognized that he needed more help.  He moved most of his clubs into regular or senior shafts and it helped him maintain his game.  Might be a good idea to hit a demo day if possible and check out some different shafts and see if any of them help.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

Now that I'm 58, I'm seeing a 10 -15 yd. loss in distance, and am wondering if its time to step back to reg in my Woods, or perhaps 5.0s or 5.5s in my irons (My iron shafts are actually ProjX 6.0s). One clubfitter says yes, change, and 2 others say no.

Since about the year 2000, age 53 has become some "magic number" for shifting from stiff to regular shafts.

I switched at age 58, and I'm breaking 90 for the first time in several years. I had kept the stiff shafts too long, and pressing for extra distance had messed up what swing tempo I had.

Unless you break coconuts with your bare hands for a living - or engage in similar robust activities - you might consider switching to softer flex. Also, the PX 6.0 is about the stiffest of the standard stiff flexes you can get.

Although age catches up with all of us, make sure there's not some physical structural ailment which is contributing. In this vein, check out the fitness blogs. Sometime after age 50 - don't laugh, I can't remember for sure -  we start losing X% of our muscle mass per year. So, either keep up your resistance training or add some in to slow down the muscle-minus process.

Don't despair: You're an 11 HDCP so you must be doing something right!!

[BugDude]

I've had two sets of irons for many years.  One a summer set and one a winter and spring set.  Both Ram forged irons.

Summer set:  Golden Ram Tour Grind blades, stiff steel shaft.  I used to play a minimum of 4 times per week, and when I did I loved these irons.  In winter, I could only play occasionally, so my ball striking suffered and I needed some help.

Winter/Spring set:  Ram FX Pro Set, larger heads with progressive cavity and regular graphite shafts.  This gave my more forgiveness and the exact same yardage per club in the winter and my other set in the summer.  In the spring, I'd use these until my ball striking improved a lot and I switched back to the others,

The last couple years, I've not been able to play much at all (coincidentally, I have a 2 year old...imagine less golf).  When I have played, I've been using the winter clubs and I really like the regular flex shafts.  I can swing smooth and concentrate on good contact and get great height and distance.  I just ordered another driver and got a 10.5* with regular flex graphite shaft.  Same results.  Smooth swing, high flight, great distance, and I'm not swinging out of my shoe laces.  I'm only 42, but for me it is time.  If I ever get to play more than once every couple weeks, maybe I'll go back.  I doubt it though.  I'm enjoying the smooth swing.

[keb]

Taking this one step further.  I am 56 years old with slower swing speed.  When does one consider moving from regular flex to graphite or even perhaps senior flex.?

[Zeph]

Shaft flex is chosen from your swing speed. Find a place with a launch monitor that register swing speed, then look at your existing shafts if they match up or not. You can also try hitting different shaft flexes on a monitor and see how it feels and what distance you get.

If the people you see don't agree, have them give all the swing data to you and post it here so we can look at it and give some input.

Having a swing speed between different flexes can also be an issue, generally it is adviced to pick the lesser flex if in doubt. But again, try hitting different ones. Remember that Stiff in one model does not guarantee that Stiff in another is of the same flex.

[psulefty]

All:

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the varied responses, and think the clear message is, find someone (fitter, pro) that I trust and who makes sense to me, and have them do the evaluation. I think the answer is dialing back to get a better ball flight and more consistency.  Like the earlier reply, I'd always been of the belief that stiffer meant more control (and still believe it), but I may be slowing down enough that I'm way too stiff.

Thanks again!

[Stretch]

I recently went from DG S300s to regular KBS Tour 120s in my irons, after a comprehensive fitting with a good club maker. On paper, the change in flex was from 5.8FCM to 4.9FCM. On the course, I am hitting the ball higher and further with more backspin, all of which I like.

The other important factor to consider in a case where you feel you may be losing distance is the total weight of your irons, which would be most affected by the weight of their shafts. Going to a lighter shaft model could well help you to claw back a few mph of club head speed. There are a lot of good choices out there -- including the KBSs in steel and Aerotech Steelfibers in composite/graphite.

Good luck!

[moparman426]

Originally Posted by goblue107501

I am usually a big proponent in using as stiff of a shaft that you can handle.

I think the general consensus is the opposite of this....You'd ideally want to play the most flexible shaft you can that still affords you the desired control you want.

[OKEXPRESS]

I think the general consensus is the opposite of this....You'd ideally want to play the most flexible shaft you can that still affords you the desired control you want.........I totally agree

You have to understand that stiff--regular--or Senior is only a starting place, and the "Standard Regular" to one shaft maker will usually be another flex to another, or somwhere in between. I hit a regular driver shaft a senior fairway shaft, and senior shafts in my hybrids. My wedges are all regulars.

I was very frustrated last year as I had moved to graghite senior shafts (7 different sets) in my irons, and was spraying them all over.  I went to a very good fitter and came away amazed at his recommendation. I went back to a KBS steel shaft and soft-stepped them, This created an in between flex between senior and regular.  I hit em great!

Go get fitted and find out what you really need