OK, I'm convinced for sure now.......

[Bullitt5339]

I went to the monitor today to do some shaft checking again.  I have had a loss of swing speed since I bought all my clubs, which were fitted with stiff shafts.

With my R9 and the DVS 65-S, I was spraying balls all over the place, but all to the right.  Average was 229 yards (ouch), longest was 249 with quite a large dispersion.  I didn't write down any of the other specs, because I was disgusted at the time.  We put a DVS 60-R in it, and these were the basic numbers.  While they're not spectacular by some standards, for someone who has had a few back surgeries in recent years, I was happy.

Avg length:  259 yards

Avg carry: 241 yards

Ball Speed:  139 mph

Longest drive:  274 yards

I was quite surprised with the 274 yard drive at first, I haven't hit anywhere near that long since my back surgery, but I had 3 others that were 268-270, so it wasn't a fluke at least.

So I am going to buy the new shaft on payday and have all of my irons reshafted with Rifle 5.0 Flighted shafts and the DVS 60-R put in my driver.

[mvmac]

Good to hear this worked out for you.  I think  there are many players playing shafts too stiff for them.  Lots of guys think it will help them hit it straighter or get rid of left shots.  Like you found out finding the right shaft for you can make the club more forgiving and maximize your efficiency.

[Mr. Desmond]

Smart move -

Same thing happened to me after surgery. Dropped from a regular to senior flex in Aerotechs in irons, Went from soft stiff to soft regulars in woods. The problem is ... I've regained some speed. I'll have another checkup during the summer.

But I will back off a bit for more consistency.

The lighter iron shafts make the game more effortless. I also increased loft in driver to 12.5 and went with a higher kick shaft - the effect is that the ball get up and flattens out nicely - nothing loopy about the ball flight. Instead of a 3 wood, I went with a Ti 5 wood in the same shaft as my driver. A shorter shaft length with a higher kick keeps the ball flight up but flat. It's a nice change.

[Beachcomber]

Nice to hear of a golfer like this simply getting the right shaft gaining distance like that. Congrats on the results.

[Bullitt5339]

Thanks,

I am trying to improve my game seriously, since this is the only exercise I can get now.  I was down to a 12 handicap before my surgery, and I'm actually playing to around an 18 right now.  Most of my problems have been with the driver and longer irons since I got back out.  I decided that if I want to improve and get down to single digits, I have to make sure my equipment is right still.  I was fitted for everything a few years ago, but my swing speed has dropped by 10-12mph, which makes nothing fitted anymore.  I've also had to change my iron swing to avoid back pain, so it's more steep now, so I have to go through the entire fitting process again.  Ordering the new iron shafts and the driver shaft are only the beginning.