Change Shaft Flex?

[Nicholas]

Dear Sand Trap,

Let me start by saying that this is my first post and that I'm not a wonderful golfer. Most of my clubs (aside from my beloved driver) are garbage, (I'm tall, they are laughably short 1960's models.) but my saving grace is my ability to drive the ball. Right now I consistently drive the ball 310 to 315 with a 9.5 degree stiff shaft driver.

My question is: I've read that if the shaft isn't stiff enough it could lead to higher trajectory subsequently reducing distance. My ball comes out extremely high and the vast majority of the distance traveled is carry. I'm wondering if there is a chance that going to an extra stiff shaft could increase my distance?

I typically play from the front tees because thats what the people in my group like to play. Therefore on a typical par four I'm between 20 and 80 yards from the hole after the drive. (From there it isn't unheard of to take 6 more shots to get it in the hole.) So I'm thinking if I add 20 yards or so chipping won't be as much of an issue.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Before I answer.  Did you upload that avatar yourself or did the mods do it?

[Nicholas]

Neither, I logged in with Facebook so it put that picture up : / Sorry

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Nicholas

Neither, I logged in with Facebook so it put that picture up : / Sorry

I think your idea to play Happy Gilmore golf is a sound approach.  No sense in chipping when you can just drive the greens.  Go xstiff and tip it an inch.  Go with something super low launch, low torque, and low spin.  Maybe consider adding an inch or two to the lenght of the driver.  You're also going to want to learn the basics of the bull dance.  It's imperative that this is properly executed every time you drive a par 4 from the forward tees.

[Nicholas]

Thank you very much for your input that helps a lot. The bull dance is one of my specialties used in most avenues of life.

[WUTiger]

Since you've been playing awhile, you could get on a launch monitor session to get some data on how you hit the ball: clubhead speed, launch angle, maximum height, fade-draw tendencies, etc.

Getting the right shaft is just as important as getting a clubhead model you like.

When you're selecting the irons, get a static fitting to make sure the irons fit you. Static takes into account your height and arm length, hand size (for grip thickness), and lie angle - upright, average or flat. (A couple of years down the road, if you're playing a lot and feel your clubs may be holding you back, you can get a dynamic fitting, which takes all day, measures your performance in different ways, and can cost $200 +. Static is OK for right now).