DonkeyShark

Smells like sour grapes to me... If you want to argue that it takes more skill to hit the clubs of yesteryear, then of course we all agree with you. However, translating that into the implication that hitting modern equipment is tantamount to cheating is an egregious misclassification.

Wow, this thread is funny. I can't believe you guys are serious. No one here believes you can hit a ball 300 yards and still be a 20 handicapper? I can hit the ball over 300 (usually once or twice a round). I rarely break 90 and I usually score 92-98. I can post my swing on video if you guys want to see it. How are we going to verify yardage though? Would a launch monitor suffice? I suppose I could try to capture my swing on a launch monitor from Golfsmith. As far as AVERAGING 300+ I certainly don't average it. I'm all over the place. Hence I'm a 20+ handicapper. However, when I hit it right in favorable conditions I can hit the ball 315. I could hit it 330 about 10-12 years and 30 pounds ago (and I was probably a 30 handicap then). I'm not a very serious golfer, I've never really put much time into my game. Oh, and I have a buddy of mine from highschool that was a terrible golfer, but when we were 18-19 years old he would drive the ball well over 350 fairly consistently at the range. Granted, he is 6'8" also won state in discuss and the high jump and was 2nd team all-state in basketball, but there are people out there can really crush a golf ball that are simply not good golfers. He probably only golfed 2-4 rounds a year when we were that age. My swing speed was about 116-118 back then, and I'd guess he was probably at least a good 15mph faster than me. It was jaw dropping to watch this guy at the range. Everyone would stop and watch, it was pretty classic.

While I'm not a scratch golfer by any means, I do know a thing or two about mathematics and physics. From the research I've done, a regular flex shaft is definitely the right shaft for your swing speed of ~90 mph. While many other components will come into play (such as launch angle, backspin and side spin) a fairly good estimator for your driving distance can be achieved with the following formula: Take your swing speed, multiply it by 2 1/2, then add 10% for roll. Thus we have: Driving distance ~= 1.1(2.5*SS) = 2.75*SS With a SS of 90 mph, this would yield 2.75*90 = 247.5 yards. If we compensate for just slight side spin or just barely too high of a launch angle, 243 yards sounds just about right. However, distance is absolutely a function of swing speed. You might be able to stretch a few more yards out of a perfect swing, but I think you are doing quite well. One thing I would check is if you can find a launch monitor, make sure you have the right loft on your driver. You want to be launching the ball around 15 degrees, any higher than that and your losing yardage with your SS, any less than 13.5 or so, same thing. Depending on your attack angle, I'd estimate you probably should be hitting an 11.5 degree loft with regular flex. Hope that helps