Stacey_E

I find a LOT of useful information at the manufacturers' websites. You can get right down to the nitty gritty on lie angle, shaft length and weight, cubic centimeters.....etc

A 10.5* adjustable driver can be taken from 9.5 to 11.5 degrees. I'd say that (with shaft matching) covers 90+% of amateur golfers. You could have a 9.5* X-flex shaft or 11.5* senior flex for the golden years. All of this would be at your disposal with a wrench and possible shaft change. Seriously, 10.5* in a "stiff" factory OEM shaft and adjustable head is an excellent combo for anybody.

Mizuno MX700 is an absolute sleeper club that can be had on the cheap. This club didn't take off because a lot of Mizuno fans are lower or aspiring to be lower handicaps. I carried one for two years and it has one hot face, high launch and low spin. I'd strongly recommend it to any handicap over 5. Go with a stiffer flex than you normally use because the standard shaft is a tad floppy and the head launches relatively high for the loft on the sole. Honorable mention to the Big Bertha 460 (the one with the white line on top). I have hit my longest drives ever with this club in a low loft / high launch shaft combo.

I'd say try some online fitting stuff through Ping, Titleist, Cobra etc. Be really REALLY honest about your distances and you should get in the ball park. These don't take into account tempo, lag, lie angles and such like a true dynamic fitting would. They should get you a general consensus. If you are fitting for a driver it is obviously more complicated. Id also try some demo clubs at a local range or course. You will know what feels right and what launches the best for you within a large bucket's time. And if you hit an 8 iron 150 consistently you probably want stiff flex. One manufacturer's regular is another's stiff.....especially when you get into the "exotic" shafts.

I personally like matching wedges in the clubs you tend to take full swings on. For me that is the pitching wedge as I cant remember ever taking a greenside shot with it. I have had and liked matching gap, sand and lob wedges. They are more forgiving on full shots and often have a wide bounce that plays well out of thick grass and sand. That being said, I feel I have a lot more touch with more blade like wedges. I use the 52* on any greenside shot that I can, and my Vokeys just seem more consistant than a cavity back on those close in shots.

I actually bought a "BY YOU" and I have to say it was a VERY consistant shaft. It also had a good feel to it, tight and snappy at impact. It was so consistant that I finally realized that I have a pretty big delofting move with my driver. So I traded the FT9 with the original Axis shaft and the By You shaft for a R9 Super Tri 11.5* and R9 5 wood. I couldnt be happier with either of those clubs. I've never been able to dial a driver in so quickly. The 5 wood was another story, but I finally have a nice setup at the top of the bag. Lobbob2, you should definately go for the Proto. I personally felt like it had as tight of a dispersion as a Proforce V2 but with a little more pop in the FT9 head.

I would say any of the major 5 or 6 brands are a safe bet as long as the shafts are fitted to your needs. Clubhead construction is important too. Most opt for a more forgiving head (like the S2) if they cant get out to play a lot, and a more traditional blade style if they are looking to work and improve. You can usually get a large portion of your investment back if you shop carefully and buy slightly used clubs (from a major manufacturer) - that is if you decide to upgrade or change your setup later.

Lets do the math. 6-gw is 6 clubs. Each shaft will cost you $10 minimum for steel plus $5 minimum for the grip. A shaft pull and replace around here will run you about $10 per club. A lie adjustment will cost you about $5 per club. Add that all up and you are looking at about $30 per club x 6 clubs is $180. This does not take into account the fact that your club heads are weighted for graphite regular length shafts (if I read your current set up correctly). Replacing those shafts with +1" steel would send the swingweights off the charts. And replacing them with quality graphite would definitely cost a bit more. PGA Value Guide currently has those irons resaling around $180. My advice is to skip the re-shaft and sell the clubs at an asking price of $250 (read $200). Put that $200 on some new fitted irons, or slightly used 1" over irons and have the lie adjusted. YMMV

Another one I need to check out. I know lots of advice out there says to go for carry distance in your setup. I do like having a low trajectory at times. Its nice to see a cut shot get on the ground and start rolling out instead of a high hanging cut that turns into a slice. My preference is to have all three trajectories available when I need them. I once had a KZG 325cc driver that I could hit on any trajectory just by tee height. With the 460cc drivers, it seems I have to change setup and swing plane to adjust to what I want. I'm looking for a shaft that I can load with a smooth 95 mph swing late or early in the round, but still be able to step on it hard (105 max for me) in the middle of a round when I'm good and loose.

Thanks for the advice newtogolf! I'll do a little on line research on all those shafts.

I'd say the lie angle you were given was about right. While I agree you need some time to loosen up, I have heard stories (not very scientific I know) of golfers adjusting after a number of shots to the iron that is in their hand. Give anybody a 6 iron, either in 2 degree upright or flat, and let them hit 100 balls (to take the example to the extreme) and they will adjust to the club. As for the driver.....I have been told, though I rarely adhere to the advice, you should swing about 80%. To me that means you are in your wheel house after about 5 swings, and "stepping on" a fitted shaft MIGHT get you into the slightly floppy territory. Better to err on the weak side of flex than the stiff side. Of course that doesn't include transition, wrist angle, angle of attack, overall feel, launch angle....

I recently added an FT-9 neutral 9* to my bag. It has a stiff Axis Prolaunch Blue shaft installed. I have noticed that I get two tendencies of ball flight that I'm not seeing in my other clubs. Basically I am fighting the high fade that hangs so much that I am loosing probably 20 yards in distance. The other extreme is when I step on a drive I get the low pull left. My best results is a mid-low trajectory that carries about 230 and rolls about 30 more yards. First off, I know these problems are due to swing inconsistencies, and things I need to work out on the range. Secondly I also need more time to work with the driver, but I do love the feel, look and sound of the driver. I had been playing a 10.5* regular flex Mizuno MX700 for two seasons and my fairways hit on average has dropped from 70+% to about 65%. Plus I never know where to aim from the tee box. I see that the shaft specs for the Axis Blue "stiff" is a 4.0, which seems rather floppy to me. Does anyone with I-MIX experience have a recommendation or a short list of shafts to try? I consistently swing 100 mph +/-2 and have a smooth transition from the top (when I am swinging within my myself). I would like something within the 55-65 gram weight with good mid trajectory and a nice first bounce to get that extra roll on dry fairways. I have tried and liked the regular Prolaunch Blue and Proforce V2 in stiff shafts before , but that was in older drivers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

And just because it says 51 or 56 degrees doesnt mean it is that exact loft. You might want to have those spec-ed. I have seen brand new Vokeys spec 2* off, and I was quite shocked. They tend to be pretty consistant off the shelf.

Exactly! I would suspect, without seeing your swing that you are delofting some wedges and sliding under others. I personally prefer 5 or 6 degress of loft between wedges. Loft is not the only factor in distance. Basically all wedges off the shelf are within 1/4 to 1/2" to each other in shaft length. Factor in angle of attack, ball position, the fact that some wedges are easier to "step on" than others...etc. If you have a variety of bounces avaible in your bag that is a huge plus. The distances come with practice, or so I have been told.