A great question arrived asking about when do you need to change the stiffness of your golf clubs. This is a fact of life, we age and our swing speeds start to change. We do not hit the ball as far as we once did. I have had this happen to me like everyone else. At 67 years old and two open heart surgeries my strength is no where close to what it once was. Therefore I have had to get my club shafts changed due to my slower swing speed. But there is only one way to do this right, get your swing checked with a club fitter that has the proper equipment to check your statistics. We just happen to have an entire group of fitters that are certified to fit clubs in accordance with the PPGS!
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Swing Speed Change
I've had two rotator cuff surgeries in the last three years and fully understand the loss of distance. I am 68 years old and, after my last surgery back in January, cannot get to the T-Finish. So, I have lost almost 80 yards off my driver. I used to hit a 7-Iron 150 yards. Now, it is only 108 according to Flight Scope. My accuracy has improved of late and I am back to scoring in the 90s again. I'm hoping to get back to the high 80s within the next couple of months, but that's going to take a lot more work. I've only gotten about 75% of my strength back.
Swing Change and Shafts
Sorry to hear about the surgeries. I have a lot of crinkling since I had a partial tear a few years back, so feel it is a matter of time. You always had good insights and comments since the time I hooked up with Surge back in 2010 when I had been out for a year with back issues. My distance has decreased but my swing is straight and I feel I have gotten very consistent. I am looking into a new set of clubs, and have seen that my old Mizunos from 2010 are a full 4 degrees behind the current lofts for the majority of clubs makers. Having rented a set of the M-2's, I noticed they not only allowed me to easily hit the ball higher but the ball zoomed off the club and I was easily getting 10-15 yards more off the irons. Essentially, the 8 iron was equal to my old 7 iron and was landing and holding better. And the sound was very good especially compared to my 7 year old clubs. After researching, I am back to looking at the Mizuno JPX Hot Metal which seems to be a good game improvement club for me as I am a 13 index. I will certainly use a fitter to ensure I get the right shaft to match the club head. Take your time gaining your strength back and best to you. Kevin McCarthy
Swing speed and shaft flex
I took the opportunity recently to have a fitting session with Doc Griffin recently and it's the best thing I've done to improve my golf since I switched to PPGS. After measuring me with my old clubs, Doc told me that the shaft is the transmission of the golf swing (and I was the engine). Then he said "your driving 10 mph in fifth gear." I've been playing with the clubs he built for me for a couple of weeks now and what a difference it has made. I can actually feel the club flex and unflex through the hitting area just as a club should.
One other thing to try before spending money on new clubs is to go to a lower compression ball. Doc recommended the Callaway SuperSoft and the Bridgestone E6 balls. I've tried both and again felt a tremendous difference. Even with my old clubs I gained 15-20 yards with my 7 iron and 25-30 yards with my driver.
Shaft stiffness and clubhead speed
Is there not some simple relationship between clubhead speed and shaft stiffness that could be used to determine what shaft should be used? I went to a local club fitter/builder and had a set of single length irons made and he determined that I should have a shaft with frequency in the 170 cps range. He measured my driver swing speed at 91mph and my six-iron swing speed at 81 mph. I am 79 and have an index at the last update of 18.1, and, in my defense, I would be a single digit if my short game chipping/pitching was equal to my long game.
Gary
Age and distance lost
I've lost about 20 yards with my irons over the last 10 years but still hit them high and straight. I get good distance with my hybrids and woods. I have played the forward tees for the last couple of years and am enjoying and loving the game even more. My short game has been so good that I managed a 2 over par round a few weeks ago. Short putts could be better and still need improvement.