| Suggestions/thoughts (long)
Hi Peter,
I am not an expert, but there are some things I've learned over the past several years of clubfitting for myself and watching friends go thru the same process with a world-class clubfitter in the bay area.
By cutting your shaft, you increased stiffness. Not sure about swing weight. What stiffness are you using now? If you're using a senior shaft now, it's probably playing closer to a regular. If you're using stiff now, it's playing close to an X-stiff!
One thing I learned is that the stiffness listed on the shafts are not necessarily accurate!!! I took my Rifle 6.0 shafts (standard stiff, similar to DG S300) that came standard on my irons to be tested, and they came in at frequencies between 7.5 and 8.0!!! Yikes, this is like Tiger Woods country. I was told that DG is also not very good with their consistency. No wonder I was hitting my irons low, with a tendency to fade. I had them changed out for a true stiff shaft, and overnight, I started hitting high draws.
There are other factors beyond swing speed that should determing the right flex for you. Is your swing tempo quick or smooth? How you 'load' your club during a swing has a big impact on ball flight. If you're quick, you are better off with a stiffer shaft.
This leads to the following conclusion. There is no way to know for sure unless you spend some time with a good fitter who has access to a launch monitor. You are in the right ballpark with a senior or regular shaft. Now you need to hone in on the right combination.
Having said that, I have a couple of recommendations. As geline mentioned, try as many club/shaft combinations as you can. Also, at your swing speed, you should try higher lofts in your woods. You know how pros always said most amateurs would be better off hitting a 3-wood off the tee, not only for control, but also distance? Well, they are right, except that big-faced drivers are so much more forgiving and has the trampoline effect to increase distance. Manufacturers are now making drivers in large sizes with greater lofts (13-14*). These may help your game. A friend who has a driver swing speed of 90mph was told to try a 13* driver (he was using 10.5* before). He is hitting it higher and longer than before. Now, he tended to hit the ball pretty low before. Your situation may be different. Again, this gets back to not being able to make specific recommendations without seeing your ball flight.
Anyway, hope this helps and doesn't confuse you further. Best of luck. Let us know how it goes!
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Ping G2 Driver
Cleveland Launcher 3 Wood
TaylorMade Dual Rescue Hybrids
TaylorMade S300 Forged Irons
Titleist Vokey SW and LW
Odyssey #5 White Hot Putter |