jkpigott

This is actually a shot from my daughter's bag when she was a Jr in High School. She plays Ping G-400 irons and Ping Rhapsody woods. Right before the season started, she asked if she could put my old Muirfield 1-iron in her bag. She had messed around with it from time to time but never hit it that solid. Knowing that I asked her why she wanted it. Her response? "I just want to establish my dominance on the tee". Good answer. In it went.

If I've got less than 2ft of fringe I'll likely putt it. Better speed control with that club than anything else. With more fringe and a long run-out I'll probably go 7-8 if uphill and 9-PW if downhill. Pin in downhill. For non-covid rounds, pin out up hill. Let;s hope that's soon.

I'm old enough to remember when Wilson was the dominant club on Tour and MacGregor was still a common site on tour. And I still play MacGregor irons. My sense on their mutual decline was a perception of them as pro-only clubs combined with a different retail strategy for game improvement competitors. When Callaway and Taylor made came on the scene, their focus was clear on game improvement. I remember MacGregor's CG1800 (gamed by Zinger and Chi Chi) but their focus as a company was on equipment for the better player. Think Jack was very much driving that direction back then. PING had created a created a game improvement niche, but in my memory, they didn't market a stock set (black dot) in retail - either on or off course. It was all custom. Plus Callaway and Taylor Made started with woods, right? I don't recall anyone ever being enamored with Ping woods going back to the early 70s. So, you capitalize on the fact that everyone wants to hit it longer AND you stock game improvement gear at on and off course outlets.

I actually learned about the tour length by accident. Was hitting F9 from a demo cart. Put in the 63g Hazardous yellow. Then after hitting so well, put it side by side with an M6. Seeing how much longer the M6 was, I thought maybe I had put a 3-wood shaft in the F9 driver head by mistake. Spoke to the Cobra specialist in-store and he said "oh yeah, that's a Tour Length shaft". Since then found it in the catalog. Noticed this week it is also called out on their web site. Seeing the discussion above, I have created some franken-sticks through chopping and adding back. Have never been thrilled with any of them. But getting one new with the right length and weight has been great. Just wish more mfrs put shorter options in the demo carts for fitting at the major retailers accessible to the masses. I would be very surprised if TXG, Club Champion or Tru Spec did not have these shorter shafts as an option, but maybe I'll ask.

Curious to see how many are looking at driver shafts shorter than stock and what their experience has been. Looking at the new stuff in 2019 and 2020, shafts are running 45.5 to 45.75. Pretty tough to get consistent squared up center-face contact for anyone a 10 and up. Suspect mfrs are going this way to improve club head speed, but ball speed will suffer if you're not making good contact. So will accuracy. From what I read and hear on various pods, most on tour are well shorter than stock - most around 44.25 to 44.5. Rickie leading the way at 43.5. Retail doesn't make it easy from the demo carts I've seen. Most shafts that are different from stock are longer not shorter. Cobra an exception with their Tour Length (44.5"). I started with shorter driver several years back. peak distance was a little shorter but fairways hit jumped and was usually very close in distance to stock driver. Thoughts?

True!

Great explanations on swing weight vs gross weight. Key distinction to be made in speed. Mfrs seem to be focused on building drivers that will generate higher club head speed. That's why the top pro-line drivers these days have a stock length of 45.5 to 45.75 inches. Longer shaft creates wider arc which creates higher club head speed or swing speed. But what really matters is ball speed. A shorter shaft will have a lower maximum club head speed, but can allow for better center-face contact which in turn leads to better ball speed. Better ball speed gets you the distance. You will also likely hit more fairways more often. From experience, I went from roughly 40% fairways hit to over 55% going to shorter shaft. Distance was about the same, sometimes a little shorter. But if my approach goes from an 8-iron in the rough to a 7-iron in the fairway, I will take the fairway all the time. From what I read and hear thru pods, most touring pro's are playing shorter shafts than stock retail product. Cobra offers a Tour Length option (44.5"). Think that came from Rickie gaming a 43.5" driver. Last thing, would suggest not shortening an existing driver, but rather ordering a shorter shaft on a new driver and have the factory match the right swing weight from the get go. Good luck.

Tony, first congrats on a swing speed of 97 at your age. Loved that Mizuno ST 190 from last year having fit a number of folks in it. Really liked that it kept spin down even with a shaft on the lighter end of the spectrum. From your post, I would guess that your new shaft is a little heavier than the 50g in your Epic. Maybe a 65g Tensei orange? My pet peeve with Mfrs now is on driver length. They have added length because a longer shaft creates a wider arc which leads to faster club head speed - and they can SELL higher club head speed. But club head speed doesn't always translate to higher ball speed. As someone who does driver fittings (not for CC), my sense is that players over a 10 or 12 will have a tough time making consistent center-face contact with a driver that's 45.5 to 45.75 inches long which is typical stock length today Cobra offers a Tour Length option (44.5") in their drivers. Think it came out of Rickie gaming a 43.5" driver. Think that is a great option for making better contact which is what leads to higher ball speed. Careful when shortening an existing driver. Best to order something shorter from factory and let them get the swing-weight right with the shorter shaft. Most mfrs will allow for a 1" to 1.5" shorter option. By the way, with shorter shaft, I bet you will also hit more fairways. So you'll have that going for you...which is nice. Good luck. jkp

Several come to mind from 2019 1) Cobra F9 (seen it nationally at $249) Great ball speed and good forgiveness. Also with you swing speed, keeping spin down is probably an issue. Cobra spins lower even with heavier weight set in the rear. 2) Mizuno ST190 (under $300 for sure) Another good ball speed and lower spinning option. Keeps spin down even if you have a lighter weight shaft Two thoughts on shafts. First shorter. Stock shafts for most mfrs are in the 45.5 to 45.75 inch range. Cobra offers a Tour Length option (44.5"). MUCH easier to make consistent center-face contact and hit more fairways. At your speed, you won't see much distance drop but bet you will hit more fairways. Would also look at a heavier/stiffer shaft. If you were a consistent 115+ I would very likely fit you in a XS, but at minimum look at a 75g S like a Hazardous Smoke or for a little lighter feel a Hazardous Yellow. Either should offer tighter dispersion than the 60g shaft you have in now. Good luck!

Jason24 & Jason Jarrett, I feel your pain on the budget. That said, I'd strongly suggest a driver fitting to make sure whatever you spend, you are getting the best to help your game. I do fittings for a national chain. Driver fitting is under $30, but there is no charge if you buy the club - new or pre-owned. There are a lot of affordable driver options including new from prior years or gently used. The fittings help the most when getting a new current year model club since you can spec the shaft and the length from the factory. But I have helped a lot of folks looking at used clubs and working through some different mfr, loft and shaft options. When you do go for a fit, be sure to bring in your current gamer for a baseline. Same thing on fitting for the irons. Fitting charge is under $50 but n charge if you get the clubs. I also really like those JPX 850s. Not sure what you were hitting before, but these are a little stronger lofted than classic Mizunos.