Best driver for low speed swing

[AGA]

I'm 72, so my swing speed is low. Which driver should I try

[Hook DeLoft]

I think the shaft will be more important than the driver head.  I would try the Ping G430 HL.  It comes with an ultra light weight shaft designed for slower swingers.  Also, the Titleist TSR1.

[GolfSpy_APH]

This is a good starting point. 
https://truegolffit.com/

It will recommend some options along with shafts. It is only as good as the information that is put in, but could give you a decent starting point. 

Loft will be your friend so drivers that had 12 degree options are a near must. I would also look for something back weight so I am thinking Ping G430 SFT, Taylormade Stealth 2 HL or HD... forget which it is called. 

Titleist Tsi1 is another one that is good. 

Tour Edge and Srixon are also good ones that often perform well. Many many options out there, but definitely check out Truegolffit and see what it comes back it. It is free and you can go back as many times to tweak the numbers to see the varying results!

[John W Sutch]

Just purchased a PXG  0211 driver with Evenflow Riptide CB 40g 5.0 shaft. Am 77ys of age and works great. Pricing is great also. $249.00 delivered.

[AGA]

Thank you all. I will star testing. It is often unpleasant to need three shots to reach the green in the par four.

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, AGA said:

Thank you all. I will star testing. It is often unpleasant to need three shots to reach the green in the par four.

Then you probably are playing the wrong tees

[revkev]

3 hours ago, AGA said:

Thank you all. I will star testing. It is often unpleasant to need three shots to reach the green in the par four.

What tees do you play from? That’s another possibility. Good luck, my goal is to be 72 in a few years and still playing golf.

[AGA]

I'm playing white tee, mi handicap index is 20.7 . I dedicate a lot of my time to golf. It's hard for me to accept the passage of time and I try to compensate with physical training, improving my swing and taking advantage of the new equipment. And on the way to improving I have fun and I don't let myself fall physically. I know it's a difficult fight, but fun. Target: lower the handicap index.

[tony@CIC]

4 hours ago, AGA said:

I'm 72, so my swing speed is low. Which driver should I try

@AGA A warm welcome from another 70's golfer. 

Your swing speed #'s are more important than the age. You mentioned getting to the green in 3 on par 4's; is the second or third shot a problem? What tee's (distances) are you playing from? White tees doesn't necessarily compute What driver are you currently using? I guess more questions needed to give you cursory or initial feedback.

I'm 76 and SS is generally in the low to mid 80's although it will vary throughout the round as indicated by my driver distances on the course (using Shotscope). I play from tees that are around 5,800 yds. for 18. On a good day I'll play in the mid to high 80's Bad days are in the low - mid 90's My bogies are not the result of poor driver shots but rather a topped hybrid or 3 wood or a chunked wedge. I use a TaylorMade SIM 2 driver head with a 40 g. shaft Been fitted a few times through the years and found while the head was important the shaft was equally so. As @Hook DeLoft mentioned the shaft weight may be the more critical part of the equation, I think this is especially true as you get older. I did try Truegolffit but that didn't work for me. Recently my instructor had me try a 430 with the new Quick 35g shaft - but I hated the feel and it didn't seem any longer than my SIM2.

There are a few of us aged 70+  on this Forum and can give you plenty of advice but it'll be in a vacuum. I would strongly suggest getting fitted. That experience should lead you to the right head and shaft combo. While initially it might seem like a couple of hundred $$ wasted, its a more effective approach than buying a $600 driver based on our recommendations here and not getting any better results. 

Do tell us more  - FYI I've learned more on this Forum than anywhere else. 

[AGA]

Thank you tony@cic ! Your experience is very useful. I will be near Miami next June and I will look for a fitting location there. If someone who reads this post can recommend someone to do a fitting, it would be helpful.

It depends of course, but in par four, usually my third shot is inside the 80 yards. I'm shooting many woods at the driving range to improve distance and direction. Always the same. But it helped me a lot.

[fozcycle]

I rec3ntly changed my irons to Senior shafts so I decided to get one for my driver. I changed from 10.5*  PXG 0211 Evenflo Riptide CB regular to 12* PXG 0811 XF Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft. Not only am I straighter, but get a higher launch without losing distance.

[AGA]

Thank you fozcycle for this data. I will try 12 degrees. I think that could help me. I also need a higher lunch. Thank you.

[Rgold1963]

I just went last Monday to hit new drivers. It was very eye opening to say the least. I have always wanted to play golf but my work just never afforded me the time to get out much. I think I played 5-6 rounds over the last 30 years even with a beautiful golf course at the end of the road I lived on. I sold my business about a year and a half ago and built a golf simulator in one of my shop spaces. I have now played more golf in the last 11 weeks than my entire life and I am loving it! I had really old clubs that someone had given me probably 20 years ago. With the simulator, I was finally able to really track swing speed and club length which has helped me improve dramatically over the last couple of months. I got my swing speed up to 90mph over the last few weeks but wasn't really seeing an improvement in my drives which led me to get fitted for a new driver. My old driver average distance was only 180 yards with the occasional 200 yard drive when everything went right. I tried out several different head and shaft combinations and ended up with the G430 Max 10.5 set at +1, Alta CB55 shaft. This combination gave me the best backspin and launch angle which resulted in my average drive being 206 yards. Last night on my simulator I hit a bunch of drives 220+ and straight down the middle which is a real game changer for me. I had no idea there could be such a drastic difference but the numbers don't lie. I feel it was worth every penny to get fitted and now can't wait to go back for irons. There are too many possible combinations to just guess at which one might be best for you personally so if you can, find a place that will take the time to let you test as many as possible. 

[AGA]

I will definitely do a fitting. And I continue to take classes. Your experience is very useful to me.

[tony@CIC]

20 hours ago, AGA said:

Thank you tony@cic ! Your experience is very useful. I will be near Miami next June and I will look for a fitting location there. If someone who reads this post can recommend someone to do a fitting, it would be helpful.

It depends of course, but in par four, usually my third shot is inside the 80 yards. I'm shooting many woods at the driving range to improve distance and direction. Always the same. But it helped me a lot.

You're welcome. Unfortunately I don't have a name for a good fitter in Miami. I would stay away from a big box store type fitting - maybe look at Golf Digest top 50 fitters? Also don't let preconceived fitting notions take you down the wrong path. Given your (and my) age, some will immediately steer you into a Senior Flex shaft and a 12* head. As mentioned previously, having been fit a few times, the  common outcome has been a 10.5* head with a R Flex shaft.  That's the way my SIM2 is configured with a standard 0* setting and it's the best club in the bag. 

Also check into a lesson for your woods/long clubs. You may find that a simple swing correction 'cures' your second shot issue. That happened to me late last year. I couldn't hit my 3 wood - a half hour lesson got me to (semi) consistently hitting the club long and straight. 

[Golf Fever]

Check out XXIO clubs if you can find them.  They are specifically made for slow swingspeeds.

[PhilM75072]

On 6/2/2023 at 3:41 PM, Golf Fever said:

Check out XXIO clubs if you can find them.  They are specifically made for slow swingspeeds.

I am not sure that lightweight clubs like the XXIO clubs are always the answer. I just went for a fitting fully expecting to be fit into a 40g or 50g, senior flex shaft given my age and swing speed. I ended up getting the best results from a 58g R Flex shaft. If I just bought something off the rack, without the fitting, I would have wasted my money. I highly recommend a fitting before buying.

[RickyBobby_PR]

5 hours ago, PhilM75072 said:

I am not sure that lightweight clubs like the XXIO clubs are always the answer. I just went for a fitting fully expecting to be fit into a 40g or 50g, senior flex shaft given my age and swing speed. I ended up getting the best results from a 58g R Flex shaft. If I just bought something off the rack, without the fitting, I would have wasted my money. I highly recommend a fitting before buying.

Correct. There’s no standard for flex so a senior in one brand could be a regular in another brand or softer in a different one.

Weight and feel are the more important factors

[GolfSpy_APH]

There are so many options available it's tough to truly say. 

I do think Cobra and TM have done well in the past most wanted. 

[golfgame]

On 4/11/2023 at 3:10 PM, AGA said:

I'm playing white tee, mi handicap index is 20.7 . I dedicate a lot of my time to golf. It's hard for me to accept the passage of time and I try to compensate with physical training, improving my swing and taking advantage of the new equipment. And on the way to improving I have fun and I don't let myself fall physically. I know it's a difficult fight, but fun. Target: lower the handicap index.

Move to the Sr tee's, don't let an ego get in the way.

[Fjd]

I agree that the correct shaft could be the key as pointed out by Hook DeLoft and Tony@CIC.  RickyBobby mentioned playing from the wrong tees could be the problem if it takes 3 shots to reach par 4 greens.  Don’t know where I got this rule of thumb as to what tees to play from, but it appears to work.  You take the yardage you hit your 5 iron and multiply by 35.  This gives you an approximation of the tees to use.  For example, if you hit your 5 iron 150 yds, use 150 x 35 = 5250 yds.  At my club, these gold tees are in front of the men’s “regular” white tees.  Hope this helps.

[WhoaNellie]

Here's a fun activity--multiply average drive distance in yds by 28*. The total equals the approximate yardage of appropriate tees for your game. Play from the tee box that comes closest to that yardage. If you have too much fun or make too many birdies, you can always step back a set. Septuagenarians of the world unite!

*USGA Tee It Forward formula

[Rex_D]

On 6/2/2023 at 4:41 PM, Golf Fever said:

Check out XXIO clubs if you can find them.  They are specifically made for slow swingspeeds.

I would also recommend XXIO for your short list of clubs to try. I'm a slow swinging golfer at 69 years of age and had the pleasure of demoing them at a demo day set-up here. In addition to being very light weight they also counter balance the shaft. While they might not be a match for you, they're certainly something to look at. They're really gaining a fan base around here in the Florida retirement golfing communities.

[doughall]

grateful I made it to XXIO fitting date locally some time ago

[Keith J Garvin]

It's all about the shaft... the tech across the brands is so close. But the difference between a 40g ladies shaft and a 70g stiff board is drastic

[ChuckZ]

On 4/11/2023 at 11:33 AM, AGA said:

I'm 72, so my swing speed is low. Which driver should I try

You did not mention which driver or shaft you are currently using nor how fast/slow you swing speed is.  Regardless.  Those are two things that need to be taken into consideration when purchasing a new driver plus a few other variables.  Seeing a qualified fitter that has many years experience in the field is what you need.  There are some fitting operations that are on the market that are there to fit you in the most expensive products on the market with the most expensive upgrades.  They are more concerned about the sale than the fit.  My fitter gets a lot of complaints from their customers all the time.  Will not mention any names because there are many that disagree with me.  Find a reliable fitter in your area.  Titleist and Ping come to mind based on my fitter who has been in the business over 35 years.  My I love Titleist products and lean that way.  But find a lot of guys our age, I will be 77 in 90 days, and see a lot of them playing Ping.  I would call around different pro shops in your area as ask about fitters.  The pros in the shops can steer you in the right direction.  I know that my fitter is the number one name mentioned if you call a pro in our area.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

29 minutes ago, Keith J Garvin said:

It's all about the shaft... the tech across the brands is so close. But the difference between a 40g ladies shaft and a 70g stiff board is drastic

It actually isn’t. There have been tests done by Callaway and fiend brands that show launch and spin between a ladies flex shaft all the way up to the shafts long drive competitors use only have a couple hundred rom difference in speed and very little change in launch.

Now when you out the human aspect in to things it comes down to feel And balance and how that affects the golfer and the golfers swing. Some are more sensitive than others to weight. 
 

There are multiple threads and article on wrx from very experienced fitters that dive into this as well.

 

Here is a myth dispelled by Tom Wishon in one of the articles

Shaft Myth #2 – The shaft is the most important component of the golf club

Sorry, but when you’re talking about ALL golfers, the shaft is not as important to the actual performance of the shot as is the clubhead. I’ll give you an example of when this was actually “tested and proven” in the golf industry by a huge number of golfers. Back in the early 1970s when PING golf company moved to the front of the golf industry through the introduction of their deep cavity back original Ping Eye model irons, the standard shaft installed in every set of Eye irons was a 125 gram X flex steel shaft. 

Ping’s founder Karsten Solheim used these shafts in his irons because he believed a heavier and stiffer shaft would help all golfers hit the ball straighter. Literally millions of sets of PING irons with X flex heavier weight steel shafts were sold throughout the 1970s and you know what? Literally millions of golfers liked their new PING irons more than their previous irons. Why? Because the original PING Eye irons were the very first irons with a deep cavity back design AND lower lofts than what had been the norm for irons – this meant the moment of inertia (MOI) of the Eye irons was FAR higher than any previous iron model yet designed. This in turn gave golfers such a huge improvement in off center hit performance as well as on center hit distance over the irons they previously used that this big leap forward in head performance completely overshadowed the potentially bad effects to golfers using a shaft that was too heavy and too stiff for their swing. 

Of course, we know today that playing with too heavy and too stiff of a shaft can rob the golfer of clubhead speed and shot consistency and make the feeling of impact become “dead and boardy.” But the point shown by the PING example of the 1970s is that if the clubhead’s improvement is great enough for the golfer over what they used to play, the shaft does not have to be accurately fit for the golfer to still realize significant game improvement.

[golfgame]

3 hours ago, golfgame said:

Move to the Sr tee's, don't let an ego get in the way.

I might add that I am 84 yrs old at least twice a week.  I play from our Sr tees that range from 5200-5700 yds.  I can reach all the greens in regulation.  Moving up removes tension from the game as well as making the game enjoyable.  I find guys here that should be moving up but giving up strokes and egos get in the way.

[WiTerp50]

On 4/11/2023 at 5:19 PM, AGA said:

Thank you tony@cic ! Your experience is very useful. I will be near Miami next June and I will look for a fitting location there. If someone who reads this post can recommend someone to do a fitting, it would be helpful.

It depends of course, but in par four, usually my third shot is inside the 80 yards. I'm shooting many woods at the driving range to improve distance and direction. Always the same. But it helped me a lot.

I’m only 73.  Getting fit for driver is no longer optional for us geezers. Nothing stock will work. In my case, my club head speed didn’t gain enough with a TSR-1 driver and 40 g shaft. Too much spin.  The point being no one empirical solution for all of us.  Another course option is a hybrid routing, moving to the forward tees for the longest holes. If your course would set up the slope ratings, that would promote that. Consistent GIR+1 shots greater than 20-30 yards is hard. 
If your average drive is 200 or less yards, then 6000 yards is too far. 5400-5600 would be more fun. 

[golfmule]

On 6/2/2023 at 3:41 PM, Golf Fever said:

Check out XXIO clubs if you can find them.  They are specifically made for slow swingspeeds.

This sure worked for me. I was also 72 when I was looking for a new driver. I decided to try XXIO but didn't want to (wouldn't) pay the price for a new one. I decided that I wanted an XXIO Prime driver and found that the price for a new one at that time was $849. I started searching for one on line and found one that was described as used but in excellent shape and looked almost new. I actually found it on ebay and it was just $268. I decided to try buying it. It came directly from Japan and I was pleasantly surprised that it did indeed look almost new. The only scratches I found were to the bottom of the club and they were minor in nature. I headed to the course and soon found that the XXIO Prime driver was extremely easy to hit and not only did it give me back some height to my drives it also gave me back some of the yards I had lost, between 20 and 30 yards in fact. Two years later I bought a whole set of irons, hybrids and a 4 wood the same way and have never regretted buying XXIO's. By the way, if you don't want to spring for XXIO Prime, which can be very expensive if you buy new, you can buy XXIO 11 or XXIO 12 which cost less. They are excellent too but aren't quite as light in weight as the Prime version. I had switched to Sr. shafts in my clubs before this but if you want a comparable feel you should get R-flex in XXIO clubs as their shaft flex is lighter that our normal clubs. If you have a fairly smooth swing you will benefit for playing XXIO clubs. Another good club for us senior golfers is the Honma brand (also from Japan). I recently bought a Honma X-1 driver I have only hit it a couple of times yet, it could be a good option as well. So far I like my XXIO Prime better though.