New to me driver

[ChaosReigns]

I apologize in advanc if there is already a thread about this. 
 

My father and I traded, my taylormade spider tour 3 putter for his Stealth plus driver. Now the driver is set up to his swing which was simple to change but my question is the shaft. The shaft that's on it is the fuji red speeder Nx, senior flex. Now my swing speed isn't much greater then his with my average being 87 and highest of 91. With the current shaft I have a club speed of 90 average, I can only assume that is because of how light it is and the whip like flex I get from it. 

So here's my question. Should I change it to a regular flex?

Also is there a true benefit from leaving the senior flex vs changing to a regular flex? I'm just afraid I'll break the shaft and send the head flying ( In all honesty if the head Flys off I would probably crap myself and die from laughing). 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Attached are the current driver and shaft, and my swing caddie I use for my averages 

[Hook DeLoft]

Firstly, you will not break the shaft.  Bryson DeChambeau might could.  A shaft is a timing device.  Whether the shaft works for you or not is dependent on more than swing speed.  How you "load" the shaft and your tempo are big factors.  There is a long thread in the golf equipment forum in which people share their experiences changing to a lighter and more flexible shaft.  You can read it here: 

I would say play the driver as is for a while to see if you are satisfied with the dispersion and distance.  If not, you can start trying other shafts.  Good luck!

[ChaosReigns]

2 minutes ago, Hook DeLoft said:

Firstly, you will not break the shaft.  Bryson DeChambeau might could.  A shaft is a timing device.  Whether the shaft works for you or not is dependent on more than swing speed.  How you "load" the shaft and your tempo are big factors.  There is a long thread in the golf equipment forum in which people share their experiences changing to a lighter and more flexible shaft.  You can read it here: 

I would say play the driver as is for a while to see if you are satisfied with the dispersion and distance.  If not, you can start trying other shafts.  Good luck!

After covid last week I’m finally getting out this week to play and will definitely put this shaft through its paces. Thank you for the advice and the link. 

[chisag]

2 hours ago, ChaosReigns said:

My father and I traded, my taylormade spider tour 3 putter for his Stealth plus driver. Now the driver is set up to his swing which was simple to change but my question is the shaft. The shaft that's on it is the fuji red speeder Nx, senior flex. Now my swing speed isn't much greater then his with my average being 87 and highest of 91. With the current shaft I have a club speed of 90 average, I can only assume that is because of how light it is and the whip like flex I get from it. 

So here's my question. Should I change it to a regular flex?

Also is there a true benefit from leaving the senior flex vs changing to a regular flex? I'm just afraid I'll break the shaft and send the head flying ( In all honesty if the head Flys off I would probably crap myself and die from laughing). 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

... Just about impossible to give a recommendation without seeing your swing, trajectory and spin numbers. I will say this in a very general way, if you have a smooth swing and transition, the softer the shaft the better. If you have an aggressive transition and quick swing the stiffer the better. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule and why I said "in very general way". I have a smooth transition and a longer smoother swing at 95mph and when fitted for the Stealth2 HD the Red NX Speeder senior flex was my best fit. The R was close and I think on the course where I don't have the advantage of dialing in my tempo hitting multiple drives, I think the R Flex is a better fit. But that said I could play with the senior flex.

... In the end, if you are hitting the NX senior flex with a trajectory you like, getting the distance/dispersion you want and are able to maintain your normal tempo there is no reason to change. That said most of us are golf nuts and love to tinker so we would try a few (or more )  different shafts to see if they produce an improvement. 

Edited March 25 by chisag

[StrokerAce]

one of the most maddening things in the golf industry is the variability of shaft flex. I've been fit into everything from a regular to extra stiff. 

as @chisag said - it's a lot about your tempo and transition. my advice: don't be afraid to try anything! from A/Senior flex to Stiff. the results might surprise you.

[chisag]

32 minutes ago, StrokerAce said:

one of the most maddening things in the golf industry is the variability of shaft flex. I've been fit into everything from a regular to extra stiff. 

as @chisag said - it's a lot about your tempo and transition. my advice: don't be afraid to try anything! from A/Senior flex to Stiff. the results might surprise you.

 

... You can thank Ely Callaway for that. Before the Big Bertha there was pretty much a uniform frequency that gave you an X, S or R flex rating. Granted shafts have become much more complicated with super stiff butt and/or tip sections and any combination of stiffness in the top/middle/bottom that can make one shaft with a similar frequency play quite differently than another with a similar frequency. But Ole Ely knew players (meaning men) were using shafts too stiff for their swing and not enough loft on the drivers so he did something actually quite brilliant but it changed shaft designations forever. 

... He took a R-flex shaft and labeled it S-flex. Then he took a 10.5* head and labeled it 9*. So appealing to the ego of many manly men, he put a 10.5* R-flex driver in their hands labeled as a 9* driver with a S-flex shaft. And Oh My did record numbers of players start hitting the ball higher and farther LOL. So much so that there was a waiting list to get one of the new drivers. At that time it was about a 4 year cycle for new drivers so many were waiting up to 6 months after putting down a deposit to get their "magical" Big Bertha Driver. He did the same thing with fairway woods and they were almost just as successful. Brilliant. 

Edited March 25 by chisag

[StrokerAce]

2 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... You can thank Ely Callaway for that. Before the Big Bertha there was pretty much a uniform frequency that gave you an X, S or R flex rating. Granted shafts have become much more complicated with super stiff butt and/or tip sections and any combination of stiffness in the top/middle/bottom that can make one shaft with a similar frequency play quite differently than another with a similar frequency. But Ole Ely knew players (meaning men) were using shafts too stiff for their swing and not enough loft on the drivers so he did something actually quite brilliant but it changed shaft designations forever. 

... He took a R-flex shaft and labeled it S-flex. Then he took a 10.5* head and labeled it 9*. So appealing to the ego of many manly men, he put a 10.5* S-flex driver in their hands labeled as a 9* driver with a S-flex shaft. And Oh My did record numbers of players start hitting the ball higher and farther LOL. So much so that there was a waiting list to get one of the new drivers. At that time it was about a 4 year cycle for new drivers so many were waiting up to 6 months after putting down a deposit to get their "magical" Big Bertha Driver. He did the same thing with fairway woods and they were almost just as successful. Brilliant. 

Ha! Thanks for the history; I didn't know this and agree that it was a brilliant slight of hand.

Appealing to a man's ego seems to work more times than not !!

[funkyjudge]

1 hour ago, ChaosReigns said:

I apologize in advanc if there is already a thread about this. 
 

My father and I traded, my taylormade spider tour 3 putter for his Stealth plus driver. Now the driver is set up to his swing which was simple to change but my question is the shaft. The shaft that's on it is the fuji red speeder Nx, senior flex. Now my swing speed isn't much greater then his with my average being 87 and highest of 91. With the current shaft I have a club speed of 90 average, I can only assume that is because of how light it is and the whip like flex I get from it. 

So here's my question. Should I change it to a regular flex?

Also is there a true benefit from leaving the senior flex vs changing to a regular flex? I'm just afraid I'll break the shaft and send the head flying ( In all honesty if the head Flys off I would probably crap myself and die from laughing). 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Attached are the current driver and shaft, and my swing caddie I use for my averages 

You may be getting reasonably good results with the senior flex shaft, but the true test will be when you are under pressure or when the adrenaline gets flowing. That is most likely when you will swing faster and with a quicker tempo. In those instances, you will almost certainly be better-off swinging a regular flex shaft that is both slightly heavier than the current one and a bit lower in torque, as well.

These are generalizations, of course, but based on the limited information that you have provided, along with my 35-36 years of professional clubfitting experience, they are likely to be reasonably accurate.

[scbelowpar]

My two cents worth.  Go visit a golf store that does fittings (PGA Superstore or 2nd swing come to mind) and have them fit you for a shaft for that very specific driver head based on YOUR swing.

[ChaosReigns]

19 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

You may be getting reasonably good results with the senior flex shaft, but the true test will be when you are under pressure or when the adrenaline gets flowing. That is most likely when you will swing faster and with a quicker tempo. In those instances, you will almost certainly be better-off swinging a regular flex shaft that is both slightly heavier than the current one and a bit lower in torque, as well.

These are generalizations, of course, but based on the limited information that you have provided, along with my 35-36 years of professional clubfitting experience, they are likely to be reasonably accurate.

I’ll be recording my swing meter this week when I play so I’ll be able to update with some data. Thank you for the recommendation though. 

[ChaosReigns]

11 minutes ago, scbelowpar said:

My two cents worth.  Go visit a golf store that does fittings (PGA Superstore or 2nd swing come to mind) and have them fit you for a shaft for that very specific driver head based on YOUR swing.

It’s about a 3 hour drive to the nearest store for me but I have been considering that over just ordering the oem shaft. Plus it would be nice to check other shafts altogether, I’ve never used a stiff flex shaft tho I doubt I have the speed for one. But it would be nice to try out 

[scbelowpar]

ChaosReigns,  not sure if this applies but do you have other TaylorMade driver(s) that you like?  It is possible to pull the shaft from an older driver and use it in the newer driver.  There is a limit on how old the driver can be.  Something like an M2 or M3 etc. but don't quote me on that.

[ChaosReigns]

39 minutes ago, scbelowpar said:

ChaosReigns,  not sure if this applies but do you have other TaylorMade driver(s) that you like?  It is possible to pull the shaft from an older driver and use it in the newer driver.  There is a limit on how old the driver can be.  Something like an M2 or M3 etc. but don't quote me on that.

Unfortunately no. This is my first actual real good driver I’ve ever had. My budget is mostly spent on the family so it’s rare I get new stuff. Even my golf shoes are old sneakers converted to spiked golf shoes lol, but I am hoping to fully upgrade to all taylormade eventually even if it’s second hand it will still be new to me. 

[frazzman80]

15 hours ago, ChaosReigns said:

Unfortunately no. This is my first actual real good driver I’ve ever had. My budget is mostly spent on the family so it’s rare I get new stuff. Even my golf shoes are old sneakers converted to spiked golf shoes lol, but I am hoping to fully upgrade to all taylormade eventually even if it’s second hand it will still be new to me. 

I'd hit it first. See how it feels before making any purchases online or otherwise. I'm sure you have other older drivers to compare against. See where your misses are, especially if they are consistent misses and note that information. Take a video of your swing on your phone from behind and from the side.

Once you have all that data and information, if you feel like you still need a different shaft, you can share all of that information online with a club fitter (the videos will certainly help) and get their opinion. I know you said it's a 3-hour drive to a store, but many fitters are willing to field questions and give advice from afar.

Where do you play golf? The head pro of your course might be willing to look over your swing or make a recommendation as well. You might have to pay for 30 minutes to an hour of their time, if they even charge you. That may be another option instead of guessing.