stiff shaft for seniors ?

[bassman1308]

talking golf here : - )

I golf with a guy who says a respected local club pro recommends to ALL his seniors to use stiff shafts in their drivers and that it increases distance & accuracy. Does anyone have any experience with this ?

[Socrates]

Obviously a guy stuck in the past and I thought that kind of thinking went out years ago. He's obviously a good local pro, but I wouldn't see him for a fitting.

[richard t]

I would not say 'all'. I am, however, 64 years old and use a Ping stock stiff shaft that does deliver great distance, accuracy and feel. It depends on the shafts. I've hit shafts that say Regular and feel very stiff. The opposite as well. Some of it has to do with tip stiffness, torque, flex point, weight and other factors, like swing speed, person's physical ability, etc.I don't think you could say 'all' about any age group, 30,40, 50 or 60 + year olds. Maybe he meant that the stiffer the shaft the more you can hit it straighter. Hey, I hit a buddy's X flex one day at the range. It was like throwing darts, but I had a hell of a time getting loft and distance. Depends on your game and what you're looking for I would think, FWIW.

[Sean2]

I use a stiff shaft in my driver, not out of vanity but it was what I was fit for. It works. I'd use a ladies flex wrapped in ribbons and bows if that's what worked. All I care about is results. :-)

[ricp]

I currently hit a regular shaft and am quite pleased with it. I have hit friends drivers with stiff shafts and in some cases same results as my driver and others can't get the ball in the air.

[shankapotamus]

I have a stiff in my G15 driver and fairway. The ping 149d shaft has a soft tip and allows me to get a good trajectory, and really no loss of distance
compared to the regular. The stiff is also straighter and in my book straight is long because I need to be in the fairway. At 62, I am not strong
enough to get much out of the rough. I use regular xp r300 steel in my irons and s300 in my pw, gap and sand wedge for better control.

[richard t]

Yep, that's exactly what I have in my G15 10.5 and G15 3 wood as well. It does go much straighter and farther for me. I tried regular and it was all over the place. Like someone else said, I'll hit ladies super light extra regular if it will fly straight and has distance. I think way to many people get hung up on what the shaft says-R,S, or X.
I went to one of the Big Box stores. Guy just insisted I needed a regular before I ever even hit a ball. Shows you what they know.

[ND Fan]

I believe shaft flex is just as much about tempo as it is about club head speed. I slow tempo could get some benefit from a softer shaft and a faster tempo could get some benefit from a stiffer shaft. When I say stiffer or softer I mean in relation to what traditional convention would dictate based on swing speed alone.

[FLOGMR]

First you better KNOW how stiff your stiff shaft really is........the letter on the shaft is totally meaningless without some form of corroborative information. I have tested thousands of shafts over the years and there is no standard at all in the flex the manufacturers claim. I use an Aerotech Claymore in my driver ...flex is F5....stiffest one they make...rated as Tour Stiff....it is barely stiffer than a normal regular.....my other driver has a Fujikura Rombax "R" in it....the Fuji measures stiffer than the Aerotech on my Digital Frequency Analyzer by 6 cpm.
Anyone who thinks there are any meaningful standards in the golf equipment industry are simply "Dreamin' in technicolor"
Seniors and everyone else should use the shaft that best suits their swing regardless of what the manufacturer has marked on it.

Anyone remember True Temper "Rocket" shafts??? Their "R" flex was the equivalent of a Rifle 7.0