A Set For All Seasons

[NRJyzr]

[quote name='jmck' timestamp='1375113053' post='7560996']
But when that ProV came out, [i]everyone[/i] switched right away because [i]everyone[/i] instantly got 20 yards longer and 50% straighter. We've talked a lot about clubs in this thread, but you could also argue that the day Titleist launched the ProV was the end of the "classic golf" era and the beginning of the "modern golf" era.
[/quote]

I see folks say this a lot, but it's not supported by the numbers.

Distance change on the PGA Tour from 1999, when everyone was wound, to 2002, when everyone had largely changed to multilayered balls, but spin optimization hadn't taken hold, was about eight yards. Some gained more, some didn't gain at all.

The solid revolution was much earlier than the Pro V1. The latter gets the credit only because Titleist has about 60% of the PGA Tour on contract. If they hadn't, they would have lost a healthy percentage of their contracted staff...

[oldschoolrocker]

[quote name='ScooterMcTavish' timestamp='1375112899' post='7560972']
[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1375108580' post='7560526']
And the reason I choose to play the classic clubs if I am being totally honest, not the cash register type of honesty that is expected of man in a civilized society, but the hardest kind of honesty borne out of reaching into the black of ones self...[/quote]

Very poetic in many ways. Like the discussion of liberal arts, or learning critical thinking, in our "me, me, me" society of today, self-realization and understanding of one's self and our limitations is something we are losing the capacity to do. I am of the opinion that one can never truly be happy (or at least fully actualized) as a human being until they "reach into the black", find the things that are poisoning their lives, and either kill them, or learn to contain them. We are all imperfect creations of our biology and environment, and in many cases have to learn to live with the imperfections. Not everything can be fixed.

But awareness that they exist is the first step to a happy life.

[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1375108580' post='7560526']
I don't deplore technology, with its glorious advances, I just need an escape and playing the classics allows me this excursion.
[/quote]

To me the classics are a time-portal, where you can be taken back to a different time than the one we are in now. An interesting read is "The Progress Paradox" by Gregg Easterbrook. From the publisher:

[i]"In [b]The Progress Paradox[/b], Gregg Easterbrook draws upon three decades of wide-ranging research and thinking to make the persuasive assertion that almost all aspects of Western life have vastly improved in the past century--and yet today, most men and women feel less happy than in previous generations.
[/quote]

I am looking forward to reading this and then drawing some conclusions as how it relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. My first initial thought upon reading your post.

Kindest regards,
Randy

[ScooterMcTavish]

[quote name='oldschoolrocker' timestamp='1375117017' post='7561496']
I am looking forward to reading this and then drawing some conclusions as how it relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. My first initial thought upon reading your post.

Kindest regards,
Randy
[/quote]

This thread is not only great about vintage clubs, it is also quickly becoming the best cocktail party ever.

For anyone interested in some contemporary psychology, here is a chart of Maslow's hierarchy of needs:

[url="http://www.businessballs.com/maslowhierarchyofneeds8.pdf"]http://www.businessballs.com/maslowhierarchyofneeds8.pdf[/url]

Sorry I can't provide an explanation link...both psychology pages that had good explanations also had suspicious pop-ups screened by my PC (wife got one of these the other day and I had to wipe her PC!). Wikipedia does explain the base 5 level model, and you're smart folks who should be able to figure it out from the .pdf though.

This "Progress Paradox" directly relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as in today's society, most have satisfied their third level of needs. It is the fourth level where many become stuck...they have a conscious or unconscious need to find cognitive meaning (level 5), to search for beauty/aesthetics (level 6), and to be self-fulfilled (level 7). This is where the paradox exists - although they don't have to worry about basic human needs, they worry about higher ones. But lacking true beauty, or true fulfillment, or true knowledge, people become unhappy. In other words, having all one's basic needs met frees them up to worry about the most difficult parts of the human psyche to fulfill. Existence. Purpose. Fulfillment. When is enough enough? In a society of relative wealth, people often confuse things as meeting true human needs, when at the end of the day, they are just things.

And we see this as far too many people sadly become caught on a treadmill in the fourth level. No amount of money spent, no amount of prestige (real or imagined), no amount of personal or professional dominance can give a person true knowledge, open their heart to beauty, or provide fulfillment. Relating this to golf, they buy the latest driver, have the tour bag, take lessons from a prestigious pro, but none, yes none of these things delivers what the person truly wants. Knowledge? Mechanics maybe, but not knowledge. Beauty? They may like the message their clubs send (I am rich! I am good!), but they may not truly speak as inherently beautiful to the owner. Fulfillment? Only if beating or crushing someone or a score is what provides this person with fulfillment. And deep down, I am guessing they truly aren't fulfilled - they are using a feeling of superiority to compensate for something in the "black area".

Regardless, this all ties back to classic golf equipment. For those of us who recognize what this equipment means, and what a "set for all seasons" means, we are accepting of what life has given us to meet our level 4 needs - we're happy with the amount of prestige, mastery, and achieve we already have. We understand why this equipment means something to us (level 5), we see the beauty in the game and the traditional way of playing it (level 6), and we find this fulfilling (level 7).

In contract, the person who concentrates on score, by definition, may occasionally hit level 7 (fulfillment), but it is only as sustainable as their last round. Then, when they shoot badly, they return to level 4 to seek more gear to help them score again. Why? Their fulfillment is built on an unsustainable construct, that of score. We can even contrast this with a modern gear golfer who has what they need, plays well with it, and enjoys golfing without chasing a score. They can be as equally happy as us vintage golfers.

You may also notice I have left off level 8. My experience has been that helping others become self-actualized is more of an inherent personality or leadership trait. If one becomes self-fulfilled, and this does not include helping others self-actualize, then level 8 has no meaning for them.

Heady material for a Monday!

[oldschoolrocker]

Brilliant synopsis SMac,

[dbuck47]

In my little putter arsenal are only four putters. Two flanged blades, a magbrnz PING Anser 3, and a Bridgestone Mallet. My most often used putter is a Wilson Geo Low Original 600 from about 1980, which I have had since 1980. Prior to that I had a Bullseye Wide Flange and a PING Anser. The Bullseye was great on 10 ft or less putts, but I had difficulty on longer putts getting close. I got the Anser and it greatly improved my longer putts, but was never as good on short ones. A buddy of mine gave me the Wilson; he knew I had been wanting to try it. It turned out to be a great compromise; it was better on long putts than the Bullseye, and better on short ones than the PING. I must admit that one thing that attracted me to it was it was a quality pseudo-replica of the putter Nicklaus used for many of his championships. I have flirted over the years, but always return to this little putter.

I picked up the PING Anser 3 from a used bin because it had a sight line. I had some trouble for a spell with alignment, and this helped. I also like it sometimes on strange greens; it gives me a little confidence. It doesn't have the feel of my old Wilson, but helps if I don't have the feel either. I can't say that it is more forgiving, but I seldom hit a putt really bad. I am not a perfect putter by any means, but I have been playing over 40 years and usually make contact whether it goes in the hole or not. On those times I do miss, it is so bad the type of putter wouldn't matter--"hitting on a heartbeat" as they say.

The mallet I have has multiple alignment aids and a milled face, but it is not way out--just a simple half-moon shaped head. It helps with alignment and is a bit heavy and helps smooth out my stroke when it needs it.

When I am "on" (a relative term now), though, nothing beats my old flanged blade. It hits where I look (though sometimes I don't look in the right direction)and almost swings itself.

The point of today's diatribe is that I don't think the regular Anser style putters are that much of an aid to the stroke itself. If struck somewhere near the center they may mitigate some of the distance loss from a less than perfect strike, but a bad miss is still a bad miss. They won't make a bad putter a good one, or a good putter a better one.

PS -- My old Wilson still wears its original leather grip, which I love, but I think may be illegal due to the flat spot on the front.

[dbuck47]

[quote name='birly-shirly' timestamp='1375016009' post='7554048']
[quote name='dbuck47' timestamp='1374950484' post='7550526'] [...]As to woods, I lean toward wood. I did take out my Lynx Boom Boom from about 1992 and compare it to my Tony Penna and Joe Powell drivers. Other than the metal, it is almost the same. Same head shape and size, same length steel shaft. I also have an old Hogan metal driver. The only thing I can say about these that makes them different from wood, is that each could be made virtually identical. Each with the same specs would be the same, which of course is not true with wood. My Boom Boom and even more so that old Hogan are certainly not forgiving. [...] [/quote]

I think there's a respectable argument that metal woods would never have supplanted wooden heads if the cost of manufacturing hadn't been MUCH less. How many businesses would pass up the opportunity to manufacture a product for less and sell it at a premium based on "technological superiority"?
[/quote]

I seem to remember that when metal woods first came out, there was not a lot of difference in the price, so that would seem a logical argument. Now of course, there is a huge difference in the price, and you would think that the persimmon would still cost more to produce. Also, why is there a such a large difference in the price of a wondermetal driver versus a fairway club from the same line, often with the same shaft? Joe Powell and Lousiville Golf I believe charge the same for a persimmon driver or fairway within the same line.

[ScooterMcTavish]

Well this is the putter going in the bag:

 

[Kirasdad]

Thanks OSR, though the true credit belongs to Kirasdad - he brought the subject forward, and I have only been the enthusiastic and willing psychoanylytical guinea pig.



Thanks for the shout out, Scooter, but this thread, at this point, truly belongs to all the thoughtful people who have written such "kindred spirit like" posts. I am on a massive across the country car trip with my family so I can't really sit down and write anything meaningful. However, there is golf involved in my excursion and I will weigh in on that when I can. In the meantime I catch up for a few minutes in motels when I can.

[oldschoolrocker]

No slight intended Kdad,
Fair winds and following seas as it pertains to your trip and hopefully you will share some tales of your golf along the way.

OSR

[profsmitty]

A couple of weeks ago, I bid on and won an Ebay auction for a set of Titleist CB 710s. I was drawn to them because they are forged, they fit my eye, and they were relatively inexpensive. They are not muscleback clubs. They are cavity backed. I know that this really doesn't fit our definition of a traditional bag, but they aren't the high tech irons that so many seem drawn to. They have a (horror of horrors) stiff, steel shaft. They are forged. If you don't hit them in the center of the club face, they will bark at you. They will not make you a great golfer in spite of a bad swing. You cannot buy a game by buying them.

Today, my second round with them, I had a wonderful round. I hit really solid iron shots with them when I hit them well. I hit a chunk or two but I also hit a beautiful 3-iron, a sweet 8-iron, and several really nice wedges. I was reminded why I play this game. in this bag, I also carry a four or 5 year old Adams driver, a relatively new Titleist 4 wood and a Cobra 7 wood that I bought on sale at TGW. I have two wedges, one 53* and a 59*. In addition, I have my wonderful best inanimate friend, my Betti putter.

This is not my classical bag. But it is the bag I play with when I play with people who wouldn't understand my fascination with persimmon. Someday, I am going to have the guts to marry the two bags together. I have a feeling that the result will be the CBs, my Wood Bros driver, Cleveland Classic 3-wood, a 7-wood (to be determined) a wedge or two and old Betti. I think i could safely consider this my forever bag - my bag for all seasons.

We'll see. Somehow, I think that the golf world is on its way back to us. I have a hope that we will begin using a different metric than we have been using for the last few years. I guess we will all see.

I am going to continue to encourage you all to continue this and other conversations, ANY WAY THAT I CAN. Should any mischief maker come into the conversation with a mind to making a problem out of themselves, please use the report feature. I will take care of the conversation. That apples to this particular thread, the entire Classic Golf and Golfers Forum, and the Rules and Etiquette Forums. Help me keep things positive in these and all the other GolfWRX threads you participate in. Don't allow people to disrupt our community with nonsense and juvenile behavior.

I am going to let the rest of you take this conversation where you want it go. I will be in the background enjoying every word. smitty

[Froth]

I hit some bad wedge shots with my Cleveland PW Tuesday, I never remembered hitting my FG-17 PW badly - So I ordered more new shafts and I will not only be putting the FG-17 PW back in the bag, I am also replacing the Cleveland SW and LW with my Wilson Staff JP Custom Grind SW and the Wilson Staff T.K. 60 'Tour wedge'. I took the SW and LW out because the faces were really in pretty bad shape, the bottom four grooves were smooth and half gone so I spent over an hour filing the face down to flat and putting stock depth grooves back into it. I kept asking myself while I was doing it, Why didn't I do this 7yrs ago rather than buying a Cleveland SW and LW... Excited for shafts to get here now so I can hit these again - Don't even care if they rust now because the face chrome is gone as there is plenty of rusty wedges out there!

[oldschoolrocker]

Froth, how did that groove retooling go? I too have chased the golden wedge only to find I like the older ones better. Have a wonderful old Jogan Special 56* that is very soft that the grooves are, well, not sure you could call them grooves anymore. And one or two older Wilson's that need work on as well.

[oldschoolrocker]

That was Hogan Special btw.

[jmck]

Love those Hogan Specials. I've got a 53* that I just love. Been in my "modern" bag for probably about 15 years now. The bottom few grooves are pretty well gone. I've picked up a few others on ebay--all labeled "Special Fifty Three"--but it's really funny how much the head shapes, leading edges, and sole grinds vary from one to the other--definitely hand ground! I was actually thinking about sending my favorite into Scratch this winter and saying "make me another one of these, exactly the same as this one."

[birly-shirly]

Might be better sending your wedge to the iron factory for refurbishment. Too far away to be a customer myself, but by all accounts they do terrific restoration work, and you'd be keeping the same base forging and shaft.

After all, if Hogan had difficulty duplicating its wedges what chance has Scratch got? I'm sure I saw a post on here just the other day by someone who'd done what you're proposing. He sent a favourite Wilson Staff wedge to Scratch for duplication - but felt it never played quite the same. Of course, there's always the risk that new grooves and new chrome won't play the same either!

[Froth]

I'd send it to the iron factory if I wanted it shiny new - I wanted functional, and 10yrs as a mechanic with experience in machining really comes in handy.

 

I know exactly what you mean by grooves not being grooves, they almost look like ramps - Sand really hurts wedges a ton. Check out this Hogan Sure-On. (i'll do this one next). My Wilson wedge was about this bad.

 

This is my Wilson, now in playable condition - Tool marks and sanding scuffs do not bother me - The place where it hits the ball is smooth, grooved and will work just fine. Plus it'll rust up over time and look "classic" like the Rusty wedges of today that people buy Pre-Rusted brand new.

 

Grooves:

 

What I did:

- Deepen the Groove lines FIRST - this way you will not lose a groove line when you file the face flat. I use a generic hardened steel V-groove re-groover. Taking time is key.

- Coarse File the face flat, being sure to keep the file away from rounding the edges.

- Fine File the face flat, I don't care about looks as much as function so I don't tape anything up. To each their own.

- 80 grit to remove Majority of file marks

- Final Grooving Performed - Take your sweet sweet time and don't press too hard.

- Crosshatch face sanding with 220grit, and run it down each groove 2-3 times to "soften" the cut edges you put into them. USGA states there must be a teeny tiny 10° Radius on the edge. I tend to error on the side of "not as deep as possible and safety" - so that when I play in competitions requiring conforming equipment there will be no issue.

 

Flat face, check, Clean grooves, Check - I'll buff the chrome with a wheel and any exposed rusted area. Just waiting for a Shaft and it's back in the bag now!

[jmck]

That's some nice work there!

[oldschoolrocker]

Froth,
Thanks for sharing that outstanding piece of work. You could have a nice little cottage industry going there if you were so inclined.
An FYI, being the Wilson man you are, I took the Pattys out to the range for a large bucket this morning. First post surgery real swings and still only about 50% speed. Even with the slower SS I couldn't keep the balls from ballooning with those weak shafts. So may have to rethink my comeback from surgery set.
On a positive note I was getting a good 220 yards of carry out of the EOM M65W with plenty left in the tank, so can put that in play until my strength is back up for the SEOM M85W, or the Ping Zing laminate.
Once again great work on those wedges.

[Froth]

Are they the stock TT Dynamic shafts? In R flex those things really put the ball up in the air(The first two steps happen UNDER the grip!!!) and it's possible they've rusted inside giving them an even more non-desirable flex pattern(Mine were pretty badly rusted inside). If you ever decide to re-shaft them, keep in mind the hosels are threaded - You must spin the heads left to remove them, no amount of pulling will get them out.

[NRJyzr]

Interesting, Froth...

By filing the faces flat, you've probably improved the spin generated by that club.

Years ago, testing was done on grooveless clubheads, to see what would happen to the spin rates produced by the clubs. In something of a surprise, the grooveless clubs were creating more spin than those with grooves.

It was discovered the reason for this was due in part to the process they used to create the grooveless face. They'd filled in the grooves of "normal clubs" and filed them smooth. In doing so, they'd made them perfectly flat.

It was the perfectly flat clubface that was producing the spin. Not the grooves, as some thought would prove to be the case.

[fluffy265]

I'd send it to the iron factory if I wanted it shiny new - I wanted functional, and 10yrs as a mechanic with experience in machining really comes in handy.

 

I know exactly what you mean by grooves not being grooves, they almost look like ramps - Sand really hurts wedges a ton. Check out this Hogan Sure-On. (i'll do this one next). My Wilson wedge was about this bad.

 

This is my Wilson, now in playable condition - Tool marks and sanding scuffs do not bother me - The place where it hits the ball is smooth, grooved and will work just fine. Plus it'll rust up over time and look "classic" like the Rusty wedges of today that people buy Pre-Rusted brand new.

 

Grooves:

 

What I did:

- Deepen the Groove lines FIRST - this way you will not lose a groove line when you file the face flat. I use a generic hardened steel V-groove re-groover. Taking time is key.

- Coarse File the face flat, being sure to keep the file away from rounding the edges.

- Fine File the face flat, I don't care about looks as much as function so I don't tape anything up. To each their own.

- 80 grit to remove Majority of file marks

- Final Grooving Performed - Take your sweet sweet time and don't press too hard.

- Crosshatch face sanding with 220grit, and run it down each groove 2-3 times to "soften" the cut edges you put into them. USGA states there must be a teeny tiny 10° Radius on the edge. I tend to error on the side of "not as deep as possible and safety" - so that when I play in competitions requiring conforming equipment there will be no issue.

 

Flat face, check, Clean grooves, Check - I'll buff the chrome with a wheel and any exposed rusted area. Just waiting for a Shaft and it's back in the bag now!

 

 

Nice work, I thought you'd appreciate a pic of mine, this is a 80's Spalding Tour Edition PW. I don't spend much time on the grooves, much of my wedge play is from around the green where I find surface texture of the face more beneficial to me. A couple of minutes with my wedges in the blasting cabinet is a nice distraction from rusty Mopars in the workshop.

 

J

 

[Froth]

If my local Tractor Supply wasn't out of Glassbeads, I would have done that to the face as well Looks great!

[birly-shirly]

Terrific work there Froth. Hard to believe how clean and sharp those rejuvenated grooves now look. How long did you have to spend recutting them?

I ask because the only really tired wedges that I've tried to work on were stainless steel (a Ping and a forged Slazenger Hogan). In both cases, I found it very hard going and didn't make much of an impression. I know Pings are pretty hard - is forged carbon steel generally going to be easier to cut grooves than stainless?

[Froth]

I spent probably 45 minutes to an hour getting the grooves to where I wanted them, I like to go slow - You can always remove more material but if you go too deep you've gotta file the face again. If you look at the groove all the way to the top, I didn't re-groove that one(very shallow) because it doesn't get used. When the face was filed before I grooved it they were all that deep.

[ScooterMcTavish]

Very neat work Froth. Your machining experience is pretty obvious, as if I attempted to do the same, my grooves would look like a snake orgy.

Having some second thoughts about the bag for all seasons here. After my second league night using all vintage, I'm wondering if the modern driver has to come back into the bag. We originally started the discussion stating that there was some exclusivity between a vintage bag and a bag for all seasons, as the coffee can on a stick almost "needed" to stay in a bag to be "all seasons". And as our discussion continued, we gravitated towards making the bag for all seasons a vintage bag, with no Ansers, and wood woods.

For me, going this route was an attempt to recapture something from my youth that was missing - the enjoyment of golf as a game, not golf as a score. And I must say that this has been fun. I have the Apex IIs in the bag now, and am starting to get them dialed in a bit. On the recommendation of OSR, I've gone to the flanged Bullseye posted earlier in this thread, and I can honestly state I am enjoying gaming it despite always thinking of a Bullseye as a mini-golf putter. And my Hogan 3 and 5 woods have been a revelation; with their very stiff and heavy shafts, I am getting longer and straighter fairway wood shots than I had been getting with my metals. Add in the vintage 1950's Wilson Harmonized Dual Wedge, and I have a very playable bag.

Except for the driver.

Since going vintage, I have tried driving with no less than five different wooden drivers, each with different characteristics to see if one fits my game better. And so far, I'm 1/5, with the 1 being on one night, and off the next.

So far, I've tried:
Hogan Persimmon 1W, Apex Pro 5 shaft
Hogan Laminate 2W, Apex 4 shaft
Wilson Staff Tour Block 1W, TT R shaft
MacGregor Nicklaus Golden Bear Laminate 1W, "TT Lite" shaft
Hogan Persimmon 3W, Apex Pro 5 shaft

Of all of the above, the only which has delivered acceptable results is the Hogan 3W, and even it suffers from erratic-ness. One night, I split every fairway only10-20 yds behind my coffee can. Next night, I hit a weak slice into trees, followed by a line drive hard slice, followed by a pop up, followed by a straight pull into the lagoon, and finally a weak slice into trees. Making consistent contact (at least off the tee) has been problematic to say the least. I thought the MacGregor might solve this issue as the face was very deep, and the clubhead had good mass. Nope.

So now when I get to the teebox, I am consumed by an all-encompassing agony. And I am reminded of something that used to be in my 15-year-old self's game.

Teebox anxiety.

In my quest to find "fun" at the course again, I am reminded of the horror I felt on any tee when I pulled out the driver. And stretching my memory, I seem to remember my 15-year-old self using the 3W off the tee as often as I used to hit the 1W off the tee. And due to my teebox foibles, it is why I developed a scrambling ability that serves me well to this day. Restoring my love for the game is fun. Reliving youthful horror isn't fun.

So I think the modern driver has to come back into my bag for all seasons. However, I am comfortable in saying it isn't about score. It's about feeling both frustrated and anxious while you're out golfing, feelings which I have had often enough in life without being on a golf course.

And I think this quest started a few weeks ago has had excellent results. I'm loving my blades, got some wood back in the bag, and am playing with a great vintage wedge and putter that match up to anything made today. More than anything else, I feel back in touch with golf as a game, not a sport.

So I think I've found my "Bag for All Seasons", which will have some interchangeable parts:
Driver: Cobra HS9 or Ping G10
FW: Hogan Personal Persimmon 3W and 5W
Irons: 2-E Apex II, or 3-PW FG-17
Wedge: 1950s Wilson Staff Harmonized Wedge
Putter: Flanged Bullseye
Ball: Wilson Staff FG Tour

Of course, things may change a little bit over time if I find some interesting vintage gear I'd like to run through the bag on a demo basis. However, I'm feeling pretty good about this bag for all seasons, and am looking forward to gaming it for a very, very long time.

[jmck]

If you're going with a "modern" driver, I'd recommend a 5-10 year old one. Lots of great choices in the 350-400cc range that'll give you all of the distance and most of the forgiveness of the newer behemoths, while providing much more of the feel and workability of a classic.

[birly-shirly]

[quote name='jmck' timestamp='1375370913' post='7583404']
If you're going with a "modern" driver, I'd recommend a 5-10 year old one. Lots of great choices in the 350-400cc range that'll give you all of the distance and most of the forgiveness of the newer behemoths, while providing much more of the feel and workability of a classic.
[/quote]
+1

I like a steel shafted driver. Around 43 inch, it's a more manageable length and encourages you to think more in terms of driving for position rather than all-out for length. A cut down graphite shaft will be out of whack balance or weight wise. Titleist 975 or 983 are great options, as are cally steelheads and king cobras. Would like to try a TM 200.

[ScooterMcTavish]

Bought someone's 80+ club golf hoard yesterday, and there are a lot of smaller metal drivers in there right now.

Mind you, the G10 is already 6 years old, and is more of a player's driver than any large-headed driver I have played before. Was a real experience needing to fix my main swing flaw (out to in) to hit it well.

Otherwise I have the HS9-X (7 years old!) with a cheapie R flex graphite shaft in it - it may be a good candidate for a steelie transplant. I do also have a number of graphite shafted 3 and 5 woods in the hoard, and possibly dropping a 3W length graphite in the HS9 might be a good idea.

[oldschoolrocker]

[quote name='birly-shirly' timestamp='1375372241' post='7583558']
[quote name='jmck' timestamp='1375370913' post='7583404']
If you're going with a "modern" driver, I'd recommend a 5-10 year old one. Lots of great choices in the 350-400cc range that'll give you all of the distance and most of the forgiveness of the newer behemoths, while providing much more of the feel and workability of a classic.
[/quote]
+1

I like a steel shafted driver. Around 43 inch, it's a more manageable length and encourages you to think more in terms of driving for position rather than all-out for length. A cut down graphite shaft will be out of whack balance or weight wise. Titleist 975 or 983 are great options, as are cally steelheads and king cobras. Would like to try a TM 200.
[/quote]

I put a 975d head on a lightweight graphite a few months ago when I was waiting for a steel shaft. Cut it down to 43.5 and added lead tape to adjust swing weight. Works just fine.

[profsmitty]

OldSchool - l like the 975d idea. I have one in the inventory. It does have graphite shaft. I'm going to visit with my local golf club mechanic and see what he suggests about getting a metal driver shaft.