Golf is an ever changing game and for the average and weekend golfer so can be their swing. We all go through swing changes, from the time we first pick up clubs, to injuries we suffer, and to when time catches up to us and our body simply doesn’t want to listen anymore. Recently I’ve hit the point where I’ve begun to rethink my entire bag due to changes in my swing. Since moving to Japan 3 years ago, I’ve played much more golf than I did in the past and dare I say my game has improved. But in the process my swing has changed as well. My swing speed has naturally increased with confidence and skill and I’ve become much more aggressive at the top and create much more lag than I ever did in the past. The result has been a lot more pulled shots than ever and occasionally the dreaded duck hook. I’ve finally come to admit, that perhaps my clubs are too light for me and flex too soft.
I’ve always been a believer that average golfers with average swing speeds are best off with lighter clubs and the softest flex they CAN control in order to maximize distance and forgiveness and feel. Of course we all need to be fit for the right clubs but when our swing changes, we need to look at whether those clubs till fit. In the last few weeks I’ve played, I’ve noticed that I was pulling all my woods and missed shots with the irons were usually thin. At that point I decided that I should overhaul my entire bag at which point I moved all my gamers including the ONOFF Fairway woods, VG3H utilities, VG3 Forged Irons, all of which were lightweight and with regular flex shafts. I’m lucky that I have the luxury of falling back on left over and collected gear over the years so before making the big investment in all brand new clubs and shafts I thought I would experiment a bit by going heavier and stiffer with some clubs I had in the closet.
The thought is by going heavier and stiffer, I can stabilize my swing and move my focus from distance to control. The added weight can also aid with more of a down blow and prevent thin shots. Even as an average golfer who barely swings 90mph with the driver, using strong lofted high tech Japanese clubs have always resulted in good distance. My VG3 Forged Irons were pretty long at 155y for the 7 iron, however because of my swing I was not always on target. Distance is great but accuracy in golf is even better. The problem is we all love distance and can never get enough of it so I had to swallow my pride and think maybe its time to stop going for the lightest shaft and strongest lofts… at least to some extent. I had an older set of 2009 Burner Forged sitting around which I decided to use to see whether heavier and stiffer would work for me. I decided to install Crazy’s Black CB-02 Iron shaft in Regular Flex. The CB-02 is 99g and while still regular flex, plays much like steel or a heavier SR flex. I’ve always played irons with 5 iron specs in the 24* loft, 350-360g range. The Burner with CB-02 has 5 iron specs of 26* and 401g. The additional 40+ grams of weight is quite noticeable even though swing weight is still around D1.
I also had an unused first generation 17* Spoon here still wrapped in plastic. It’s a 17* with the very soft Japanese senior flex M-35 which is certainly too soft for me. I decided to reshaft with a Rombax 7V05 I happened to also have here. The Rombax V is a great control shaft for those who have problems with direction. Its low torque and slightly stiffer profile help control and accuracy. The 7V05 in R flex weighs a nice and heavy 69g vs the stock egg shaft of around 45g. I tipped the shaft 0.5″ for the Spoon and trimmed the butt down to a 42.5″ finished club length. This finished the club at 324g D0, and 276cpm versus the stock numbers of 298g, C6 and around 225cpm. Now even for an 4 wood/strong 5 wood loft, 276cpm is quite stout for an R flex and its probably closer to a stiff. It feels very solid and I can’t wait to see how it plays. I feel very confident swinging the club. I did get a chance to hit the Burner Forged/Crazy combo at the range over the weekend and while I noticeably had less distance thanks to weaker lofts and heavier weight, shots were very straight and very solidly hit. I was not pulling my shots at all.
At the end of the day whether a players swing changes or not, it is still about being fit for the right clubs. We shouldn’t have to change our swing to fit the clubs we buy, but we should all find clubs that fit not only our swing and playing style but skill level as well. Its the best way to enjoy the difficult but rewarding game of golf to its fullest and get a good score along the way. Tomorrow when I play my round at Hirakawa I’ll see if I’m on the right track. Will report back soon after the round.
T I was playing my quattro 75s tip trimmed 1 inch and butt trimmed toplaimg length 42.5 and cpm was 278 also and thatnis closer to an x.
That is such a big jump from 225 o 276.
Great, I wonder how stiff are CBI iron shafts, compared with KBS tour R flex ?
The game of golf and how we play it is never static. It’s always an evolutionary process and hopefully (usually) for the better for anyone who has a commitment to it. I have several sets of irons with shafts weighing from 65g (SW D2) to 110 g (SW D1-2). Likewise with woods. Sometimes I find the heavier clubs work better and vice versa. Really, the only thing that has been constant is the putter.
Certainly is a big jump but luckily I never played my FW’s that soft, probably more in the 240-250 range and 255 at most.
Probably comparable but with more feel and definitely more costly.
Right on James and that’s why our gear doesn’t remain static. It’s true, I overhauled my bag and the only things that stayed were the putter and Ryoma.
What a nice closet you have. :-) But seriously, it’s funny you say that “we all need to be fit for the right clubs” – because for me, it’s about being fit as in the fitness of being strong enough, flexible enough and rhythmic enough to swing the heaviest clubs possible for one’s swing speed. Most people just aren’t fit enough. They’re too lazy to practice, they don’t really get to know the club’s tendencies let alone the reaction of the ball with the clubs, they just don’t get fit enough to even swing properly.
I don’t think its funny I said that as its very true however I do completely agree with you about fitness and flexibility. Building a strong core and being more flexible will generate more club head speed, stability and consistency. And then on top of that lessons and learning to swing properly. I just covered one aspect as I was talking about club making. Fitness and strength is a definite must as well. I certainly wish I was stronger and more flexible!
I would love to hear your review/feedback on the Crazy Black CB-02 shafts after you have given them some time.
@gocchin:
Still is funny though.
But why the obsession with graphite? If you’re going to go heavier, nearer to the 100 gram mark, just go with the trusty NS950GH, steel but light like graphite, a solid shaft with very easy swingability (is that a word?) It has probably one of the best anti-vibration feel in steel, and it really was revolutionary to be able to make a steel shaft be able to feel and react like that to the point that a hard hitter can still go after it and use it well. If that’s still too heavy, you could go to the 850 or even the 750!!! in Steel!!!!! Amazing. But I know, you’ve got them expensive equipment that you can just throw around without even blinking, gosh that must be so nice. ;-)
Suggesting that people get clubs that fit their swing is funny? You have an odd sense of humor.
As for Nippon I’ve played the 750 850 950. The only one that resembles the “feel” of graphite is the 750. The 950 doesn’t and for steel it launches quite high. I also find the butt of the 950 too thick as I have smaller hands. My wedges are all currently shafted with 850. Like them a lot. They still don’t match graphite in anti vibration though they are better than most. Living in Japan and working in the golf business its only natural I have access to all different equipment regardless of the price. It’s just a lucky perk (^_^).
@gocchin:
Odd? I meant funny as in coincidental in the use of the term “fit’ is all.
But not really funny at all, actually – Saying “that people get clubs that fit their swing” to the mostly average or below golfing public who don’t even have a good enough swing to hit the ball straight or let alone 160 yards with a 7 irons, is modern psycho-babble from the marketing department to sell more golf equipment, when what these average Joes could be doing is taking lessons using normal, stock weight clubs (120 grams like the DG) that have worked for the better part of the last 60 years before graphite and before light-weight shafts and learning to hit those by building up their bodies and getting used to them which in turn improves their skills. The balls fly so far now compared to even 20 years ago, there isn’t as much need to go lighter clubs to increase head speed, the heads are also forgiving enough in their designs to launch the ball higher and faster – therefore it’s better if you spent more time taking lessons or pounding more balls for muscle tone at the range and also building core muscles (especially for those people taking up the game later in life who never really participated in any physical sports during their childhood or college years in any intense, semi-competitive environments who are mostly couch-potatoes/office chair sit-down workers).
As I said I totally agree about the fitness part but hey you said it yourself, people don’t do it, whether or not they don’t have the time or just don’t want to. And in the end equipment makes a difference and you noted that yourself, with balls flying further, heads being more forgiving launching balls higher and faster, you just did some good marketing yourself for newer and better clubs. (^_^)
@gocchin:
Booo! Nooo! But I didn’t! I don’t work in marketing! :-)
So T, how’s the heavier and stiffer shaft working out so far? I also tend to pull my fairway woods and wonder whether I should do the similar experiment like you.
Hi R, just did my update here http://www.tourspecgolf.com/blog/the-heavier-and-stiffer-club-setup-update/
I like it so far!
I have a slower swing speed (approx.70 mph). However, I hit the ball much better with heavier clubs. I’ll give up five yards for the chance to put the ball where I want it.