Re: ShopTalk: Old fart

[Alan Brooks]

Try a shorter driver, say about 43.25-inches.  This should get it down to about a C-2 swing weight, which will give him a driver that is approximately MOI matched to what his (probably) D-2 irons are.  If this works, cut his 3-wood down to about C-4 and his 5-wood down to about C-6 and his Rescues down to C-8 and D-0 respectively to keep their MOI consistent with his driver and irons.  Swing weight matched irons are MOI matched pretty well, but the MOI of woods swing weight matched to the irons goes way up.  He simply may not be strong enough anymore to get the higher MOI driver around very fast.

Good luck

Alan Brooks


At 04:36 PM 11/1/2004 -0800, you wrote:

For the first time in years, I'm just about stumped. I have an old guy (68) who's hitting his irons about as well as can be expected. He's playing Ping ISI clones w/soft flex (280 cpm 5 iron) graphite shafts from Precision Composites. The guy hits the 5 iron about 155 - 160 on a calm day. No problems here. He's also playing TM Rescues, 19° and 22° to replace the 3 and 4 iron. No problem here either.
 
Problem is I can't seem to get the guy into a driver he can hit more than about 200 yds. And he hits it low. I've had him hit 9, 10, 10 1/2, 11, and 12 degree heads with a multitude of shafts. Doesn't seem to make any difference re;distance. 200 - 220. I've tried shaft lengths from 44" to 47". Backswing is short, about shoulder high. He hates the long shafts. Shaft weights from 55 to 70 grams. The guy's driving me loco.
 
The current driver in use is a Bangomatic Slupski w/PC Xtra Lite Senior flex @ 44 3/4". This one seems to get it in the fairway just fine, but distance? Ugh! Still no more than about 220 if he kills it. I'm stumped. The guy's hitting the irons and Rescues and fairways o.k. But the big stick? Nope.
 
No doubt in my mind that the guy's problems are in the 6" between the ears, and I really like the dough he's spending, but dammit! I gotta get him into something that will at least be commensurate with his iron distances.
 
I had him go to a local super store and hit balls into a screen. Sure enough, average carry distance with nearly every driver wasabout 155 yds, average total distance about 208 yds. Face angle average about 5° closed at impact. Average clubhead speed about 90 mph. All that's reasonable, I think, but something's happening somewhere before impact and I'll be damned if I can see it.
 
Any ideas?
 
TFlan