Anybody using Senior flex shafts?

[braincramp52]

Have any of you guys switched to a senior flexed driver shaft and if so what have been the results? I'm almost 65 with a 86 mph driver swing speed and short quick back swing. I'm playing a Big Bertha with a Aldila Rogue stiff shaft 110 MSI. I thinking about going to the extreme opposite to a senior flex. Anybody done this?

[TimV]

No, because I haven't been able to hit a stiff shaft in years.

I think that might be a bit of an extreme change. Have you tried drivers with regular and with senior flex shafts in them? I wouldn't make a radical change like that based on anyone's opinion here or elsewhere, no offense intended to anyone... here or elsewhere. ;)

I have regular flexes in all my vintage stuff and my Ping G10's have SR, Soft stepped Regulars in them and I honestly hit them all about the same.

Not too difficult to hit a golf store and try a driver that suites your eye in both a regular and senior flex or go whole hog and get a fitting done. I would do the first at the very least!

[crazygolfnut]

I am 64 and the old swing speed is running around 86. Several fittings over the past year and so far the fitters recommend staying with regular flex. I still have steal in my irons but may look for graphite on my next set.

[LansingMI]

Low 90's driver SS and I found the "made for" senior shafts (many different ones) all too soft. Though They felt better and produced good distance. That being said aftermarket Senior or "A" is easily as stiff as an off the shelf R flex. Especially Aldila. So I stick with soft R's or tipped Senior. Works for me YMMV

[Petunia Sprinkle]

I tried a friend's G30 with a senior shaft in it. It was wicked splashy, but I could take a wild swipe at it and it would still end up in the fairway. It's not an exacting weapon, but it might be fun to have as a 2nd driver for those 'too many beer' holes at the end of a round.

[OLD_BONES]

I have Aldila 55A shafts in my driver and 4 wood.

[farmer]

I do, but the devil is in the details. Some Sr's are not as soft as some R's, so it takes some tinkering. I find stiff and above to be harsh feeling.

[braincramp52]

I do, but the devil is in the details. Some Sr's are not as soft as some R's, so it takes some tinkering. I find stiff and above to be harsh feeling.

 

That's my thing too farmer. I think I'll just drop back to a regular. I've honestly never seen a big difference in distance no matter what I use.

[raggal62]

I made the switch to senior graphite iron shafts a few years ago when I developed elbow tendonitis. Love the Recoil line from UST Mamiya. Since I play my driver at 46", I use a superlight stiff graphite shaft or else it would be like swinging a wet noodle.

[Kirasdad]

Shaft choice is definitely important, but in my experience flex might be the least impactful factor in one's choice. My driver ss is 95,96 and I have a pretty stout stiff in the driver, and regular in my fairway woods. They play very well for me. There are so many factors other than just flex. Torque, bend point, weight and so on. Case in point, when the Eye 2 came out in the 80's, everyone who switched to them, which was almost everyone it seemed to me at the time, was swinging them with the x flex zzlite. Kids, pros, seniors, everybody was using that shaft successfully for the most part. It was the total package that mattered. How that shaft worked with that club. My personal setup is all trial and error, no professional fitting just much experimentation on my part. If I had been fitted with all the info available with trackman, etc. I'm sure I would discover that my regular shafts are probably closer to stiff, which is why it seems like an odder matchup than it actually is.

 

So...long answer to op question...try things. One OEMs regular is another's stiff. The process, for me anyway, can be fun.

[bobcat]

Well, my wife does!

 

Men's clubs with Senior Flex just work so much better for her than shorter and weaker-shafted Ladies clubs! She also happens to play left handed, and we find it much easier to find LH men's senior shafted clubs than LH Ladies clubs!

 

That said, play whatever clubs work best for YOU...

 

:golfer:

[bullseye26]

I'm 71 now and about 2 years ago I switched to senior flex. I did a lot of Internet research and most of the recommendations were for senior flex as you get older and your swing speed slows. I also decided to try hybrids. I went to Roger Dunn and they checked me on the trackman (or whatever they use). I don't remember all the technical details, but they said senior flex would be good. So I bought a set of Callaway graphite senior flex with 3-6 hybrids. I absolutely love them. I think I hit them longer, but thats probably because I hit the sweet spot more. And they are definitely straighter for me.

[jmvargas]

i use A or lite-flex in my hybrids and irons and fairway woods..

 

i use japan spec R flex in my driver as the japan spec flex is normally softer vs their US counterparts with the same marked flex..

 

if they were more affordable i would use the japan spec R1 or even R2(softer) in all my clubs except the wedges..

 

my japan spec R flex is "made in japan"..

[mcshooter]

There is no industry standard on shaft flex. One company regular could be stiff flex on another. Since I can change my shafts myself and iam 79 years old and my driver speed is 80 I have hit on using a aldia nv 65 regular flex when every fitter says I should use a senior shaft... our local dicks store has a fitting area to hit balls in, I don't know if it is a trackman.. but know the folks at dicks now are just sales clerks..there are all sorts of recommendations available but know other factors of shafts are torque, bend point, weight, tip stiffness, .. probable the only way to get it right is go where a pro has a trackman and understands the readings,. We have a driving range with a pro and if you buy a club there is no charge for the use of the fitting with the trackman..

[steelshaft1947]

Low 90's driver SS and I found the "made for" senior shafts (many different ones) all too soft. Though They felt better and produced good distance. That being said aftermarket Senior or "A" is easily as stiff as an off the shelf R flex. Especially Aldila. So I stick with soft R's or tipped Senior. Works for me YMMV

 

Using a Fujikuru Speeder "A" flex on my Callaway XR-16 driver. At 71 yrs old averaging 210 to 220 yards. It makes me slow down on the take away. Great shaft, just don't get too "whippy" with it.

[wkuo3]

Up until several years ago, I had XS or S flex shafts in my driver.

This Spring I was experimenting the R flex in driver. Not a good result at the beginning, then I fine tuned it with heavier weight, higher torque value and shorter length.

Current set up is 44" with Grafalloy blue 75 in R flex. Only lost about 8-10 yards in total distance comparing to the 46" S flex shaft but much easier to swing and always in the fairway. Could easily work the tee shots both ways with the shorter shaft.

 

I do agree with most reply that going from a general S flex to a Senior flex will be too drastic a change. Best to try them out first.

[sdandrea]

Yes, me in my modern irons. My classic PING sets are all stiff steel. My scores are the same with each, but the graphite senior flex feel a little better.