Re: ShopTalk: 50" long Driver help

[Bernie Baymiller]

Pat,   Wait until he plays 18 holes with a 50-incher on a hot day. I'd guess about #12 or #13 the ole' wrists will start flopping around and the ball will start looking for shade. He'll have a swingweight limit you'll have to figure out. I have one senior with a 48" 966SD who has a nice swing about 3/4 normal length, kind of fast tempo and hits a little draw on most balls. He can usually handle an E6 pretty well, but has spells when he can't hit it worth a lick. He picked up 30 yards with it and wouldn't even trade it for a new one. I have a 5' 1" senior lady who trys to play a 48" S450 at E0, but can't quite get it closed...wears her out. She hits a 46" 966SD/HL-40A at D6 very well with Gary Player's senior step-through type swing...shoots low 80s.   I'm using a Neufinder 2 and don't have a frequency analyzer, so can't answer your frequency question vey well...but from my own experience at age 62, I'd say about 236 cpm with a normal 5" clamp length would be somewhere near right for 48" club length...it'd be lower for 50"...maybe 225?  You'll have to interpolate SK Fiber's info (they have a 7" clamp). Someone gave me that cpm for a 48" 966SD on a CVP-150 S that I was hitting very well at that age. Dan Neubecker probably has a better idea on cpms than I, but I'm not sure any of us "longstickers" have done more than swing a 50-incher a few times. Incidentally, Mars may still have some of those shafts at close-out for $10. It's an excellent 49" shaft, but kind of heavy for long drivers at 64 grams. I have a 74 year-old who hits a 48" 966SD at E6 with that CVP-150 S shaft about 250 yards on his best hits.   On the lessons...he'll probably have to slow his take-away way down and lengthen his swing. Be sure he doesn't take it back too far inside and lay it off...or it will never catch up with his body. He'll have to start the downswing with his hips, release earlier (the high swingweight will force it) and swing his right arm across his body, keeping his head behind the shot.  He'll likely slice the ball a lot at first, then (if he works that out) go to pull hooks, then to the straight ball. Will probably take a couple of hours practice to work it out for any kind of consistency. I'd guess if he can work it out, he'll pick up about 30 yards form a 45" to a 50" (or even 48") club. I'd say that of the more than 100 seniors playing my long drivers, most gained that kind of yardage. It became just too much work for a few, and a few just couldn't ever hit it straight enough to score well with it....especially the "fast hands" guys. The majority hit it as accurately as a shorter club. D8-E6 seems to be the  controllable swingweight range for most senior players...some can handle no more than D8, some can handle up to E6.   Bernie Writeto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: Pat McGoldrick To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2002 9:38 PM Subject: Re: ShopTalk: 50" long Driver help Bernie,   Thank you,  He is set on a 50" driver. I believe I will see him again when he comes to me to cut it down to 49", 48" and so on. He has been playing with a 45.5" driver and has tried someone else's 50" driver and sees no problem. What about frequency? Would their be a target number to shoot for? The PE does get him to 49.5" and has a frequency of 224 cpm (R). Oh yea, how can I give someone lessons on how to hit a 50" driver when I have trouble with a 44.5" driver? ;-) Pat  ----- Original Message ----- From: Bernie Baymiller To: Shoptalk Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2002 7:41 PM Subject: Re: ShopTalk: 50" long Driver help Pat,   Some thoughts:   That guy doesn't have the ideal kind of swing for a long driver. He's not getting much speed for a fast tempo and will have to learn to slow the tempo down with a club 50 inches long, or he'll never get it square. It might be a good swing trainer for him, though. At 50", it's nearly impossible to get a low enough swingweight to be controllable for 14 tee shots, and unless this guy is really strong, I'd recommend 47", or 48", if he's moving up from 46" or less. At 47", there are components that can make a D8 club and at 48" with the PE-A (or 50/50) and a Winn, you'd end up about E0. That's not so bad with a light club.   With a driver that's 50 inches, pay really close attention to total weight. A low total weight...say 300 grams or less...will be easier to control. I think the PE-A is a better choice than the R at 80 mph...it plays stiffer than it reads and is lighter. Incidentally, I think that 48" shaft will only get you 49-1/2". I haven't used the Bang 450, but the S450 is a similar head with a 1-1/2" tip to ground. Another good shaft would be the Aldila Longwood 50/50 R at 57 grams...and, you can get the full 50" out of that one. I'd use the R because, strangely, the 50/50 A is heavier (at least, it was the last time I used one a couple of years ago). If you can find any lighter shaft that's within your budget, use it. There are lots of light 46" shafts that will make a 47-1/2" club...like the 54 gram Rapport Recoil 50 which is kind of mid-priced ($36) and a little more tip-stiff, if this guy loads quickly. Go with a light grip to reduce total weight, even though it will raise the swingweight slightly. If you can get a head at least 2� closed and no more than 195 grams, it would help.   Prepare to give this guy some special long driver lessons. He's going to need them. :-)   Bernie Writeto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: Pat McGoldrick To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2002 5:50 PM Subject: ShopTalk: 50" long Driver help I had my first customer come to my shop looking for a 50" driver. I need help looking for the right (or in the ballpark) frequency for a club this long. I am also open for suggestions on a club that will work for this guy. He is 62 years young, fast tempo, 3/4 swing and a swing speed @83mph, 10hdcp. I was going to build a Bang 450cc, SKFiber PE (R) flex, approx. 224cpm. Am I in the ballpark. Oh yeah, $150range. TIA   Pat McGoldrick On Target Golf