Re: ShopTalk: 15 Deg Driver Interest

[Bernie Baymiller]

Rich,   In my usual non-conforming state-of-mind...   Dave can run through the numbers, but sometimes when you get out on the range and really have little old ladies hitting balls, you find the numbers aren't the whole story. I would agree with Dave and you if we were talking about persimmon heads (11� was my dad's preference for pros from research he did at Spalding in the days of the solid head), but I don't find that to be true with the newer metalwood heads, except some of the monsters...or even true of many of the older metals. Depends on the CG location and length of the club. I have 65 year-old ladies hitting a 250cc Chicago 966 9.5� plenty high enough and a few who do fine with an 8� version at 46".  Yet, a lot of the new trampoline, low spin heads, like a Bang SRV II, require at least a 12� loft just to get a normal trajectory. From the same manufacturer, a Bang SF360, or Mellow Yellow, seems to require only a 10� to 12� loft, even at a slow swing speed. And, my 10� Integra S450 absolutely skies the ball at 48" club length with an A-flex PE...great carry, not much roll. As you are probably aware, a longer driver will hit the ball higher than a shorter one with the same loft and shaft flex, so club length does become a factor to consider.   Many seniors, especially the senior women, have no problem adapting to a long driver at all. They swing the club without a great deal of hand action anyway, so they have a swing that works right from the start. I had a somewhat late release and it was harder for me to learn to hit a long club than most of my customers. Move a senior lady up to 46" clublength, and she seems to get a 10� loft about as high as she hit a 43" club at 12�...so if John is going to go with a 43" club, and a larger head shaped something like the SF360 without an extremely tall face, 13� would seem plenty, IMO.   I also have seen that seniors, including me, like to practice as much as the younger players.  I don't think age has much to do with that...you are willing to practice or you're not. We're out there swinging on the range during the day while the younger crowd is working, weather permitting. In the golfing and boating retirement community where I play, on a nice day the range is often so crowded that I have to wait for a spot to open. I don't see that happening at the local munis where all the younger guys play.   Bernie Writeto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]  ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 11:59 AM Subject: Re: ShopTalk: 15 Deg Driver Interest In a message dated 2/17/2003 5:40:23 PM Hawaiian Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Most of the seniors I know either will not practice enough to master a long club, or never had and never will have the clubhead speed with any length to get away with a 12* loft.) Very true! For that market the 15 to 17 degree would work very well. Rich "Mac" McHattie Mac's Golf