First of all, I am an avid viewer of the site but rarely do I post anything so get ready for a doozie.

What shafts are best for most golfers? Now I play off 8 and don't get to practice or play as much as I would like say once a week. Consistency is a big problem for me and I would like to know what setup would best suit me in your opinions. I am definately going to put more effort in now and practice regularly but what should I do.

By measurements I take a stock 37.75 inch 5 iron all day. I swing the driver at an average 103mph and a 5 iron at 88mph. Now I used to play with DG S300 in my irons but I recently changed to a new set where I have Nippon 950 in R-Flex. I did this because I saw the pros like ernie come back to a softer shaft, and also saw that Luke Donald uses S300. My thinking is that if these tour guys who are way more limber and fit then me are using softer shafts how can I justify using S300. But then you can go onto shaftfit at true temper's website and after I put in my stats it says I should have S300's all day. Now I understand that the nippon is way lighter and has a midkick point to the TT's high, so where should I be? The current thinking is that the higher the ball goes, the further and softer it is landing at the moment... to a point, so why do most pros still use a high kickpoint shaft? It is said that it gives them greater control over their shots. What is meant by this? Will I lose considerable distance by going back to S300 or should I stick to the nippons with more distance but less accuracy, or do I can them both and go for a DG SL S300, perhaps NV Iron shafts. What does everyone out there play and why do they play it?
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Now what about modern club lofts, particularly Irons.

What is the answer here? Now lofts are getting stronger and stronger we have less room for clubs in our bag. My dilemma is we are always told that the difference between the good tour pros and the great tour pros is the way they play the last 100yds to the green. How do they do it? Is it just a case of imagination and being able to play so many different shots with their wedges to control the distance. What about us amateurs? Would I be better off with 4 wedges say 46 deg PW, 51, 56, 60, or should I be looking for a set of clubs where I can get a 48 deg PW, then 54 and 60. When companies make a set of irons, they are all meant to play with the same yardage gap between each. Is this right? Or is it a case of nowadays that the marketing machine has taken over and they dont give a damn and gaps closing to 3 degrees from the traditional 4 so they can add an extra wedge to the line for us to buy and so we hit it longer and go wow!? I know PING claim that they have a consistent 10yd (I think) gap between each club but is this the case with everyone else? Perhaps we should start thinking about buying 4-GW sets rather than 3-PW off the rack. So let us know all your solutions out there, cause its doing my head in!

Cheers

Hi, I think the best thing you can do is to go to a fitting center. There the launch monitor will give you a much more accurate reading than our opinions. Do you have a fitting center near by?
The nippon and tt are both quality shafts. It sounds like the r flex might be a little too weak for your clubhead speed. I was wondering if the s300 nippons might be the best of both worlds. You'll get the high launch and not sacrifice the control.

Regarding the wedge game, one word" practice". How often do you practice your short game and for how long? Most people hit a few shots before they go out to play. Pros practice these shots until they master them. They know exactly how far they can hit each each wedge with a full,3/4 and half swing. Here is what you do, take your practice balls and go to a field and practice hitting full,3/4 and half shots, pace off the distance and committ those yardages to memory. Then reguarly practice those yardages and when your done practice some more. If you are having problems with consistency, have your teacher check your motion. The short game is the key to consistency, my friend. Yesterday, a friend played nine, when he finished he saw me on the practice green and he chuclked in amazement and said geez, your still practicing. Before you run out and buy any more wedges, master your current wedges. Know your yardages of your half,3/4 and full shots for each wedge. it is not hard to do, but most people would rather play then practice, best of luck!