This doesn't make sense....

[Big Johnny69]

General accepted rule of clubfitting is too stiff= low and right, or just lower in general and shorter distances, correct??

Yesterday I demoed a set of irons w/ PX 6.5, which I assumed would be too stiff for me. Here is where it gets confusing: distances were shorter than normal, as I figured with shafts that are too stiff, but distances were shorter due to a ballooning ballflight?!?!?! What gives?? And the best part of the whole situation was the fact that I haven't made such good contact with irons all year (sweetspot every time)!

[Break68]

Cold weather maybe?
What kind of ball did you use?

[Big Johnny69]

I took into account a bit of distance loss for the weather, but this was significant. For instance, I can usually get my 5 iron out around 200yds. On a hole yesterday I hit a 5 iron, what felt like great contact, about 160 or so.

I was playing TM TP Reds.

[orangeTANG]

If I remember correctly...

When I got fitted last year for clubs we went through tests with a bunch of shafts until the ballooning went away. My understanding is that ballooning was caused by the kickpoint in the shaft causing a non-penetrating ball flight.

Ballooning happens when forward momentum slows and the spin of the ball takes over

[justsomeguy]

For instance, I can usually get my 5 iron out around 200yds. On a hole yesterday I hit a 5 iron, what felt like great contact, about 160 or so.

Yeah, that's what happens when you have kids.

It was extremely windy yesterday and the gusts were swirling, so I wouldn't trust any distance numbers you got at all.

[Big Johnny69]

Pfft, kids haven't ruined my game, a Mon-Fri job has ruined my game.

I realize it was windy yesterday, but even on holes where the wind was at my back I was still coming up well short of my expected distance.

[rtto5588]

I was short all day yesterday as well (my wife will probably tell you it wasn't just yesterday)

I think jterpstr hit on the head. Were you experiencing distance loss on drives or woods or shorter irons? Or only the 5 Iron?

[Big Johnny69]

Driver, woods and hybrids were pretty normal. Only irons and wedges suffered the drastic drops in distance.

[Chieflongtee]

Drivers and hybrids launch the ball lower so the wind does not affect ballflight as much. . Everyone is losing distance this time of the year and even more so on windy days. The only clubmaking factor that could explain such a change is if you went from blades to shovels and even then it would not be as stees as you've described.