I couldn't find the recent thread by Aaron. π
Out here in AZ as a snowbird, I'm playing with seniors and super seniors. Plus I'm seeing super senior ladies play. (We are renting on a course, so I get a front row seat.) The senior market is becoming huge. I was listening to the Club Champion owner on Haney's show the other day, and he says they mostly see seniors. The owner of TXG clubfitting, Ian, said their typical customer is also 55 or so.
It's fairly well known among the SL specialists that once you fall below a certain swing speed, SL irons become hard to use. I myself can't get enough height out of a 5 iron, and it's even worse with SL. Most of the seniors and for sure the super seniors can't/shouldn't use SL irons. And from my experience, substituting hybrids at 37 inches doesn't offer much help.
I kill my 38.5 inch, 28d, 6 hybrid, and the same for my 39.25 inch, 25d, 5 hybrid. Directional misses are bigger, but I hit the centers of the face as often as with irons, and they are just easy to swing and elevate. As I get to the 40-ish inch 22d 4H, trajectory is okay but getting iffy for holding a green. And I have way more swing speed (75 or so with a mid iron) than super seniors. But if I use a 22 degree fairway wood, I get lots of height.
These very slow speed players use something other than irons for most of their shots. So, why not make an SL hybrid/wood set for them? I suggest heads that can be built at 39 to 40 inches with graphite at good swingweights for weak golfers. The head designs should start moderately narrow front to back, and keep getting bigger as lofts decrease. COG management, in other words. So the PW is a skinny hybrid, and the 20 degree club is a shallow-ish fairway wood. (See the Moon Wood.) Use bulge and roll as appropriate. Probably not needed on the highest loft ones.
Possible lofts: 55-50-45-40-35-30-25-20. Eight clubs to sell them. All one length. They'd still need a regular wedge or two, I think, but there is room in the bag. One length, one ball position, one swing! They'd be able to actually get the ball in the air.
So, I think they would work. But would they sell? Would the development costs be abnormally high? Thoughts from everyone? Do you know golfers who would play better with these?