Are lower lofted drivers harder to hit?

[Deke]

The answer to the original question is yes, drivers with lower loft are harder to hit and that is a fact.

Common sense really.

Does one and a half degrees really make that much of a difference? Several people in this thread have already said otherwise!

 

[DaveM]

Deke learn to hit what you have lower. Tee the ball a tad lower but not much as you don't have much above it anyway. Move the ball back a bit in your stance and bingo, job done. I have an adjustable driver got it set right when I got it. Have not touched it since.

Just one thing I have the R9 and if you close the face it increases the loft. Also if you draw the ball now surely if you close the face, it may turn into a hook?Not a fade.

 

[Deke]

Deke learn to hit what you have lower. Tee the ball a tad lower but not much as you don't have much above it anyway. Move the ball back a bit in your stance and bingo, job done. I have an adjustable driver got it set right when I got it. Have not touched it since.

Just one thing I have the R9 and if you close the face it increases the loft. Also if you draw the ball now surely if you close the face, it may turn into a hook?Not a fade.

Thanks for the input Dave,I will give your tip a go! A closed face will start the ball going left no? Hang on ,now I get you,my swing path spin combined with closed face may indeed lead to a hook! As I hit the ball in to out it might just cancel out my draw and make me hit straighter perhaps? On my S3 closing lowers the loft by 1.5 deg.

 

[BubbaP]

Had similar desire to yours, tried a number of big name drivers on the launch monitors and ended up with the one in my sig. All the lower lofted ones I tried launched higher, so it is most likely the shaft and that they are 'honest' about the loft stamped on the bottom.

 

[Deke]

Had similar desire to yours, tried a number of big name drivers on the launch monitors and ended up with the one in my sig. All the lower lofted ones I tried launched higher, so it is most likely the shaft and that they are 'honest' about the loft stamped on the bottom.

Cheers Iain,more good food for thought mate!

 

[Imurg]

With a Driver, the lower the loft...

A. It's much easier to get side spin...

B. Generally, you need a higher swing speed to get the bal in the air.

There was a trend amongst Tour Pros a few years back for Drivers with 5,6,7 or 8 degrees of loft.
Give a 7 degree driver to an average amateur and they simply can't generate enough clubhead speed to get the ball off the ground.

Having said that, As far as I'm concerned, if you can hit a 10.5 you should be able to hit a 9....

But a lower launch shaft would be a better bet.

 

[Deke]

Cheers Imurg,sound advice,I am sorely tempted to buy a cheap 9 deg next payday.I feel an experiment coming on!

 

[SocketRocket]

Lower loft is OK if you don't slice or hook the ball. Lower loft creates more sidespin so will make them worse. (It's all to do with those darn ball flight laws . 'D Plane')

 

[Evesdad]

Less loft equals less forgiveness. My mate plays off 11 and really hits it a good distance had an 9 degree Cleveland, went for fitting at mizuno and was told he should have a 12 degree, distance was the same just off hits were better. He wimped out and got 10.5 couldn't bring himself to get the 12!!

 

[JustOne]

Thanks for the input Dave,I will give your tip a go! A closed face will start the ball going left no? Hang on ,now I get you,my swing path spin combined with closed face may indeed lead to a hook! As I hit the ball in to out it might just cancel out my draw and make me hit straighter perhaps? On my S3 closing lowers the loft by 1.5 deg.

Closing the face increases that loft BUT only if you then open the club up to square the face again during your swing... if you hit it with the face pointing in the new direction the loft will be lower.

If you keep the face in the new direction I'd suggest you'd probably hit bigger draws or even hooks.... if you open the clubface so that it's in it's 'normal' impact position when you hit the ball it will actually go higher than you currently get... kinda defeating the point of closing it.

I wouldn't say that less loft is easier to hit by any means as you need clubhead speed to get the ball spinning sufficiently to get/remain airborne. A low lofted driver however DOES suit someone who fades/slices the ball as they generally add loft by leaving the face open to the path.

 

[bigslice]

Hi forum.As my club is fairly open and windy,I am feeling the need for a lower ball flight,especially with my driver.I know that I could just get a low flight shaft,but I am tempted to buy a cheap low loft driver to see if I can achieve a lower flight with more roll.Will it be much harder to hit given the same swing? I am thinking 9 deg or so? I can close the face of my Cobra S3 to the same loft,would I be better doing that,and accepting a fade instead of my usual draw? Cheers.

shaft shaft shaft did i say shaft makes the club

 

[HawkeyeMS]

shaft shaft shaft did i say shaft makes the club

I'm not sure what point you are making, care to explain

 

[Deke]

Thanks for all the input chaps,I feel with think on this further before making any rash decisions!

 

[Dave B]

If you hit the ball to high I would change the loft not the shaft. I've experimented with various shafts to bring height down however none of the shafts tried have made a significant difference.

There is an awful lot of hype on shafts but for the majority of mid handicap players you will not see the full benefit of the investment made when you can try several off the shelf driver and head combinations and find a product that suits your swing

 

[Deke]

Thanks Dave,I feel a few club demos down the range will be a good move.

 

[DelB]

Deke. I use a Ping G10 with a 10.5 degree loft. First one I got had a regular V2 high launch shaft which I got fitted for about four years ago when I took the game up. Early last year, taking into account a slightly more efficient swing on my part, I changed to a stock Ping stiff shaft. At first I said to the fitter that I didn't believe my swing would suit a stiff shaft but he advised me that it was a 'slightly softer than stiff' shaft and to give it a go. I absolutely love the flight of it. Latterly, the V2 shaft was ballooning straight up into the air and dropping like a stone, whereas the new shaft has a lovely piercing flight. And this with exactly the same 10.5 degree head on it. If its windy I use a lower tee, play it slightly further back and my stance and abbreviate my follow-through to keep the spin down.

 

[Deke]

Great stuff Del,I will try out your advice as soon as I am healed up!

 

[MadAdey]

I have found that even with a high trajectory like I hit with a driver, the wind does not really affect it that much when it is struck well. I have got my R11s setup perfectly to me now and when it is windy I just accept that I will loose a bit of distance but it is not that much to be honest as I just tee it down a bit lower.

My advice would be to stick with your driver if you hit it well and just accept that you lose some distance in the wind and concentrate on making a sweet connection rather than trying to launch it into the wind.

 

[bozza]

Not wishing to be a harbingour of doom, I've been told by several good teaching pros and more than one tour pro that the amateur would benefit from a higher launching driver to optimise carry, especially in the winter. I can see where you are coming from trying to go lower but I'd talk to a pro first and then check your figures on a monitor

Have to agree with Homer here, I've always had a high ball flight especially with my irons and I talked to my pro about getting stiffer shafts and he said yes they may make my ball flight slightly lowere but at the end of the day it all comes down to your swing. You can have tour stiff shafts and still hit it high if your swing is wrong.

I'd personally go see a pro and explain you want to lowere your ball flight and see if he can give you some tips do it.

 

[Deke]

Cheers lads,I have a lesson coming up anyway so I will have a word with my pro then,he knows what works on my course better than me anyway!