degree loft for a driver

[pingman93]

hi guys my club head speed with a driver is 144mph and i was woundering what loft is best for me as people have told me 8-9 degree and some people have said 11 or 14 so im slightly confused anyone have a guide or any advice would be nice

 

[srixon 1]

hi guys my club head speed with a driver is 144mph and i was woundering what loft is best for me as people have told me 8-9 degree and some people have said 11 or 14 so im slightly confused anyone have a guide or any advice would be nice

Are you tiger Woods? or is that when your driver is in the back of your Aston Martin going down the M1?:lol:

If you really do swing at that speed then I would go for less loft.

 

[pingman93]

its just natural at that speed i am currently hitting my 10.5 degree driver 240 yards when i can hit my 3 wood further so i was woundering to add or take loft off

 

[srixon 1]

The faster your swing combined with loft will generate too much spin, even with your driver. This will make the ball balloon and lose distance, especially into wind. Your best option is to get measured on a trackman and find out all your stats. You can then get a shaft and head with the correct loft to match your swing speed.

P.S. Not that I don't believe you, but Tiger only swings at about 130 mph and he hits it about 300 yards through the air.

 

[Iaing]

^^^this^^^

But I suspect 144 mph is your ball speed, not clubhead speed !!

Bubba Watson has the fastest ever recorded clubhead speed on the PGA Tour...129 mph.

 

[pingman93]

yeah i must be confused then i know my pro measured something today in our lesson and he said it was 144 mph im just confused.

 

[G1BB0]

I am sure thats still pretty decent if its ball speed.

I hit my 3 wood further than driver also, I have a 12 degree to prevent my slice but for whatever reason I just do not get on with the larger head/longer shaft a driver has.

The only way to go would be a custom fit which your pro could probably help with.

 

[SocketRocket]

Go to a good fitting centre and get them to measure your stats and test you on some suitable drivers.

 

[JustOne]

It entirely depends if you're happy with your ball flight, distance and accuracy. If you hit it too low you can either change your swing or your club.

 

[pingman93]

Cheers guys booked my self in for driver fitting also found my results from when I got my irons fitted my swing speed was 97 will it be the same as my driver roughly or not

 

[srixon 1]

Cheers guys booked my self in for driver fitting also found my results from when I got my irons fitted my swing speed was 97 will it be the same as my driver roughly or not

Driver swing speed is generally 10 to 15 mph faster than your 5 iron club head speed.

 

[RGDave]

I think you are in a small amount of confusion here.

If 144 mph is your ball speed (with the maximum smash factor), then your clubhead speed is about 96 mph.

If I may be unhelpful, it's almost impossible to assess the ideal loft for your driver.

I can tell you the ideal "LAUNCH" for your driver, which is going to be around 15+ degrees for maximum carry and nearer 13 for maximum carry and roll.

That's the easy bit. My best shot (tested on a Launch Monitor) is theoretically about 14 degrees (Launch) off my driver. I get this best with either a 12 or 13 degree club.

BUT, these figures for you will depend on how much you are catching the ball "on the up". If you have a 10.5 degree driver and get 240 yards I can definitely say you are not hitting the ball at 10.5 degrees launch, more like 11 or 12, at a guess

(I could do the maths, but it's tough).

Just to let you know (and probably make you a little annoyed) is that you should be up at least 270 yards with the correct set up.

Like I said, I'm not going to do the exact maths (I have the charts), but if what you are saying is spot on (i.e. 96 mph clubhead speed, 144mph ball speed, launching the ball 1-2 degrees higher than the loft of the club) then actually the answer is simple. 13-15 degrees is your ideal, minus the 1 or 2 gives you the answer.

Unless you go for a high or low launch shaft on purpose, then you want a driver around 11-12 degrees. Under NO circumstances should you go lower than 10 degrees. You'll be throwing away yards and yards.

Don't just go and buy any old one though.....try a few out or get a fitting.

 

[pingman93]

Thanks I get what ur saying but the 96 was with a 6 iron when I got measured so from hat people have said before if u add 10-15 mph would that make a difference in ur chart ?

 

[RGDave]

Thanks I get what ur saying but the 96 was with a 6 iron when I got measured so from hat people have said before if u add 10-15 mph would that make a difference in ur chart ?

Yes, sure it would. But if your driver swing speed is up at 110, your ball speed should be higher than 144.

Anyway, if you are up at 110mph (you'd need to get on a LM) then the ideal launch should drop by (approx) one degree.

That would turn a "basic-starting-point" recommendation of 11-12 degrees into 10-11.

So, get down the range a give a few a whirl....

110 mph would put you in the med-long hitter category, so you should be able to get it out there 280, maybe 290 with extra roll.

If your swing is 110 mph, current driver is 10.5 and 240 is your number, you've got some serious investigating to do.

I can get 240 off 94 mph, 13 degree. I won't get that often, unless it's spot on middled.

Good luck, and thanks for reading...

 

[MadAdey]

Just reading the thread and it sure sounds like you need to get the correct driver for you. I have a high driver club headspeed. I have currently got an 9 degree R11s that I have tuned down to 7.5 degrees to get a better launch angle. But that is partly to do with having the stock Aldila RIP shaft in it.

I did put my mates R9 shaft (Proforce V2 66g stiff) in to it the other day to see what difference it made. I Then had to take the loft back up on the club to compensate for the shaft. I still had a very similar launch angle but was getting more distance. So I have now purchased one for my club.

To get to the point, go out and try some different shafts and loft set ups and see what will give you a better launch angle to maximise your distance.