Driver Loft Query

[Phil2511]

A guy at my club carries 2 drivers in his bag. 10.5 and 13 degrees.

I remember someone at my club saying before that Phil Mickelson used to or maybe still does carry 2 drivers one for a fade and the other for a draw.

 

[AmandaJR]

I think the simple answer is to try and test some out if you can. I wouldn't worry too much about the extra few yards on SI 1 and 2 as that is why we have shots. Maybe a lesson on mid irons and tighter dispersion and accuracy would be a cheaper and better option if you are pretty consistant with the big stick. It won't be long until Spring and the fairways firm up again. Mind you club testing is great fun even if you don't find "the one"

Agreed although the course S1 plays my S17 - my "personal" S1 and S2 have an annoying double ditch to cross which means a risky tee shot on one and a lay up on the other (par 5) so a bit of extra there could go a long way. I'll have a look at what they have in stock and if a SR will have a little play and not a lot to invest if it feels ok...relatively that is !!

 

[AmandaJR]

Another way to look at it Amanda is this. Has he got the same driver as yours but in a lower loft with the same shaft? If he has then for £99 you do not have a lot to loose if you can spare the money. Get it and try it, if it is not working straight away you can take it to the range and get familiar with it. As long as you do not get rid of your driver you will always have that to fall back on. If I am correct your signature says you only have 13 clubs in your bag. So you could always carry both drivers....:mmm:. Higher loft for short holes when you want more accuracy, lower loft for the longer ones where you want a bit more distance. It might just work. Then as you get more use to the lower loft the other driver can get put on the shelf. Just a little idea for you to think about.

Yep - and there's always Ebay if one gets discarded !!

 

[Andy]

You could buy my gorgeous Titleist 905 S lol only 8.5° Get a shaft you like and swap it in.

 

[Ethan]

Amanda

You sound like a rapidly improving golfer whose handicap is dropping fast despite having Pings.

It sounds like you would get more out of a lower lofted driver, but make sure you don't sacrifice too much accuracy. You sound like an ideal candidate for a proper custom fitting by a pro who understands the needs of younger players.

Where are you based?

 

[SGC001]

This is from a chart or 2 in a book by Wishon. Swing speed, loft launch angle and driver carry. It assumes an angle of attack of +2.5 degrees.

70mph, 11, 15 and 19 loft, 12.1, 15.2 and 18.1 launch, 145, 154 and 156 carry
80 mph, 9, 11, 13 loft, 10.5, 12.1, 13.7 launch, 174, 181 and 185 carry
90mph 9, 11, 13 loft, 10.5, 12.1, 13.7 launch, 206, 211, 213 carry

Estimated swing speed: 3 wood carry: 175-190 carry 80-85mph, 190-205 85-90 mph

 

[wull]

have you had a club fitting before amanda?i would recommend having it done.i played a team match game this year and was paired against a guy i use to play with in the stirling county team way back in 1999 so we were having a good blether about things and the clubs we were using.

anyway,he was hitting these drives that had a penetrating ball flight and i was hitting these awesome high ball flights that looked like they were never coming down.you'd swear that my ball would go much further than his but that didn't happen,not only was his rolling out but he was also carrying it further than me.

the simple answer was my ball was losing carry distance with the ballooning flight and also wasn't rolling out.he told me it was down to the shaft he had fitted and since then i was adament i was going to get fitted because i was losing so much yardage.

so you can hit that lower penetrating flight and increase your carry distance and have reduced spin,so hopefully you will gain extra roll out.with lower loft you will produce more side spin with a bad strike/swing but with the correct shaft for you and loft this shouldn't happen often.

with a pentrating ball flight the ball is getting out there,it's not losing distance by going up the way,if you think about it thats the wrong way isn't it?.....you want the ball to get out there.but there will be a optimum height for the ball speed you create and the best way to find this out is by getting fitted.if you create a lower ball speed then a higher launch angle and ball flight is needed for it to travel further.

 

[AmandaJR]

Well they only had a 13.5 degree in the soft regular so that's sorted !

When I bought the driver it was with my coach's advice and input but he didn't have the launch monitor thingy then so it was a matter of trying a bunch on the range and seeing which worked best for me. Something to think about in the new year though and hit some inside and see the numbers.

You sound like an ideal candidate for a proper custom fitting by a pro who understands the needs of younger players.

I'm not as young as I look (sound!) but thanks :thup: Wyboston Lakes is where I play and have lessons and Paul, my coach, works with juniors at the highest level as well as some more ummm senior golfers still with a lot to learn aka me !!

 

[MadAdey]

If you play at Wyboston have you thought about going to Thorpe Wood at Peterborough. He has got all the latest fitting technology and is also a Ping fitting center. I went to see him in September regarding a change in driver. Really nice bloke and I tried some drivers and did not have to pay for the fitting even though I did not actually buy one. I would have, but I broke my shoulder so waiting until it is better.