Flightscope & clubhead speed.

[richy]

So I got the chance to go on Flightscope tonight and the clubhead speed of my irons was around the 85mph mark (some a bit higher, some lower).
With my driver however it was a lot higher. Well over the 100mph mark (some even 108mph). Ive noticed on the course that my drives often balloon up and drift to the right and this seems to be the cause.

Is it right that they are so different? (im confused)

So Ive been advised to change shafts and lofts. Not sure whether to to stick with the same type of club or go for something lower launching. Im still a beginner and I'm a bit confused.

Advice would be great.

 

[Region3]

The main reason your driver is faster is that it's longer.

Your swing still takes the same time from top of backswing to impact, but the club head is further away from you so has to travel faster because it has further to go than an iron.

Think how diameter has an effect on the circumference of a circle.

 

[Region3]

Should have added...

All other things being equal you'd probably be best with stiff shafts in your clubs if you haven't already, but I'm not sure what you mean by changing the lofts

 

[richy]

Well my driver is currently 12 degrees, so was think of maybe 10.5.

 

[John_Findlay]

108 mph is a very good clubhead speed with your driver so you would get away with going as low as 8.5 degrees I reckon. General rule is that the faster the ball comes off the clubhead the lower the loft required. I've no idea what the speed of my own irons is but I know that when I was fitted for my driver 3 or 4 years ago the club speed was 103 mph and opted for 10.5 degree regular. You would get away with stiff.

 

[Split_Fairway]

108 mph is a very good clubhead speed with your driver so you would get away with going as low as 8.5 degrees I reckon.

i agree. my drivers 8.5 stiff and it still goes plenty high. after you go above the 95 mph mark regular is way too whippy

 

[JustOne]

So I got the chance to go on Flightscope tonight and the clubhead speed of my irons was around the 85mph mark (some a bit higher, some lower).
With my driver however it was a lot higher. Well over the 100mph mark (some even 108mph). Ive noticed on the course that my drives often balloon up and drift to the right and this seems to be the cause.

Is it right that they are so different? (im confused)

Yes, those clubhead speeds sound exactly right, about 20mph less for a 6/7 iron. As for your shot shape (the ball ballooning) I'm afraid that is your swing and probably not the club although if a FADE is your preferred shot shape then you could easily go down to a 10.5° driver if you want.

 

[richart]

I was advised at a Mizuno fitting that with my swing speed of 85 with my 6 iron, i needed regular shafts in my irons. I also feel that at my age the swing will only get slower

 

[richy]

So I got the chance to go on Flightscope tonight and the clubhead speed of my irons was around the 85mph mark (some a bit higher, some lower).
With my driver however it was a lot higher. Well over the 100mph mark (some even 108mph). Ive noticed on the course that my drives often balloon up and drift to the right and this seems to be the cause.

Is it right that they are so different? (im confused)

Yes, those clubhead speeds sound exactly right, about 20mph less for a 6/7 iron. As for your shot shape (the ball ballooning) I'm afraid that is your swing and probably not the club although if a FADE is your preferred shot shape then you could easily go down to a 10.5° driver if you want.

That's what I thought but the pro said I was sweeping the ball away
nicely as at first he thought the reason for the ballooning was that I was coming in to steep.

 

[Imurg]

I was advised at a Mizuno fitting that with my swing speed of 85 with my 6 iron, i needed regular shafts in my irons. I also feel that at my age the swing will only get slower

Interesting
At my Mizzy fitting I had a speed of 84 according to the Swing DNA analyser and it recommended stiff shafts for me. Shows that its not just swing speed that matters.

Got a Callaway Demo day at the club on friday so I'm first in line to smack some drivers, fairways and hybrids.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I was told I could get away with stiff on the I15 driver and 9.5 although my swing speed was less than 100mph. I think a lot of it is obviously subjective according to the swing itself and the launch angle etc. I guess the answer is to get as much advice (demo days and PGA pros) as you can, try as many specs as you can and go from there

 

[richart]

I agree Homer. Anyone wanting to take the game seriously, and looking for new clubs, should get fitted. I went to the Mizuno centre in New Malden and can fully recommend them. No hard sell to buy clubs at the end of the session.

 

[Ethan]

6 iron speed is typically 85% of driver speed. As well as swing speed, you need to know launch angle and spin rate. The three of those help determine loft. If you have high launch, it may be because of too much spin, not too much loft.

Most pros have more than 108mph driver speed, and most use 9.5 or 10.5 degrees loft, albeit usually with a strong shaft, so I would caution against jumping into too straight faced a driver. You should also get fitted for your typical swing, not your fastest.

 

[Region3]

It's all about what works for you. Forget preconceptions about what you should be using, and try stuff out.

Dustin Johnson has an obscene club speed and uses (or at least he did in late 2009) a driver with 10.5 of loft.

 

[HRC99]

So Ive been advised to change shafts and lofts. Not sure whether to to stick with the same type of club or go for something lower launching. Im still a beginner and I'm a bit confused.

Advice would be great.

You've got a decent set of kit in your bag and, off 24, it is unlikely that it would be so far out that it was making a massive difference to your game.

Making an assumption here, with a handicap of 24 (we've all been there) your swing probably isn't the finished article yet. I would say you'd be much better off investing in some lessons over the winter than changing clubs.

Improve your swing, your consistency and get your handicap down before looking to change your clubs.