Less loft

[jim8flog]

Less loft does not equate to more distance.

changing over shafts today I accidentally set the head at a lower loft. Proved a point I' ve reckoned for years.

 

[Imurg]

Depends on a lot of variables.
If less loft produces better launch, spin etc then it could mean more distance.
More loft, generally, means more spin which, of not optimised, can reduce distance...
It's a bloomin' minefield out there

 

[jusme]

Less loft does not equate to more distance.

changing over shafts today I accidentally set the head at a lower loft. Proved a point I' ve reckoned for years.

Elaborate please? If less loft doesn't equate to more distance why are we not hitting PW of the tee

 

[USER1999]

Surely it is a question of matching the loft of your driver to your swing. So if you had the right combination, less loft is detrimental. Same as more loft would be.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Elaborate please? If less loft doesn't equate to more distance why are we not hitting PW of the tee

Apart from anything else a driver is longer. Also, using the hosepipe analogy, you don't necessarily get the water further by lowering the hose. To take extremes a driver with a 0° launch angle & 90° launch angle would go nowhere. Somewhere in between is the optimum angle & depends on, among other things, how hard you hit the ball. My swingpeed with a driver is only around 89mph. I found that when I de-lofted my 5 iron it went less distance because it wasn't staying in the air long enough. Applies to the driver too, especially if the ball isn't running.

 

[User 99]

I lofted my 3 wood up last week and I'm currently hitting better and longer than I have all season.

 

[jim8flog]

Elaborate please? If less loft doesn't equate to more distance why are we not hitting PW of the tee

I was referring to a driver.

Through the air is much better than along the ground with todays conditions in particular (damp ground and longer grass).

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I was referring to a driver.

Through the air is much better than along the ground with todays conditions in particular (damp ground and longer grass).

Surely it depends on the swing speed and path as well also the conditions and the course playing

Someone like Rory would lose distance if he increased loft of his driver because it would possibly spin a lot more and have higher apex but less carry distance wise

 

[jim8flog]

It was a straight forward comparison for me over two very similar days (Thursday and today) and hitting roughly the same consistency.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

It was a straight forward comparison for me over two very similar days (Thursday and today) and hitting roughly the same consistency.

But with two different shafts ?

 

[User 99]

Oh...I missed the bit about the shafts. OP, you are aware certain shafts can be low/mid and high launch shafts ??

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Launch angles, delivery, shaft kick point etc. So many variables which is why no two players, even if you were to give tour pros identical equipment would hit the ball the same and get identical results. Less loft should mean more distance but not always the case

 

[Maninblack4612]

Launch angles, delivery, shaft kick point etc. So many variables which is why no two players, even if you were to give tour pros identical equipment would hit the ball the same and get identical results. Less loft should mean more distance but not always the case

Couldn't agree less. For the majority of us slow swingers less loft would = less distance, especially when the ball isn't running. And less loft than what? It's a meaningless statement.

 

[Wolf]

It's not as simple as saying less loft more distance..

So much more technical than than that but all begins with the individual swinging the club, angle of attack, clubhead speed, smash factor, the amount of spin on the ball etc and so on..

I used to play junior golf with a lad who is now a club pro, even as a junior he used an 8degree driver to keep his spin down as he produced so much and hit such a high ball, soon as you gave him a 10.5 degree it would go into orbit and then fall out of the sky with snow on it so much shorter than his normal drives.. Flip side of that playing my 10.5 degree driver I could easily keep up for distance with him but when I tried his 8degree I'd be so far behind him as I simply couldn't get enough air time on the shot. Both our clubs had same shaft the only difference was the loft of the club face and swing speed of the person using it!

Saw a video recently of Dustin Johnson playing a round with a couple of teaching pro can't remember their names but they were asking him distance etc and he showed them his driver and said he always uses 10.5 degree setting and he bombs it so shows even top guys don't always loft down for distance. Was quite surprised though as maybe naively always thought he would have lower loft on driver.

 

[jusme]

It's not as simple as saying less loft more distance..

So much more technical than than that but all begins with the individual swinging the club, angle of attack, clubhead speed, smash factor, the amount of spin on the ball etc and so on..

I used to play junior golf with a lad who is now a club pro, even as a junior he used an 8degree driver to keep his spin down as he produced so much and hit such a high ball, soon as you gave him a 10.5 degree it would go into orbit and then fall out of the sky with snow on it so much shorter than his normal drives.. Flip side of that playing my 10.5 degree driver I could easily keep up for distance with him but when I tried his 8degree I'd be so far behind him as I simply couldn't get enough air time on the shot. Both our clubs had same shaft the only difference was the loft of the club face and swing speed of the person using it!

Saw a video recently of Dustin Johnson playing a round with a couple of teaching pro can't remember their names but they were asking him distance etc and he showed them his driver and said he always uses 10.5 degree setting and he bombs it so shows even top guys don't always loft down for distance. Was quite surprised though as maybe naively always thought he would have lower loft on driver.

Exactly - you can't say less loft harms distance. It's an individual thing. For some (yes probably a small minority) less loft may increase distance

 

[jim8flog]

But with two different shafts ?

Yes my mistake. The other shaft was only in for one round and it was a comparison from using the same shaft on several rounds previously.

Maybe I am trying to be fairly simplistic and not all technical about it.

I think I know my own game well enough to spot the difference.

 

[jusme]

Yes my mistake. The other shaft was only in for one round and it was a comparison from using the same shaft on several rounds previously.

Maybe I am trying to be fairly simplistic and not all technical about it.

I think I know my own game well enough to spot the difference.

I have absolutely no doubt your statement applies accurately to you...it came across as a statement that should apply to all golfers....perhaps that's not what you meant?

 

[Deleted member 15717]

It was a straight forward comparison for me over two very similar days (Thursday and today) and hitting roughly the same consistency.

How did you measure strike? How did you measure swing speeds, launch conditions etc?

Hilarious thread really. My own personal experience shows that less loft gave me a lot more distance from the way I hit driver....all measured on a launch monitor, so can be fairly sure about accuracy of data

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Yes my mistake. The other shaft was only in for one round and it was a comparison from using the same shaft on several rounds previously.

Maybe I am trying to be fairly simplistic and not all technical about it.

I think I know my own game well enough to spot the difference.

But your OP was posted as a statement of fact about loft ? Where as it appears to be sticking a wet finger in the air in terms of technically sound theory

 

[duncan mackie]

If you start with carry distance alone it becomes blindingly obvious that as you reduce loft you will reach a point where carry will reduce.
Overall distance including roll out will equally obviously depend on ground conditions in combination with trajectory - and trajectory will depend on launch conditions, which include loft (but it doesn't act alone) as don't the other equipement elements of shaft & clubhead.

And all of that ignores the person swinging the club - which will, for 99%+ of golfers, vary with every swing...