Loft of Driver

[HarryMonk]

Just wondered what the thought on loft was....

I play off around 22 and my driver has 9.5 degree loft, as I'm a mid to high H/C do you think I need to be look for a few more degrees?

I do hit it quite well but not sure weather more degrees would help?

 

[Smiffy]

Going from a 9 degree to a 10.5 degree loft has certainly helped my game Harry. I am driving much better now, and have no qualms about reaching for the driver even on a fairly tight driving hole. I have much more confidence with it.
I also found that if I was playing a hole with a "rising" fairway I had a tendency to try to lift the ball up with the 9 degree club which usually resulted in a thinned shot. I have no such problems with the G10, as I know the loft will do the trick.
I think that a lot of players (not all) fall into the "macho" thing with drivers and think that a stiff shaft and low degrees of loft will have them hitting like the pros. Trust me, they are difficult things to control!!
Have a knock with a couple of 10.5 degree drivers, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. And if you have a stiff shaft at the moment, try a regular as well. My Ping G10 is performing superbly for me, and overall I think my driving, certainly with the driver, has seen the biggest improvement since I got back into the game properly.

 

[jammydodger]

I think whats really more important than loft is the shaft tbh

My pro tells me he could give me a driver with 13* loft and another with 8* loft and get them both to fly at the same trajectory with different shafts , loft basically means not a lot unless you have identical clubs I suppose

 

[The23rdman]

Well, it's a little bit more complicated than just more loft. The shaft profile is important as mentioned, but so is the actual head as some spin more than others. The most important thing though is your clubhead speed, angle of attack and the way you load the shaft.

I currently play a 10.5*, but have recently been working on hitting the ball more on the upswing and launching it like the pro's do so will be using less loft. Most amateurs have a negative angle of attack so need more loft and a higher spinning head.

How far do you hit it? Do you know accurately?

 

[bobmac]

Most amateurs have a negative angle of attack so need more loft and a higher spinning head.

You mean their angle of attack is too steep?

 

[PeterPumpkinEater]

I have a 11.5deg and a 9deg driver.

I suppose it's the same scenario as having bladed irons against cavity backs, it means that you HAVE to strike the ball better to get the most out of it.

I did not get on brilliantly with my G10 at first but now i'm hitting it sweetly, in fact my drive on Sunday at our slightly downhill Par 5 (No wind) measured 308yrds and straight as a dye.

 

[The23rdman]

Most amateurs have a negative angle of attack so need more loft and a higher spinning head.

You mean their angle of attack is too steep?

Yes, I mean they hit down on their driver which effectively decreases the loft. This article offers a good explanation, Bob.

Angle of Attack

 

[RGDave]

On first read, I'd say ditch the 9.5......

Then again only you can decide if you get a decent trajectory.

I played with 9s and 10s for years and thought I hit it OK.
One day I got real and purchased a 12 and never looked back.

Gave up for years, returned to the game and bought a C/F 10.
The 10 is fine until I'm a bit out with my swing, then I go back to a 12 or even 13 degree model.

Much depends on the shaft and your swing speed.

If you swing at average speed and are not very accurate, on the face of it I'd say.....get a more friendly driver!!!

If you hit yours OK but it's just general swing inconsistencies, maybe persevere.

H'cap may be irrelevent, you and I might be equally decent with drivers but unmatched in other aspects.

If I was being 100% honest....off more than single figures, none of us can be that straight (surely) so an unforgiving loft can hardly be a good thing. I include myself in this, as a non-expert, but with lots of driver experience!!!

 

[thecraw]

Only way to guarentee you get the best fit and optimal launch angle is to go down the custom fit route. 9.5 may be ideal it may not be.

In general though most golfers would benefit from more loft, but then you have shafts to consider as well.

 

[jeffc]

I tend to have a lower trajectory even with my 10.5, guys I play with get that great looking high trajectory but I get more role. End result is I am just as far if not farther a lot of the time,just doesn't look as flash.
More than one way to skin a cat!

 

[Fore]

I find my 13* gives me fairly consistent direction and distance but at the detriment of longer distances.
The 200-220 yards i get is enough for me.
I can whack my sons F5 11* a bit further at times but i find it heavy and inconsistent.
As mentioned in previous posts, i tried all combinations of shaft/heads/lofts i could get my hands on, but really felt the most comfortable with the club i have now. I'm dreading having to replace it in the future as i feel it may be quite hard to equal. Swingweight is D0 which i have not seen too much with other drivers and the club itself seems very lightweight compared to others.

 

[The23rdman]

I tend to have a lower trajectory even with my 10.5, guys I play with get that great looking high trajectory but I get more role. End result is I am just as far if not farther a lot of the time,just doesn't look as flash.
More than one way to skin a cat!

The real trick is to find the perfect combination of head and shaft for you that gives that high pro trajectory that produces the low spinning rainbow ball flight. It's this that gives you every yard you can get through the air and lots of run too because there's little spin on the ball as it's landing.

 

[jammydodger]

I tend to have a lower trajectory even with my 10.5, guys I play with get that great looking high trajectory but I get more role. End result is I am just as far if not farther a lot of the time,just doesn't look as flash.
More than one way to skin a cat!

Until you have a long carry to the fairway or want to cut a dogleg , or need more carry come winter and wet fairways with no roll on them.

If youre gonna skin that cat you need a nice sharp knife and know how to use it or you'll be there all day

 

[Cernunnos]

I've had a 12 degree Yonex that went fairly high, reasonable distance, but no-where near as high a launch as an 11.5 degree TaylorMade Quad I've got. Infact it went that high it had so much backspin on landing it was backing up the farway & was no-where near long enough for me.
Then I had a 10.5 degree WilsonStaff DD6+ that had a lower launch than my 12 degree Yonex, though not significantly so & it gave good distance & contralability with its V2 shaft.

I now use a 9.5 degree Titleist 907 D1. Gives me a nice penetrating flight & certinly has given me good distance. Face is a little deep for my liking though.

But as stated by others, shaft is an all important consideration when choosing a driver. Not just how flexible it is but where the kickpoint is.

 

[andiritchie]

Why does everyone want to hit it high?

A nice low/mid flight with low spin suits my eye better and i dont change my ball flight into the wind

Low and long well long ish

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm sure I read or heard somewhere that it was recommended that most mid-high handicappers should use nothing lower than 10.5 degrees to get the optimum performance for their standard of golf and that most would actually benefit from 11+

I think that may have some validity but obviously one 22 handicapper may drive well and putt badly and vice versa so there are no hard and fast rules. I guess there are two things. If you are happy with your driver being 9.5 and you feel you can use it is there a need to change. If not then surely the best value for money (in the longer term) would be to go down the C/F route and see what is best for your build, swing and swing speed.

 

[andiritchie]

I think it depends on how you hit the ball

When i got fitted for my last driver i moved lofts from 8.5 to 10.5 which is quite a lot

What i got told was for me the loft on the club needs to be whatever gives me the right numbers(launch angle)

Which for me was around 12 degree,i come in quite flat into the ball now instead of hitting up

So if you hit down on a 9.5 well its all good enjoy what is a great driver

 

[scottyfan]

Hi, I just went through all this getting my driver sorted.
First whatever loft you think you are playing get it checked. Most manufacturers heads have plus / minus 1 degree spec on the loft. My 13.5 is actually 13. I played with a guy in a match last week who had his driver checked and the loft was 3 degree different from that stated!
Second make sure you know what your swing speed is. The majority of golfers hit the ball further with higher lofts than 10.5 when their swing speed is below 100 mph.
Third as stated above find out what your angle of attack is (downward blow level or on the up) If it is level or downward you need more loft than if it is on the up. ( Trackman radar can measure this). Also the slower your swing speed the more spin required to achieve optimum distance.
My swing speed is just about 90mph so I need around 13 degrees of loft to maximise distance hitting the ball on the up.
Fourth check the optimum length to maximise consitent distance with accuracy.
Two examples 0-5 handicap 45 inch driver 239 yds off centre of fairway 15.7 yds 44 inch driver 238 yds off centre 12.2 yds 43 inch driver 237 yds of centre 9.7 yds
12 -17 handicap 45inch 221yds off centre 23.5 yds 44 inch 222 yds off centre 18.1 yds 43 inch 223 yds off centre 15.1 yds.
This is because the nearer the centre of gravity of the club you hit the ball the farther it goes and the cog is the size of a pin head not a 2 inch or bigger area on the club face.You drop around 5 yds in distance for every 1/4 inch off the COG. Genrally the shorter the club the more on centre the strike.
Fifth get a shaft that matches your swing ( transition / release)not just your swing speed. I tried 5 all for swing speeds of 80/ 85 to 95 mph according to the manufacturers Only one worked consistently well for me.
Last make sure the club the club properly swing weighted for you so the club feels right when you swing it.

Regards scottyfan

 

[Smiffy]

A mate of mine plays with his hands so well forward that he delofts everything he hits anyway. He's always been the same and will never change. He brags that his 7 iron goes as far as my 5 but doesn't seem to realise (despite being told time and time again) that the reason is his set up. He has just bought a brand new driver, Yonox Nanospeed or something, 14 degrees of loft because he couldn't get the ball up in the air. His ball flight is still lower than my 10.5 degree Ping! He gave his new club to another mate of mine to have a try the other day, the bloody ball came down with snow on it!!