Loft on a driver

[Region3]

Yep, that is what I will be working on next. I wanted a half decent swing first.

No point me being great at the short game and taking 6 topped shots to get on the green.

I putt all holes in 2 apart from 1 in 3 yesterday. So you think I need some 1 putts?

I had one thinned shot but the rest were fine. The best score I've had so far.

After that F*** up yesterday though, Ill be gunning for first on the next comp.

P.S - How much less?

What was your score?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Two things spring to mind here. Either your angle of attack is too steep which is something your pro will spot in seconds or the shaft in your club isn't working for you. I have to be honest though and think you are moaning about very little as I'd take both the distance and regularity without a second thought.

 

[EastPreston]

Only 39 points stableford - 92 strokes.

 

[EastPreston]

Two things spring to mind here. Either your angle of attack is too steep which is something your pro will spot in seconds or the shaft in your club isn't working for you. I have to be honest though and think you are moaning about very little as I'd take both the distance and regularity without a second thought.

Most likely. I'm gonna concentrate on chipping and putting and learn to refine the driver once I have the others sussed.

 

[Dingle]

I was under the impression that driver loft was directly proportional to swing speed????

Or is swing speed just being the "measure" of a golfer able to hit square????

 

[Losttheplot]

I'm starting to feel a bit inadequate here.
260yrd/ 270yrd carry..... I think I'm quite a long driver of the ball and probably only get 220yrd carry. (according to the AG Vector).
With roll in the summer I'm probably 270-280 yrds total. I thought that was decent???
270 carry.... WOW!!

 

[Aztecs27]

I'm starting to feel a bit inadequate here.
260yrd/ 270yrd carry..... I think I'm quite a long driver of the ball and probably only get 220yrd carry. (according to the AG Vector).
With roll in the summer I'm probably 270-280 yrds total. I thought that was decent???
270 carry.... WOW!!

Why do you feel inadequate? Unless you're competing in a longest drive competition it's all about getting the ball in the little hole in as few strokes as possible. Play your own game, don't focus on others. I used to get caught up in this, but now just accept that people will hit a longer (and more accurate!) ball than me and concentrate on my own game.

Not everyone is going to be able to hit the ball 300 yards as it depends on the individuals build, swing style and power generated when hitting the ball.

I'm nearly 6ft 2 inches and tend to be quite explosive in my shots because I work on strength training and explosiveness for my American Football training which is why my driving length has gone up in the last 3 years. But believe me, I'd much rather hit it 220-230 yards and have it land on the right fairway or in a fairway at all.

At the moment the majority of my drives are *not* good. They're getting there, but it's all well and good being able to welly it, but it has to go in the right direction!

Dingle - I think It's generally your swing speed that dictates what type of shaft you use. I have a swing speed of around 90mph so I use stiff shafts on all my clubs. A slower speed will mean you'll probably use a regular flex shaft. I don't think the loft of a driver has anything to do with it. (I could be totally wrong though!!)

 

[The_LHC]

As I understand things, modern drivers are supposed to be hit high. This is because they do not generate anything like the backspin that an old persimmon driver would create and backspin is what gives the ball lift. So with an old driver, you'd tee the ball lower, hit it on a low trajectory and the backspin would lift the ball into the air, creating a low, long carry that ran out for miles on landing.

With new drivers that lack of backspin means the ball won't lift into the air by itself, therefore, in order to get a decent amount of carry, you have to launch the ball high, on a rainbow arc, all your distance is in the air because the ball will be coming down so steeply it'll hardly run at all (how many times do you see the pros biff one that bounces once and stops and the commentator announces it as a 320 yard drive?).

The correct launch angle for a modern driver is much, MUCH higher than most amateurs realise. My longest drives look like they're just as high, if not higher, than my wedge shots. That, along with being more forgiving, is why most amateurs should be using a much higher loft on their driver than they are currently.

 

[USER1999]

Not quite so.

In the days of persimmon drivers the optimum flight was thought to be a low launch, and then rising due to back spin. This was because people didn't know any better. This has since been proved bunkum. It wouldn't run out either, due to the back spin.

The way to get the optimal distance is a big carry, low rpm (about 2000, as much less and it won't stay up there, more and it will balloon). With less back spin, you want a high launch, or it will just fall out of the sky. Not just that, but a hitting the ball on the up puts less spin on it anyway. With less spin, the ball should still run out on landing, even though it is coming down from higher.

Modern drivers are designed to be hit on the up.

Also bear in mind air has less friction then grass, so carry = distance.

More loft can just add unwanted back spin. It does for me. This is why you need the correct shaft set up. You need to deliver the correct dynamic loft to the ball, not just what it says on the bottom of the club.

I carry the ball 220 odd, with a swing speed of 96 mph.

It is impossible to carry 260 with a swing speed of 90 mph.

 

[The_LHC]

Not quite so.

In the days of persimmon drivers the optimum flight was thought to be a low launch, and then rising due to back spin. This was because people didn't know any better.

Interesting, you'd have thought someone would have tried something different then, in all that time.

With less spin, the ball should still run out on landing, even though it is coming down from higher.

Except they clearly don't, on anything other than hardpan.

Modern drivers are designed to be hit on the up.

More loft can just add unwanted back spin. It does for me. This is why you need the correct shaft set up. You need to deliver the correct dynamic loft to the ball, not just what it says on the bottom of the club.

Well that's why I didn't say "all amateurs".

 

[Aztecs27]

Not quite so.

In the days of persimmon drivers the optimum flight was thought to be a low launch, and then rising due to back spin. This was because people didn't know any better. This has since been proved bunkum. It wouldn't run out either, due to the back spin.

The way to get the optimal distance is a big carry, low rpm (about 2000, as much less and it won't stay up there, more and it will balloon). With less back spin, you want a high launch, or it will just fall out of the sky. Not just that, but a hitting the ball on the up puts less spin on it anyway. With less spin, the ball should still run out on landing, even though it is coming down from higher.

Modern drivers are designed to be hit on the up.

Also bear in mind air has less friction then grass, so carry = distance.

More loft can just add unwanted back spin. It does for me. This is why you need the correct shaft set up. You need to deliver the correct dynamic loft to the ball, not just what it says on the bottom of the club.

I carry the ball 220 odd, with a swing speed of 96 mph.

It is impossible to carry 260 with a swing speed of 90 mph.

Great post.

I'm sure you're right about the last bit, too. My numbers were based on guessing and estimates. I know how far I hit the ball, and it never seems to roll much when it hits the fairway (which is a rare occurance in itself!). So I was guessing.

 

[USER1999]

Thing is, back in the days of Persimmon, every one hit it like that. It even got called 'tour trajectory' and they used to put pictures of this sort of flight on the ball box. It wasn't until the advent of launch monitors and computer analysis that they found it was all bunk.

Bear in mind back then footballers thought nothing of drinking 5 pints of lager and eating fish and chips before a game. Sports science didn't exist.