Low lofted driver

[Deleted member 1740]

I've been using a 12* driver for a while as my driving wasn't very consistent but now feel like I need more length off the tee.

Will a lower lofted driver increase my length?

 

[Doh]

Distance is gained by club head speed and the speed the ball comes off the club face.

It is also greatly influenced by the quality of the strike.

A lower lofted club will not make the ball go further

 

[chris661]

Distance is gained by club head speed and the speed the ball comes off the club face.

It is also greatly influenced by the quality of the strike.

A lower lofted club will not make the ball go further

But it might.

The loft of a driver is determined by your angle of attack at impact, most amateurs have a positive angle (meaning they hit down on it) so need a higher lofted driver, while somebody like Mickleson hits it on the up and can get away with a 5 or 6 degree driver.

 

[19thagain]

Distance is gained by club head speed and the speed the ball comes off the club face.

It is also greatly influenced by the quality of the strike.

A lower lofted club will not make the ball go further

If this be the case why does my three and five wood travel different distances?

I thought that it was related to the degree of loft on the club face.

Silly me!

 

[Doh]

Distance is gained by club head speed and the speed the ball comes off the club face.

It is also greatly influenced by the quality of the strike.

A lower lofted club will not make the ball go further

If this be the case why does my three and five wood travel different distances?

I thought that it was related to the degree of loft on the club face.

Silly me!

Maybe it's something to do with the length of the staff??

 

[Doh]

Sorry got staff on my mind I mean shaft.

 

[USER1999]

to max out distance you need the correct flight. A rainbow shape. The ball will go much further through the air than it will run out on the ground. Friction of air is way less than grass.

When I was c/f, I was suprised how high the (looked stupid high to me) flight was that was considered perfect. Especially considering how many golfers I play with who hit it about 15 feet off the ground.

I also strike down on the ball (never thought I did). To minimise the back spin caused by my downward strike, they gave me an 8.5 degree loft (and a higher launching shaft to compensate). This did work, and gave me better carry, and better run out. However, it was a little git to keep on the fairway. I guess the back spin was all that kept it straight previously.

Less loft will be longer, if you get the correct launch with it. If it launches too low, it will not achieve it's potential. Less loft also makes it easier to hook or slice the ball.

 

[Scouser]

The offer a play with mine is still on the table.... (does that sound bad)

Its still in the naughty boy corner and aint playing out any time soon

 

[GB72]

it is the opposite to me, my 12 degree driver produces more distance than a 10.5 degree for most of the year. The only time I get more out of the lower loft is when it is bone dry so tons of roll.

 

[Mungoscorner]

Theoretically speaking,it is possible that if the driver were swapped for the same driver and same spec shaft,but a lower loft head,it may go further under certain conditions.
However,there are so many variables that effect ball flight and distance between clubs.Shaft length,flex,kick point,face loft,face angle,head weighting etc etc,will all have an effect on the strike,flight,and overall distance.

 

[RGDave]

I've been using a 12* driver for a while as my driving wasn't very consistent but now feel like I need more length off the tee.

Will a lower lofted driver increase my length?

Swing speed, angle of attack, launch angle - all these are important.

How far do you hit your 12* on a really good one?

As I'm getting older and my swing speed is dropping, I'm going UP in loft, not down.

I've hit some whoppers (for me) with my 13.5* Mizuno MX-700....much further than my old 12 and the 13 before that.

 

[Ken_A]

The answer is simple - the University of Ulster had a PhD based on the corellation of spin and distance of the golf shot advertised a few months ago - so if there is a PhD bades on the subject I doubt it's a simple matter of our opinion.

Though as far as I understand the slower you swing the higher your required face angle required to maxamise the carry and then you need to look at roll :-/

 

[RGDave]

Though as far as I understand the slower you swing the higher your required face angle required to maxamise the carry and then you need to look at roll :-/

Yes, and I have an app (acquired free through the Ralph Maltby forum from a chap in the USA) which can "predict" the likely carry of any loft x any swing speed.

The only way in which the theory falls down is if a player hits the ball noticeably on the "up" or not.

It is possible for a lower-speed-swing player to use a low lofted driver, but it would require adding a good few degrees to the loft at impact.

Essentially, any player that swings under 90 mph is unlikely to maximise distance with a 10 or 11 degree driver....apart from in the summer maybe!

 

[Region3]

The loft (and shaft) is to get the right launch conditions (launch angle and spin) for maximum distance, it's not as simple as lower loft = further.

Dustin Johnson I believe has a 10.5 and he hits it quite a long way.

I get more total distance with my 10.5° driver adjusted to 12° and I don't have a slow swing.