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Higher lofted driver

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Buck

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Hey everyone I played 18 last weekend and shot my personal best (106). I was hitting my driver great usually right down the middle on average 225yds. The ball flight was quite low though(under 20 feet). Anyway I was playing with some more experienced players and they suggested getting a higher lofted driver. What are the benefits of a higher lofted driver? Because Im happy where Im at, and like hitting from the fairway every once in a while.
 
Play the most loft you can without starting to lose distance. Getting the ball up is never a bad thing unless your playing in crazy windy conditions. Another added benefit with the extra loft is that you won't slice or hook the ball as badly as the extra spin created from the loft will offset side spin somewhat.

If you play more loft you might or might not have to toy with shaft kickpoints and stiffness to get prime launch conditions as too low a kickpoint or too much flex could easily send your ball ballooning up into space. Find a happy median and hit it well.
 
What loft is your current driver?
 
Look at all the studies, most amateurs play too low of a loft, 11.5 is "best" for most . Not all but most, I forgot where I read it

I tapatalk better then I tapaputt
 
LOFT is important in a driver but that might not be the problem. You could
have the wrong shaft, wrong flex in your shaft. You angle of attack into the ball could be incorrect. If you able I would pop into a driver fitting to be sure you get setup with the correct club.


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Buck said:
Hey everyone I played 18 last weekend and shot my personal best (106). I was hitting my driver great usually right down the middle on average 225yds. The ball flight was quite low though(under 20 feet). Anyway I was playing with some more experienced players and they suggested getting a higher lofted driver. What are the benefits of a higher lofted driver? Because Im happy where Im at, and like hitting from the fairway every once in a while.
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It is about being fit for your driver and having a club that will optimize your launch angle. I use a 12 degree driver because my launch angle is so low. Don't be happy hitting from the fairway once in a while. Be happy when you can hit a high percentage of them.

I would go to a custom golf shop in your area and get fit for a driver. You need a driver fit to you and your swing.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
It is about being fit for your driver and having a club that will optimize your launch angle. I use a 12 degree driver because my launch angle is so low. Don't be happy hitting from the fairway once in a while. Be happy when you can hit a high percentage of them.

I would go to a custom golf shop in your area and get fit for a driver. You need a driver fit to you and your swing.
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I agree with HG, I play an 11.5 degree driver and wonder if even that is too little loft for me. The bolded statement is oh so true.
 
Go in for a fitting like dd and hg said it will help you out more than just getting a high loft driver.
 
Best thing to do is have a crack with a couple of high lofted drivers either at your local store or down the driving range if you have a friendly pro. Taylor Made Superfast 2.0 HT is popular at the moment and works wonders for me.
 
The thought that a higher lofted driver automaticly means less distance is one of the most misconstrued thoughts in golf. It is all about getting fit and having a driver that fits you to maximize your driver shots. Some tour pro's need 8 degrees of loft to achieve their optimal launch angle, while others need 10 degrees.

We are no different. Some need lower lofts while others need a higher loft to get the most out of the driver.
 
I actually gained about 25 yards on my drives switching from a 10.5 to a 12.5 driver, and I can't remember the last time I hooked or sliced since I started using it.
 
MikeF said:
What loft is your current driver?
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Its an old wilson whale driver, I think it either has 9.5 degrees of loft or 10.5 degrees.
 
A higher-lofted driver would give you more carry distance, which would likely cause you to hit the ball longer overall. If you are only hitting the ball about 20 feet off the ground, you likely dont swing fast enough for your current driver.
 
Has anyone here ever heard of the hirekogolf.com Thriver. I'm somewhat interested since I find 3 woods easy to hit and it has 14degrees of loft but I am just wondering if I would lose distance since its technically not a driver.
 
I can attest to switching to a higher lofted driver. I have a problem getting my hands way in front of the clubhead, not releasing all the way. This seriously de-lofts the club. I used to have a 10.5 supertri and had problems getting the ball up in the air. I recently switched to a 13.5 G15 and now driving is one of my strong points. I probably still de-loft the club to about 9* but it works for me now. I only swing about 91MPH and I need all the extra height I can get on my drives. Consistently about 250 now coming from about 210 or so. Now when I outdrive some of my friends, I can make fun of them because my driver is basically a 460CC 3 wood.
 
MattyKrack17 said:
Look at all the studies, most amateurs play too low of a loft, 11.5 is "best" for most . Not all but most, I forgot where I read it

I tapatalk better then I tapaputt
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I have a good idea once or twice a year

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My dad was playing a TM R580 at 9.5 degrees and was lining that thing down the right side all day. I took it to my friend's shop and had it adjusted to 11 degrees and it made a world of difference. He may not be pelting it like he was when I first started playing with him, but he's never seen so many fairways and probably gained a good 10-15 yards on his drives. So, yeah, I'm a believer.
 
I had been using a 9.5* for a long time and I always thought my ball flight was too low. When I went to get fitted for a new driver I was almost certain the pro would give me something upwards of 10.5*, but it turned out that my ball flight was actually too high based on the launch monitor numbers. Ended up with a new driver that's also 9.5* degrees, but with a shaft that fits my swing better. I'd highly recommend getting fitted as others have already.
 
I'd strongly recommend getting fitted by a professional as several others have suggested so that you get the club that's right for you. I'm using a 13.5* Callaway Diablo Octance and I'm loving it, averaging about 220-230 yards - it's been a great move up from my existing (old) 3 wood, allowing me to keep good control while still gaining some extra distance. Will probably keep it a couple of years and develop my game before looking to see if I can go with a lower loft.

More than anything though, get a good fitting, get the club that fits you best, and forget about what loft it is - just know that it's the club that will give you the best results.
 
Here is the logic behind higher lofted drivers.
Turn your garden hose on full and aim the stream with a low angle towards the grass.
How do you get the stream to go further? You lift the garden hose to a higher angle!
Of course there is a point where the angle will max out the streams distance and it will start to shorten. This is where fitting you to the correct driver comes in.
In my case I went from a 10.5 to a 12 degree driver and it made a world of difference. I am straighter and about 10-15 yards longer with the 12.

***I also took the 3 wood out of my bag and replaced it with a 5 wood for the same reason.
 
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That's a great analogy Condor, I found this out today when I traded in my 9.5 firm flex driver for a 10.5 regular flex,this driver feels to me so well balanced and in harmony with my swing!, took it out to the range and I am not exagerating when I say that it was longer by about 20 yards, I was hitting flags that I could only hit on very few occassions with my previous driver which btw was reliably straight but low launching, this new one I hit it about half a ball above the center of the face on probably 70% of the range balls I hit today, I think that was due to the shaft that feels like a near perfect match for me, now I wonder if I should have gone with even a 11.5 loft,,awwg, it never ends, lol.

David
 
I have my 10.5 driver set on 11.5 and I am hitting more fairways than ever! More loft with the correct shaft for your swing can = very good things!
 
Ole Gray said:
I have my 10.5 driver set on 11.5 and I am hitting more fairways than ever! More loft with the correct shaft for your swing can = very good things!
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edit: I also need to add my driver length is 44 inches with the swingweight adjusted to factory specs. Wow what a difference in accuracy!
 
Ole Gray said:
edit: I also need to add my driver length is 44 inches with the swingweight adjusted to factory specs. Wow what a difference in accuracy!
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OG what weight did it for ya?
 
I switched from 9.5 to 10.5 and I'm super happy. Hitting it longer and more accurate for sure.
 
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