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Year of the Loft - TaylorMade

SuperStroke
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JB, do you have the numbers on how long Dustin Johnson has gamed 10*+ drivers?

What I find interesting, is that TaylorMade is NOW starting to advertise it, not so much that it's a 'thing'. I kind of like the move.
 
Canadan said:
JB, do you have the numbers on how long Dustin Johnson has gamed 10*+ drivers?

What I find interesting, is that TaylorMade is NOW starting to advertise it, not so much that it's a 'thing'. I kind of like the move.
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It has been several years, but he has gone up to over 10* this year. Previously he was pretty close to the number (despite what was reported elsewhere). Right now he is slightly higher than that with his SLDR.
 
Just curious, but do thes guys ever discuss driver loft and windy conditions? Do they loft down in those situations, or just change ball position/swing?
 
Canadan said:
JB, do you have the numbers on how long Dustin Johnson has gamed 10*+ drivers?

What I find interesting, is that TaylorMade is NOW starting to advertise it, not so much that it's a 'thing'. I kind of like the move.
Click to expand...

I know DJ has been playing drivers that are stamped 10*/10.5* for a few years but the tour heads are individal measured and so even though the head is stamped on thing it may not be that. I Think i remember him hiting is R1 set at 10* there was a promotion where it was stiched on his bag I also remember him hitting a 10.5 R11s. With the SLDR maybe he is acually hitting a higher loft


When i switched to the SLDR i went from a R1 set at 9.5 to SLDR set @ 10.5
 
Driver loft is fun. More the better.
 
Brianbigoats said:
I know DJ has been playing drivers that are stamped 10*/10.5* for a few years but the tour heads are individal measured and so even though the head is stamped on thing it may not be that. I Think i remember him hiting is R1 set at 10* there was a promotion where it was stiched on his bag I also remember him hitting a 10.5 R11s. With the SLDR maybe he is acually hitting a higher loft


When i switched to the SLDR i went from a R1 set at 9.5 to SLDR set @ 10.5
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They built his drivers to exactly 10* each time previously to the SLDR. There is a video on THP with us shooting them building one and they spoke about it. The R11s he hit at 10.5 was not actually 10.5 according to the build sheets.
 
thedue said:
Just curious, but do thes guys ever discuss driver loft and windy conditions? Do they loft down in those situations, or just change ball position/swing?
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I can't really say what the pros do, but much of my current shaft choice on my driver is influenced by a ball-flight that mitigates wind, due to my current location and conditions for autumn/winter golf; windy, dry, and fast. Higher loft, low-launching shaft. Best of both worlds, IMO.
 
I'm definitely a fan of loft. First driver I was ever able to hit well was an 11.5. I've gone down to 10.5 generally and even 9.5 for a while in the cell. Currently at 11+ and happy with it.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
Distance comes from being at your optimal loft no matter the number.
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Totally agree! Every combination of club head, loft, shaft, ball and swing are different.

My winter to do list this year includes taking my driver in for an optimization session. My 8.5° Razr-Fit (I think it's adjusted to +.5) has been great for me an my swing - I have total confidence in it. I can hit the crap out of it (good to great = 290 > 320) and vary trajectory as I wish but I'd be willing to bet there's room for improvement either with adjustments of the OptiFit system and/or a different shaft. We shall see ...
:fingers-crossed:
 
I play 12.5

I love it.
 
In this game of ego, playing what the tour guys play is what matters most to alot of the weekend crowd. Besides, conventional wisdom says only old people and women use lofts over 10°. :arrogant: Hopefully, TM's "Year of the Loft" will help to erase this stigma of using a higher lofted driver.

I was using a higher lofted driver for years due to my somewhat lower, ok anemic, swing speed. I dropped to 9.5° in a low spin head because of much better LM numbers and I'm currently playing 10.5° and will probably try a 12° low spin head in the near future. THP has been alot of things, but good for my wallet isn't one of them.
 
I want to look at more loft this year...my last 2 drivers were 8.5 and 9.5 respectively I have always had a super high ball flight so I need to find the right shaft to match with it.
 
I've been hitting my current driver at 11.5* and have been testing out drivers that can give me even greater loft (12-13* range) because of how I swing. Love to hear the pros might influence others to do the same


On my iPhone T.. T.. Tapatalking away!
 
I think the ability to add loft to the club face comes solely from the advancements in shaft technology.
 
JRod said:
I think the ability to add loft to the club face comes solely from the advancements in shaft technology.
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No question that is a big part of it. However the solid core golf ball was huge as well.
 
Can someone help me out and explain the supposed pro's and cons to loft say off the Tee?
 
I've never regularly used a driver above 9.5, I did play around with the R1 during testing at 10.5, but the ball ballooned and lost a ton of distance, which could of been more from the shaft than the head itself. I'm not saying it's not beneficial, and I fact I may be robbing myself of distance. I really don't have any idea actually. I'm going to have a fitting next month with the Grandaddy, so it's going to be kind of cool to see what they suggest with regards to the driver. Having never been fitted before I'm sure I'm in for an eye opening experience.
 
I don't know near as much about this stuff compared to the rest of you guys but...

While this might be the way to go for the pros I don't see it having a place amongst us hackers. The reason they're adding loft is because they're moving the weight forward and decreasing spin numbers. Moving this weight forward will kill forgiveness that we need. I'll pass on this trend unless I end up being completely wrong. Hell, I need to concentrate on short irons anyway...
 
tgtt said:
I don't know near as much about this stuff compared to the rest of you guys but...

While this might be the way to go for the pros I don't see it having a place amongst us hackers. The reason they're adding loft is because they're moving the weight forward and decreasing spin numbers. Moving this weight forward will kill forgiveness that we need. I'll pass on this trend unless I end up being completely wrong. Hell, I need to concentrate on short irons anyway...
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I picked up about 15 yards going up in loft. Lots of reasons to go up in loft for amateurs IMO, its not all about CG for us. But, its certainly not for everyone, I agree there completely.
 
Ballsohard said:
Can someone help me out and explain the supposed pro's and cons to loft say off the Tee?
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hi. Loft off the tee. In terms of ball flight and distance. The ball has an optimal trajectory it has to flys, to allow it to stay in the air as long as possible. The laws of diminishing return on height, too high lost distance. Too low, lost distance.
The proper loft that is required for optimal trajectory, depends on, club head loft, design, swing speed, angle of attack, body positioning, spin numbers, ( I'll explain at the end) and a bunch of their factors based on the golfer, and altitude, atmospheric conditions, etc... Con; To little loft, for you, ball flight to low,= to little time in the air.
Con; to high loft, = ball flight to high, = lost distance.
Ball spin, in relationship to everything. Hahahaha.
Bernoulli principle on air pressure gradients, and lift. This principle is ,partly, what explains how and airplane flies.
The faster a golf ball spins, the greater the pressure gradient from the top side to the bottom side of the ball. This is what creates lift. ( golf design, dimple design, material type all effect this.
Increasing club loft, aides in creating more ball spin, more lift, higher ball flight.
Pro; optimal loft and spin numbers create ball trajectory that get you as far down the fairway as possible.
Con; to much loft, = to much spin, = greater lift and the ball rises in an bell curve fashion. I.e. Ballooning ball flight= lost distance.
So when you see spin numbers of someone that is for example 2400 rpm. Think of Rollie Fingers throwing a knuckle ball.
See spin numbers if 5000 rpm with driver, think of Dizzy Dean throwing a curve ball.
Finding the right loft, you have factor in all of the other science. Most important, though, is you. What do you like, what do you want to see. What is the end result?
All of the optimal numbers don't mean anything, if you don't like the setup.
It is all about consistency and reproducibility.
 
I've played 10.5 since I started. I've checked things out a few times and every time it's shown I'm at a good spot where I am so I've not had any inkling to change at all. I wouldn't be adverse to trying higher, but the numbers have been pretty good where I'm at when I hit well. I think it's great though breaking the stigma of a higher loft. A lot of people can benefit for a loft that better suits their swing rather than playing 8.5 or 9 thinking they are too good for a higher loft.
 
GregDan said:
I am in the boat of I still like my heads at 9.5 or lower, I have had some success with higher lofts but my numbers still have been better with the lower loft. It's not that I am against loft, I just haven't found a head/shaft combo that I would need more loft. I am glad people are realizing that loft can be your friend.
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I'm with you dude my driver is at 8.5 right now and it works for me and when it doesn't its my swing being garbage. I'm not sure what pairing would work for me if I went up in loft. I'd give it a shot but have no intention of doing so in the near future.

I'm know many here have seen some remarkable results from increasing their loft to 11* or higher and believe that there is a segment of golfers that are not here that will see better results by increasing their loft.


I think what TM is doing with the ad is smart. They have designed a driver that is designed to be played at a higher loft and are using the win on tour to get that message out to the masses. I can see this being a full blown add campaign for them if their guys keep winning with higher lofted drivers.

Question-
If they can design a driver to be used with higher loft and provide better results, shouldn't they be able to do so in a standard loft?
 
I think TM is pushing the added loft because many consumers are not getting the desired results from the SLDR and R1 due to the low spin. Smart move by TM.
 
Scrap Iron said:
I think TM is pushing the added loft because many consumers are not getting the desired results from the SLDR and R1 due to the low spin. Smart move by TM.
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I guess I don't understand what you mean, they aren't pushing it because of not getting results elsewhere, they see the best results from the high loft. What do you mean?
 
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