Adjustable Driver Needs Adjusting

RealPretendPsychic

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I have a TaylorMade R1 that’s driving me nuts. I had it stock-set with a TaylorMade Aldila Rip Phenom 55 Stiff Shaft. Neutral face, 10*, 10g/1g weight at draw bias. I was super inconsistent and seeing a strong hook so I tinkered and settled on switching the weights to fade bias, which seems to have helped some.

I was never fit for this club (or any clubs) and have a relatively random set of clubs that hasn’t changed in 7+ years. I’m wondering if I should just try to find a couple OEM 5g weights and just remove the draw/fade bias from the equation.
 
I have a TaylorMade R1 that’s driving me nuts. I had it stock-set with a TaylorMade Aldila Rip Phenom 55 Stiff Shaft. Neutral face, 10*, 10g/1g weight at draw bias. I was super inconsistent and seeing a strong hook so I tinkered and settled on switching the weights to fade bias, which seems to have helped some.

I was never fit for this club (or any clubs) and have a relatively random set of clubs that hasn’t changed in 7+ years. I’m wondering if I should just try to find a couple OEM 5g weights and just remove the draw/fade bias from the equation.

Quick fix. Try adjusting the hosel setting to reduce the loft from 10 to 9 degrees if you can, and then shift any adjustable weight toward the heel. The first will flatten the lie and the latter will reduce the head twisting shut in the hitting zone, together tending to reduce a hook. If those don't work, check your set up (face closed?) and swing path (>4 degrees in to out?). Otherwise, take two aspirin and call me in the morning.
 
A video analysis for .e showed my takeaway was terrible, way too inside, so then in fact when I over corrected and came over the top, I had a closed face still so had lots of pulls and hooks.. working on my takeaway helped SIGNIFICANTLY
 
I find that I can hit hooks quite easily with a club that is too light weight. Perhaps that 55g shaft setup and swing weight is too light for you. Can't hurt to try the heavier weights, assuming you like the driver setup in general.
 
Never thought about lowering the loft! I’ll definitely have to watch some video to see if I’m on a good plane. After that I’ll tinker with the loft and if all that fails, I’ll order some weights.
 
Never thought about lowering the loft! I’ll definitely have to watch some video to see if I’m on a good plane. After that I’ll tinker with the loft and if all that fails, I’ll order some weights.
Yeah, he is spot on. The lower loft settings can open the face a fair amount on the TaylorMade drivers. So that and moving the weights toe side should have a noticeable impact for you.
 
Yeah, he is spot on. The lower loft settings can open the face a fair amount on the TaylorMade drivers. So that and moving the weights toe side should have a noticeable impact for you.

It’s worth noting there is a baseplate to adjust face angle. Am I to leave that at neutral when adjusting loft? I believe they typically recommend changing the baseplate alignment to keep the head neutral when adjusting loft.
 
Depending on your swing speed that shaft might be too soft/too light. I am not sure I would invest a lot in that head though. It was good for it's day but I would lean toward getting fit and investing in something new particularly because you never really had good results with that club.
 
It’s worth noting there is a baseplate to adjust face angle. Am I to leave that at neutral when adjusting loft? I believe they typically recommend changing the baseplate alignment to keep the head neutral when adjusting loft.
Personally, I would leave it in the neutral position.

You need a new driver my friend. :LOL: Then again....if I recall correctly....December should be a nice month for you! ;)
 
Depending on your swing speed that shaft might be too soft/too light. I am not sure I would invest a lot in that head though. It was good for it's day but I would lean toward getting fit and investing in something new particularly because you never really had good results with that club.

For sure! This is just a piecemeal approach to get me through to my fitting later in the year. But right now this club would cost me strokes on most holes so I’m trying to figure out how to adjust it within reason just to have a club in my bag that’ll go further than my 3W.
 
When I had my first 'adjustable' driver (TM R7 Superquad TP) i started with taking all the weights out first, seeing what that looked like for performance then adding them back in in each position till I found something that worked. My latest I had adjusted during a Titleist 30 in 30 fitting.
Hard to get a fitting at the moment, but like it was mentioned, December should be the cure for that :love:
 
It’s worth noting there is a baseplate to adjust face angle. Am I to leave that at neutral when adjusting loft? I believe they typically recommend changing the baseplate alignment to keep the head neutral when adjusting loft.

I'm not familiar with the baseplate face angle adjustment on that driver. In effect, lowering the loft flattens the lie, which causes the face / ball contact to be more oriented to the left (for a righty). That is the same effect that causes the ball to go left when you are hitting on a lie with the ball above your feet. It is more pronounced as you go from a 4i to a PW because of the increasing loft, and not so much with a driver.

Another thing you might check is your grip. In fact, you might start there. You might want to weaken it. Start with an extreme adjustment in that regard. Go really weak. If that gives you a fade (or even slice) work back toward a stronger grip incrementally. It might also be productive to check where on the grip you are placing your hands. If you grip right out at the end of the shaft, you are most likely increasing the effective lie angle of the head, which as noted above can contribute to hitting left or hooking. You might find a weaker grip coupled with gripping down a little (and bringing your hands in closer to your thighs) gives you a straight drive, or at least a minor fade or draw that you can rely on. As Trevino said, "You can talk to a fade, but a hook just won't listen." Gripping down won't cost you THAT MUCH distance either - probably less than 10 yards with the driver and less with the irons. It might also alleviate the effect of some swing flaws a bit.

In that regard, you related that your takeaway was flawed at some point - too inside. Maybe you need to see a pro (when we can do that again) and get your swing sorted before you spend a bunch of money on a new driver or fiddle with the loft/lie and weights on your adjustable driver. If the problem is in your grip, takeaway, or swing path, a good pro should see that right away. (But if you are looking for an immediate or interim fix, start fiddling around on your own.)

A good pro should also be able to see if your shaft isn't suited to your swing, though fitters are a lot better at that. Try to find someone who has a Mizuno shaft optimizer available, but insist on at least three sets of three swings rather than the one set Mizuno claims is sufficient. That might be the case for an elite golfer who has a grooved swing, but for mid-handicappers who don't have that consistency it isn't. I went through five sets of three swings with the Optimizer to narrow down to the preferred shaft for my Hot Metal irons, and (for me) the KBS C-taper Lite 105 was the ticket.

FWIW, I went through the same drill with my new Cobra driver and TS3 hybrid. I was hitting both clubs left initially, with more draw than normal (might even have been described as a hook - though I won't admit to that). I adjusted the lie on both and turned the weight around on the TS3 so it was biased to the heel of the club and the problem went away. Then I started gripping down in small increments until I was getting more consistent contact and straight ball flight. I had been fitted for both clubs, but still needed to fine-tune them when I got them home. Good luck. If nothing else, these ideas will keep you occupied for a few hours while we are all limiting our outside time.

Also, full disclosure - I tend to screw around with things all the time, probably too much. I spend a lot of time experimenting on the range and always hit a small bucket of balls before playing, because my swing is so inconsistent now I never know who is going to show up on the course. I guess that just happens when you hit your mid-70s. Your mileage may vary.
 
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