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How high is too high?

Rambler

Rambler

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No, not a herbal-related question. A few comments from one of the driver threads regarding shot height, or apex height...

dhartmann34 said:
Ropes...
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dhartmann34 said:
We do have a much different view for sure. Your ball seems to be in the air forever.
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Jman said:
One thing is ALWAYS true though, carry always plays, no matter where you go!


Its why my goal is always 30y peak height or more. And even that is much more MID than the likes of you or Dan.
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I have heard comments that my typical driver apex height is high, and that's what I prefer to have as my standard, and then alter the apex lower if needed.

Jman pointed-out that apex height is one of those things where there are many different views on what is high, too high, too low, etc... It's also something where one's swing characteristics introduce a number of different variables which impact the apex height.

So, what are your thoughts on your own apex height with driver? With other clubs?
 
Rambler said:
No, not a herbal-related question. A few comments from one of the driver threads regarding shot height, or apex height...









I have heard comments that my typical driver apex height is high, and that's what I prefer to have as my standard, and then alter the apex lower if needed.

Jman pointed-out that apex height is one of those things where there are many different views on what is high, too high, too low, etc... It's also something where one's swing characteristics introduce a number of different variables which impact the apex height.

So, what are your thoughts on your own apex height with driver? With other clubs?
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I think alot of it depends on region. Places like FL where everything plugs, you need that height and carry distance. Where I'm at on the west coast, a little lower shot with some rollout won't kill you. But yeah, I usually look for that 30-35yd peak height range, give or take.
 
This largely depends on spin and course conditions. I am sure there are optimum #'s a fitter would try to get you too.
 
There's the technical aspect as to numbers and maximizing gains and then there's the personal preference angle.

I side somewhere in the middle due to previous testing and trial & error. I've chased numbers in the past to varying degrees of success but generally my preferred flight happens to offer me the best overall results.

Basically, I want a height that affords me ample carry with the chance for some run-out if conditions permit. What that exact height should be, I've found, varies from set-up to set-up. So I no longer even test for numbers, I instead go by trajectory, shot shape, carry and overall distance.

Medium to med/high with driver is my preferred height. While I can squeeze more yardage out of a higher ballflight, I'm much more accurate when flighting it a bit lower.

Med/high with all else (imo that is, as many friends have commented that my usual trajectory is closer to medium). I can go higher than I do with irons and wedges but again, I seem to be more accurate and as if more in tune to play a particular shot when I flatten the ballflight some.

Key though is I still get good spin on approaches, if it weren't for that I'd likely rethink my appraoch.
 
Personally it is very much dependent on the swing I make. My worst swings are going to be shots that fly high, right and not very far. Open face coming across with a big wipe slice as the result. Solid contact for me is going to get a lower peak height than that obviously so just to my eye, I don't want to see a real high ball off the tee.

But carry is king and always will be, so I am trying to fix the swing flaws to where I am getting solid contact with that height, ideally getting somewhere around 30-35 yards would be ideal
 
I prefer a tee shot with a lower, boring trajectory. For many years I hit high tee shots with minimal roll, usually the spot where the ball hit the ground was a few yards behind the ball. Tried 8* ,9* & 9.5* drivers but with the more upright face came a wide dispersion. Went back to 10* & 10.5* M1 & M2 drivers and was hitting high balls again. I now have a Ping G400 LST 10 * Ping Tour 65 regular shaft driver and am hitting lower flight shots with quite a bit of roll. I don't know how to measure the height of my tee shots, but love the current driver with a lower trajectory and roll out.
 
I like getting high, just as long as it doesn't become labeled as a sky ball
 
I would have to think swing speed/ball speed is going to be a factor. I often hear that 30 yards or 100 feet is optimal but if you swing 80mph vs a guy who swings 110mph optimum peak height is going to be very different. Golf is not a one size fits all kind of sport.
 
Scrap Iron said:
I would have to think swing speed/ball speed is going to be a factor. I often hear that 30 yards or 100 feet is optimal but if you swing 80mph vs a guy who swings 110mph optimum peak height is going to be very different. Golf is not a one size fits all kind of sport.
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Club speed/ball speed is definitely a factor. Most of the big hitters on tour hit closer to 40 yards/120 feet peak heights on their drives.
 
Iirc accordng to Duffy from W/S he said 33yards is about as high as one wants to go. Higher than that and the effects of wind start having more of an affect on the ball. Watching Hero last week there were some guys in the 113' range. Having watched the pro shot balls in person I will never say my ball is too high.

At club clash I had some in the 110-120' range with driver with the wind at my back. From what I recall from past fittings and time with my instructor on trackman my driver is about 35 yard and irons are around that same height maybe a few yard lower
 
I have to:

Snoop says "Never."
 
No such thing as too high in mild weather as long as the spin is low and you aren't launching it higher than 16 degrees., No distance gain launching any high assuming you have decent club head speed.

I am probably in the 110-130 range with my epic, was a bit lower with my R15
 
As long as I can get it over the tree on #4 at Bushwood...I'll be happy :banana:

I really have no idea how to compare or say what is too high or not. I guess the tell tale is what the ball is doing and where it is ending up. If the results are great, then you can't complain or fault with the height. That's all I've got.
 
Apex has just as much to do with someone's personal swing as it does the launch angle, spin and such.
 
I don't have any personal thoughts because I'm rarely feeling like I hit the ball "too high." I know I would rather it launch higher, because I think flighting the ball down is easier than trying to help it into the air.

That being said, there's a ton of swing/club/shaft interaction that influence height. It really comes down to the individual. In the winter in Arizona, 20 yards was my preferred height because the fairways are very firm and the wind is up. Here it's a different animal.
 
It’s relative. Hit it high into an upslope or soft conditions, and low into a downslope or firm conditions.


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Descent angle can be vastly different for two people that have the same peak height, so what is optimal for one person might be too high or two low for someone else. Plenty of tour pros have 120 ft peak height but they also have like 35 degree descent angles which gives some roll. If I hit a drive 120 feet in the air, it's coming down much steeper and won't go anywhere after it lands.
 
emart2173 said:
Iirc accordng to Duffy from W/S he said 33yards is about as high as one wants to go. Higher than that and the effects of wind start having more of an affect on the ball. Watching Hero last week there were some guys in the 113' range. Having watched the pro shot balls in person I will never say my ball is too high.

At club clash I had some in the 110-120' range with driver with the wind at my back. From what I recall from past fittings and time with my instructor on trackman my driver is about 35 yard and irons are around that same height maybe a few yard lower
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I'm with you here.. I hit almost everything in the 35 yard, maybe touch higher, range. I worked on it with trackman and I can get it down lower but it doesn't carry as far. So the height isn't causing me loss of distance. When I need to hit it lower I can though.

Like you, I used to think I was too high, compared to others I played with, but once I played with a couple mini tour guys and some faster swinging THP'ers I felt like my height was just fine.
 
emart2173 said:
Iirc accordng to Duffy from W/S he said 33yards is about as high as one wants to go. Higher than that and the effects of wind start having more of an affect on the ball. Watching Hero last week there were some guys in the 113' range. Having watched the pro shot balls in person I will never say my ball is too high.

At club clash I had some in the 110-120' range with driver with the wind at my back. From what I recall from past fittings and time with my instructor on trackman my driver is about 35 yard and irons are around that same height maybe a few yard lower
Click to expand...

This is so true, the moment I realized I needed to stop worrying about too high was standing next to Rickie, Peni....er....Poulter, and Jonas on the range in Cali watching them hit drivers.
 
I want to the ball as high as I possibly can without losing distance. I never once hit a ball and thought to myself, dang I hit that one too high.

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I would much rather hit the ball high and land on a target then lower and run it out, less chance for the ball to deviate from my target.
 
luvagoodshot said:
I like getting high, just as long as it doesn't become labeled as a sky ball
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I think that is part of what the question is... Is it really a sky ball (and who is doing the "labeling", a fitter with data or a playing partner who just thinks it's too high)?
 
A true sky ball hits part of the crown and you only see half a ball mark on top of the club face.
 
I'm sure there's guys with super human swing speed that can hit the ball too high, most of us do not though. I also believe ball flight is one of those "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" things and you should play the ball flight you feel comfortable with. Just my 2 cents though.
 
The typical amateur hits their driver too low and there wedges too high.
 
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