We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Question about ball spin and drivers.

Jackal

Jackal

Active member
Joined
Oct 11, 2013
Messages
1,462
Reaction score
2
Location
NW Ark
Handicap
13
I have always had trouble with my drives. I can get about 265 yards, then the ball just drops.

I'm always hearing that I don't have enough ball spin to get rollout.

Yesterday I found a brand new ProV1x ball.
I played it on the next hole and my drive was great.
It flew about 255??ish (less than the cheap balls), but when it landed it grew legs and ran.

I know it's my swing causing lot of my problems, but this might be a temp fix.
The Pro V1 spins a little too much around the greens, so I would have to find a medium.
Anyone else experience this?
 
I have always thought in general lower spin on the ball will lead to more rollout. I know descent angle and ground conditions play a factor there as well.

How would you describe your ball flight? When you say it just drops is that from a lot of height?
 
wouldn't less spin and a flatter descent angle yield more roll? personally, i would rather increase carry than roll.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don't think it's the ball spin unless you consistently get more roll from the pro Vs and no roll from your current ball, it's either your swing or the landing of the holes you are testing were not the same. Are you getting more or less height from pro Vs?
 
I think this must have been a fluke then.
My Son gets a high shot and 15+ yards roll.
My shots are as high as his, and drop dead.
They actually leave a ball mark where they land sometimes.
This ProV1 drive was a little lower than normal, but when it landed it ran through a few small ridges on the fairway.
I didn't get to play it much more. On the next hole it went into the water.
Usually I can clear the water with an 8 iron. The Prov1 landed in the back edge of the water.
I'll just keep on playing with my Warbirds, and NXTs.

Thanks for the info.
 
fwiw prov1 has always been a short ball for me. i'm a high 90s low 100s driver swing, low spin player.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've been told it's a combination of ball speed and spin.

For example, a lot of amateurs will think they need super low-spin with their driver, because that's what they believe makes the ball go far. However, to have low spin, you must also have high ball speed. Otherwise, the ball with just drop out of the air.

Amateurs, most of whom do not have tour-level ball speed, need a bit more spin to allow the ball to rise and stay in the air longer. I would imagine descent angle is one of the key metrics looked at in judging whether your ball speed and spin are well-matched.

That's how it has been explained to me.

In any case, probably something you'd need to work with a quality fitter on a launch monitor to optimize.
 
c.a.eleric said:
fwiw prov1 has always been a short ball for me. i'm a high 90s low 100s driver swing, low spin player.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yeah me too. It does strike good balance between spin and distance. I don't like pro v1x. The best ball for me is still the rule 35 blue, red would do too. I'm still playing them. I bought a lot back in the day.
 
wadesworld said:
I've been told it's a combination of ball speed and spin.

For example, a lot of amateurs will think they need super low-spin with their driver, because that's what they believe makes the ball go far. However, to have low spin, you must also have high ball speed. Otherwise, the ball with just drop out of the air.

Amateurs, most of whom do not have tour-level ball speed, need a bit more spin to allow the ball to rise and stay in the air longer. I would imagine descent angle is one of the key metrics looked at in judging whether your ball speed and spin are well-matched.

That's how it has been explained to me.

In any case, probably something you'd need to work with a quality fitter on a launch monitor to optimize.
Click to expand...

That's what happened the other day.
It actually landed like an airplane, instead of dropping like poop from a pigeon. Lol

On my wedges I can spin some of the lousy cheap distance balls.

I hit a ball in some water the other day. It was at the edge and I couldn't find mine but found a high- spin Bridgeport ball.
I hit it and my usuall 90 yard wedge shot only went 75 yards.
Everything else was the same; lie, position, level ground, hands and ball position, good smooth strike.
I need to get a tune- up while I'm playing consistently.

My average driver speed is around 105. If I get after I can get 110 with control.
 
firstly,..... 250's/260's for a 105 ss is pretty optimal imo. That's where I was at and am now just a tad slower but can still get up over that. But end result 250's/60's I don't think it matters if it gets there rolling a lot or mostly in the air.

But whatever your questioning there is no way you (we) or anyone should look to question something because of what we saw on one drive. Honestly not even a few imo. There is just too much that can skew results to allow one or even a couple/few drives to tell you a whole lot.

Imo have your swing analyzed on a monitor with different balls if you want to really get some answers. But have to also remember its not always about distance because dispersion is important too.
 
I agree with Rollin. You should consider having your swing looked at on a monitor with different drivers and balls. The spin can change dramatically with different balls and clubs. I recently boguth the Exotics E-10 over the Callaway Epic and Subzero because my spin dropped 1000 with the E-10. Give it a try and see what happens. You should be able to find a store that will allow you to use the monitor.
 
I haven't been on a launch monitor in about 2 years.
The one that had me at 105 swing speed was in a busy place and it was crowded with everyone watching.
The other one was a small shop. He clocked me at 110, and also he walked away and talked on his phone and with some customers.
He showed me how it worked and left me alone.
This guy told me "When people are relaxed they hit better. If you are tensed up, the readings won't be accurate of your game on the course".
It makes sense.
He told me to come by anytime and I can hit my clubs for $20 for 30 minutes.
I should probably do that.
He also told me to bring the type of ball that I play when he fitted me for driver.
 
Driver swing speed is funny. On the course you either hit faster or a lot slower than you hit on the range. My ss is about 95-100 at the range. On the course on a few holes I put the ES14 on my drive and it's about 109. I can never rip it that fast on the range. Same goes with my short irons.
 
Rusty1885 said:
Driver swing speed is funny. On the course you either hit faster or a lot slower than you hit on the range. My ss is about 95-100 at the range. On the course on a few holes I put the ES14 on my drive and it's about 109. I can never rip it that fast on the range. Same goes with my short irons.
Click to expand...

I think our swing speeds change as well. I think this explains why (through the years) on the same courses and same holes in same kinds of conditions my distances vary on very similar well hit balls. Some days Im hitting driver very well and Im out there 235 to 250 with the better ones and yet other days im hitting the driver well (like just 2 days ago) and Ive many drives out there in the 260's and a couple 275ish. Same holes, same condtions, same well hit shots. Sometimes we are imo simply loser and more fluid I suppose and simply finding some extra speed. And then there are sweat spot days (we think) until we then actually do hit it even more precise so the ss may be the same but the smash factor and ball speed is up. Hence 270 vs 250.

I find similar with irons on occasion too. Same holes, same conditions and very similarly well struck irons. My 150 club only going 140 and then another day going consistently 160. Most the times its 150 but for some reason in a given round I need to club longer after realizing several holes into the round Im just not getting the distance today even though hitting nicely. Then Ive also found myself having to club shorter because for whatever reason everything seems to be flying further than average. But not like its weather related but just for whatever reason the swing is a little slower that day or a little faster.
 
 
Could be you are hitting too low on the face as well. New drivers spin tons low on the face. I know my R15 has this tiny little spot really high on the face where the spin drops tons and it just goes. Only downside is it is probably 2mm's away from a sky mark.

Also is 250 - 260 your average or just your distance when you hit it well. If it is the former you are fine.
 
Sometimes I think about taking a long and smooth swing for a safe drive.
Maybe just a 235-240 yard straight shot.
Get up there and look, then measure back with a range finder and it is 272???? yards.
Long and smooth, plus right on the sweet spot, with no tension goes a long way.
 
ntanygd760 said:
Could be you are hitting too low on the face as well. New drivers spin tons low on the face. I know my R15 has this tiny little spot really high on the face where the spin drops tons and it just goes. Only downside is it is probably 2mm's away from a sky mark.
Click to expand...

I need to spray my driver with powder and see.
This could very well be a possibility!!
 
ntanygd760 said:
Could be you are hitting too low on the face as well. New drivers spin tons low on the face. I know my R15 has this tiny little spot really high on the face where the spin drops tons and it just goes. Only downside is it is probably 2mm's away from a sky mark.

Also is 250 - 260 your average or just your distance when you hit it well. If it is the former you are fine.
Click to expand...

Almost all drivers will be less spin high on the face and more spin low on the face.
The opposite is the case with ball speed and launch.
Low on the face increases ball speed and lowers launch. High on the face, lowers ball speed and raises launch.
 
On my distance, average drives are 250. The good ones are the 260 +.
I would just like to get maybe 10 yards rollout.
Allthough about 3 years ago, I would sometimes go to my drive on a moist fairway and find a divot similar to one on a green.
My ball would be about 3 foot behind the mark.
 
Jackal said:
On my distance, average drives are 250. The good ones are the 260 +.
I would just like to get maybe 10 yards rollout.
Allthough about 3 years ago, I would sometimes go to my drive on a moist fairway and find a divot similar to one on a green.
My ball would be about 3 foot behind the mark.
Click to expand...

This is totally normal. I am lucky to get a single yard of roll here in Ohio during spring.
 
Jackal said:
On my distance, average drives are 250. The good ones are the 260 +.
I would just like to get maybe 10 yards rollout.
Allthough about 3 years ago, I would sometimes go to my drive on a moist fairway and find a divot similar to one on a green.
My ball would be about 3 foot behind the mark.
Click to expand...

you may be concerning yourself a bit too much with this imo. Again, if I may 250 -260plus is imo about normal for a good drive given a 105 ss. There willalways be some that venture 270 and plus but if you really want to see more roll, perhaps a loft change is ion order. I did that once with my old driver (last year) where as I bumped it up a degree. Yea I carried further but lost roll out. At the time my fairways were running well and so I went back to normal loft and got back my max distance.

Conditions of fairway go a long way in determining rollout. Do what you want for sure but I just think you may be unnecessarily looking for something that's not really needed. 250 and more is certainly long enough to play 7000 (if you want). And if playing anything 6600 or less is very efficient.
 
I may mess with the loft. Back in the Spring I cranked it up to 10° and had some different drives.
 
I have pretty good control of my trajectory, but in general I prefer the drive that drop and hop with a bit of roll. Most courses I play are target golf type fairways with some severe slope one way or another, and lots of blind landing. I prefer drives are usually high 10 yard draw, with little roll. Lots of the rolls come from the use of slope not from flat trajectory drives. I'd take extra carry over extra rolls any day.
 
If I get to play this evening, I'll run my loft up to 10° or maybe even 11°.

Yesterday evening I was hitting my 3 wood about 20- 25 yards shorter (total) than my driver.
My 3 wood is 13° loft and I only hit it on narrow holes.
Lately, I only hit driver about 4- 5 times for 18 holes.
The 3 wood, and 4 wood are great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top