9.5 vs 10.5

[hercules71185]

I'm new to golf. Before you assume,"oh god another one who thinks they hit further than they do". I am a fast thrower. In baseball I can hit 98mph but my arm hurts after a few throws since I hurt it in an archery incident. I can hurl a football 88 yards close to to nfl record. And the mechanics are the same for golfing. I have some videos and distances exceeding 300 yards. I need practice no doubt. I need corrective criticism to say the least. But with that said here is my question answer this as if I'm telling the truth. A 10.5 driver seems good to me, the ball stays low until abouy 100 yards and then the backspin takes it into what seems to be orbit. I am positive a 9.5 will help. But how much? Is a new club worth it? Do heavy hitters or pros use a 9.5 or just a typical 10.5? Also where does such a naturally strong hitter go to get help and get known. I'm a very gifted learner with sports and would like to see where this goes.

[MacDutch]

My swingspeed is only 95mph and I use a 9.5 driver because a 10.5 goes too high.... You better go to a store that has a TM (TrackMan) and find out by hitting and measuring.

An other way too find help, is to post your swing in this part of the forum.

http://thesandtrap.com/f/4180/member-swings

[Mordan]

Originally Posted by hercules71185

Also where does such a naturally strong hitter go to get help and get known. I'm a very gifted learner with sports and would like to see where this goes.

Are you interested in getting into long drive competitions or normal golf?

[PirateJim]

Being new to the game, you would probably be well served to invest in some lessons.  The right pro should be able to help you tweek your swing to get the most out of the driver, and once that is done you will be in a much better position to be fitted for the right club.  The face angle is, of course, important and I would expect that a really strong big hitter would end up with a 9.5 or lower angle.  But probably even more important is the shaft which can have even more impact on ball trajectory than the face angle, but both of those factors are very much dependent on your specific swing.

All that said, unless, as suggested above, you are strictly interested in long drive contests, a pro can also help you a lot with the many other aspects of the game.  A nice long drive is a good start to any long hole, but much of golf is about finesse.

[Mr. Desmond]

Shaft helps, too. It seems you require a low launcher.

But if I was giving you advice, I'd say, look at the 5 Simple Keys Video Thread here, order the DVD's if they interest you, video yourself so you can play back at 240 fps, and after some study, get some lessons.

[WUTiger]

Talked to a couple of Mfg reps at a demo day in April. Both said that after finding a player's driver swing speed, a fitter starts hunting for best loft, and fine-tunes with shaft adjustments.

[hercules71185]

Thanks for the replies. Im interested in all aspects of the game. I'm new but my irons are very consistent for a newbie. My trouble is consistency with a driver. It will range from 250 yards to 330ish depending on how well I connect and trajectory. My pitching wedge I can hit a 30ft circle at 140yards 8/10 times. It needs work but that will come with practice. My flaw is getting my power to the ball consistently with a driver. I'm getting lessons when my hand heals up. I got a huge blister that split from holding the club wrong I'm assuming. Also Im tryng to find a track man facility after that. Any suggestions for a decent one in Florida. Excluding the panhandle. Sorry for my grammer if it's bad I'm on my phone. I would like further info and I filmed myself at 60fps so I should be able to slow that down and work on form.

[rowlf]

Agree with all the posters above.

Best is to get your swing measured in a simulator and try out as many head and shaft combination as possible. The service is offered free these days and available at good pro shops.

It isn't just the loft and swing speed. There is also the launch angle, shaft stiffness frequency, kick point, torque, and many others that come into consideration. And then just to complicate matters, the choice of your ball, low/high spin, low/high launch.

I wonder if you recall the days when Tiger was using a 7.25 degrees Titleist 975D? His ball was launching higher than everyone else despite teeing the ball pretty low which normally don't make much sense if judging by loft angle alone.

[ccotton]

I got my swing speed tested and I need to work on lag. So my casting is causing thr ball to shoot up I guess. I peak around 136 and contact happens around 130mph. He said if I got my lag fixed I'd easilyhit the 145 mark. Which my goal was to break 150 eventually so I have a chance in a drive competition. We will see. I have a swingbyte now and it helps with my angles. And the speed is consistent yet inaccurate. Which consistency is more important so you can see gains. I'll keep my video post updated for form critique

[Nutter]

I can tell from your swing that the reason you're struggling with consistency when it comes to power is because you're trying to use your arms/muscle to generate the power.  You're a big guy so that's only natural for you as a beginner though.  Best advice for you is to get ahold of your local club pro and get a lesson once a week (once every two weeks if you're strapped for cash) and work on what he gives you intensely in between lessons.  I know when I went for my first lesson the guy scrapped my swing and we started working from the ground up, you might have to hit short pitch shots for a month just trying to get your first move away from the ball right, but practicing this way is worth it.

The point i'm getting to is when you get to a point where you know your swing's on the right track (you don't have to be shooting a certain score) go get fitted for a driver.

[Crockme]

Definitely look at your hip turn. Ben hogan initiated downswing with hip turn and your hips barely turn til after contact. Hips key to consistency.

[clearwaterms]

Originally Posted by Crockme

Definitely look at your hip turn. Ben hogan initiated downswing with hip turn and your hips barely turn til after contact. Hips key to consistency.

Hard to tell in the pictures, but a face on might show it.  Check to make sure that your head is behind the ball at impact.

If your hit down on the ball it creates more backspin, which increases the height of the ball.  When your head slides, the entire swing breaks down with it, and your mind tries to compensate.  One thing that sometimes happens is that you hit the ball on the downswing which increases the backspin imparted on the ball and that creates additional loft.

With the swing speed that you have you probably need 9.5 or less, and need to learn to keep your head behind the ball.

here is a link that I found recently that sounds like solid advice, but to be fair I have not tried it just yet.

http://www.golftipsmag.com/instruction/driving/quick-tips/swing-extremes-driver-setup.html

[phillyk]

I agree with Nutter above!  Both feats you have listed are impressive, but a good golf shot needs the body to work together to achieve max speed at impact; the arms, legs, and midsection must work together.  It looks like you are a strong guy, and typical stronger guys have trouble with flexibility which helps in golf enormously, ie do yoga or stretches or something.  As well, as everyone else has stated, find a pro and lessons to get the timing of your swing and to use your body as a whole unit.  I'd also look at a lower loft driver as well as lower launch shaft.