Jump to content
IGNORED

Are you considering " lofting up" ? Or what is all this lofting up I am hearing about ?


Note: This thread is 3672 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

I had the opportunity to play with the SLDR last September thru the fall, I carefully compared it to my previous drivers TM R1 tp and some of fall 2013 drivers. Prior to using the TM SLDR, my specs & equipment were stiff 60+ gram shaft, 9.0 deg head kept at 9.0 deg- I hit I high ball. My ball flight is straight to a baby fade if I go after it. My average carry distance is 245with a roll out to 257 average. My launch was 11.5-12.5 deg and my RPMs was about 2550 obviously sometimes a little less and others times a little higher. Usually never more than 3300 on a bad hit. Driver club head speed is 102 mph average. My Handicap is 3.5-4.0. I used the SLDR with the use of a launch monitor on several locations and conditions. I had it set close to the specs above. And used the same quality ball. I Did use the stock SLDR speeder 57 gram shaft in stiff. Immediatly My average RPMS dropped almost 750 of of my 2550 RPMs . My drive launch angle was lower and consequently my drive carry was less, run out was a little longer. Overall I was ot impressed. Being suspect I thought it may have been my swing, i continued to try. my ball flight was lifeless and flat. I tried at times to lift the ball higher into my usual launch window. It still didn ' t feel or see right to my eye. Then I swapped the SLDR driver shaft onto my own TM R1 head , RPMS went back up to my norm, launch was up and right back to my typical ball flight. So clearly it was not the shaft. I then swapped the SLDR 9.5 driver for a 10.5 model and eventiully moved the loft higher and higher, each time I had better and better results. Eventually I had 11.5 degree loft ( +2.5 deg up) stiff speeder 57 shaft. What a difference. I further experimented with other brands and models some with very high loft when I did so my RPMS increased to over 3200-3500 with the 11, 11.5 and 12. deg, my accuracy I thought got worse, the ball flight was never real straight. Went left or right depending on contact. But overall my distance of carry was the same or less, the ball came down steeper, so there was less roll. The end result was a a shorter average drive of about 5-7 yards when compared to my R1 driver. I had used the 2013 titleist, Callaway and cobra. The cobra was the worst. The only shaft available was 50 gram adilla stock. Once I locked into the high loft setting of 11.5 with SLDR I played with the sliding weight just tiny bit. When I set the wieght to the extremes fade or draw, it really drew or really faded. With the weight just outside of std I fund me desired ball flight & I gained close to 10.5 yards average distance further than my previous R1 driver set at 9.0 degrees. So my new specs are 1850 RPMS, <13 degrees launch, 256 carry and a total average of 268 yards. My carry was almost landing on my previous total yardage. I urge you to consider lofting up when trying this new SLDR, the RPM reduction is sick, don't just grab one off the rack or assume you are a 9.5 or 10.5 you'll be disappointed and will possibly be wasting your money. This isn't an infomercial, just my conclusions, you mileage may vary!
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 67
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

1850/13 is pretty good, very difficult to dial in one's numbers that well, but for me adding loft won't help. I get very good carry on my drives because of how high my dynamic loft and angle of attack are, so my launch angle is quite high even using 7.5 degrees. If I hit one a bit above center, it will launch extremely high and spin very little, but I get the best ball speed and total distance at my course by launching it a bit lower and hitting it in the center. So if anything I could reduce my dynamic loft either by technique or adjustment to the head and see an improvement. I've adjusted the loft but it doesn't really do anything, it seems the lowest loft is best in my case.

I like the head and shaft I have now because they feel great and I can control them pretty well. I could probably find a longer head but it would represent a big investment for just a few yards. I just tee it as high as I can, hit it as high and hard as I can, and the flight is usually either a bit floaty or perfect depending on one factor: the ball.

I find that the biggest difference for me equipment wise is what kind of ball I use, for what it's worth. I buy a lot of balls that are cheap but have urethane covers, like the Callaway tour iz and original penta, which are both a few years old, but no matter how well I hit them they never go as far as the pinnacle gold, B330, 20XIX and to a lesser extent the ProVs. I've been playing a lot this year in 30-45 degree temps but the ball is by far the worst factor in affecting my distances. I can hit short of my normal spots all day but if I play one of the really good balls, even one I find in the woods, it will make a difference of 20 or more yards in some cases. That, and the ceiling on my drives is basically removed with a good ball, where I have trouble breaking the 300 yard barrier during the summer or 270 in the winter but if I'm using a proper ball there's no "wall" out there.

In My Bag:

Adams Super LS 9.5˚ driver, Aldila Phenom NL 65TX
Adams Super LS 15˚ fairway, Kusala black 72x
Adams Super LS 18˚ fairway, Aldila Rip'd NV 75TX
Adams Idea pro VST hybrid, 21˚, RIP Alpha 105x
Adams DHY 24˚, RIP Alpha 89x
5-PW Maltby TE irons, KBS C taper X, soft stepped once 130g
Mizuno T4, 54.9 KBS Wedge X
Mizuno R12 60.5, black nickel, KBS Wedge X
Odyssey Metal X #1 putter 
Bridgestone E5, Adidas samba bag, True Linkswear Stealth
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

With the SLDR driver it is necessary to loft up because of where the CG of the club is. The sliding weight adds a lot of weight and due to its position, the clubs CG is low and forward (as opposed to low and back on most drivers). This forward CG knocks a lot of spin off and so to obtain a similar spin and launch conditions as before you have to increase the loft.

Tristan Hilton

My Equipment: 
PXG 0211 Driver (Diamana S+ 60; 10.5°) · PXG 0211 FWs (Diamana S+ 60; 15° and 21°) · PXG 0211 Hybrids (MMT 80; 22°, 25°, and 28°) · PXG 0311P Gen 2 Irons (SteelFiber i95; 7-PW) · Edel Wedges (KBS Hi-Rev; 50°, 55°, 60°) · Edel Classic Blade Putter (32") · Vice Pro or Maxfli Tour · Pinned Prism Rangefinder · Star Grips · Flightscope Mevo · TRUE Linkswear Shoes · Sun Mountain C130S Bag

On my MacBook Pro:
Analyzr Pro

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Administrator
  • Upvote 1

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Taylor Made really seems to be pushing the idea of 17 degrees of launch with 1700 RPM's. As a person who resently found that he is launching the ball to low I'm interested to hear more  about this 17-17 idea. It seems a bit general to me but I'm no fitting expert.

Brandon Fox

Rochester, NY

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Michelle Wie uses an 8.5 Nike head.  Lexi Thompson has been known to use a 7.5 Cobra head.  I think the loft up campaign only applies to the SLDR head because of its abnormal, low-MOI, forward weight distribution.  Next year they will release a rearward cg, high-MOI head and start us all on a loft-down campaign.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


With such a low spinning driver it is neccesary. I had been a 8* guy with a stiff shaft and now I am a 10* guy but I still prefer the heavy shaft...

Sam Gray

Whats in my :ping: Ping Hoofer Carry Bag?
Driver: :ping: Ping G25 9.5*    Shaft: Graphite Design AD DI 7x
3 Wood: :callaway: Callaway X HOT Pro 3 Deep 14.5       Shaft: Diamana Blue Board 83x
Hybrid: :adams:
 Adams A12 prototype 20*  Shaft: Aldila Rip NV blue prototype 80x
3 iron--Pitching Wedge: :mizuno: MP-64 irons 1* flat      Shafts: KBS Tour Stiff 
Wedges: :cleveland: 588 Forged 54 degree 12 degree bounce and 61 degree 9 degrees bounce   
Putter: :ping: Ping Karsten 1959 Anser 2

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Well the other drivers have to get the loft lower to reduce spin. Higher swing speeds require this or you get the balloon drive, which will kill distance.

I agree that you need to loft up on the SLDR. If you try the Anser driver from ping, you might want to loft up about a degree as well. The SLDR's weight distribution profile is such that it is a very very low spinning driver. I hit normal loft on that driver, 9.5 degrees, and I lost nearly 750 - 1000 RPM between compared to my Titliest. I believe I was hitting the SLDR TP model, X-stiff. I have a high swing speed, and the RPM was sub 2000. If I remember right I got one to about 1500 RPM. Which is totally absurd. I think this driver will be in my bag in the near future. I think its perfect for higher swing speeds. Instead of worrying about having too much spin, this driver opens up more shaft options and combinations for higher swing speeds. Though I would be careful, moving the weight forward will decrease MOI, so this driver might be a tad bit less forgiving than other drivers. Now a days, even non-forgiving drivers are not really that non-forgiving.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Moderator

Panda?

Steve

Kill slow play. Allow walking. Reduce ineffective golf instruction. Use environmentally friendly course maintenance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Michelle Wie uses an 8.5 Nike head.  Lexi Thompson has been known to use a 7.5 Cobra head.  I think the loft up campaign only applies to the SLDR head because of its abnormal, low-MOI, forward weight distribution.  Next year they will release a rearward cg, high-MOI head and start us all on a loft-down campaign.

If Taylormade holds true to form, that release won't be next year, it will be somewhere around June or July!

Razr Fit Xtreme 9.5* Matrix Black Tie shaft, Diablo Octane 3 wood 15*, Razr X Hybrid 21*, Razr X 4-SW, Forged Dark Chrome 60* lob wedge, Hex Chrome & Hex Black ball

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I would need a 15-16 degree SLDR to swing it… so I'll stick with a low to moderate spin driver instead of ultra-low spin.

At least TMade is trying to get people in the right loft -- most golfers already play too little loft. If they got into the SLDR at their too-low loft, they'd be gopher hunters...

Of course, they are selling clubs … and trying to protect their name at the same time.

Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

I would need a 15-16 degree SLDR to swing it… so I'll stick with a low to moderate spin driver instead of ultra-low spin.

At least TMade is trying to get people in the right loft -- most golfers already play too little loft. If they got into the SLDR at their too-low loft, they'd be gopher hunters...

Of course, they are selling clubs … and trying to protect their name at the same time.


There is a 14 degree version to be released any day/week now. Its on their web site. which can adjust up loft 1.5 degrees for 15.5 degrees or down to12.5

CEO of TM Mark King was interviewed recently and he said the new product introductions will slow down quite a bit compared to years past. I am paraphrasing him but he said they were at the point that they were selling against themselves in season. He said he found this to be a mistake. He also said, which I found interesting that there are 75,000 golfers that buy an average of 1.5 drivers per year- this is a world wide number.

with the exception of TP versions  look for the next driver closer to general availability next fall, which is more than a year later than this introduction of the SLDR.

A higher lofted driver will hit a straighter ball so in essence more control.

In order for "other" manufactures to reduce spin they reduce loft, when they increase loft they increase spin, with the SLDR is basically keeps a low spin, even though loft is increased. I saw it and experienced it my self with 4rd party launch monitors and then found it to be true on my own course many times 1 club closer for my second shot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


There is a 14 degree version to be released any day/week now. Its on their web site. which can adjust up loft 1.5 degrees for 15.5 degrees or down to12.5

CEO of TM Mark King was interviewed recently and he said the new product introductions will slow down quite a bit compared to years past. I am paraphrasing him but he said they were at the point that they were selling against themselves in season. He said he found this to be a mistake. He also said, which I found interesting that there are 75,000 golfers that buy an average of 1.5 drivers per year- this is a world wide number.

with the exception of TP versions  look for the next driver closer to general availability next fall, which is more than a year later than this introduction of the SLDR.

A higher lofted driver will hit a straighter ball so in essence more control.

In order for "other" manufactures to reduce spin they reduce loft, when they increase loft they increase spin, with the SLDR is basically keeps a low spin, even though loft is increased. I saw it and experienced it my self with 4rd party launch monitors and then found it to be true on my own course many times 1 club closer for my second shot.

Thanks -

I will wait, and will try the Big Bertha, too. My club guy says this is the "next big thing." No pun intended.

Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Big Bertha is similar to the SLDR except now you can change the vertical COG. Now you can tune in the spin a bit with out changing the loft.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Big Bertha is similar to the SLDR except now you can change the vertical COG. Now you can tune in the spin a bit with out changing the loft.

[quote name="saevel25" url="/t/72131/are-you-considering-lofting-up-or-what-is-all-this-lofting-up-i-am-hearing-about#post_942500"]Big Bertha is similar to the SLDR except now you can change the vertical COG. Now you can tune in the spin a bit with out changing the loft.  [/quote] Callaway makes 2 big berthas, the first one is $400 Besides being a driver its not anything like the SLDR! Its closer to the R7 or R9 than the SLDR. Callaways weight is down low in the rear of the driver, much like the R7 and R9. The sliding weight on the BB controls or asists a fade or draw bias depending on positioning, much like the manual adjusted weights of the R7 and R9 drivers- all the weights were in the rear of the head. Nothing to do with spin. Go up in loft and you'll get more spin. This " weight in the rear" design has been with Callaway and other manufacturers for decades. This is opposite of what TM and some other club company's have discovered. Others will follow. This weight forward club design benefits everyone, regardless of club head speed. it sharply reduces spin allowing for higher lofted clubs to be used. We can all agree that higher loft plus low spin equals distance right? The SLDR has weight much much closer to the face and its low. Read: move all expendable weight as close to the face as possible. The 20 gram sliding weight changes the bias also, but with out changing the weight area in ralationship to the face of the driver The 2nd big Bertha is called the big Bertha alpha $500 My experince with this club besides it apparent higher cost, the removable core allows a fine tuning of the CG either to low or what they call high. Only in the high position did I find a spin reduction ( bottomed out at 2400 for me) enabling me to go up 1deg from 9.5 gaining a coupl e of yards, as I went higher, you guessed it the spin increased. This may or may not favor the higher swing speeds of 105 + but I don't think it will make any difference for slower swing speeds that can benefit from much higher loft. I think Callaway is on the right track, but the spin reduction for me appeared to be only 150-200 and no real significance of 3 yards, BTW that was not my average but more of my longer drives via the launch monitor. I think I would pocket the $100 difference for potentially 2-3 yards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Yea, SLDR has found something impressive. I am close to getting one myself.

I just wish Taylormade offered better shafts with out a huge upcharge :-(

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Matt D. New Loft 9.5°, new distance +15 yards. There was a free driver fitting at Golf Smith, "Up the Loft" challenge :-D

Given the Titliest driver is a pretty high spin driver. So, really if I wanted to get 2500 RPM, I would probably need another 0.75 to 1.5 degrees off it. So a 7.5-8.0 degree driver.

Titliest 913 D2, 8.75 degrees, Whiteboard 72 grams stiff -> Launch angle 12.5-13 degrees, Backspin of 3000-3300, carry of 285, ball speed 165-167

Taylormade SLDR, 9.5 degrees, 7.2 tour spec x-stiff shaft -> Launch angle 13 degrees, Backspin 2200-2500, carry of 298, ball speed of 170-171

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Note: This thread is 3672 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Posts

    • Wordle 1,013 4/6* ⬛🟦🟦⬛⬛ ⬛🟦⬛🟦🟦 🟧⬛🟧🟧🟧 🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧 par is good after a double bogey yesterday.
    • I did read the fine print tonight. It said replace with “similar features & function”.  8 yeas ago my purchase had features that today are available on the lower end models and the current version of my model has more “bells & whistles” than what I got 8 years ago.  So I am thinking they honored the agreement and I can’t argue the offer. since getting a credit for the full purchase price all I am really out over the past 8 years was the cost of the extended warranty, which was less than a low end  treadmill would have cost me. now the question is which model to replace with.  I’ll stay with Nordic Track or I forfeit the $1,463 credit so I will get Nordic Track.  And they honored the warranty and were not hard to work with which is a plus.
    • Generally speaking, extended warranties are a terrible deal and should almost always be avoided. They are a huge profit center for the companies that offer them, which should tell you almost everything you need to know about how much value most consumers get when purchasing them.  This is correct, and the old adage applies - only buy insurance when you can't afford the loss. This usually doesn't apply to most consumer goods.  To your second question, no I don't believe the offer is fair. They are replacing it, but it is not being replaced at "no cost to you". Since the amount being disputed (over $500) is non-trivial, I would probably push the issue. Don't waste your time on the phone with a customer service agent or a supervisor. They have probably given you all they have the authority to do. Rather, I would look at the terms of your agreement and specifically legal disputes. The odds are you probably agreed to binding arbitration in the event of a dispute. The agreement will outline what steps need to be followed, but it will probably look something like this.  1. Mail the Nordic Track legal department outlining your dispute and indicate you are not satisfied with the resolution offered.  2. Open up a case with the AAA (American Arbitration Association), along with the required documentation. 3. Wait about 4-5 weeks for a case to be opened - at which point someone from Nordic Track's legal department will offer to give you the new model at no cost to you.  They certainly don't want to spend the time and energy to fight you over $500. 4. Enjoy your new Nordic Track at no cost to you. I recently entered binding arbitration against a fairly large and well known company that screwed me over and refused to make it right. In my demand letter, I made a pretty sizeable request that included compensation for my time and frustration. Once it hit their legal department, they cut me a check - no questions asked. It was far cheaper to settle with me than to send their legal team to defend them in the arbitration.
    • I never thought of looking at it on multiple purchases like you said.  Yes, the extended may help me on 1 or 2 items but not the other 5 or 6.
    • Day 84 - Forgot to post yesterday, but I did some more chipping/pitching.    Back/neck were feeling better today, so I did a much overdue Stack session. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...