High Ball Flight

I currently have an extremely high ball flight and only average 225 - 235 yards on my drives.  My launch angle is about 18 degrees with my 9.5 degree cleveland hibore xls driver (Fujikura Fit-on M Red Stiff Flex).  Because my launch angle is so high, I get a lot of spin on the ball which doesn't help release the ball once it has carried.  Any ideas on how to get the spin and launch angle down on my drives?

Just based on what you wrote my best guess would be that you are hitting up on the ball by either leaning back at impact or the wrists are flipping too soon and causing a backward shaft lean, instead of forward.

Thanks Mizuno for the info...I'll take it to the range now..haha

try turning your shoulders in a tighter turn, like your in a barrel and you want to flip from your stomach to your back.  you might also want to experiment teeing the ball a bit lower and not tilting your spine too much...

just remember you want to bust that barrel with your hips on the downswing ;b

Did you get them numbers from a launch monitor?, what is the spin rate of the ball. 18 degrees is very high, you must be hitting the ball very high on the face.

I had a similar problem and I was flipping my hands.  Do you get very high flight on irons also?

I ordered up a Ball Stryker.  It is supposed to give you feedback when you are flipping among other things.  You may want to try it.

My guess would be flipping at impact which throws away power, adds loft and ballons ball flight.  If you were truly hitting up on the ball properly, you would not lose distance to spin.  To me, the extra spin comes from a over the top move on the downswing and the flip at impact (think of a chopping action) which imparts backspin on the ball right away which effectively throws the ball in the air like a balloon.

Take a video of your swing (caddy view) and watch it frame by frame at home. You will see right away at impact if you are flipping or not.  If that's what it is, as a quick fix, focus on moving your weight foward on your left foot (if you are a righty) which will help to drop your hands into the slot from the inside while being on plane vs. coming over the top and flipping as you come down and chop the ball at impact.

Do you mean a Tour Striker ?

I tried several drivers of varying lofts and flex.  It was interesting to note that I would have similar spin rates and close to the same launch angle from 9* stiff shafts, regular shafts up to 10.5* stiff to regular.  It wasn't until I started getting the kick point higher in the shaft that I got the spin and launch down.

Right...I've tried multiple lofts and shaft flexs and I had the same issue with every driver.  The shaft I have now on my driver has a high kick point because that's what one of the locals recommended for my high ball flight.  I still get too much spin off the tee which stops the ball from releasing so I'm loosing 10 yards at least in roll.  My irons have the same issue, I lose a lot of distance on my irons too.  I've decided it's not the club (haha) and it has to be something with my weight shift or spine angle, which keeps me behind the ball through impact, which in result gives me a high ball flight and high spin.  I've also considered that I may not have enough forward shaft lean at impact or none at all. Any thoughts on this?

Also, I will try to get some camera angles loaded to take a look at my swing.  Thanks for the suggestions.

yeah it really does sound like you are flipping...no forward shaft lean...and if you are hanging back onto your back leg that could make it even worse.  Forward shaft lean and weight shift would be the first to things to work on, im sure.

Only going with your yardages your swing speed probably doesn't constitute using a stiff shaft, most fitting centers will sell you a stiff shaft just to get your spin rates down even though it doesn't match your swing speed.

Modern drivers "in normal conditions" must be used to hit the ball slightly on the up swing and your spine angled away from the target at address, which will send the ball on a high launch angle.

I had a similar problem as you and it was all to do with my swing, the thing that helped me was to practice my driving into a wind. My set up would be to grip down the shaft and play the ball further back in my stance, that would level out my shoulder and as long as i didn't try to hit it too hard it worked, but that was only part of the solution

Sounds like you need to get over to your left side. Your most likely hanging back. Yes you need to work on your swing, while also evaluating your equipment. There might be a reason you hang back....you might have developed this swing due to low loft on your driver. Now of course this is all just complete speculation, and you should go see a dynamic club fitter to see how to fix your swing, and then have them make sure you have equipment that helps promote that swing.

What your doing now is having equipment compensate for your swing flaws.....which can develop from your equipment! So basically if you had poor equipment you compensated your swing to fit that equipment, now you want to change your swing that you probably feel is unbalanced, but you have to understand that you can only do that if your equipment allows you to do so. So there you go! ha ha its all one big annoying circle!

Check your balance by swinging your club with your eyes shut, so the only thing you can trust is your balance...then see where your weight is at your finish. Are you standing up straight looking at your target? If you have a slower ss, under 100 you should be playing more loft then tour players...(most people are playing the same loft as tour players with much lower ss)...which cant be good. lol  You need to get fit to see how much loft that is because everyone is different.  You also should have your irons checked dynamically for lies...everything ties in together.

Thanks a lot for the info!...You're right...my equipment is compensating my swing flaws.  (I guess, that's where lessons come into play).  I'm determined to have my swing evaluated and get properly fit for the correct lofts and shaft flex.  What are your thoughts on kick points for different shaft flexs?...I was told to get a high kick point which would cause a lower ball flight and less backspin.

you were told to have a high kick point because your hanging back, and that's a very static way to fix a problem ( basically adjusting your clubs to help you compensate for your unbalanced motion.) If you correct this problem you will need a low kick point. You want to find the root of the problem, then fix that...( which is a combination of your low lofted driver, and the swing that you have made to hit it). Then you will find that your going to probably need a lot more loft, and a low kick point. You have to get your swing and your club evaluated at the same time..because you cant fix your hanging back, not transferring your weight problem until you give yourself enough loft to actually do it. I don't remember did you say what your SS was? Most people that are under 95 can use 13-16 degree drivers..but of course there are not standards in fitting, just for the most part you will tend to need a lot more loft then tour players:). So it all depends on how much SS you have, obviously you wouldn't put a SS of 120 in a 16 degree driver, and you obviously shouldn't put a SS of 90 in a 10 degree driver( or less)...( the same loft as the 120 SS). This is why static fitting can do much more harm, then good. People get clubs based on their height, hand to floor measurements..blah blah blah, ( which none of that is accurate at all) then they build a swing around it...spending their entire golfing career trying to change a swing, which cant be changed using that equipment.

Sorry for the long reply!

Oh and your backspin is caused again from your hanging back. So go get dynamically fit and you'll be set....I recommend Henry-Griffitts. They fit and teach, so they will help you correct you motion, then fit you to clubs that will help you make that motion. They also have the 100 day fit guarantee, so you can actually change lofts/shafts/lies/ whatever you want within that time for free. ( which is important because you might start out with 16 degree loft ( this is again all speculation) then the more you can get yourself to transfer your weight, they might want to put you in lower loft ...you can change anything on the club!

Anyways good luck!

That definitely makes a lot of sense...By the way, my swing speed was 97 last time I checked which was probably 6 months ago.  I guess my next step is to work on my weight transfer and get fitted correctly.  Thanks for all of the info!