Please help me, I'm begging you!

Hi there,

could anyone please help me figure out proper shaft/head combo for my next driver. I know the first suggestion will be to go to a monitor and get fitted, and I will at sometime, but I’m looking for any insight you could all provide with the information I provide.

First some background. I have a relatively low driver swing speed of around 85-90 MPH. I don’t struggle with accuracy at all, distance on the other hand is my nemesis. When I do miss the fairway, it’s usually to the left (I’m a righty), and usually not a hook, but more of a pull. The one time I went to a launch monitor I was hitting 9.5/10.5 regular flex drivers, and one thing I really remember is my spin rate was far too high, like high 3000s. This is also evident in real life, as I hit the ball high and it seems to drop out of the sky with no roll. And when I say drop out of the sky, I’m not talking the balls the climb high and seem to travel forever then drop, I’m talking travelling high and falling far too soon and usually netting me only around 215ish. I have never had a problem getting the ball in the air. I currently play a Nickent 9.0 deg 4dx Evolver with a Reg flex Aldila DVS shaft. I actually like the trajectory of this club, but again distance isn’t there.

I am currently considering the Cobra S2, Nike Machspeed Black round model, Adams 9064LS with the Aldila RIP Gamma (Alpha doesn’t come in reg flex), Adams Ultra-Light 4G with the Bassara UL 44g shaft, Adams 9064LS custom built with a Bassara UL 44g shaft.

So here is my conundrum, I think the Adams drivers will help add a couple of MPH, but will the Gamma shaft launch too high? I would really like the lower launching Alpha, but I don’t think my swing speed could handle a stiff. I have read the RIP shafts in the 9064LS are the real deal, so I am certainly attracted to that. The Bassara is also a premium shaft, but is 44g too light, and a torque rating of 5 too high? Of the two heads, seems like the 9064 is lower spinning, which I would think I need. Is it possible that the 9064 head with the light Bassara shaft could be the best for my slower controlled high spin swing? The Nike comes with the fubuki shaft, but it seems it is a “made for”, and not near as good as the actual fubuki shaft, in fact the nike shaft has a torque rating of almost 7 and the actual fubuki of the same model is around 3 or 4, so a completely different shaft.

So what I think I need is a light low spin club head to help with speed, and I need to pair this with a shaft that is light enough to again help me generate club head speed.

So I humbly ask you all, of the drivers listed what makes the most sense, and what other help could you all provide.

One last thing, my distance in my irons is pretty close to most the players I golf with, 150 yd 7 iron and move up or down 10 yds through the iron set, but when it comes to my Driver and fairway wood I lose considerable distance with my partners. I don’t knowingly change my swing, but somehow I seem to be putting way too much spin on the ball.

HELPPPPP!!!!!!!

anyone?

the short answer is you won't know until you've hit the best club ON THE COURSE.  Launch monitors cannot tell true spin numbers, they all rely on a logarithm to deduce spin.  and they can be set up to show "great numbers" for you just to make a sale (i've owned three of them in the $3500 range).  just keep demo-ing them until you find THE ONE and then by THAT club- not another one LIKE it i mean THE ONE that you actually hit.  if you're not going to see a clubfitter who can build one to your swing and feel then it's a crap shoot until you've stumbled upon one.

good luck!

I tend to hit a high ball that spins way too much and falls out of the sky, and the monitor I went too indicated the exact same thing.

A skilled clubfitter with a launch monitor can help you zero in on the root cause(s) your problem, and a find a solution more quickly than us Trappers can.

Go to a golf shop that has a launch monitor. Use your current Nickent driver as a baseline to see how the ball flies. Factors at play:

* Driver shaft flex, kickpoint, torque, tip stiffness and weight

(For shafts, get the 2011 GolfWorks catalog; it has most of the major shafts listed in it, along with specs. This can save you lots of time online looking for individual shaft specs)

* Driver loft

* Ball you use (low, mid or high trajectory... distance, mid-spin or high-spin).

another point to consider is having the ACTUAL LOFT of the driver measured.  if the salesperson you're dealing with doesn't actually measure it then RUN!!!  you need to know what the loft is on the SPOT that you contacted WITH EACH HIT.  the center of the face may not be 10.5* as stated by the marking on the bottom of the club.  is the club face angle + or - ?  if you hit on the launch monitor without the launch monitor being adjusted for the club yer hitting then you'll get a bunch of numbers.  done the CORRECT way and you'll get useful information.

i'm not just another pretty f!!cked up face!

I am sure there are much more knowledgeable people on this site than me, but hear me out.

If you typically play your 7 iron 150 and your handicap isn't super-high it seems like you have a pretty normal game.

Okay, what is atypical.

You spin is too high on your driver.

Your distance is off considerably.

Sounds like you are hitting down on the ball - coming it way too steep, right?  And pulling your head back when you pull left.

What if you got a trusted teacher to work with you on your driver? In other words, change your swing, not your driver. No driver will be able to compensate for this. If you put the same amount of $$$ into some special instruction, I bet you will be more pleased with the results, than buying a new driver and having a lot of the same old crap this summer.

I think you're spot on.  I kinda lean back when I'm coming thru the hitting zone which adds loft to the club and also robs me of distance because I don't transfer my weight thru the ball.  I don't do this with other clubs, and its sucks to know what you're doing wrong, but still can't correct it.  Its been so long since I have drove the ball consistently well, that I almost forgot how it feels. I play to about a 10-12 right now, and I am positive I would be a single digit handicap if I even had 30 yds more distance off the tee, which isn't asking alot to hit the driver 240-250, especially considering I am still physically quite able and in good shape.  I'm good with the irons and putting is insanely good, just the damn big stick!

Tough love time.  Driver swing of 85 to 90 mph is slow.  If you are truly swinging the driver at that speed, I have some doubt your 7 iron is actually going 150.  It's OK, most golfers think they hit it a little further than they actually do, myself included.  We're in this together, my friend.  Now, swing changes/corrections aside, you want to max out your clubhead speed.  Why not consider a driver like the Adams F11 or TaylorMade Superfast?  They come with a longer shaft, which WILL help you add some mph to that swing.  You may want to change your ball, too.  If you're playing a ball like a ProV1 or Srixon ZStar, you're not swinging fast enough to compress the core.  Perhaps switching to a little "softer" offering will add some yards to your drives as well.  Good luck!

I appreciate the idea of tough love. But, I wouldn't expect him to be a 12 handicap if he couldn't play his irons fairly well - and can't believe he would be doing that good if he was hitting 4 irons all the time. So, I am inclined to believe that he is hitting a 7 iron 150 - I play with a 73 yr. old retired farmer who is a 20 handicap and consistently hits his 6 iron 150.

In any case, whether or not he hits a 7 iron 150, I agree that maxing out the clubhead speed is desirable. Yet,  I'm pretty sure that his clubhead speed is being hampered by his poor swing mechanics. Changing the swing will increase clubhead speed. And, learning to hit the ball with only a slight amount of downward impact 2 degrees (I think iacas said that) with better swing mechanic should put him at that 230 yard mark easily.

A longer shaft now will probably just bring more grief to your swing presently.

A new ball - that could be a good thing now, surely can't hurt.

I don't know about these things....just the way it seems to me.

Ok here's a couple things to think about......you are currently using less loft on your driver then most tour players.  The only way to hit a low lofted driver with that SS is to add loft. You are most certainly hanging back, not transferring your weight, and probably falling backwards. (basically hitting a lob in tennis vs a forehand). Take a couple swings with a club with your eyes shut, where do you feel your weight at your finish? I'm guessing you cant even hold your finish well, and might have pain in your back. Anyways these are all assumptions, and I think that the advice to get your swing flaws fixed is dead on. The problem most people have is that they are playing WAY to low loft in drivers...you could most likely be in a 16 degree driver if you learn how to transfer your weight properly. This is something that is very important to you.... the reason why you probably hang back is because that's the only way to hit that degree driver you have and make it go straight. So you have compensated your swing to fit your driver...bad..lol. This is why you have never been able to correct this...your driver is making you swing this way . If you did change your swing, and kept your driver the ball would slice on you everytime...its designed to do that with your swing speed.You should go see a fitter/teacher and get dynamically fit.  Don't think you can just change your swing, and use the same low loft, that's the reason your into this mess.

This is how you will get more distance. Henry-Griffitts has the biggest selection for club combinations (4500). This is where you will find the right loft for you, and also all their fitters are teachers. They are the best at dynamically fitting. They also measure everything to a gram when building clubs, so what you order is what you get.

Loft is by far the most important aspect in a driver. You still should make sure the shaft is correct, but if you have that low of loft, it doesn't matter what shaft you put in...you in trouble.

Ok how many people do i have to tell this to....I keep on posting the same info? lol

Good luck

Oh and regarding the longer shaft...the only way to know if you should hit a longer shaft is by hitting one. Hand to floor measurements are not accurate at all. You want the longest shaft you can get while still maintaining a balanced motion, and hitting on the sweet spot. You use impact sticker to tell this. ( and a good fitter). You can gain a lot of distance by length, as long as these things are in place. You can also loose a ton of distance if you don't hit the sweet spot..for every half inch off the sweet spot you miss, you loose 7% of your total distance.

I definately hit my 7 iron 150.  I'm not one to boast about inflated yardages, hell I admitted to hitting mt driver 215 yds!  As mentioned, kinda fall back on my driver and don't transfer my weight to my front foot, but I don't do this with my irons.  Really weird because I use to pipe my 3 iron 210 off the tee (don't have a 3 in my current set), then I woul pull out my driver and hit it no longer.

Perhaps a simple drill would help with the proper transer of weight: try building up your stance on the outside of your right foot (assuming you swing righty).  This should help you feel a push off onto your left side and maybe eliminate the reverse pivot.  Sounds like you have a little mental issue with trying to hit the driver too hard as well.  Oh, man, I do that.  I can really be hitting the ball well (for me) and get crazy quick with the driver.  Good luck!