Ball checks up on landing when hitting driver

I am using a cobra bio cell driver set to 10.5, last time I checked, my swing speed was around 100-105 on average.

My swing: I fire my hips pretty hard and have a mental thought that I'm hitting a slight fade, and i get a pretty decent and consistent upward trajectory.

A lot of the time, the ball takes a couple hops then stops, and sometimes, it checks up pretty hard. like, ive even seen (rarely) a slight divot in the ground where the ball landed, which sometimes is because the dirt is soft and moist, but it can't always be the reason. the reason is probably me. :)

Can anyone give me any thoughts on why the ball would be checking up a lot upon its landing, and what to look at in my swing to adjust that?

I have a very similar issue. I'm playing a 9.5 degree AeroBurner and my swing speed is right at 100mph with driver. I hit a very high ball with little to no roll out. I assume I'm attacking very steep and also hitting the ball on the slight downswing. My carry is closer to 225-230 and I get very little roll in soft to normal conditions. The rollout here is ok, because it's on the simulator. In real conditions, it doesn't roll out. Ignore the "average numbers" on the graphic. I stepped into a simulator that had been used all day by people. The cache was not cleared before I took a few swings.

1.41 and 1.40 are so-so smash factors for the driver. You are missing out on some serious distance if you can get your ball striking better. You could gain about 5-6 mph more ball speed.

Also your vertical launch is way too low. You want that to be at least 15 degrees. Your backspin should be in the low 2000's.

I would learn to hit up on the ball. If you have a 9.5 degree driver and you are launching it at sub 9 degrees. That means you are hitting down on the ball. With a driver that produces lower launching, higher spinning shots that sap you of good contact and distance.

Check out this threads, &

I had the same issue way back i was a 16yo upstart. Had a Cleveland Launcher 460 10.5* w' the stock Launcher Gold shaft in R flex. The notoriously high launching head coupled with a soft shaft yielded some real moonballs once my swing started hitting 100+ mph. A low launch low spin driver head and a stiff shaft pretty much solved it.

I appreciate the feedback. I realize I'm hitting down on the ball. I have a very steep downswing that I need to correct. As far as smash factor goes, what should I be shooting for? 1.5? Also, could the beat up range balls that have been pounded to death in the simulator be causing the ball speed number to be low? Or is it just because I'm not striking the center of the face with the correct angle of attack?

You'd want the high 1.4's. So usually 1.47 or above is considered optimal strike for a driver.

Smash Factor is mostly influenced by your ball striking. A steep strike is a more glancing blow. Add in missing the sweet spot you can see high 1.30's, which is bad.

I'm going to read through those threads you linked and spend some time on the range getting this in order. I feel as if my game has gone as far as it can with the patchwork swing I have now. If I'm going to regularly break 80, I need to get my fundamentals down.

@MyrtleBeachGolf - What monitor were you using to get those numbers.  A lot of stores with indoor monitors such as the GC2 only collect ball data and then use a preset smash factor to calculate club head speed.  For example, my local Golfsmith has smash factor preset for 1.35.  Another local store (Roger Dunn) has it set to 1.4.  That being said, as others have mentioned, your launch angle does appear to be low.

That was the launch monitors at the PGA Tour Superstore here in Myrtle Beach. I am not sure what system it is. Or if the smash factor is dynamic or static? Not really sure. I do have a tendency to come in steep, and shut the face. Hence the pull draw readings. I have since moved the ball forward, squared my stance, and have been working on hitting up on the ball slightly at impact. I haven't had a chance to get on the monitor again yet, but I felt like the difference on the golf course was noticeable.

My personal opinion is that your results on the course are most important.  For me personally, I always seem to hit worse on a monitor than I do on the course.  Probably because I'm trying to kill the ball!  I never really trust any distance readings on a monitor in a store.  That being said, a lot can be learned from the spin readings and launch angle.

GC2 doesn't measure the clubhead data so it has to estimate smash factor or maybe it can be edited in. My pro has GC2 HMT which measures all the head data and the ball, so smash factor is calculated correctly, not manually entered.

I would say it's almost a miracle your drives are getting out to 230-240 when only launching 9 degrees at 100mph clubhead speed, like previously mentioned, all the pro's I see/ speak to say 15 degrees plus for launch angle, for the most common swing speeds.

It looks to me like the high spin rate (should be low 2000's) is actually saving you (sort of), and like mentioned previous, the backspin is giving the loft, ballooning it up and checking the ball. Sounds like you're coming in steep over the top/ out to in. Swing in to out, hit up, reduce the spin and you'll carry to about 240 and roll out to 260 based on a 9 degree driver at 100mph hitting up on the ball.

With that said, with a 9 degree driver it's not going to help you much swinging at 100mph, You would be better off with a 12/13 degree and hitting 3-5 up. The will also reduce the amount of slice and hook spin, which would be easier to hit and keep straight.

I was doing the same as you, I now set up with my hips slightly further forward and tilt back a bit and grip down on the driver an inch or two and my smash factor/ strike is miles better, so even though the length of club has decreased (and with that swing speed) I've gone from 190 slice with roll out to 215 to what now is a 230 draw which rolls out to 250. Couldn't believe how quick the change was. I'm going to go back to gripping at the top to get my swing speed up after I've had my lesson tomorrow and seen my current launch characteristics.

One of the youtube channels I watch just posted a good drill which might help you stop coming steep over the top and will make you hit up and in to out, grip down an inch or two to sort out the smash factor/ strike and it's job done ;) Once you're confident go back to gripping at the top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7LMnpfW2eA