Losing Distance With Driver

[ScouseJohnny]

First time I've used Trackman, but it confirmed something I've noticed for some time - in particular, that I'm getting shorter and shorter off the tee on Par 4s and 5s.

These were the stats on a shot picked at random, from 48 balls. It was typical of my session at the range:

Carry: 182 yards

Total: 212 yards

Ball speed: 125 mph

Height: 18 yards

Launch angle: 13.1 degrees

Launch Dir. 2.4L deg

Side: 1.2R yds

Having never used this system before, I admit to being a bit naive about what the stats mean. That looks like a slight (unintentional) fade? Is there anything noteworthy about the launch angle?

What perplexes me is the very slow ball speed and short distance. I'm currently playing to a 16 handicap (genuinely), and those driving stats seem very poor. Admittedly, my strength is approach shots and putting, but I hit my mid-irons and scoring irons very well. Driving seems to be the weakness.

I didn't record all the stats off Trackman when I was hitting my 5 iron (a cavity-back 5 iron, not a hybrid). But I noted the distance as 164 yards.

The driver used in the stats above was a Wilson Staff D100 Superlight 10.5 degree

Wilson Staff D-100 Driver Review - Golfalot

---

Whilst Wilson may be a little late to the light-driver party, they have made quite the entrance. The SuperLight D100 driver is simple, super lightweight...

Poor workman, or poor tools? Or both? A lesson, or a new driver? Or both? By the way I just turned 50, is becoming geriatric the reason for the short tee shot distance?

What Trackman "said" aligned with my own experience on the course, over the past few months. I used to hit that thing further, now I can't.

Edited July 30, 2022 by ScouseJohnny

[Vinsk]

What kind of time frame are you meaning when you say for ‘some time’? Is it possible you haven’t hit your driver as far as you may have thought? Comparing your estimated distances from course play to actual TrackMan stats can alone be quite different. And with many if not most, quite disappointing. Either way, a new driver probably isn’t gonna make a significant difference in distance. Let’s see your driver swing video yes?

[ScouseJohnny]

@Vinsk

All fair points. I'd say I've noticed the diminished distance off the tee for the past two years. I play with a genuinely good golfer, a colleague, who is undoubtedly a single digit handicap (we play for fun, I've never asked him what his handicap is, when he plays in tournaments). He was always faaaarrr longer than me, these days he's practically playing the next hole before I catch up!

A good point about the video. I'll ask someone with a smartphone to record me next time I'm at the range.

For what it's worth, I have the same unfortunate disease that Mickelson mercilessly goaded Faldo about. (1) I'm British (well sort of, I'm actually from Liverpool and there is some considerable debate on that matter). (2), I'm 6 foot 3 and have always hit it shorter than most off the tee. These days (as the stats above prove), it's abysmally short, I'm guessing there's people on this forum who could hit a 4 iron that far. Must have been something in the water in England when I was a kid. Or mad cow disease.

Edited July 30, 2022 by ScouseJohnny

[Vinsk]

Lol. Yeah I get it. And to add to the pain, there are guys on this forum who can hit a 6i that far….🥴

[bkuehn1952]

Having just gone through a fitting session, my uneducated guess is that you might benefit from a higher launch angle and height of your driver shots.  Our comparative stats are not that far off but there is a significant difference in the 2 stats I mentioned compared to the shaft/driver head to which I was fitted.

[billchao]

5 hours ago, ScouseJohnny said:

First time I've used Trackman, but it confirmed something I've noticed for some time - in particular, that I'm getting shorter and shorter off the tee on Par 4s and 5s.

These were the stats on a shot picked at random, from 48 balls. It was typical of my session at the range:

Carry: 182 yards

Total: 212 yards

Ball speed: 125 mph

Height: 18 yards

Launch angle: 13.1 degrees

Launch Dir. 2.4L deg

Side: 1.2R yds

Having never used this system before, I admit to being a bit naive about what the stats mean. That looks like a slight (unintentional) fade? Is there anything noteworthy about the launch angle?

What perplexes me is the very slow ball speed and short distance. I'm currently playing to a 16 handicap (genuinely), and those driving stats seem very poor. Admittedly, my strength is approach shots and putting, but I hit my mid-irons and scoring irons very well. Driving seems to be the weakness.

I didn't record all the stats off Trackman when I was hitting my 5 iron (a cavity-back 5 iron, not a hybrid). But I noted the distance as 164 yards.

The driver used in the stats above was a Wilson Staff D100 Superlight 10.5 degree

Wilson Staff D-100 Driver Review - Golfalot

---

Whilst Wilson may be a little late to the light-driver party, they have made quite the entrance. The SuperLight D100 driver is simple, super lightweight...

Poor workman, or poor tools? Or both? A lesson, or a new driver? Or both? By the way I just turned 50, is becoming geriatric the reason for the short tee shot distance?

What Trackman "said" aligned with my own experience on the course, over the past few months. I used to hit that thing further, now I can't.

Your launch angle seems too low, given your ball speed. You didn’t provide any spin data, but I’d guess it’s on the lower side based on your apex height.

Some of it is your swing, but I think your driver just isn’t right for you. You could just be the mystical “gained 20 yards from a proper fitting” guy.

[Brown E]

Everyone always looks at equipment and sometimes lessons which are both worthy factors in distance loss.  Here is something

every aging , soon to be Senior or just plain Senior golfer can do at very little cost. Strength and Flexibility. In other words, have

an exercise program. As we get older, we lose muscle mass and tighten up. I work at this daily and have the flexibility  of what

I had 20 years ago. Maybe not the strength but try to keep as much as I can.

 

[SEMI_Duffer]

I'm going to second @Brown E's comment.  I'm only doing swing training, right now.  Not even full-swinging a club, much less hitting balls, but I experience a significant improvement in my ability to more-smoothly, more-easily execute swing motions if I do a set of static and dynamic stretches beforehand.

Some people like to warm up with an Orange Ball or something for dynamic stretches.  I find that, while I enjoy doing that and it certainly gets the job done--at least part of it, it also messes up my swing, so I don't do that anymore.

[Denny Bang Bang]

I’ve lost a bit of distance with the driver over the past year as well.  I’m chalking it up to letting my physical fitness level slip and not making good contact with the center of the face.  I’m with the guys above, be sure to take fitness and the swing itself into account when asking yourself why you’re losing distance.

[Vinsk]

Not saying you necessarily, but it seems like the guys who diminish the effects of new equipment tend to be the same ones who say Jack is better than Tiger because of the equipment……😮

[Denny Bang Bang]

To be clear, I’m not dismissing new equipment.  I’m echoing that fitness and swing issues are something to consider when losing distance.

[ChetlovesMer]

On 7/30/2022 at 2:25 PM, ScouseJohnny said:

First time I've used Trackman, but it confirmed something I've noticed for some time - in particular, that I'm getting shorter and shorter off the tee on Par 4s and 5s.

These were the stats on a shot picked at random, from 48 balls. It was typical of my session at the range:

Carry: 182 yards

Total: 212 yards

Ball speed: 125 mph

Height: 18 yards

Launch angle: 13.1 degrees

Launch Dir. 2.4L deg

Side: 1.2R yds

Having never used this system before, I admit to being a bit naive about what the stats mean. That looks like a slight (unintentional) fade? Is there anything noteworthy about the launch angle?

What perplexes me is the very slow ball speed and short distance. I'm currently playing to a 16 handicap (genuinely), and those driving stats seem very poor. Admittedly, my strength is approach shots and putting, but I hit my mid-irons and scoring irons very well. Driving seems to be the weakness.

I didn't record all the stats off Trackman when I was hitting my 5 iron (a cavity-back 5 iron, not a hybrid). But I noted the distance as 164 yards.

The driver used in the stats above was a Wilson Staff D100 Superlight 10.5 degree

Wilson Staff D-100 Driver Review - Golfalot

---

Whilst Wilson may be a little late to the light-driver party, they have made quite the entrance. The SuperLight D100 driver is simple, super lightweight...

Poor workman, or poor tools? Or both? A lesson, or a new driver? Or both? By the way I just turned 50, is becoming geriatric the reason for the short tee shot distance?

What Trackman "said" aligned with my own experience on the course, over the past few months. I used to hit that thing further, now I can't.

I'd be interested to know what your driver swing speed is. 

Swing speed can be a descent way to see what your potential is. I'm a couple years past 50 and I'm still swinging it over 100 mph. I get a few up there at 107 and 108. Part of the key is maximizing the strike to get the most out of that speed; what ever your max speed may be. 

8 hours ago, Brown E said:

Everyone always looks at equipment and sometimes lessons which are both worthy factors in distance loss.  Here is something

every aging , soon to be Senior or just plain Senior golfer can do at very little cost. Strength and Flexibility. In other words, have

an exercise program. As we get older, we lose muscle mass and tighten up. I work at this daily and have the flexibility  of what

I had 20 years ago. Maybe not the strength but try to keep as much as I can.

 

DING! 

@Brown E hit the nail on the head. 

53 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Not saying you necessarily, but it seems like the guys who diminish the effects of new equipment tend to be the same ones who say Jack is better than Tiger because of the equipment……😮

I've noticed that too. But I won't get into it as that's a different thread. 😁

[Esox]

As I have aged my driver loft for ideal launch and carry has kept going up. I do believe part of it is my swing, but there is also a decided loss of clubhead speed. Now 62, and I just spent some time getting fitted.... 10.5 degree Mizuno STZ cranked up to 11.625 degrees and  -0.5 face angle. Average distance carry and rollout 245-265..... about 15 yards longer on the average than at 10.5 degrees.

[ScouseJohnny]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread.

A year ago, I was wondering why I was losing so much distance with my driver. These were the stats from a trip to the range back then. The driver was a Wilson Staff D100, 10.5 degree, regular flex shaft. These stats haven't changed much since that time; if anything, the total yardage is probably 5 yards shorter on average.

Carry: 182 yards

Total: 212 yards

Ball speed: 125 mph

Height: 18 feet

Launch angle: 13.1 degrees

 

Yesterday, at the range, I was curious, so borrowed a demonstrator driver, a PING G430, 10.5 degree, regular shaft. These are typical stats from that session:

 

Carry: 217 yards

Total: 240 yards

Ball speed: 136 mph

Height: 79 feet

Launch angle: 14.5 degrees

 

I guess I can't buy a putt, but perhaps I can buy a driver.

FWIW, I think those Wilson "Superlight" drivers are too light. You really have to swing hard at the ball to get any speed on the ball. The PING was heavier and the weight distribution in it just felt solid. I didn't swing hard at the ball.

I'm coming up on 50, and a 16 handicap. I'll live with that distance. I'm hoping this will be a good investment. I liked the club, I know it's very expensive (I think he's selling them for $550 or so), but I think I'll stop by and buy one.

The only thing that staggers me is the difference in height, in those stats. The Wilson only reached 18 feet and the PING reached 79 feet? Maybe I transcribed the Trackman figures wrongly?

 

[saevel25]

The18-Ft makes no sense. Especially with 13 degrees of launch angle. Even with 1000 rpm of backspin, you should see 46-FT of height. Was that set to yards maybe? Which would be 54-FT.

[ScouseJohnny]

I dug back through my computer for the photo of the Trackman screen from a year ago. You are quite right; in 2022 it was recorded in yards. So, we are dealing with 54 feet (Wilson) vs 79 feet (PING). Thank you for pointing out this error.

[ChiTown]

@ScouseJohnny I’m hitting an older Callaway driver and just tried out their new Paradym on a day demo and picked up about 25 yards in overall distance. So I definitely think there is better technology now — especially for mishits etc. But I’ve also been focusing on my driver swing and am now consistently adding 10-15 yards of carry, and overall distance is 15-20 with my current driver. Only thing I’ve learned is focus on my swing and get a fitting. 

[snapfade]

I met with my instructor last night to work on the driver.  What I found out was that I was not cocking the wrists early enough in the back swing and my bicep was getting stuck and making me swing more across the chest. I was more twisting than rotating if that makes any sense.  Much like the old one piece take away. Anyways, with some work I got a better turn with my back more facing the target and just a better swing. I'm waiting on the videos, but point is, get with a good instructor, ditch the Wilson D100 ( I'm a Wilson Staff guy) and get a Ping. Or, get a shaft put in the Wilson that fits your swing. The stock shaft is to light IMO. Oh, and buy a Shot Scope. Stats don't lie, but your brain will.