9.5 vs 10.5

[NorCalGolfer]

Don't just say "1 degree".... I want to hear what you guys play and why? I've only had 9.5 drivers with low launch shafts and now I'm switching to a 10.5 with a high launch shaft. I'm just switching just to switch. But I figure I might as well ask you "high launch" guys how you like it.

[Stacey_E]

12* with a mid launch shaft here and I love it! The balooned shots are do-able and so are the stinger thin shots. And the ones that come off perfect leave me right with my playing partners but in the fairway.

No I hate it, 12* degree drivers suck.....did the market value go down yet?

[CG031]

I use a 10.5 degree and I like it. I don't hit it all that high, but now very low either. I'd say Mid-trajectory which is what I prefer.

[TinCupTampa]

I have a 10* Mizuno MP001 and a 9* Exotics XCG... The 10* will tend to balloon on me if I dont pay extra attention to tee height etc. The 9* isnt a true 9... it actually flies lower, more like an 8 or 8.5 with little spin.... so I get far more distance from my roll.

Personally, I dont care what the ball flight is as long as I am getting the desired result.

[iWALK18]

I use a 10.5 TM driver. The launch i get ispretty high which i both like and dislike.

I like it because, as a long hitter, I can cut doglegs more easily (over trees etc). I also get a ton of carry and less roll, so I can hit over hazards, and I don't really roll much into them.

I dislike it because the high launch puts the ball in the air longer, so slice spin has more time to affect my ball. I think a lower ball would hit the ground sooner straightening out the movement, and ruff would affect it sooner. Also, my current high driver launch also puts the ball up in the wind.

There are pros and cons obviously. I would love to have a 9 or even 8.5* driver to put in my bag for certain courses, but i generally think my current driver is more fun.

[JessN16]

  iWALK18 said:

I use a 10.5 TM driver. The launch i get ispretty high which i both like and dislike.

Same thing I've found. I have a 9-degree Golfsmith Cermet and a 10.5-degree Golfsmith Long Jon.

The Long Jon launches like a rocket, but if I didn't hit it straight it's going to have a long time to make its mind up about where it wants to land. Advantages include the ability to go over fairly tall trees, and as long as I'm hitting it decent it's more accurate. The Cermet launches low and stays there. It's straighter, by and large, but easier to mis-hit. Advantages include an incredible amount of roll after the shot, and it's a draw-biased driver, so I don't slice as much. I'm about to put both in the closet and go with a Snake Eyes Mamba, probably a 9-degree. Jess

[Dub]

  NorCalGolfer said:

Don't just say "1 degree".... I want to hear what you guys play and why? I've only had 9.5 drivers with low launch shafts and now I'm switching to a 10.5 with a high launch shaft. I'm just switching just to switch. But I figure I might as well ask you "high launch" guys how you like it.

I did just that and am very happy with the results. Good carry is easier now. It is a source of confidence when you survey the hole ahead of you from the tee with the knowledge that the hazards and bunkers can be carried.

For me.....I suspect the shaft was just as much...if not more...of a factor than the one degree of loft. The changes aren't too extreme....but I'm glad I didn't go with the 12 degree model. I went from very low trajectory with tons of roll to an upper mid trajectory with more carry that equals the total distance I was getting before. Good luck.

[949 Golf]

Right now I'm personally playing a Nike Sasquatch Tour 8.5* with the Version 2 head (the same one that Tiger is playing) with a Pershing Graphite Design 75-X shaft tipped half an inch. I have a pretty high spin rate so this club let's me hit low burners which I like. I hit a Nickent 10.5* with a Diamana White Board 73-X tipped one inch the other day that had the exact same flight with about 5-10 more yards of carry. Just goes to show it's not the number on the club but the shaft that it's attached to....

[DJYoshi]

I use a 9.5 with a high kcpt shaft to keep it lower than standard 9.5 trajectory with the Hiborexl. Don't forget when you drop a degree in your driver, the sidespin will be compounded..so your fade could be a bigger fade. your draw will turn into a bigger draw.... but I find it easier to work the ball (when I'm hitting it right) either right to left or left to right.

[DDBowdoin]

you have to know the numbers... find a launch monitor

ball, loft, and shaft combo can create different results