I am looking for a LOW launch driver

[pshizz]

Taylormade r7 425 tp is very low launching, plus it uses MWT so, you can change it around. Get a low launch shaft with it, like a whiteboard.

[bIGwIRE]

I swithed from a 9 degree taylormade R5 to a 7 degree ping G2 with an NV aldila shaft, which is low to mid launch. I know its an older head, but its the only 7 degree I could find, and mint on ebay goes for 100$ or so, with shaft. Also, head wise, the Ping line hasn't changed to dramatically from the G2 to the G10.
The NV ProtoPYPE line is even lower launch. I had the same problem as you and this really helped.

[ZaPPPa]

I had a super-high ball flight and switched to my current driver TM Tour Burner 9.5* with Fujikura E360 stiff (high kickpoint). Fixed all my control, ballooning and distance problems. Ball flight is now mid and piercing.

I covered it in this thread:
http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22484

[Big_M]

Anything 7.5˚ with an Aldila NVS shaft is low-low.

wrong... NVS is higher than NV, that was the whole purpose.

nvs is made to launch pretty high it was made to have the same cariteristics of the nv just higher launch

^^^^^^^yep

I agree with those that have said the V2 and the Graffaloy red as being good low cost options... just make sure the V2 is the Tour model. I liked my Aldila VS, but that's in a hybrid, so it's a little different. Obviously Diamana white and blue are both fairly low (especially the white), but cost a bit of change... If you want to go real low cost you could always look at the old UST Gold 75... it is heavier (80ish) and is a little lower launching than the 65, plus they run around $40 and are still a damm good shaft. I actually prefer this shaft over the V2, not sure why, but I think it feels better.

[gibbous]

I also have problems with a high, ballooning ball flight with the driver. Getting the right one was basically a crap shoot. Nothing available off the shelf would give me the ballflight I was looking for, even my old 7.0 G2 w/ the Aldila NV. Of course the loft of that club actually measured at 9.0 degrees, big equipment manufacturers seem to like lying to you to bolster your ego.

For a while my favorite driver was an old Titleist 975J 6.5, but it was too unforgiving. I tried a Cobra sz454 in 6.0 and liked the way it flew when I hit it well, but really disliked the way the club looks and just never got comfortable with it. I went for a custom fitting and walked out with a 7.0 SMT Encore with an SK Fiber mid-launch shaft, but that came off too high as well. I was thinking about re-shafting that, but then I stumbled across an Adams XTD 9016D 6.5 with the NVS and decided to give it a try. Even with the mid-launch shaft, this club turned out to be perfect for me. It's a low launch, low spin monster. I've never been more confident with any other driver, and am happy that my search is over for a while.

[bIGwIRE]

Nothing available off the shelf would give me the ballflight I was looking for, even my old 7.0 G2 w/ the Aldila NV. Of course the loft of that club actually measured at 9.0 degrees, big equipment manufacturers seem to like lying to you to bolster your ego.

Thats an interesting point... I should have my G2 measured. Then again, maybe I don't want to know, for my "ego's" sake.

[TomDonS]

I also have problems with a high, ballooning ball flight with the driver. Getting the right one was basically a crap shoot. Nothing available off the shelf would give me the ballflight I was looking for, even my old 7.0 G2 w/ the Aldila NV. Of course the loft of that club actually measured at 9.0 degrees, big equipment manufacturers seem to like lying to you to bolster your ego.

That 6.5 is good huh? I was looking at that head. I also just talked to the tour rep at Adams and the speedline heads have a custom 6.5 or 7.5 "tour" option. I'm thinking of going with one of those the head looks good and feels better. I really do like the look of that 9016 though. Is it "HOT" hows the distance comparably to others you have hit?

[gibbous]

The 9016 is as live a head as I've ever hit. The ball pretty much leaves the clubface screaming if you hit it on the sweet spot, and it's forgiving enough to still produce a manageable ball flight when you don't hit it well. If I make the same swing with every driver I own this one will easily go the furthest, but that could be true for any other club that produced the right ballflight. So it's as long as anything out there, but the key is really that the loft and shaft combination just suit me well. I also find the traditional design very confidence inspiring at address, it's a lot more simple and understated than many other clubs it compares to.

I've also heard good things about the Speedline heads but really know nothing about them, this is the first Adams I've played.

[gibbous]

Thats an interesting point... I should have my G2 measured. Then again, maybe I don't want to know, for my "ego's" sake.

Yeah, sometimes ignorance is bliss. From what I've seen it's easy for a wood to be off by 2 degrees in either direction, but usually a driver has more loft on it than they tell you.

[Cody]

I may be mistaken here but other than the degree of the driver head, won't the shaft matter way more than anything else? The ball you play also effects the launch angle. In the golf digest thing when they used the robot there was as much as a 2* difference in the balls.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I demoed a 9.5 titliest d3 with an xstiff voodoo shaft for 36 holes on sunday. That head/shaft combo does lanch extremley low. A little too low for my liking. But i have a feeling a 10.5 with that combo might be perfect (for me anyway) Ive hit a d3 with their other stock option shaft and hit the ball lower than my current 9.5 905r 73g Proforce v2 combo as well.

[flatom]

I have been playing the 9016D 7 degree with 48" XXS shaft, nice.

[WPBGolfer]

I have tried most of the new drivers of the last 10 years. They all send the ball far too high for my taste. After struggling trying to hit them for the last couple years I am back to my Cleveland 400 with the stock X shaft (feels like a firm stiff). Back to playing much more consitenly with a lower driver flight. I can still tee it up and forward and hit it pretty high when needed. The key is having the launch angle match the path of the club release. Mid to high kickpoint and firm tip are the key except on a higher loft driver will cause a disconnect between launch and club release path.  I would love to find the right combo in a more modern club but money and time are obstacles and at 270 and 80% fairway accuracy, i can't really bitch. Which reminds me. What flex putter should I be using?

[Mr. Desmond]

Not much is low launch for the last 10 years - the trend has been low spin, high launch for a decade.

Try the 983E;

An Adams Tour Product from 5+ years ago.

New Models -

Tiger's Driver might be good - I think it is a VRS Tour. The Covert Tour, The R1 V2 (Version 2 Tour).

Fine tune with shaft and ball.

I wonder the reason for the search - is your speed that high? Or you just don't want to fix a flaw?

[LuciusWooding]

You could find a shaft you like, then get like a 4 or 6 degree head from Geek or Bang. They're component companies that do long drive heads. If you can't keep down the launch on one of those you're doing something wrong. You can say a shaft does or doesn't fit your swing, but loft doesn't play games like that, it dramatically affects your launch.

Or you could go for a bridgestone j40 in the smaller head size which is one of the lowest spinners from the major OEMs.