Does Soft tip driver shaft affect trajectory?

[hippyboy]

I have a Taylormade R5 dual type D (10.5') fitted with factory standard mid-torque, soft tip, stiff shaft. my swing speed with a driver is around 105mph.

I have taken quite a few lessons lately & it has really sorted out my swing, I have never been hitting my clubs as well.

My only problem is the height I'm getting on my driver, it's not ballooning, but it is still very high. Unfortunately my home course is well known for it's gusty conditions, so I really want to get the ball flight down but keep the accuracy I have.

My question(s) really is, will the soft tip shaft I have on my driver have a lot to do with a high ball flight? If I changed my to a firmer tip would this affect the accuracy I have at the moment (add extra side spin)

I have tried moving the ball back in my stance & teeing it lower but it still gets really high. I'm definatly making solid contact & the ball marks on the face would suggest I'm hitting around the middle (most of the time)

[PiKapp23]

Yes, a soft tip or 'low kick point' will result in a higher ball flight in most cases, which is not bad unless you typically play in windy conditions or already have a high ball flight. A lot of times these type of shafts will play very similar to a regular flex shaft (but possibly with a little more control). The good thing about this is that it may allow you to slow down you swingspeed resulting in more accuracty and (and probably better tempo) without losing any distance.

I played probably that same shaft in my old TM R540XD for several years and came to love it. I fought the high flight for a while before finally realizing I was hitting lots of fairways, controlling ball flight and not losing any distance. Since it broke early this year I looked for a new driver with a similar shaft but it seems most now have a little higher kickpoint. My trajectory is lower with currently driver, but my accuracy is definitely not as good. I feel like I have to swing a little more agressively to get the same distance I used to, but my tempo and rhythm are not as good because of this.

[Leftygolfer]

Yes I think it makes a big difference. I agree with the poster above about hitting it high. I have a very flexable shaft and I hit it pretty high. But it is so easy for me to load and as long as I don't jump at the top, I can avoid missing it right.

[hippyboy]

Thanks for the replies, it has certainly made me reconsider changing my shaft.
Although I want to get the ball below the wind a bit due to the length of my home course (9 holes over 400 yards from yellow tees) I do not want to lose any accuracy, I played 18 holes at the weekend & 9 holes last night & only missed 1 fairway with the driver (that was only 1st cut of rough)

I should add that I have quite a quick tempo (well below average for this forum though lol) so I don't know if that would benefit from a firmer tip?