Generally speaking, should driver loft be lower for taller players?

[rkodavey]

I've been pondering this question for some time now. I'm a taller guy (about 6'3") with long arms, and as a result my swing is naturally a little more upright, though I've been working on flattening it out. I usually hit my irons, hybrids, and fairway woods pretty high, but on a nice trajectory and not too high. With my driver, though, I tend to hit it maybe a bit too high. On a good driver swing, the ball goes about 260, with minimal roll. To put my distance into perspective, I hit a wedge about 135, my seven iron about 170, 250 or so with a 3 wood.

Almost every instructional magazine that I read says that most people have too low a loft on their driver. That tip has always stuck with me, and I've always played a 9.5 degree driver as a result. But lately I've been wondering if I'd do better with an 8.5 degree driver.

So anyway, that's a long intro to my actual question. I know everyone is different, but generally speaking , do taller players tend to need lower lofts on their drivers? Like if I were to poll the guys on tour, would the taller guys generally play lower lofts than the shorter guys? If I were to know the answer to that question, it would make it easier for me to take the plunge and drop to a lower loft. I hate reading all these magazines that say, "Your shafts are probably too stiff, and your driver loft is too low." It sticks in my head and affects my psyche when I play.

[Greg]

Its not all about the loft, the shaft in the driver has a lot to do with ball flight, maybe even more so. Think about it, whats the difference in 8.5 degrees or 10.5(which is what i have, im 5'11"). Im not an expert on driver shafts or anything but I know certain shafts promote a higher ball flight and others promote a shorter ball flight, regardless of driver loft. Im sure someone more knowledgable will hopefully expand on this and be more helpful but Ive hopefully got the ball rolling at least.

[bshack]

  rkodavey said:

I've been pondering this question for some time now. I'm a taller guy (about 6'3") with long arms, and as a result my swing is naturally a little more upright, though I've been working on flattening it out. I usually hit my irons, hybrids, and fairway woods pretty high, but on a nice trajectory and not too high. With my driver, though, I tend to hit it maybe a bit too high. On a good driver swing, the ball goes about 260, with minimal roll. To put my distance into perspective, I hit a wedge about 135, my seven iron about 170, 250 or so with a 3 wood.

I am 6'4 with real long arms as well and hit pretty normal drives with a 10.5 deg driver. I have an Xtra stiff shaft despite the fact that I weigh 165 pounds. My long arms create a hard swing needing an X stiff shaft. However you have got me thinking and maybe at the next demo day im at il try and 9 deg or a 9.5 and see what happens. For now im hitting 80 percent of my fairway at roughly 275 yds sometimes longer so I wont fix it. But I agree with greg the shaft is a huge deal with the club

[saevel25]

2 degrees of loft, Well the thing is that the driver swing will either keep the loft the same or increase it a few degrees, because hit it on the upswing. Though i like hitting it right at the base of the swing, i think this maximizes distance since it is the bottom of the arch, and you add in no backswing from the descending blow. Just my opinion. This is why i play a 10.5 degree driver, with a very stiff shaft. It keeps the ball from balooning and i get really great carry on my drives.

So it depends on your swing, if you hit the ball on the upswing and add alot of loft, you probably can go for an 8.5-9.0 loft. If you hit it more at the base of the arc you can bo a bit higher, 10-11. But then match the shaft, thats were you can really fine tune the driver.

[The Recreational Golfer]

I'm 6'6" and use a 10.5-degree driver. I tried a few 8.5s just to see how it would go and it didn't. But I don't hit the ball as far as you do, so my experience might not be helpful.

[Shanks A Million]

Hitting it higher is almost always better. The longest drivers on the PGA tour hit it the highest. The highest flights on tour are John Daly, Davis Love, Phil Mickelson, J.B. Holmes. In contrast, the lowest flights are Michael Allen, Mike Wier, Trevor Immelman, and Chris Riley. Height is good, unless , it's ballooning on you.

Driver loft is decided on a player to player basis. It's not done by swing plane or height, but by examining clubhead speed and angle of attack. The fitter tries to get the optimum launch, spin rate, and ball flight characteristics to give the person the longest possible drive (while still being controllable). The key is optimization. You need to find what works best for you. Most local clubfitters can measure and document your numbers, and help you determine what's right for you.

[Shankapotomus]

  Shanks A Million said:

Driver loft is decided on a player to player basis. It's not done by swing plane or height, but by examining clubhead speed and angle of attack.

This is my understanding as well from everything I've been reading as I learn this game.

[michaeljames92]

  Shanks A Million said:

Hitting it higher is almost always better.

Unless you play in one of the windiest cities in the world :)

[delav]

  Shankapotomus said:

This is my understanding as well from everything I've been reading as I learn this game.

Yes. The OP needs to hit into a launch monitor to really answer his question. I am 6'1'', with a relatively upright swing and a higher clubhead speed (115 driver). Having long arms and a wide and upright swing plane helps me hit my irons higher with a good amount of spin, and i can tend to hit the driver a bit hight too. I play an 8.5 degree with a 75g stiff shaft, and I have no problem hitting the ball at 12-14 degree launch angles.

It sounds like the OP is losing a bit of distance with his current ball flight. If he can hit a 7 iron 170, and a 3 wood 250, then a drive that carries 260 without any roll sounds like a ballooning shot with a good amount of backspin. Reducing loft and changing the weight, kickpoint and strength of the shaft will help, but none of this can happen without any real numbers to work with. With the right head and shaft combination, this guy could pick up 10-20 yards, if not more.

[WUTiger]

rkodavey ,

I would suggest you go for a driver fitting. A good fitter would use your current driver to establish a baseline, and then try different lofts and shaft types. Comparative performance data on launch angle, ball speed, peak trajectory, and lots of other cool stuff can help you determine if there's a better driver out there for you.

You appear to have pretty good distance, so might find a lower ball flight on driver might increase distance, and help you on windy days.
Or, you might be able to alter ball position on drives when you want to keep it low.

Let us know what happens, and what the fitters say. I really don't know the answer to your original question.

For future: Consider adding a What's In My Bag section to your sig line. That way, we can see what club mix you play, and get a better idea of how you approach the game.

[sean_miller]

  Shanks A Million said:

Hitting it higher is almost always better. The longest drivers on the PGA tour hit it the highest. The highest flights on tour are John Daly, Davis Love, Phil Mickelson, J.B. Holmes. In contrast, the lowest flights are Michael Allen, Mike Wier, Trevor Immelman, and Chris Riley. Height is good,

Factor in the ball and the shaft and it can be a fine line from hero to zero. I think taller players might like a deeper driver (taller faced) - or maybe that's just me.

[max power]

  bshack said:

I am 6'4 with real long arms as well and hit pretty normal drives with a 10.5 deg driver. I have an Xtra stiff shaft despite the fact that I weigh 165 pounds. My long arms create a hard swing needing an X stiff shaft.

So your driving distance is longer than Luke Donald's, Mike Weir's, Trevor Immelman's, and Tim Clark's -- and you're far more accurate?

[Stretch]

  max power said:

So your driving distance is longer than Luke Donald's, Mike Weir's, Trevor Immelman's, and Tim Clark's -- and you're far more accurate?

They see me (carry and) rollin', they hatin'!

[sean_miller]

@ Max Power

Do you mean you don't? Pffffft.

[James_Black]

  max power said:

So your driving distance is longer than Luke Donald's, Mike Weir's, Trevor Immelman's, and Tim Clark's -- and you're far more accurate?

nope it isn't.

He didn't say his was an AVERAGE driving distance. 275 yards is a good shot. there's a big difference. you'll get your chance another time

[sean_miller]

  James_Black said:

nope it isn't.

275 isn't that far - it's the 80% FIR that stands out for me. That would be a great stat at any distance.

[max power]

  sean_miller said:

275 isn't that far - it's the 80% FIR that stands out for me. That would be a great stat at any distance.

Exactly, wasn't really doubting 275, but I can't find any pro that hits 80%, let alone a scratch golfer, or a 5 or 10 'capper. And for the record, he said he's hitting 80% FIR at 275,

sometimes longer , which would make his average at least 275.

[sean_miller]

  max power said:

Exactly, wasn't really doubting 275, but I can't find any pro that hits 80%, let alone a scratch golfer, or a 5 or 10 'capper. And for the record, he said he's hitting 80% FIR at 275,

I think the shots in the fairway are only at 275 because they're 2-iron stingers.