Driver loft size...difference between 8.5* - 11.5*

[cody west]

What!

ok you could read the rest of my posts and figure out that im just trying to make the point that the ball needs to get up into the air

[trumpetgolf]

what are you basing this on. in reality most average golfers hit their 3 wood farther than their driver because they cant get their driver in the air enough, at least thats what golf digest said. the problem with most people is they play for to much roll. i would really like to see where you are getting this idea that hitting the ball low goes farther than a ball with a good ball flight, and we both know 8.5 wont give the average golfer a good ball flight. there was actually an article i remember reading last year about how some companies were putting down lower degrees then the drivers actually were so people could satisfy their ego and still hit the ball in the air without knowing it. why would companies do this if higher lofts (obviously within reason) didn't give you more distance?

I'm basing it on physics...what are you basing it on?

People hit their 3 wood farther because they make better contact? Given the same quality of contact the driver will go farther, otherwise a 3 wood be used as a driver... I'm getting the idea that hitting the ball at an optimal angle in the real world goes the farthest...a good ball flight. i don't know where you're getting the idea that a good ball flight is as high as you can hit it. Again, I didn't say 8.5 would be his optimal clubhead but it could be.

[cody west]

I'm basing it on physics...what are you basing it on?

im basing it on kinematic formulas and what iv read. im pretty sure the people that write golf digest would know better than you or i but in reality what iv been trying to say is the ball will travel farther in the air than it does on the ground because the coefficient of the friction force of air is less than the coefficient of friction of grass and for some reason your disagreeing with that

[trumpetgolf]

im basing it on kinematic formulas and what iv read. im pretty sure the people that write golf digest would know better than you or i but in reality what iv been trying to say is the ball will travel farther in the air than it does on the ground because the coefficient of the friction force of air is less than the coefficient of friction of grass and for some reason your disagreeing with that

how about you try reading all of my posts and youll understand why what you just said is crazy wrong?

why would i know better than journalists who write golf digests? because ive studied physics and math?

[cody west]

how about you try reading all of my posts and youll understand why what you just said is crazy wrong.

what im saying is that you should get the ball in the air for the most distance possible because there is less friction there. i would like to know why you disagree with that

[mutadayen]

I cant speak for launch angles and all other things, but I disagree that a higher degree driver will go further than a lower degree driver. I went from a 10 degree driver several years back to a 9.5 the last two years (with a stiff shaft), to an 8.5 degree with an x-stiff shaft this year and my ball flight is still high and I average roughly 275 yards, which was the same as my 9.5 degree. The main difference with my driver is that I actually feel I can control it more now and hit more predictable shots. Im not sure if its the head, the shaft, or a combination, but its working for me. I'd stick with the suggestion of getting fitted for your style and getting whatever combo you feel comfortable with.

And on a personal note, I dont find an 8.5 degree driver harder to hit at all. A lot of people said it would be, but im finding the complete opposite. Find what suits you and stick with it...

[sean_miller]

Holy thread jacking

Maybe, but interesting nonetheless.

@ the OP. I've used 8, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, and even a 12 degree driver. It really is shaft dependant. My 9.5 Callaway Hawkeye with Tour Stiff shaft goes much lower than you'd think. I can hit my current 10.5 high or low so that's good for me. I can hit my 15 degree 3-wood pretty low if I set up for it too, so you really just have to experiment and find your own right combination.

[trumpetgolf]

I swear, I didn't intend to jack it! It just happened!

Moral of the Story: Try different equipment and pick what works best!

[jamo]

What!

The lack of lift has nothing to do with a lack of spin, just that a ball without dimples doesn't "grab" the air. A ball with no dimples creates turbulence behind the ball, slowing it down while a ball with dimples makes a smaller area of turbulence. Then the spin of the ball forces that high pressure turbulence down, which (because objects move from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure) causes lift.

Here is a decent picture of it, but it doesn't explain spin. If you read Newton on the Tee , it has some really good diagrams that show this perfectly.

im basing it on kinematic formulas and what iv read. im pretty sure the people that write golf digest would know better than you or i but in reality what iv been trying to say is the ball will travel farther in the air than it does on the ground because the coefficient of the friction force of air is less than the coefficient of friction of grass and for some reason your disagreeing with that

And the kinematics equations don't work in this circumstance, because they do not take into account spin and air resistance. If you are launching the ball at 8 degrees, going to a higher loft will help you, but if you are launching the ball at 25 degrees, going to a higher loft will hurt you. It depends a lot on spin, but I believe the ideal launch angle is 14-16 degrees, IIRC.

[nuck81]

Why not just tee it up and hit the hell out of it?

[Stretch]

Why not just tee it up and hit the hell out of it?

Because then you're usually punching a four iron out under a tree in the general direction of the green? Maybe that's just me.

[Crey23]

I think is this thread had happened in person, beer would have been splashed!!!

Folks chill out....read an opinion digest it, then reply! Way too hot " handed" to answer. Sheeesh!!!!

Back to the OP....the basic level of understanding is the following:

• Lower loft will generate more side spin. This is great for Tour and experienced players bcs it allows "playability" Vs. forgiveness.
• The higher the loft, the less amount of side spin, thus more forgiving miss-hits
• Shafts plays a bigger role in launch angles than loft. You can basically keep your 11.5* loft and go with a high kick-point an get more launch than a low kick-point.
• Ball used...the ball may you are using may have a tendency to fly high, try some of the low boring flight type balls
• Finally...Ball position and tee height affect the launch angle and distance tremendously.

There is far too many possible combination of factors that affect launch angle not just loft.

Go out and try a few different combinations, and you will find what suits your best!

[Gilly]

Moral of the Story: Try different equipment and pick what works best!

+1

Holy crap! At this point, someone call NASA.

[Shanks A Million]

The lack of lift has nothing to do with a lack of spin, just that a ball without dimples doesn't "grab" the air. A ball with no dimples creates turbulence behind the ball, slowing it down while a ball with dimples makes a smaller area of turbulence. Then the spin of the ball forces that high pressure turbulence down, which (because objects move from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure) causes lift.

Actually, the dimples

create the turbulence. The turbulence allows the air to get back behind the ball faster, because it breaks the laminar boundary layer. But let me take a step back... A ball with no dimples will perform just like a ball with dimples, but there's a major difference. The smooth sphere must travel about two hundred miles an hour just to overcome the Reynolds number to break the laminar boundary into a turbulent one. The Reynolds number is important because it's the speed at which flow must be for the air or water to break into turbulence. If you turn on the sink, you'll notice the flow is perfectly smooth, until a certain point, when it becomes turbulent. It becomes turbulent because the speed of flow has overcome the Reynolds number. Dimples are rougher, so they make the air more turbulent at lower speeds. The Reynolds number, therefore, is lowered to the point that it's overcome at about 30 mph with a golf ball. The spin also plays a role. The Magnus effect is responsible for this one. A rotating object's surface will have greater viscosity on one side, and lower on another. Backspin generates lift because the ball has lower pressure above the ball, and higher below it, so it climbs (moves toward the lower pressure). Sidespin does the same thing, but to the side.

[kurisu]

Actually, the dimples

That kind of reply is why I love this board

[tws1098]

That kind of reply is why I love this board

lol I agree

[jamo]

Actually, the dimples

You're right, my bad I got the two mixed up. The dimples create turbulence that hugs the golf ball and eliminates the low pressure area behind the ball that a ball with no dimples would create.

[sean_miller]

That kind of reply is why I love this board

I'm not sure if reading Shanks' reply made me feel smarter or dumber. Probably the latter.