Another driver thread, sorry!

[binga7]

Okay so im not happy with my driving or my driver really.

I play the TM Burner 07 model, 9.5* stock 50g stiff shaft.

When all the moons line up it can look great, but i feel it could be better. As TM promote, it does just bomb it out there. My problem is im not sure whether i want the bomber flight or more penetrating flight. Obviously bombing it gets caught in the wind, so whats the positive???? Also what are the negatives of a lower/more piercing ball flight?

How did you choose to bomb or pierce?

[motteler621]

all the really long hitters ive seen hit the ball very high.

[CrazyXGolfer]

all the really long hitters ive seen hit the ball very high.

This is not a long drive comp..... :P

If you can also hit the stinger golf shot (low ball) there is no problem playing a high launch driver. Anyways this is how I see it, the longer the ball is in the air the more time it has to go offline. So I would said a low penetrating ball flight is better for a mid hapidcap like yourself. Even though im a 1 handicap im working with my golf coach to make my "stock" shot a low flat flight, even though that a huge change from my old stock shot a really high ball. Even if you can if you get somthing that sends the ball out lower, you still should learn how to make the ball fly high aswell. It's up to you, go tests some clubs out on the launch mointer and gets the spin rates and launch angles good and you should be much happier!

[Shanks A Million]

Okay so im not happy with my driving or my driver really.

Taylor Made's drivers they sell to the general public are high spin heads, which balloon into the wind. You can add some lead tape to the top of the driver, which will bring the COG up higher, and give you a more piercing ballflight at the expense of some forgiveness. Generally speaking though, you want a higher ballflight. I hit my driver about 100 feet in the air, which is around the average for a tour player as well. High is good. High spin is not.

[walfice]

I got a new driver a couple months ago and decided I wanted a higher flight. The advantages of a higher flight for me are more carry which allows you to sometimes cut over a corner of a dog leg hole, carry fairway bunkers etc. Also, too much run can get you into trouble sometimes, especially when the fairways are dry and firm. Think about the ideal tee shot required on your home course. If I played in strong winds most of the time I would have gone with a lower launching driver.

[chilly]

In general, longer hitters I've seen hit the ball high...ball flying through the air is meeting less resistance then running on the ground.

Pros to High Ball flight:
Increased distance
Distance independent of condition of the fairway
Not effected as much by tilted fairway or "bad bounces" while running out
Can "place" the ball where needed (less runout lets you drop the ball in position say when you cut a dogleg and need it to stop before running through a fairway, also lets you carry fairway bunkers instead of possibly running through them)
Can cut corner on a dogleg over trees
Great when hitting downwind

Cons to High Ball flight:
May let a bad slice/hook carry further offline
Decreased distance hitting into wind
Take less advantage of firm fairways

Pretty much flip around logic for pros/cons of low ball flight.

[binga7]

This is not a long drive comp..... :P

How do you hit the low stinger with the same driver. Assume it would involve putting the ball further back in stance somewhat?

[James_Black]

How do you hit the low stinger with the same driver. Assume it would involve putting the ball further back in stance somewhat?

tee height.

Putting it in the back of your stance is bad..... It's because you to hit down on the ball and well you don't really want to do that with a driver.

[golfro]

How do you hit the low stinger with the same driver. Assume it would involve putting the ball further back in stance somewhat?

i wouldn't suggest putting it further back. like James Black said, causes you to hit down on the ball which can cause high back spin, which thus causes ballooning

[Shanks A Million]

tee height.

Nearly every good player hits down on their driver. It's a flat out lie that they hit up. Putting it back in the stance to hit it low is a perfectly acceptable thing to do, granted you understand you can hook it badly from there.

[James_Black]

Nearly every good player hits down on their driver. It's a flat out lie that they hit up. Putting it back in the stance to hit it low is a perfectly acceptable thing to do, granted you understand you can hook it badly from there.

I never said they hit up.

There's different levels of hitting down on the ball, pro's are hitting the ball at a very shallow angle. Yes it's still hitting down on the ball, but not by much. If you put it in the back of your stance you're going to chop down on the ball and then things start going downhill.

[binga7]

i have seen first hand what having the ball too far back for the driver can do. technically speaking wouldnt lowering tee height make you hit lower on the club? is this how you do it?

the burner really does wanna get that ball straight up from my experience. i guess i dont live in a valley with gusting winds, just played in a gale last week and started doubting myself. hard enough keeping it straight without the wind having its say.

[CrazyXGolfer]

Well maybe get a golf coach to teach you the shot. But ill try my best to explain it, the ball is still in the same position, same backswing, but in through inpact I have the feel that the shaft is ahead of the golf ball and my body is all the way ahead, shoulders must stay square or you will snap hook the ball. In the follow though, it's easyer if you fold up the club has it puts less stress on your back, unfortunatly, due to a shoulder injury I can not do this, but if you can I would sugest you do.

[Shanks A Million]

I never said they hit up.

That's true for mid to high handicaps, but not for most pros and low handicaps.

Generally speaking, the better a player, the more flat area they have at the bottom of their swing. What makes a consistent ballstriker a consistent ballstriker is their room for error. The best ballstrikers have about 18" of room at the bottom of their swings in which they can hit a ball. Higher handicappers have more like 6" of room to hit the ball. Why that matters, is that during this phase, a higher handicappers' club is moving more, yawing from open to closed, and pitching from down to up. In the 6" of the high cappers swing, the club goes from pointing well down to the ground to pointing way up to the sky. In the pro's swing, the club is going from just a few degrees down to a few degrees up. The flat spot is generated by the proper technique of the hands moving up while the club unhinges down. The two motions cancel eachother out for a period of time, and the club is litteraly just skimming the ground. A higher handicapper will flip the club, and when the club flips, the moment of impact must be precise. If those conditions exist, placing the ball anywhere but the center of that hitting area will be tough. If you look at a pro in slow motion, pay attention to how long the club stays right near the ground. From 0:42 - 0:43 in the first video, you can see it clearly. In the second video, at 0:19 and 0:20, he's hitting a stinger, so he intentionally makes that arc more narrow to hit the ball a bit more with the bottom of the club.