Driver: low ball flight....need low kickpoint shaft?

[Kieran123]

Since I have owned this VR it has had low ball flight, now, after i cut the shaft, it is even lower.

I have tried teeing it up higher, placing the ball further up in my stance etc, no change ( or little )

When I go back to my old driver, it has a higher ball flight....

Do I need a new shaft with a lower kick point?

[Gerald]

If you cut a shaft it becomes stiffer and you will need more speed to get the ball up in the air, if the current setting is open, you will also have less then 9.5* making it still harder to get the ball up.

If you look at any Pro tournament ...... how high all these professional hit their drives....... it is not only teeing up higher, but you really have to hit balls in the upswing with the driver.

Besides that many people are looking for as less spin of a driver as possible, and it is not always the case that you hit the ball further with a really low spinrate....... maybe best is around 2750 rpm for a climbing longer in the air drive.

And the ball you play might also have a negative influence on ball flight ......

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by Gerald

If you cut a shaft it becomes stiffer and you will need more speed to get the ball up in the air, if the current setting is open, you will also have less then 9.5* making it still harder to get the ball up.

If you look at any Pro tournament ...... how high all these professional hit their drives....... it is not only teeing up higher, but you really have to hit balls in the upswing with the driver.

Besides that many people are looking for as less spin of a driver as possible, and it is not always the case that you hit the ball further with a really low spinrate....... maybe best is around 2750 rpm for a climbing longer in the air drive.

And the ball you play might also have a negative influence on ball flight ......

I have it set to neutral and I was hitting shitty range balls. I have hit friends stiff drivers, and none of them go near as low as mine ( even before I cut it )....maybe my shaft is stiffer than theirs? My swing speed ranges from 110-118, so I was told to go with a stiff shaft....should I go back to regular anyway? The ball goes straight, just low....sometimes only 10 feet off the ground...which obviously is killing distance

[Gerald]

10 ft. is really low, maybe you should have let your shop check the loft, maybe try a ball that takes more spin, be sure you hit the ball in the upswing, most people think they hit it in the upswing, but still actually hit it in the downswing...... the shaft seem nice for your ss, I might actually think you might need a stiffer shaft ...... and maybe the swingspeed is even reducing the loft.

[misty_mountainhop]

Originally Posted by Gerald

If you cut a shaft it becomes stiffer and you will need more speed to get the ball up in the air, if the current setting is open, you will also have less then 9.5* making it still harder to get the ball up.

Not necessarily. The butt end is the stiffest part of a shaft; cut that and it'll 'feel' softer....probably. Tip trim the shaft more than recommended or insert it too deep in the head and you'll get a harder feeling shaft through impact; may also get lower ball flight. Overall length plays into this as well; the longer the overall length when finished, the less stiff it'll play.

To the OP: which end did you cut?

Originally Posted by Kieran123

I have it set to neutral and I was hitting shitty range balls. I have hit friends stiff drivers, and none of them go near as low as mine ( even before I cut it )....maybe my shaft is stiffer than theirs? My swing speed ranges from 110-118, so I was told to go with a stiff shaft....should I go back to regular anyway? The ball goes straight, just low....sometimes only 10 feet off the ground...which obviously is killing distance

With respect, I'm not sure I buy the SS. That's very high. 10 feet in the air is extremely low; sounds like a partial thin. Are you making good contact? You may want a lower kickpoint shaft but that isn't going to be the main fix for the trajectory that you're describing.

Originally Posted by Gerald

10 ft. is really low, maybe you should have let your shop check the loft, maybe try a ball that takes more spin, be sure you hit the ball in the upswing, most people think they hit it in the upswing, but still actually hit it in the downswing...... the shaft seem nice for your ss, I might actually think you might need a stiffer shaft ...... and maybe the swingspeed is even reducing the loft.

Beware this obsession with hitting on the upswing. Not something to really aim for IMO.

[jamo]

Originally Posted by Kieran123

I have it set to neutral and I was hitting shitty range balls. I have hit friends stiff drivers, and none of them go near as low as mine ( even before I cut it )....maybe my shaft is stiffer than theirs? My swing speed ranges from 110-118, so I was told to go with a stiff shaft....should I go back to regular anyway? The ball goes straight, just low....sometimes only 10 feet off the ground...which obviously is killing distance

10 feet is extremely low. That's a topped golf ball, no doubt. Pros generally hit their drivers close to 90 feet. Or you were just exaggerating...

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by jamo

10 feet is extremely low. That's a topped golf ball, no doubt. Pros generally hit their drivers close to 90 feet. Or you were just exaggerating...

I swear it is not topped, it makes solid contact and goes straight and fast and does not have the topped trajectory a normal topped ball has. I have been using impact markers on the face, and they are centered ( obviously some off the top and heel etc with my handicap ) but I am definitely not topping the ball. The connection is solid, just really low. Not all of them are 10 feet, some are higher, but NONE of them are where they should be. My SS is based off a Golf Town simulator, so as far as accuracy goes, it is probably wrong, but that's all the info I have.

I had the shaft cut from the grip end.

I tee it up on the edge of the inside of my left foot, moving it further forward ( or back for that matter ) makes little/no difference.

I will get a video up in this thread hopefully tonight but would love some ideas to take to the range tonight.

[WUTiger]

Kickpoint = flexpoint = bend point

How kickpoint works can be confusing. All other things equal, a shaft with a low kickpoint helps launch the ball higher . A shaft with a high kickpoint helps launch the ball lower .

Last year or so, club design blogs tend to say that kickpoint has a minor influence on height.

http://www.tutelman.com/golf/design/shaft.php?ref=equip2golf#kickpoint

Also, as gerald said, a stiffer shaft will fly the ball lower than a more flexible shaft.

[Bastid]

10 feet off the ground AND you're making solid contact? Either you are playing with a 2.5 degree driver or you're not hanging back and releasing the club through. Hard to diagnose without actually seeing your swing, I would surmise that it's a combination of factors. You have the ball teed too low, you're playing it too far back in your stance, and you're trapping the ball like you would an iron, still with all these factors I don't know how make solid contact and the ball only goes 10 feet off the ground.

[Kieran123]

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/thread/44238/my-swing-kieran123#post_577450

There is my swing guys!

[tristanhilton85]

Originally Posted by Gerald

If you cut a shaft it becomes stiffer and you will need more speed to get the ball up in the air, if the current setting is open, you will also have less then 9.5* making it still harder to get the ball up.

If you look at any Pro tournament ...... how high all these professional hit their drives....... it is not only teeing up higher, but you really have to hit balls in the upswing with the driver.

Besides that many people are looking for as less spin of a driver as possible, and it is not always the case that you hit the ball further with a really low spinrate....... maybe best is around 2750 rpm for a climbing longer in the air drive.

And the ball you play might also have a negative influence on ball flight ......

My understanding always was that butt trimming a shaft did not change its stiffness, only tip trimming...

[bigbear43]

A higher kickpoint will have a low trajectory where as a low kick point will have a high trajectory. have you tried any other drivers out? more specifically a 10.5 degree driver. With your swing still flex is fine. imo how about a different ball?

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by tristanhilton85

My understanding always was that butt trimming a shaft did not change its stiffness, only tip trimming...

As shorter shaft becomes stiffer (simple) ..... hardly measurable of course, and the flexpoint relatively moves up higher aswell. If you cut it from the tip it also becomes stiffer, but then you lower the kickpoint somewhat. So shortening the shaft might do a few things, but most important is that you gain control.

Kieran123 problems are several and have nothing or less to do with his driver specs, but with a strong grip and closed stance, deliver sometimes a severe hook and the closed face means a even lower loft ..... maybe effectively only 5* orso.

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by Gerald

As shorter shaft becomes stiffer (simple) ..... hardly measurable of course, and the flexpoint relatively moves up higher aswell. If you cut it from the tip it also becomes stiffer, but then you lower the kickpoint somewhat. So shortening the shaft might do a few things, but most important is that you gain control.

Kieran123 problems are several and have nothing or less to do with his driver specs, but with a strong grip and closed stance, deliver sometimes a severe hook and the closed face means a even lower loft ..... maybe effectively only 5* orso.

Thank you, I think this may be the issue. I think I do have a closed stance and strong grip, so i am going to work on them and see what results I get from it.

I hope it works, I can't wait to get to the range and try it!

[bigbear43]

What distance are you getting off of your drives

[emenot]

If I was you, try using different balls first! Callaway are junk!  Original Pro V1 to my opinion is the best!  I also have good success with those neon yellow, white, orange and even pink balls.  They are softer balls and can grab the club face and spin a little higher to get up into the air.   Don't be shy try lady's ball you might be pleasantly surprise!

[Derek02]

Just came across this, and not sure if anyone will even see my comment now, but if you haven't fixed your problem yet I would suggest 3 simple things (2 of them are part of your setup with no swing thought involved).

1)  Stand closer to the ball with your hands low (arms almost vertical)

2)  Lean the shaft away from the ball at address (point butt of club at inner left thigh)

3)  Pinch your right arm against your side on the downswing

Just swing as you normally do while making sure to pinch your elbow into your side on the downswing.

I used to have a very low launch angle on my drives as well.  These changes have helped A LOT!

[boogielicious]

Kieran,

Get some impact tape and see where you are making contact.  Just had the same issue.  I was fitted for a different shaft and cut down to 44.5".  I was hitting it low.  I put the tape on and saw I was hitting below center.  For me, raising my ball height up just a bit improved launch significantly.  It could be that easy.