Thinking of switching to a 12-13* driver........ thoughts?

[Bullitt5339]

I know, I know..... Go get fitted and let them tell me what loft I need. But my situation and thought behind swapping: I have major back and pelvic issues that are effecting my swing speed and ball flight with the driver significantly. 5 years ago, I was playing a 9* stiff shafted driver and hitting the ball nice and high and had a swing speed of 105mph and my handicap was around a 10. 2 years ago, I switched to a 10.5* driver with a mid/high launch shaft to recover some height in my drives after my swing speed slowed to 98mph. The swap maintained at least my ability to hit the ball 230-240 yards. My handicap slipped to a 15 though. Fast forward to now: I still have the same driver, same awesome shaft, but have started to hit the ball very low this year. Mainly because of my driving, my handicap has slipped to a 20 on the last recalculation. My great drives are dead straight/slight draw but never come more than 15ft off the ground, carry 190 yards, but roll out a long distance depending on how firm the fairways are. My launch angle on the monitor is around 7-8* with a 10.5*driver. Swing speed is around 94mph now. When I have a forced carry and try to force myself to hit the ball high, I get a huge slice, but I can force it to go high, although it does give me some pain in doing so, which I would assume is related to the motions I have to make to get the ball up in the air. My immediate reaction after this did not correct itself after a few months was to go get a few lessons. I was doing a few things fundamentally wrong, which helped the slice a bit, but when I put a great swing on the ball that doesn't hurt my back and doesn't slice, it's a low bullet. I can consistantly hit low bullets all day that go perfectly straight, but unfortunately, I'm just not getting any yardage out of them most of the time, especially when the fairways are soft. So I'm happy with my direction but not the angle. I have tried 2 different instructors to help me get the ball back up in the air off the tee, but it seems that using my current equipment and my back problems that it is impossible. footnotes: I need to be able to play pain free. I can hit a straight shot with good velocity off the tee. I cannot get the height I need in order to get a good carry. I am thinking of swapping to a 12 or 13 degree driver (buying a used one at first just to try) in order to get my launch angle up a bit. I'm not looking to hit 300 yard drives, I'm just looking to be able to hit driver instead of a 3 or 7 Wood for a forced carry. It seems that I can hit my driver only 10-15 yards further than my 7 Wood if the fairways are soft. The 7 Wood actually carries about the same distance, just no roll-out. Good idea? Thoughts?

[Strike One]

Why not go to the more lofted driver? You don't keep the same eyeglasses if your vision changes. You just need a new prescription for your driver.

[Mr. Desmond]

I use an Adams 9088 UL 12.5 (on sale now at 50% off - $150 in places) and an aftermarket Fuji Blur 55 (mid-kick) shaft at 45 inches. On a LM, I found the combo to give me 7 more mph than a TM Superfast 2.0 stock setup in their 13 degree. There might be something to the head aerodynamics, weight, and ultra-lite shafts.  I think the Fuji tries to keep the flight down but the ball does get up there. The Blur Red will launch higher according to Fuji.

A ball with more spin may also help.

Good luck.

[marengo]

I recently picked up an R11s 12* driver and it works great for me. I have it set on the high loft setting making it 13.5. I have a as of about 93 and can get it up to 95-96 if I remember to loosen up a bit. I typically average about 225 to 230 and end up around 250-260. I used to use a 10.5 Supertri and the new driver is straighter and about 10 yards longer. It's pretty fun hitting it by other people when it technically has a 3 wood loft.

[meenman]

Buy an adjustable, that way you can play at 12 degrees and adjust if your swing changes

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by meenman

Buy an adjustable, that way you can play at 12 degrees and adjust if your swing changes

I second this.  As non-pros without the luxury of having free drivers thrown your way weekly, if you want them, it makes a lot of sense to get fitted* for something adjustable so you can tweak it as your swing progesses.

*You definitely need to find a clubhead and shaft that work for you too, but there are so many adjustable options out there now, you should be able to find one with adjustable lofts pretty easily.

[shiny]

I switched to a Ping G15 13.5 degree driver and have never looked back.

[saevel25]

go get fitted, they can easily go through a range of lofts, find were your maximizing distance. I am all for going for lowest loft possible, just because i produce crazy spin, and anything higher than a 10 will baloon and loose distance.

[boogielicious]

I changed my Titleist 910D to a 12deg  head.  Much better control for me.  I had the 10.5 at the top of adjustment.  I sold the 10.5 and found the 12 on E-bay.  I was fitted with my 10.5 but I was still hitting too low.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

I changed my Titleist 910D to a 12deg  head.  Much better control for me.  I had the 10.5 at the top of adjustment.  I sold the 10.5 and found the 12 on E-bay.  I was fitted with my 10.5 but I was still hitting too low.

Which shaft is working for you in that 910 head at 12 deg?