Started playing this year, thinking about a lower lofted driver

[madolive3]

Hello, New member, first post I hope it's a good one. I am 49 years old and I caught the disease this past summer and I have been putting alot of time in at the ranges and on the course. My swing speed is between 100 and 108 and I hit the ball 240 to 260 with the roll. My swing is very repeatable I am getting so that most of my drives are on or very near the fairway.  I,  like everyone else would like a little more distance from my driver. I am currently using a 10.5  Razr Fit with the stock stiff  shaft and the face set to square.

I had my swing analyzed but that was before I developed my current swing.

I have noticed that the 13 loft on my 3 wood carries 30 yards farther than the 19 loft of my 5 wood.

Has anyone reading this tried changing Drivers to a lower loft? what were the results?  Thanks...Bill

[SAGolfLuvr]

If you have a Golfsmith in your town or a Golf Galaxy or even an Edwin Watts, I would suggest you visit them and hit thier used drivers with lower lofts and different shaft flexes. Make sure to check how long the clubs are because people experiment then trade them in. Dick's and Academy Sports have hitting cages these days but I don't think their selection of Demo clubs will be sufficient for you. Good Luck.

[saevel25]

Depends on the player,

If you have a slower swing speed, then higher lofts help the ball stay in the air more, maximizing carry.

If you have a higher swing speed, then lower lofts will decrease spin and help prevent against ballooning effect.

Just go to a golf store and get fitted. They'll try different golf shafts, brands, and lofts. It really helps.

[John S]

The best way to tell is to get fitted on a launch monitor for optimum loft for your particular swing. That way you can measure ball spin, launch angle, etc and tune them in to optimal numbers. Otherwise you are really just guessing.

[WUTiger]

Originally Posted by John S

The best way to tell is to get fitted on a launch monitor for optimum loft for your particular swing. That way you can measure ball spin, launch angle, etc and tune them in to optimal numbers. Otherwise you are really just guessing.

As John S advises, get fitted on a launch monitor to see which head + shaft combo gives you the best results. You might also get a ball fitting at the same time.

In 2011, Lee Westwood was featured in "What's In My Bag" in Golf Digest . At the time, he carried a Ping G15 driver with an 11 ° loft.

"The loft gives me more spin to shape shots," he noted.

Don't automatically assume a lower lofted driver will carry the ball farther.