12° Driver?

[paininthenuts]

I presently use a 10.5* Taylormade driver, and on a good day I can use it very well. Unfortunately good days are no more than 50% of the time. I know all the theory, and on the driving range I can hit straight drive after straight drive. I am not talking about distance, I am talking about keeping the ball on the fairway. I find that after hitting a wayward drive, I have to play catch up, and will indefinitely play at least one additional shot. Over a round, poor driving quite often costs me 10 shots. I am toying with the idea of buying a 12* driver in the hope I get more accuracy, even if it costs me a few yards. Has anyone tried this ? 

[chilepepper]

For myself I went the other direction. Went to a 9.5 on a whim and gained yards. Accuracy didn't suffer. What I also did was move the ball further forward in my stance to make sure I was hitting up on the ball and not sweeping or hitting down. . 

[TourSpoon]

Callaway Golf used to make a club called the "Duece" that was a 12* 2 wood. I had a friend that was a club pro that used it as his primary driving club. It was more forgiving especially on tight holes and he always kept it in play. The 12* driver just has a slightly longer shaft and I don't think the distance lost is that significant over a 10.5* set-up especially if you are playing from the fairway more often. 

[imsys0042]

I went from 9.5 to 11 to 12 and have not lost any distance.  At 12 I can bomb the ball.  Personally I don't find bumping my driver to 12 affected my ability to find the fairway.  It's all about launching more optimally.  

If you want to go this route then maybe it's the shorter shaft which might help for more control?   Maybe try choking down on the driver you have a bit?   I do that a lot for when I need to hit further than a 3-wood but can run out of room with a full driver. 

Regardless.  If you are going to carry a driver I would base the loft on optimizing launch angle.  I notice no difference in hitting fairways between my 9.5, 11 and 12 lofts.  The 12 loft just gives me what my pro considers an optimal arc thru the air. 

[arturo28mx]

In general a 12 degree driver will produce more backspin and this helps keep the ball straight. It works for me. Distance loss is marginal. 

[iacas]

11 minutes ago, arturo28mx said:

In general a 12 degree driver will produce more backspin and this helps keep the ball straight. It works for me. Distance loss is marginal. 

It's got more to do with how easily you can tilt the spin axis. Colloquially, "more backspin reduces curve" is fine, but if you're curious about what this really means…

 

[Buckeyebowman]

On 10/16/2016 at 7:31 PM, imsys0042 said:

I went from 9.5 to 11 to 12 and have not lost any distance.  At 12 I can bomb the ball.  Personally I don't find bumping my driver to 12 affected my ability to find the fairway.  It's all about launching more optimally.  

If you want to go this route then maybe it's the shorter shaft which might help for more control?   Maybe try choking down on the driver you have a bit?   I do that a lot for when I need to hit further than a 3-wood but can run out of room with a full driver. 

Regardless.  If you are going to carry a driver I would base the loft on optimizing launch angle.  I notice no difference in hitting fairways between my 9.5, 11 and 12 lofts.  The 12 loft just gives me what my pro considers an optimal arc thru the air. 

Doesn't surprise me in the least. Here's a simple experiment you can do. Take your garden hose with the pistol grip squirty thing set to "jet" or "full". Turn the spigot on full blast and hold the thing at an angle that gives you the most distance. Then turn the spigot down by degrees until it's hitting about 3/4 of the way from where it was. Then tilt the squirter upward. In other words, increase your "launch angle". What happens? The water hits further out than it did before you increased your launch angle!

This mimics the loss of ball speed suffered by many older players, and illustrates why they need a higher launch angle. Another aspect of clubhead speed that is often ignored is that it creates higher ball flight in and of itself. So, with less clubhead speed and lower lofts, the older player can lose in two ways!

Let's face it. Even though there is "air resistance" it's a lot less resistance than what the ball faces on the ground! And you're not going to get good distance with Drivers hitting the ground 190 out!

Edited October 19, 2016 by Buckeyebowman

[Joey G]

I definitely find more fairways with my 12* than I ever did with a 9*-10.5*. I'm able to control my chronic slice better and occasionally even hook a ball to the left.

At first I carried my old 10.5* and the 12* both to the range, even when I hit the 10.5* well there was no real distance loss with the 12* but in my case, the consistancy in accuracy was very noticeable. 

Only driver I've ever been able to hit where I want it to go. May not be my last driver but my next one with be a 12* too.

[Mr. Desmond]

You did not describe your ball flight - high, low, mid? 

I went to a 44.5 inch driver length in June and that has helped keep the ball in play while not losing distance - works for some, not for others. Good luck.

[boogielicious]

7 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Doesn't surprise me in the least. Here's a simple experiment you can do. Take your garden hose with the pistol grip squirty thing set to "jet" or "full". Turn the spigot on full blast and hold the thing at an angle that gives you the most distance. Then turn the spigot down by degrees until it's hitting about 3/4 of the way from where it was. Then tilt the squirter upward. In other words, increase your "launch angle". What happens? The water hits further out than it did before you increased your launch angle!

This mimics the loss of ball speed suffered by many older players, and illustrates why they need a higher launch angle. Another aspect of clubhead speed that is often ignored is that it creates higher ball flight in and of itself. So, with less clubhead speed and lower lofts, the older player can lose in two ways!

Let's face it. Even though there is "air resistance" it's a lot less resistance than what the ball faces on the ground! And you're not going to get good distance with Drivers hitting the ground 190 out!

Nice analogy.

I switched to a 12 degree several years ago.

[RussUK]

I played a 12 degree driver for a few years but it just seemed to balloon on me. I Changed to at 10.5 Ping G5 with a stiff shaft and im hitting it better than ever. It could be that my swing speed has increased or something but, at the end of the day, all that counts is the end result.

[Hacker James]

with today's club designs, 460cc heads, longer shafts, the "norm" has changed somewhat. 10.5 is more or less a starting point and you "loft up" from there (Taylor Made marketing when SLDR came out). Back in the days of smaller head size, the better players would use 8-9 degrees of loft (Titleist 975/976).  Balls are different as well permitting higher launch, less spin  (to a point of diminishing return). 12 degree drivers are more common place than they once were.  Taylor Made's mini driver, marketed as a driver than can double as a fairway wood. I have a Wilson Ultra 12 with a Gem shaft that is fairly accurate, but a little "anemic" feeling. I would wager that has more to do with the shaft than anything Since then I have switched to an Orlimar Hip Ti 340cc, 10.5 deg loft. It feels "meatier". 

[Aflighter]

When I hit anything with that loft I pull them bad or hook em to the left.Big reason  dont hit a 3 wood cause I cant hit it straight.

[Buckeyebowman]

9 hours ago, RussUK said:

I played a 12 degree driver for a few years but it just seemed to balloon on me. I Changed to at 10.5 Ping G5 with a stiff shaft and im hitting it better than ever. It could be that my swing speed has increased or something but, at the end of the day, all that counts is the end result.

And that's a big part of it. Everybody has to analyze their own game. But most older players would benefit from getting a little more air under their tee shots.

If you can get to a pro tourney, look at how high those guys launch their tee shots. It's amazing!

[mcanadiens]

Had a bit of experience with driver lofts this year.

I snapped a shaft on my usual driver, a 10.5. The best (cheapest) emergency 1W I could find was a 9.5. On my best swings, the distance was 10-20 yards longer than anything I'd hit with the gamer. On the downside, the mishits were vicious. Instead of merely being in the rough, I was in the trees, water or off the property altogether.

Unfortunately, this time span included the TST trip to Norwalk. It was a struggle that morning to be sure.

[paininthenuts]

The Benross rep had a day at my club recently where we could try out the various clubs on the driving range. I had never used a 9* driver before so he lent me one. For love nor money I could not get the ball to go straight. I am already struggling with a 10.5*, and this is what led me to ask about the 12*

[Jeremie Boop]

As high as I hit my current 9* driver a 12* driver just wouldn't make sense. I do, however, see how it could be useful for others. This is why getting fit is important.

[IndianaDundee]

I think in order to truly understand the change of loft on your distance you must be comparing apples to apples.  It can be easy to pick up a different driver in a different loft and blame the loft for the change in accuracy and distance when the more forgiving face, shorter shaft with less torque and lower kick point that is making the desired change.  If you have an adjustable driver that you hit well then you can truly dial in the correct loft.  

Now with all that said, with a higher loft and a fast swing speed you lose little yardage, gain more backline, and reduce sidespin.  All of these changes are small in the 4 degree range between a 8 degree and 12 degree driver.  As my swing has changed over the years I went from a 10 degree driver to a 9 then a 9.5 and currently have a 12.  Each time was a different brand, design, and shaft but the first three changes brought both more distance and accuracy.  When I got injured and lost a great deal of swing speed I found more accuracy and distance from my 12 degree.