Low trajectory with Driver

[golfbarefoot]

I have always been a good ballstriker, always been "low ball" flight hitter too. As my handicap has gotten continued to lower, my ball flight has climbed with all clubs...except the driver. It is somewhat of a medium to low trajectory. I continue to score well, however I cannot help but notice that my driver ball flight always looks so much lower than everyone in my group...always.. what can I do to experiment in the off season and get a little more height on the tee shot. I have considered moving to a 10.5...but come on 1 degree?

[neudi]

Believe it or not, the shaft might do more with the height problem than going up a degree.

[golfbarefoot]

In what regard could it be the shaft and how would I rectify? thanks

[JonnyGolf]

If you're using a stiff shaft, then you might not be getting the height or distance you're looking for. Bring your driver into any golf shop with a launch monitor to compare.

The alternative is that you can always "tee it high and let it fly". Stick on a 3.5 inch tee.

[Gapwedge]

I have always been a good ballstriker, always been "low ball" flight hitter too. As my handicap has gotten continued to lower, my ball flight has climbed with all clubs...except the driver. It is somewhat of a medium to low trajectory. I continue to score well, however I cannot help but notice that my driver ball flight always looks so much lower than everyone in my group...always.. what can I do to experiment in the off season and get a little more height on the tee shot. I have considered moving to a 10.5...but come on 1 degree?

I changed from a 9 degree head to a 10.5 degree PING G5 driver head and my launch angle increased from 11 to 13. Made a big difference. A Vector Swing Analyzer can easily help you with that. The shaft remained the same, the Aldila NV65-Stiff. My carry has increased 10 yards. My swing speed is 107. Hope that helps.

[kehanra99]

I have the opposite problem. My drive tends to be too high. I've seen recently that I hit the ball too high up on the driver head...sometimes leaving a small part of the ball mark on the top of the driver head. Any idea what the heck I'm doing now that's started this trend?

[andre112]

I have the opposite problem. My drive tends to be too high. I've seen recently that I hit the ball too high up on the driver head...sometimes leaving a small part of the ball mark on the top of the driver head. Any idea what the heck I'm doing now that's started this trend?

you can check your tee height and ball position.

i was playing around with the ball position and found if i place the ball inside of my left heel, i hit very high on the club face; the same tee height but placed in at my left toe, i hit closer to the center of the club face. i know it has to do with the arc of my swing.

[Gapwedge]

I have the opposite problem. My drive tends to be too high. I've seen recently that I hit the ball too high up on the driver head...sometimes leaving a small part of the ball mark on the top of the driver head. Any idea what the heck I'm doing now that's started this trend?

It is hard to tee the ball too high if you are using a 460cc head, but it is possible.

Most of the time it is a too steep path into the ball at the point of impact (ie. hitting down on the ball). Try taking the club back on the takeaway a little lower to the ground and little longer arc back. This invites a better swingpath on the downswing and you will tend to sweep the ball off the tee hitting the ball further down on the club face. A slightly wider stance to where your feet are at least shoulder width or more will help the shallower swingpath as well. Ball position is also important. Experiment where you place it beginning with the left heel then out more toward the toes. This should help.

[ChvyKc]

I've got the exact opposite problems as well. My ball flight seems to balloon and I get no roll at the end of my drives.

I posted my question in this thread:

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9300

Apparently a shaft with a lower kick point will cause more spin and a higher launch angle and the exact opposite is true for a shaft that has a high kick point. There are a lot of factors that determine launch angle including ball position in your stance, kick point on the shaft and the loft on your driver.

The best thing to do is to get on a swing monitor and let a club maker tell you what he thinks.

[Tomboys]

I have always been a good ballstriker, always been "low ball" flight hitter too. As my handicap has gotten continued to lower, my ball flight has climbed with all clubs...except the driver. It is somewhat of a medium to low trajectory. I continue to score well, however I cannot help but notice that my driver ball flight always looks so much lower than everyone in my group...always.. what can I do to experiment in the off season and get a little more height on the tee shot. I have considered moving to a 10.5...but come on 1 degree?

Believe it or not, 1* on the driver makes quite a bit of difference. It sounds like you have a shallow angle of attack on your swing, so you're probably more of a sweeper than a digger. The general rule is that sweepers tend to require a little more loft on their drivers than their digger counterparts (and sometimes a slightly more flexible shaft). Many people think that a higher lofted driver is only for a weaker player. Don't fall for that misconception. Vijay Singh used to have a flat / laid off swing (he's currently reworking his swing to be more up-right) and he used a 10 or 10.5* (not sure which one) driver during a few tournaments last year. I wouldn't call him a "weak" hitter.

Lastly, I noticed that you have the V2 shaft in your driver. I used that shaft in my 905R (9.5*) for a few months and my drives tended to be on the lower side. I think the weight and tip stiffness caused me to have a lower launch angle. I switched to the Aldila NV-65, which is a little lighter and maybe has a softer tip than the V2. Regardless, that shaft brought my ball flight up to the med-high trajectory that I was looking for. I would recommend trying a club with the same loft with either the Aldila 65 or YS-6+ shaft. If you really like the current shaft that you have, then I would try it with 1* more loft. Good luck, DT

[New Guy]

Ball position can help out with the trajectory, move it up a bit and catch more on the upswing and that should increase it a little.

Mind you that a bit could mean a half an inch to an inch depending on your swing consistency. With my 8.5* I can still get pretty good height and carry by adjusting the ball position. Today around 250 yards at the range (at sea level and 45 degree temps).