Driver's loft

[King Norre]

the lower the loft the more sidespin you are going to have and the higher the loft the less sidespin

And how does this affect the ball flight? I always thought that more loft would produce more ball height. Isn't that why a SW gives more ball height than a 7i ?

[JaY_B]

And how does this affect the ball flight? I always thought that more loft would produce more ball height. Isn't that why a SW gives more ball height than a 7i ?

The loft on the club face is what creates the launch angle of the golf ball, the spin of the golf ball is caused by the shaft, the more spin you get on a golf ball the higher it goes, and less spin = lower ball flight, this is exagerated for the driver as the ball does not stay on the club face as long as it would on an iron.

Irons work different than the driver as they travel a shorter distance, and are generally hit with a descending blow, its the strike, and the ball moving up the face of the golf club that creates height and spin, so for irons, yes the loft does effect height of the golf ball, but for the driver, its a mix of both the club face loft and the shaft.

[neudi]

And how does this affect the ball flight? I always thought that more loft would produce more ball height. Isn't that why a SW gives more ball height than a 7i ?

Obviously a SW will get higher because the sandwedge is a 56 degree where as the 7i is only a 34 degree or so, your talking about 22 degrees, but you don't notice much of a difference between your 3 and 4 iron do you? and that is 3 degrees where as if you change the loft of your driver you will usually go 1 or 2 degrees. So if you want to buy a driver that is 20° go right ahead, or you can buy a shaft that is fit for you that allows you to get the ball up in the air.

[lehighkid]

When I first started playing I used 10.5 but as I got accustomed to my swing I have switched to 9.5 Titleist 983K and now a 9.5 TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad and have no plans to change from 9.5.

[obsessedgolfer]

on your signature it says that you play cleveland so if you are buying a new dreiver you can get a great pridce on the hibore xl

[packerfan1]

Titleist 983K 11.5* loft.

The loft has really helped the distance and acuracy of my drives, especially compared to my TM 580XD which was 9.5 loft.

[bwgolfer]

I can't vote because this season I'll be using 2 drivers. One is 9* and the other is a 12*. I will be using the 9* for position, I can hit it very straight pretty much where I want but it doesn't fly as far but rolls out. The 12* I'm going to use for long carry holes. I've always been most comfortable with a driver in my hands rather than a 3 wood, plus I carry a 16* utility for 230 to 240 shots....bwgolfer

[HackinSB]

11 degree in the bag and 9.5 on stand by (when I'm out by myself, they are both in the bag).

[Jeepthrills]

I am 9.5 and don't plan on changing anytime soon. About 10 years ago I bought the original Burner Bubble. It was a 9.5 and I hit it very high. I would get a ton of carry (275-300+) and no roll. It was not unusual for my ball to land and actuall hop back a yard or two. Unfortunately this lead me on a long and fruitless trip down the loft progression. I decided that if I lowered my loft I could get more roll at the end and easily get them out 300+. This was also about the time TaylorMade came out with the TiBubble II. I also read an article that said the titanium drivers tended to launch the ball higher so I figured I should go to 8.5 or lower. Dumb move.

I had a gift certificate to a local golf shop and went looking for a driver. I was checking out their used bin, as the new were still in the $300 range. I ended up with a 7.5 TiBubble II Tour Forged. It had a sweet spot the size of a pea. I sold my 9.5 in a garage sale and started playing the 7.5. It was a total disaster. I lost 30 yards on off center hits. I started slicing worse than I had in a couple years and my confidence with the driver was gone.

The following year Nike came out with their first driver. I wanted it, but there was no way the $400 price tag fit my budget. The day before Father's Day my client gave me a $300 check. Golfsmith was also offering 50% than their list on trade ins. I ended up getting $96 for my TaylorMade. Not bad as I had only paid $150. I ended up only paying about $30 out of my own pocket for an 8.0 degree Nike Forged Titanium driver. I hit it about 10 times into a net and took it. Unfortunately it was only available in 8, 9.5 and 10.5 at the time. I played the next day in our Father's Day scramble and hit it great. It was likely the newness factor because I never hit it as consistently as I did that day.

I used it for a couple years before reading about how loft was my friend with the newer clubs. Then one of my clients gave me his 983K in, of course 9.5, in trade for some personal training. I loved it. The only thing I wanted to change was the shaft. I ended up trading it in at 2nd swing and buying the same club with the Aldila NV shaft. It only cost me $25 after the trade in vs. $100+ for a reshaft. Last year I switched to the 905R with the same shaft in 9.5. Hopefully my quest for distance will not take me down that horrible road for a while. My next club will be 9.5, unless 10.5 works better for me...hmmm????

[Golf Yokel]

My first and only driver is my TalyorMade Mid-size System2 in 9.5*.

One of my playing partners has a 3-wood with a larger clubhead than my driver

I tend to hit worm-burners with a slight slice, so possibly having a higher trajectory might help me out a little...

But I don't think I will be changing my loft right now... I may get a driver with a larger clubface one day, but I think I hit my tiny 9.5* driver pretty well for a novice (200-215y on average).

[atrapasuenos]

Mine is 9.5°... I'm thinkin to change it for a 8.5°, I haven't decided yet.

Regards

[egolfs]

IMHO, 80% of golfers use a loft that is too low.

I agree with you 201%. In my experience the desire to hit a lower loft stems from two issues:

1. An antiquated school of thought. It wasn't too long ago the average loft on a Tour driver was 7-8*. Heck, I even hit a 8* Callaway GBB for several years. Which leads to issue # 2. EGO. Only women or seniors hit a 11* or greater lofts! As several posters have already commented...get fit for the right launch angle. L+S=D

[joshiemac25]

I currently play a 9.5 degree Nike Sasquatch Tour with a Stiff Shaft. I have tried an 8.5 degree and it just didn't work for me.

If I were purchasing a new driver today, I would hit a 9 and a 9.5, but I doubt I would go higher.

[vexie]

best loft for me was 7.5 Callaway Hawkeye Titanium. If I needed carry, I'd tee it up, need a cut shot, tee it low. Normal tee ball...tee it in the middle. That may sound crazy, but it worked for me. Now I use a Callaway FT-3 9 degree neutral. I cant seem to work it the way I used to.

[Stuart]

I use a 9.5 degree Titleist 907D2. I like the 9.5 degree loft because I can launch one high if the situation requires it by teeing it up a bit higher, but I can also hit a stinger, which I find comes in more handy as time goes on. The stinger is a great shot to hit when you need to find the fairway, and it doesn't make that much difference if you're going to lose 25 yards.

[wachesawgolfer]

11.5 or 10.5, I cannot tell the difference with my swing. There is only one proper launch angle to maximize distance with ball speed as the hose test will show. Thus, the trick is to find the loft that works with your ball speed and launch angle to find the perfect trajectory. Generally, if you hit more up on the ball you need a lower loft and if you hit down on the ball a higher loft which is what a launch monitor shows. So swing speed is just part of the equation. Also, if you tend to hit towards the top of the face of the club, the effective loft is higher so you could use a lower lofted club.

[slainte]

I'm currently hitting a 10.5 Sasquatch which is fitted with the standard stiff Diamana. My swing speed is 110mph.

I used to play an old 973VJS Titliest, however this club gives me the perfect launch angle and carries further than anything I've ever hit

I don't think I'd consider changing anything

[ERC7.5]

Last season I was hitting an 8° Callaway knockoff. This winter, I purchased a 7.5° Callaway ERC Fusion. I have hit it a few times in the local golf dome and it felt good but you don't get to see much of the results in a dome. Can't wait for this snow to be gone! I need to get to the range!