Driver Launch angle

[Oskar]

I'm having a hard time producing the right launch angle on my driver, last week I worked on a trackman and my carry distance with my driver was on average about 215. My ball speed came in at about 139-141 on average but my launch angle was only at a 9. I haven't shot higher then 82 in the past three months but I feel like if I can get my drivers distance up a tad I can have more shorter irons into greens. I have a stiff shaft that came with my driver (titliest 915 d2). My swing coach says that usually if a players ball speed is under 140 is best to stay with a regular shaft. I'm right on the edge of regular and stiff, will getting a regular shaft make a considerable difference? How can I get my launch angle up to 10-12? 

Thanks! 

[saevel25]

Depends on the driver and the golf shaft. You could find a stiff flex golf shaft that bends more easily than a different regular flex golf shaft. Golf flex is just a way to sell slight variations of the same golf shaft make and model.

9 degrees is pretty low. I would see if you are hitting up on the ball. If not then that could add 2-4 degrees. Also, you could add loft to the driver by adjusting it. If your launch angle is still low then you might need to get a new golf shaft.

[klineka]

As @saevel25 mentioned, angle of attack is one of the major things that affects launch angle. Do you know or have any pictures of your trackman data that shows your angle of attack? Ideally you want that to be a positive angle of attack, which means you are hitting up on the golf ball, which then will obviously launch the ball higher.

When I had my driver fitting with Taylormade, IIRC, the fitter wanted my launch angle to be at least 11 and said even going up  into like 13 and 14 degrees was fine.

Based on 140 mph ball speed, that would mean your swing speed is probably around 95-100 depending on ball striking. I wouldnt get caught up in stiff vs regular flex shafts, they can vary so much between different manufacturers, what is a stiff flex for one company might be a regular flex for another company. 

I highly recommend getting the angle of attack and driver loft dialed in before you look at new shafts. If your angle of attack is already positive and the driver loft is already sufficient (at least 10.5-11+ degrees) then you might need to start trying some different shafts.

[klineka]

I just saw this chart on a different topic and it also applies here. Look at the difference between a 0 angle of attack and hitting up 5 degrees. Over 10 yards gained in carry distance. Based on the ball speed and launch angle you described, it appears like you are definitely coming in with a negative angle of attack.

[Lihu]

11 hours ago, Oskar said:

I'm having a hard time producing the right launch angle on my driver, last week I worked on a trackman and my carry distance with my driver was on average about 215. My ball speed came in at about 139-141 on average but my launch angle was only at a 9. I haven't shot higher then 82 in the past three months but I feel like if I can get my drivers distance up a tad I can have more shorter irons into greens. I have a stiff shaft that came with my driver (titliest 915 d2). My swing coach says that usually if a players ball speed is under 140 is best to stay with a regular shaft. I'm right on the edge of regular and stiff, will getting a regular shaft make a considerable difference? How can I get my launch angle up to 10-12? 

Thanks! 

What was your spin?

I just got on "Flight Optimizer" with a 140mph ball speed and used anywhere from 2500rpm to 3600rpm

https://flightscope.com/products/trajectory-optimizer/

 

[Oskar]

13 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Depends on the driver and the golf shaft. You could find a stiff flex golf shaft that bends more easily than a different regular flex golf shaft. Golf flex is just a way to sell slight variations of the same golf shaft make and model.

9 degrees is pretty low. I would see if you are hitting up on the ball. If not then that could add 2-4 degrees. Also, you could add loft to the driver by adjusting it. If your launch angle is still low then you might need to get a new golf shaft.

Thanks! Any drills you might know of that can help me with hitting up on it? I've already adjusted my spine angle to tilt more torwards the back, no forward press with the hands, More weight in the back foot then normal. Just having a hard time hitting up on the ball. 

[klineka]

20 minutes ago, Oskar said:

Thanks! Any drills you might know of that can help me with hitting up on it? I've already adjusted my spine angle to tilt more torwards the back, no forward press with the hands, More weight in the back foot then normal. Just having a hard time hitting up on the ball. 

Try teeing the ball up higher. 

Moving the ball position further forward in your stance, almost as far forward as your front big toe.

Put another tee in the ground about 2-3 inches in front of the tee with the ball. Try to hit the ball without hitting the forward tee. That is the drill that helped me the most. You have to hit upward on it to avoid the second tee.

Somewhat unrelated to the angle of attack, but you want to make sure your weight is on your front foot. Keeping your weight back isnt the best in terms of optimizing your swing.