Driver loft thoughts?

[sharkhark]

I am curious what most people here feel about the trend to higher lofts. For example my TM at 10.5 reg flex seems a little ballooning to me. However everything you read these days says high ball flight is desirable.
Is it not bad to have virtually no roll? I am looking at getting a new driver and thought based on current flight, to go to roughly 9 degrees but am not sure. I have avg swing speed around 90 and my current driver avgs 220-250.
Anyhow would appreciate your thoughts, although keep in mind I am avg and some of the members seem to post scores showing their very good, so I need advice for me..avg joe.
Thanks in advance.

[Big Johnny69]

The thing you have to remember about all the launch monitor talk nowadays is that the monitor is trying to optimize your carry yardage. You will always have a little bit of roll after your ball hits the ground, but the monitors are there to give you your best carry yardage set up. Being an average joe as you call yourself, going to a lower loft will create more sidespin. You say you average 220-250, how straight do you hit it? Because if you go to a lower loft, if you are already fading or drawing the ball, you might start to slice or hook the ball. Sure you'll get more run but if that means being two fairways over what good is that. 250 yard drives is nothing to laugh at for "the average joe", and if you hit a lot of fairways I say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!".

Personally I hit a fairly long ball, average 260-280 off the tee with the odd 300+er every now and again. I use a 10.5* (for straighter tee shots, less side spin) with a mid-high bend point shaft (to keep flight down). I find this set up prevents the balloons you talk about, but still allows me to hit the ball straighter. If you want a little more run, keep your 10.5 TM but re-shaft it with a mid-high bend point shaft. The Mercury Kevlar Pro-Tour shaft can be had for about $35 through Kona Golf (member of site). Drop him a PM and see what he thinks. Hope this helps out.

[sharkhark]

Thanks, your advice. My ballflight is pretty straight. However when I said 220-250 lately it always seems the former. On another thread I talked about my driver and most thought like you. My TM r540 reg shaft has something called tip soft high flight.I would like to be more in the 250 range. If you think holding onto the club and reshafting is the way to go I may. Thanks

[jvincent]

Most average players do not have enough loft and as a result don't keep the ball in the air long enough to get maximum distance.

However, a lot also depends on your angle of attack into the ball. I.e. if you hit up on the ball then you will launch higher than someone who hits the ball on a level plane or with a descending blow.

The most important thing for distance, and this is stating the obvious, is center face contact. In my particular case, I play a 43.5" steel shafted driver because I'm more consistent with it. I'm normally about 260 off the tee (a real 260 since I have GPS) and can hit the occaisional 290-300 bomb.

Don't be afraid to try some different shafts to see if you can find one that you like and don't be afraid to play a shorter driver. Center contact does a LOT more for your distance (and accuracy) than an extra 1.5" will.

[Big Johnny69]

The tip soft refers to the fact the shaft probably has a low bend point, hence the high flight labelling. A low bend shaft usually has a soft tip. It has to so the shaft can unload in the bend point to get the ball up. With a high bend shaft the tip is firm to keep the head from twisting on contact, because the bend point is so much farther away from the head. Good luck in finding a shaft.

[sharkhark]

THis is to Geoff and vincent. If I wanted to shorten the shaft is that done at the tip or butt. I wouldn't do it myself but is it inexpensive? I am guessing if it is done behind the grip its reasonable as there is no shaft removal.

I would be interested in taking 1" 0r 1 1/2"off. On a couple of occasions I chose to use the driver instead of other clubs/irons for a short distance. On both occasions I choked down and gave a half easy swing and could tell I definitely hit the center. One of the occasions it sailed 200 yards into a river (I was supposed to lay up).
Shows you how a center hit goes.
In reply to you vincent i read a shaft article yesterday asking several questions to narrow your launch style. It became clear from the analysis I definitely hit up into the ball. I feel like its almost a descending swing but its not. It comes up into the ball with increased loft off the bat. Thanks.

[1972Apex]

A lot of the reason for the trend to higher lofts is the newer balls, as well as the higher COR effect drivers available. Wound balls of even just a few years ago came off off the driver with more backspin than the lower compression two piece balls of today and that resulted in a higher ballflight and more of a tendancy to balloon.
Todays balls come off of the driver head with much less spin. As well, the thin Ti faces provide some spring effect, which also reduces spin.
In effect, today's balls and drivers benefit the most from a higher launch than their predecessors, which is why the trend to higher lofts and high-launch shafts. Roll isn't quite as important as it used to be when you can carry the ball 280...

[Big Johnny69]

Shorten it at the butt if you want to try for better contact. Shortening a shaft at the tip increases the stiffness. Usually do that if you are trying to get an in-between flex of two shafts. It is really cheap to have a club shortened, I would say not much more than about $10 or so. Not a bad option to try before re-shafting.

[sharkhark]

It is really cheap to have a club shortened, I would say not much more than about $10 or so. Not a bad option to try before re-shafting.

Thanks thats what I was thinking.

[jvincent]

And it's a good start down the slippery slope that is the hobby of clubmaking.

[sharkhark]

Shorten it at the butt if you want to try for better contact. Shortening a shaft at the tip increases the stiffness. Usually do that if you are trying to get an in-between flex of two shafts. It is really cheap to have a club shortened, I would say not much more than about $10 or so. Not a bad option to try before re-shafting.

Just a question. In this particular case if you were to take it from the tip instead, would that not improve that bend situation i.e. due to tip soft you indicated to look for a mid bend shaft.
Would this offset that? Or are they two completely different things and taking it from the tip would just stiffen the shaft.
p.s. I am beginning to get worried..my thread is starting to sound like an E.D. commercial

[sharkhark]

And it's a good start down the slippery slope that is the hobby of clubmaking.

Yeah, I could easily see how all this could get you into the mindset of never ending tinkering..very interesting stuff.

[Big Johnny69]

Changing the bend point in the shaft by tipping it is something I am not sure about. Someone like the Saint, Chieflongtee or one of the other guys who like to tinker with clubs might be better suited to answer that. But going by what we talked about earlier, even if tipping upped the bend point, you are moving to a stiffer shaft. I think you would be better suited to look for a mid-high bend shaft in reg flex and experiment with that before getting into tipping of shafts. Hope this helps.

[jvincent]

Just a question. In this particular case if you were to take it from the tip instead, would that not improve that bend situation i.e. due to tip soft you indicated to look for a mid bend shaft.

The thing with shafts is that they are all different. What one manufacturer calls stiff, is another's regular. Same goes for high/med/low bend points.

In reality, there is only just recently any good data comparing the flex characteristics of any two shafts. And even then, the question becomes one of which you prefer or is better suited to your swing.

In my particular case I've been through at least a dozen different shafts in the last two years trying to get the right one. I've finally settled on a steel Rifle 4.5. Now, if you believed the speed rating charts, I should be in a 5.5 or 6.0. But the 4.5 works for me.