degree on a driver

[slurpie]

What is the diffrence between a 8.5 and 10.5? I know it is the loft, the 8.5 would go further? If i hit a 10.5 good will i hit 1n 8.5 good? Someone told me I would'nt be able to hit an 8.5 cause my swing is slow. Does the speed of your swing have any thing to do with what loft you should use?

[Kidd]

Here; I shamlesly stole this from a HSOforum called tee to green.

Higher launch angle and lower spin rates can produce longer carry distances for those with swing speeds in excess of 85-90 mph. It takes this speed at a minimum, for the ball to achieve aerodynamic flight which is controlled by forces such as lift and drag and gravity. At the higher swing speeds lift and drag actually give the golf ball a "gliding" element.

Swing speeds below 85mph will benefit from a high launch angle and a high spin rate for a simple reason - the more spin, the more lift created, which helps to keep the ball in the air longer and thus carry longer.

The loft of the club is only one of the many factors that affect the launch angle and ultimately the total distance a player can hit a driver. Other factors are...tee height, ball type, weather and turf conditions, ball position, face material, face height, vertical roll on the clubhead face, ball contact point on the face, and the location of the center of gravity on the face of the clubhead.

[delmuts]

The swing speed makes a big difference, but so does the shaft and your normal ball flight(BF)! If you have a high BF and want to lower it some and gain a little more roll then the lower loft could help. If you have a low BF and want to gain a little more elevation plus carry distance then try the higher loft could be the way to go. ( this is assuming both safts are the same) Go to a pro shop/or some where so you can hit both . Then see what works best for you.

[paceman]

I have a normal high ball flight with everything. I currently hit a 10.5 degree driver. I am going to switch to a 8.5. The high BF is interesting driving into the wind.....I am expecting a noticeable distance inprovement.

[jigging-matt]

I switched from a 10.5 to a 9.5 this year. So far I am happy with the change. Ball seems to fly pretty well. Have only been on the range, so will have to see how I do on the actual thing.

[jimjdebj]

I'm 60 and out of shape. I was using a 9.5, went to a 12 for awile and liked it. Dropped to a 10.5 last yr. and seemed I had to work hard to hit the ball. I'm now using a 13 and like it. I have around a 85 swing speed but still don't get that much loft. Taking a easy swing gives more spin and ball seems to carry further. I also use a senior flex shaft. Good luck and get out and play.

[hitthebricks]

The kick point on the shaft will also affect your your flight, the lower the kick point the lower your trajectory and a stiffer shaft gives a lower ball flight.

[a47mlb]

Was talking with Chad (the pro) at the golf dome in St Cloud, and he said now a days, a guy doesn't want to go much lower that a 9.5

He also told me (I didn't know this) that in any given year golf balls are made in accordance with what clubs are coming out of the factories. The balls are designed around the clubs. I thought that was interesting. I switched from a 8.5 to a 10.5 this year, and am having real good luck with it.

[metrojoe]

I'm 60 and out of shape. I was using a 9.5, went to a 12 for awile and liked it. Dropped to a 10.5 last yr. and seemed I had to work hard to hit the ball. I'm now using a 13 and like it. I have around a 85 swing speed but still don't get that much loft. Taking a easy swing gives more spin and ball seems to carry further. I also use a senior flex shaft. Good luck and get out and play.

I'm in my mid 40's and I've always had a 80+ swing speed. It seems if I really try to rip it I lose all control. I've always benefited from a higher loft driver. My current driver is 12 deg.

[fishin9911]

Always try to test the driver when you can. I was using a 10.5 degree driver and switched to a 9 degree because I wanted the lower ball flight and it was getting old. I now hit it higher and have lost all control. I have since been told that regular players should never go below 10 degrees. Not enough swing speed and they lose all control. I now use my 3-wood and hit it straight and far. My Dad has told me since that Nicklaus once said that a driver should never be sold in a store!

[ameyers41]

I'm a club junkie and my opinion is that the shaft often times makes more of a difference than the degree of loft you have. What you're trying to do is optimize your launch angle and spin. The loft of the club, kickpoint of the shaft, swing plane and what type of ball you use all impact this. I would agree with fishin9911, you shouldn't buy off the rack before you test a club out. I can tell you this, a lower swing speed (less than 100mph) player will want a slightly higher launch angle and mid spin rate. I have a very fast swing speed, so I play an 8.5* driver with a low launch, low spin driver (Diamana Whiteboard) and still hit it higher than many I play with. My friend plays a 9.5* with a high launch shaft (Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue) and he hits the ball lower than me in general. You just have to find the right combination for you. That's both the frustrating, fun and expensive part all rolled into one. With today's demo programs and indoor launch monitors, try as many as you can and buy the one that works best for you.

[10,000 Casts]

Very true about the type of kickpoint in the shaft. I have a very fast swing speed and a very fast ball speed so I have a Cobra X Speed with an xtra stiff shaft with a high kick point. That driver is almost impossible for anyone with a slow swing speed to hit consistanly. Normaly I would use an 8 degree but the high kick point adds at least a degree for me. I like the driver so much that I have a very consistant ball flight but when I want to hit is low, I just concentrate on keeping my front should down a little more.

With the bigger driver heads, go an extra degree over what you normally would is a good rule of thumb. 10.5 degree with a low kick point and regular shaft sounds like a good place to start.

As far as buying one, just because you hit it well against a net with a computer doesn't mean that it will spill over to the course consistantly. Just because one is 10 yards longer on the computer doesn't mean that it is better.

Make sure you like the feel of it and more importantly to me, make sure you like looking down on it. That's half the battle...

[VMS]

Hi everyone,

Unless I am missing something, a high kick-point shaft is going to result in a lower ball flight whereas a low kick-point shaft will result in a higher ball flight. If you consider the shaft itself, a lower kickpoint(closer to the head) will be in a smaller diameter area of the shaft, thus will flex and kick more on follow through...

A higher kick-point shaft will have less effect on the overall loft of the club since it will flex or kick less due to a larger diameter section of the shaft.

So...lower kick-point results in higher ball flight, and vice versa...

Finding the sweet spot is the tough part between a good shaft with the right kick point combined with the correct loft on the driver to get optimum numbers...somewhere around 14 degree launch angle for most hitters with something around (I believe) 2800 rpm or so...

Steve

[Brade4]

Tiger just changed lofts. As you age the loft on your driver should go up..I could be wrong but I think Tiger is hitting a 9.5 now. I'd shy away from 8.5 as I hit line drives with a 9.5