Why most tour pros, regardless of swing speed, play driver loft lower than 10.5 degree?

I consider this is a very basic question but I struggle with the answer. Most tour pros, even LPGA tours who typically have swing speed in 90s MPH, still use lower loft driver heads that are rarely more than 10 degrees in loft. Why so? I would think they could benefit from higher lofted drivers which would provide higher launch angle and therefore more distance. Can someone please enlighten?

Rock hard fairways.

I think you have it backwards. Everyone is over 10

Why would you think they would benefit from higher lofted drivers?

It's the dynamic loft delivered that determines the launch, not just the static loft of the head. So it's really not a good idea to make assumptions about what kind of launch they might have just based on the static loft of the head.

They use whatever loft they need to hit the desired launch and spin they are looking for. Like Stuart mentioned it all comes down to loft at impact, players who have an AOA of +3-5 don't need 10.5 loft or higher to hit their launch windows. If you have ever been to a pga tour event, most players launch the ball much higher than you would think. I couldn't imagine a ball going higher than Rory/Phil or Cameron Young. I saw apex's of over 150ft with their drivers at pebble beach. I also saw lots of players that use 10 degrees or more of loft.

Playing a 10+ degree driver is certainly not "rare" on either tour.

Actually this is a wrong statement, seems like all of the pros are above 10 degrees. I can list about 10 that come to mind if you want.....

> @woods991 said:

> Actually this is a wrong statement, seems like all of the pros are above 10 degrees. I can list about 10 that come to mind if you want.....

and go....

just kidding.

I don’t have the data in front of me but many pros especially LPGA pros who play 9 degree loft have low launch angles which do not maximize driving distances. There must be things they look for other than distance only.

Go to the witb section you will be surprised how many players are using 10 plus degree’s

Also the number on the club means little. Look at your issue clubs on eBay that still have their testing stickers and you'll see what I mean.

> @golfer55082 said:

> I don’t have the data in front of me but many pros especially LPGA pros who play 9 degree loft have low launch angles which do not maximize driving distances. There must be things they look for other than distance only.

As others have mentioned, its all about the dynamic loft at impact that matters. I think many of the LPGA players are hitting up on the ball a fair amount. I don't know if this is still true but at one point they were even more efficient with the driver than the PGA tour guys (yards per mph clubhead speed).

In contrast, I think Dustin Johnson has usually used a driver with north of 10 degrees of loft. But it's not because he lacks clubhead speed. He seems to be delofting the club at impact more than most even with the driver (find an image of his hands at impact vs the ball).

As others have pointed out is generally around dynamic loft and spin to get the optimal numbers. Rory hits up on the ball so he plays a lower loft. DJ de-lofts at impact but still hits up. It changes the driver loft into the ball then add his additional loft at delivery. I think most PGA pros average out to close the same launch angle just different ways to produce.

For those who are saying the statement isn't true, you do realize most 9 deg stamped heads are playing around 7.5 -8. Also those 10-10.5 are probably playing more like 9. I agree the lower lofts are much more popular.

My pro suggests there are two primary methods for hitting your driver:

* **Launch the ball**, in which you are hitting up on the driver. Skilled launchers normally have lots of springy footwork to get the ball going. Such golfers need less clubhead loft than _Drivers._

* **Drive the ball**, in which you tend to tee the ball lower and rely on more on level contact/slight upswing. Such golfers need more loft than _Launchers._

Launching the ball yields more distance, but driving the ball yields more reliability.

As for women pros, many are launchers. I have seen them play as a volunteer at both pro and top amateur events. These women, especially the shorter ones, are phenomenal in the swing arc and lift they generate. They coil like gymnasts and then explode through the ball at impact.

> @Trying4Better said:

> For those who are saying the statement isn't true, you do realize most 9 deg stamped heads are playing around 7.5 -8. Also those 10-10.5 are probably playing more like 9. I agree the lower lofts are much more popular.

There were also times in the past were the 9* stamped heads were found to really be 10*-11*. But I, at least, haven't seen much evidence of those stamped values being all that inaccurate lately.

> @Trying4Better said:

> For those who are saying the statement isn't true, you do realize most 9 deg stamped heads are playing around 7.5 -8. Also those 10-10.5 are probably playing more like 9. I agree the lower lofts are much more popular.

No. Lower lofts are not more popular and a head stamped 9 probably isn't playing 7.5-8. Most will play higher if anything.

I'm going to guess PGA tour avg is over 10*

Hi guys there is no point to argue with plain facts. The average pro tours play lofts <10 degrees in their drivers. See Ping Pros as an example: https://ping.com/pros/pga-tour

> @Trying4Better said:

> For those who are saying the statement isn't true, you do realize most 9 deg stamped heads are playing around 7.5 -8. Also those 10-10.5 are probably playing more like 9. I agree the lower lofts are much more popular.

What is your source?

> @Trying4Better said:

> For those who are saying the statement isn't true, you do realize most 9 deg stamped heads are playing around 7.5 -8. Also those 10-10.5 are probably playing more like 9. I agree the lower lofts are much more popular.

Actually depending on the product cycle it is the exact opposite because average golfers ego doesnt let him pick the correct loft so the manufacturers fool them into a better selection. This has been happening for ages.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TOUR-ISSUE-CALLAWAY-ROGUE-SUB-ZERO-V-9-0-DRIVER-HEAD/333262516428?hash=item4d97fe70cc:g:028AAOSwYX9dJAfU

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TOUR-ISSUE-CALLAWAY-ROGUE-SUB-ZERO-V-10-5-DRIVER-HEAD/333267563347?hash=item4d984b7353:g:S0QAAOSwUGxdK7sa

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2019-Tour-Issue-Taylormade-M5-8-0-Driver-Head-TOUR-ONLY-8-7-LOFT-C2/113828642506?hash=item1a80b73eca:g:3EwAAOSwcvtdI3jr

> @golfer55082 said:

> Hi guys there is no point to argue with plain facts. The average pro tours play lofts <10 degrees in their drivers. See Ping Pros as an example: https://ping.com/pros/pga-tour

Unless you have inside sources and access to the tours spec sheets from every manufacturer then you are just guessing. The number on the driver means little as does that small sample of one company and only the male players. Theres a reason people get their pings digital lofted. Ping was one of the ones who really used to stretch the truth to get "uneducated" or egotistical players in the right driver.

> @farmer said:

> > @Trying4Better said:

> > For those who are saying the statement isn't true, you do realize most 9 deg stamped heads are playing around 7.5 -8. Also those 10-10.5 are probably playing more like 9. I agree the lower lofts are much more popular.

>

> What is your source?

Just from WITB. But, to help prove the point click on the link above for Ping, and you will see how many play that low.

I bet most of them playing a 10.5 driver have them in the "lower setting" which effectively opens the face. Pro golfers do not want to see a hook.

Another factor is that many tour pros are very good at hitting the ball above center. With the vertically rolled face, this means that they are actually hitting the ball at a point on the face which has greater than the stated loft. This can result in a real world difference adding as much as 3 or 4* at the top of the face or having 3 or 4* less loft at the bottom. You can verify this with the face on your own driver. To my knowledge, the only drivers and fairway metals (I hate that term) with mostly flat faces top to bottom are Wishon products. He calls his technology GRT for graduated roll technology where only the very top of the face has any vertical roll.

Ping was pretty notorious in the past for the heads actual loft to be much higher than the stamped loft. Just an FYI.

My wife found a old ping 1st titanium 8.5 degree driver at a goodwill outlet the other day. She got it for me and I took it to the course to give it a swing. It didn’t have the distance of my newer driver but the launch was much higher. After thinking about it I probably had it teed a little high. I was impressed with the launch of the drive and overall distance of the old club. Being a 8.5 degree I didn’t figure I could get it of off the ground lol.

older thread but I am very curious about this. A lot of pros I notice play a 9 or even a 10.5 driver head but lower the loft from there...is that because they want to eliminate hooks?? because lowering loft opens face...

8 hours ago, JCray33 said:

older thread but I am very curious about this. A lot of pros I notice play a 9 or even a 10.5 driver head but lower the loft from there...is that because they want to eliminate hooks?? because lowering loft opens face...

Adjusting the loft down from the labeled loft is ALL about getting a good fit for the face angle.  In the case of the pros, they are lofting down to get a more  open face angle to help minimize or eliminate the hook miss.  A very common (but not universal) concern for the better players.

5 hours ago, Stuart_G said:

 

Adjusting the loft down from the labeled loft is ALL about getting a good fit for the face angle.  In the case of the pros, they are lofting down to get a more  open face angle to help minimize or eliminate the hook miss.  A very common (but not universal) concern for the better players.

Yeah after putting my PING G400 MAX 9* head to 10 degrees I can confirm it absolutely changes the ball flight, my miss has consistently been too much draw/hook and now have it set down .5 to 8.5 degrees and it is perfect for me! No more big draws