Problems with my driver

get a whiteboard and put in it

get rid of the square head, from what I have heard, they are very high spin which could be the reason why you would hit it straighter

[quote name='ksavy17' post='2132830' date='Dec 18 2009, 07:23 PM']get rid of the square head, from what I have heard, they are very high spin which could be the reason why you would hit it straighter[/quote]
I have been told that too, but I am just curious as to why I could hit the club for a year and a half and then all of a sudden it just all goes bad.

I wonder if it would be cheaper to fit a new shaft or buy a new driver.

I've also been told 10* is too much for me and I should go with/be fit with a 8.5-9* driver. I was just curious if anyone had ideas or potential fixes that would be a little more cost effective.

If you like the overall look of the FT-I and Callaway then the FT-IQ Tour would help you. If you can hit one on the launch monitor and compare you may find a big difference.

To systematically figure this out you need to find out a few more things. Find out what the actual loft of your head is (not the stamped loft, the difference can be quite dramatic). And find out what your angle of attack is. These two factors have the most significant impact on launch AND spin. At your 95 mph, you want a launch between 12-14 degrees. The idea is to use the least amount of loft to hit these numbers.

I don't have the chart in front of me, but IIRC at your swing speed, you have a large window of spin before it will effect your shot distance. The range is in the neighborhood of 1,000-1,200 rpm. A shaft change will have a relatively small effect on your spin, a few hundred rpm's.

Additionally, what you described with having distance and then losing it is not uncommon for a driver that has a little too much length.

Had a 9* FT-I with the same problem. When I first got it, absolutely pounded it. After about thirty rounds, started getting this big, balooney, fall-out-of-the-sky flight. Went to my clubfitter and the actual loft was 11.5. Stuck a WB 83x (from the SPDR 586), cut it to 44.5, and brought the launch angle back to somewhat acceptable (11 from 16), distance went back to 277, but the spin didn't come down much (about a grand lower with a SS average of 110) and it lost the feel at contact (probably because of the butt stiffness of the WB). The CF and me kinda came to the conclusion that as I gained confidence with the squareness, I started going for it more and with a 11.5 degree face and shaft designed for modest swing speeds, the spin went up and out of control. Although a super-straight hitter (but still very high), it's now just a backup, albeit a reliable one.

Thanks for the help but now I have more questions:

1 - What's the easiest/fastest/etc way to get the actual loft?

2 - The club has a listed length of 45.75". I guess that's long, so what is average?

From a quick Google search I found this:
Club Head Speed Ball Speed Launch Angle Spin Rate
60-80 mph 90-120 mph 15-18 degrees 3000-4000
80-89 mph 120-134 mph 12-16 degrees 2800-3500
90-99 mph 135-149 mph 11-15 degrees 2500-3000
100-115 mph 150-170 mph 10-14 degrees 2000-2600

3 - That's pretty close to what [b]mgranato[/b] listed, so if my loft is actually 10* my launch is about 1.5* high and spin 1000-1500 high. Based on the assumption that my swing is that same as with my irons and those numbers are all in the right ranges (according to the guy that fit my irons) then is it likely a an issue based on head design or a shaft issue?

Based on what [b]jpf5150[/b] has experienced it appears it could be a head design issue, but what other possibilities should I explore?

Again, I appreciate the input.

are these numbers from the simulator or a launch monitor?

I know this isn't the swing forum but if you are hitting your driver with the same swing as your irons (descending angle of attack into the ball) You would have to expect that you are going to spin the ball too much. The problem is that you can put a Whiteboard 83X in an 9.5 degree driver and get decent launch and spin numbers, but with the ball speed you lose through heavier weight and stiffness, you are going to lose almost the same amount of distance.

Sure the FT-i is obviously one of the higher launching/spinning combos and is a large factor in the numbers you are getting. But if you are producing over 4000 rpms with less than 100 mph swing speed then equipment will only go so far.

To answer your other questions, 45.75" is not overly long by current off the shelf club standards, but tour average is between 44.5" and 45." Unless you have a loft lie machine you are going to have to go to a clubmaker to get your loft checked, they might have them at GG.

I don't believe you need to reshaft to lower your spin rate. I think you'll do much better by fixing the swing issues that are costing you distance, increasing back, and adding side spin.

I was having spin issues as well. Went to talk to a pro and after a few minutes we lowered my spin rate with the same club by a lot (from about 3500 down to a low of 1700). You can read about it here.

[url="http://www.zenchili.com/2009/10/26/reshaft-spin-rate/"]http://www.zenchili.com/2009/10/26/reshaft-spin-rate/[/url]

Besides it will help your overall game to look at those issues too.

[quote name='seanh' post='2133062' date='Dec 18 2009, 09:46 PM']are these numbers from the simulator or a launch monitor?[/quote]
Simulator

On another note on my swing, I had always been told that your swing should be the same throughout your bag and just ball placement changes. Is this incorrect?

I am about to look at the link....

The numbers you got from the simulator may not be very accurate. You should probably get on the launch monitor to get a little better picture of what is going on with your numbers. Golf Galaxy has launch monitors that should be able to give you some more accurate numbers. I would definately NOT be changing equipment based on simulator numbers.

[quote name='seanh' post='2133103' date='Dec 18 2009, 10:10 PM']The numbers you got from the simulator may not be very accurate. You should probably get on the launch monitor to get a little better picture of what is going on with your numbers. Golf Galaxy has launch monitors that should be able to give you some more accurate numbers. I would definately NOT be changing equipment based on simulator numbers.[/quote]
Perhaps I am giving inaccurate information. This was all done at Golf Galaxy using their simulator/launch monitor...whichever is the proper term for them.

[quote name='B Keller' post='2133118' date='Dec 18 2009, 11:17 PM'][quote name='seanh' post='2133103' date='Dec 18 2009, 10:10 PM']The numbers you got from the simulator may not be very accurate. You should probably get on the launch monitor to get a little better picture of what is going on with your numbers. Golf Galaxy has launch monitors that should be able to give you some more accurate numbers. I would definately NOT be changing equipment based on simulator numbers.[/quote]
Perhaps I am giving inaccurate information. This was all done at Golf Galaxy using their simulator/launch monitor...whichever is the proper term for them.
[/quote]


Where you in a darkish room hitting in to a screen like a video game, or where you hitting balls into a net wih a little device sitting behind you, or right next to the ball??

Video game-like driving range. They have the other setup but the computer doesn't work.

FWIW the iron look is pretty much what I experience on the course.

**EDIT** I forgot that I have hit the FT-iQ (10* Stiff) version of what I have a Golfsmith. They have the the set up next to your ball, you hit into the net, and the computer gives you the readings. The numbers are virtually the same as the GG numbers I get in their dark room driving range deal.

The simulators are not set-up to give accurate readings as far as launch angle and spin rates. They are more used for comparisons between clubs. You are gonna get a far more accurate reading from a launch monitor.

My advice is to find someone who has a launch monitor before you start making changes to your equipment.

[quote name='B Keller' post='2133035' date='Dec 18 2009, 10:26 PM']Thanks for the help but now I have more questions:

1 - What's the easiest/fastest/etc way to get the actual loft?

2 - The club has a listed length of 45.75". I guess that's long, so what is average?

From a quick Google search I found this:
Club Head Speed Ball Speed Launch Angle Spin Rate
60-80 mph 90-120 mph 15-18 degrees 3000-4000
80-89 mph 120-134 mph 12-16 degrees 2800-3500
90-99 mph 135-149 mph 11-15 degrees 2500-3000
100-115 mph 150-170 mph 10-14 degrees 2000-2600

3 - That's pretty close to what [b]mgranato[/b] listed, so if my loft is actually 10* my launch is about 1.5* high and spin 1000-1500 high. Based on the assumption that my swing is that same as with my irons and those numbers are all in the right ranges (according to the guy that fit my irons) then is it likely a an issue based on head design or a shaft issue?

Based on what [b]jpf5150[/b] has experienced it appears it could be a head design issue, but what other possibilities should I explore?

Again, I appreciate the input.[/quote]

Best way to find the actual loft is with a loft gauge and any decent club fitter should have one. They should also be able to check the face angle of your club.

That is pretty long for a driver. Not uncommon, but pretty long. At the little slower swing speeds (<105) clubs that long can and often do eventually lead to some OTT or slicing issues. The average on Tour for years has been 44.5".

Those numbers are a bit off. The range of launch degrees is a bit large (for optimal distance) and the spin ranges are to small for <100. Not a bad jumping off point though.

Typically the square or higher MOI heads are designed for max forgiveness and have their CG placed farther back from the face - helps with getting the ball up and also can increase the spin.

I have a Flightscope, and the numbers it gets from actually tracking the ball flight versus what I get from something like the simulators at the PGA Superstore are quite different. The simulator's spin numbers are ALWAYS much higher. If you can locate an actual ball flight monitor you'll see exactly were your launch conditions stand. Based on what you said so far, I'd probably suggest trying a bit lower loft (true loft) and trying something in 44.75"-45.25".

I really appreciate all your help.

The loft is a true 10* but I didn't ask about face angle.

I made a little tweak in my swing today and it made a lot of difference, but I don't know what the numbers. The computer distance and ball tracking was much better than it had been recently. My driver and 3W was very close to what I would consider normal.

When I bought the driver it was because the driver was very forgiving and promoted a straighter ball flight. For now I still need that, so unless something really attracts me and outperforms my FT-i, I think I will stay with what I have.

I think I do need to have the shaft/club/swing combo looked at though. Are there any fitters in the DFW area that you would recommend?

Those darn swing mechanics

Sounds like you got it back on track. You're in a good market for golf, you shouldn't have any problem finding a good fitter near you. Don't know of anyone personally, but Coolclubs (in DFW) has a Trackman - that would be a good place to start when you're ready to make a change.

[quote name='B Keller' post='2134288' date='Dec 19 2009, 09:38 PM']I really appreciate all your help.

The loft is a true 10* but I didn't ask about face angle.

I made a little tweak in my swing today and it made a lot of difference, but I don't know what the numbers. The computer distance and ball tracking was much better than it had been recently. My driver and 3W was very close to what I would consider normal.

When I bought the driver it was because the driver was very forgiving and promoted a straighter ball flight. For now I still need that, so unless something really attracts me and outperforms my FT-i, I think I will stay with what I have.

I think I do need to have the shaft/club/swing combo looked at though. Are there any fitters in the DFW area that you would recommend?[/quote]

Nice work getting back on track. Swing mechanics make such a huge difference. Obviously you can get equipment that will offset some bad mechanics, but the changes you can make by improving your swing are usually much more substantial than an equipment change will give you most of the time.

Hi zenchili,

Read your blog, good stuff. Seems, I'm having some of the same issues you were: keeping the left wrist flat at impact and releasing the club. Also I'm not using my lower body which prevents me from releasing the club properly.

It's really killing my drives but I'm getting by with other clubs.
Your swing looks great....

I see your out of stamford, I play in bridgeport. Played last Saturday and the temp didn't get out of the 20's. Will be back out as soon as all this white stuff melts.
Couple of us will play right thru winter, if you would like to join us on a early Sat or Sun, shoot me a PM.

[quote name='neverhadaholeinone' post='2142331' date='Dec 24 2009, 04:08 PM']Hi zenchili,

Read your blog, good stuff. Seems, I'm having some of the same issues you were: keeping the left wrist flat at impact and releasing the club. Also I'm not using my lower body which prevents me from releasing the club properly.

It's really killing my drives but I'm getting by with other clubs.
Your swing looks great....

I see your out of stamford, I play in bridgeport. Played last Saturday and the temp didn't get out of the 20's. Will be back out as soon as all this white stuff melts.
Couple of us will play right thru winter, if you would like to join us on a early Sat or Sun, shoot me a PM.[/quote]

Sounds like fun. I try not to play if it's below 40, but 40 and above and I'm there.

Releasing was a huge issue. A proper release has helped me a lot.