High lofted driver question

[Playmaker88]

I have a question for some of you experts out there.  I have always used a 10.5 or even 11.5  (old Titleist 975D) driver because I have a very steep swing....my swing speed is in the high 90's...7 handicap.  I cannot consistently hit my current 10.5 driver high either.  I just purchased in mint shape an old La Jolla 450cc High Launch head which I was told was 12 degrees....turns out it is 14.  I am wondering if it's gonna be worth shafting....will it balloon, or will my steep swing offset it?  Or will my steep swing exaggerate the high loft even more?  I have very nice launch angles with my 3 wood that is a 15 degree, so I am hoping the same will be true.  Or is this apples and oranges?  Thoughts would be very much appreciated....thank you!

[JungleJimbo]

25 minutes ago, Playmaker88 said:

I have a question for some of you experts out there.  I have always used a 10.5 or even 11.5  (old Titleist 975D) driver because I have a very steep swing....my swing speed is in the high 90's...7 handicap.  I cannot consistently hit my current 10.5 driver high either.  I just purchased in mint shape an old La Jolla 450cc High Launch head which I was told was 12 degrees....turns out it is 14.  I am wondering if it's gonna be worth shafting....will it balloon, or will my steep swing offset it?  Or will my steep swing exaggerate the high loft even more?  I have very nice launch angles with my 3 wood that is a 15 degree, so I am hoping the same will be true.  Or is this apples and oranges?  Thoughts would be very much appreciated....thank you!

@Playmaker88 Try it out ... what's to lose? Maybe you'll love it!  

I have an old SLDR 14* that i enjoy (shafted a bit shorter than standard ... so net net, a bit like a ladies driver). Fairway finder!

[Billfitz]

My 10.5 was launching lower than I cared for, even with an A shaft and flat swing. I went to an L shaft, the launch went up, as did distance, with no loss of accuracy. You may not want to go to that extreme, but a shaft with a low kick point for a high launch would help.

[Stuart_G]

2 hours ago, Playmaker88 said:

I have a question for some of you experts out there.  I have always used a 10.5 or even 11.5  (old Titleist 975D) driver because I have a very steep swing....my swing speed is in the high 90's...7 handicap.  I cannot consistently hit my current 10.5 driver high either.  I just purchased in mint shape an old La Jolla 450cc High Launch head which I was told was 12 degrees....turns out it is 14.  I am wondering if it's gonna be worth shafting....will it balloon, or will my steep swing offset it? 

 

Sorry, but without knowing any of your numbers with the 10.5/11.5 head  AND knowing the quality and consistency of your face impact location that generated those numbers - there is no way for anyone here to be able say what will happen with any amount of accuracy.

 

 

2 hours ago, Playmaker88 said:

Or will my steep swing exaggerate the high loft even more? 

 

It's not the steepness of your swing that's the source of problem.  So no, by itself it can't exaggerate anything.

 

 

2 hours ago, Playmaker88 said:

I have very nice launch angles with my 3 wood that is a 15 degree, so I am hoping the same will be true.  Or is this apples and oranges? 

 

With respect to loft, it may be an indication but different playing lengths can change the delivery quite a bit for some people.

 

 

Edited June 17, 2022 by Stuart_G

[Playmaker88]

 

 

------It's not the steepness of your swing that's the source of problem. 

 

The steepness of my swing most certainly delofts my driver at least a couple of degrees....it's always enabled me to hit my irons further than they probably deserve to go.  My concern is that with the extra driver loft, the steepness will impart way too much backspin and I'll have no penetration. 

Edited June 17, 2022 by Playmaker88

[Playmaker88]

Billfitz - I saw in a previous thread where you mentioned gaming a Graffaloy Pro Launch Blue...that is actually the shaft that I purchased to put in the La Jolla head.  What can you tell me about it...is it boardy at all, or does it feel nice at impact?  Mine is a 65R.

[Stuart_G]

7 hours ago, Playmaker88 said:

 

 

------It's not the steepness of your swing that's the source of problem. 

 

The steepness of my swing most certainly delofts my driver at least a couple of degrees....it's always enabled me to hit my irons further than they probably deserve to go.  My concern is that with the extra driver loft, the steepness will impart way too much backspin and I'll have no penetration. 

 

Assuming center face contact, delofting means less spin, not more.   So if there is any problem with the spin (and therefore ballooning), that's not what's causing it.

 

Edited June 18, 2022 by Stuart_G

[Playmaker88]

Thanks...I hope so.  I pictured the ball rolling up the entire length of the driver face creating tons of backspin and no penetrating flight.

[Stuart_G]

8 hours ago, Playmaker88 said:

Thanks...I hope so.  I pictured the ball rolling up the entire length of the driver face creating tons of backspin and no penetrating flight.

 

There is no actual truth to it but it's still a very common misconception that negative AoA causes spin problems.

 

Now I'm not saying it might not end up being too much loft for you - or more than what might be ideal, that's still possible.   But if it is, it's just not necessarily because of the steeper swing and negative AoA.   We'd need to look elsewhere for the source of the problems.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Stuart_G

[Billfitz]

17 hours ago, Playmaker88 said:

Billfitz - I saw in a previous thread where you mentioned gaming a Graffaloy Pro Launch Blue...that is actually the shaft that I purchased to put in the La Jolla head.  What can you tell me about it...is it boardy at all, or does it feel nice at impact?  Mine is a 65R.

I had the 45R. It fit my slow takeaway and slow transition swing perfectly.

Quote

The steepness of my swing most certainly delofts my driver at least a couple of degrees....it's always enabled me to hit my irons further than they probably deserve to go. 

If you're using the same swing path for driver and irons that would explain your low launch with driver. Fix that first, then address any remaining fine details with gear adjustments. My worst miss with driver is when I hit down on the ball. My fix for that is to lightly drag the head on the ground at the beginning of my backswing, which keeps my downswing shallow. It might not work for you, but it works very well for me.

[ShortGolfer]

The tee box is entirely different that hitting an iron from the fairway.

It is anyone's guess as how your iron swings and the tee box swings will differ.

 

Last year I took driver out of the bag and used a 4 iron as the driving iron.

It was my first season and I thought it would help to simplify things as much as possible and learn course management after nearly losing all my golf balls and not being able to complete a round!

[Playmaker88]

I took the driver to Break Through Golf today in Richardson, TX....what nice guys!!!  The loft was measured and it was 14 degrees at the center of the clubface.  This begs the question....what is the difference...if any....between hitting this driver or just hitting a 3 wood?  Would there be anything about the makeup of a 14 degree driver that would result in longer drives than a 14 degree 3 wood?  If not, why would they even manufacture a 14 degree driver?  I am still just as confused as ever...and feeling very ripped off by the ebay seller.

[JungleJimbo]

29 minutes ago, Playmaker88 said:

I took the driver to Break Through Golf today in Richardson, TX....what nice guys!!!  The loft was measured and it was 14 degrees at the center of the clubface.  This begs the question....what is the difference...if any....between hitting this driver or just hitting a 3 wood?  Would there be anything about the makeup of a 14 degree driver that would result in longer drives than a 14 degree 3 wood?  If not, why would they even manufacture a 14 degree driver?  I am still just as confused as ever...and feeling very ripped off by the ebay seller.

Depends on several factors e.g. shaft-length of both clubs? And confidence in those clubs ... e.g. How you 'deliver' these respective clubs at the ball?
 

I prefer my SLDR 14* over a 3-wood.

 

[Playmaker88]

Thx...um....Jungle.  😀

[Cwebb]

As a generalization, lower lofts were used on the 975D head as compared to what most players fit into with the more modern driver heads and lower spin balls.

 

Don't be surprised at all, if a driver head with an actual loft of 13*+ is what works well for you.  If it does, in most cases you'd want to match it up with your longest fairway wood having in the area of 18* of actual loft

[Playmaker88]

I actually still have my 11.5 degree 975 D....still in almost mint shape...what a CLASSIC driver!!!

[dsmil]

People with negative AoA will tend to launch it lower than those with positive AoA. Launch angle is king so these people will tend to need higher lofted drivers. A byproduct of this is more spin but if your launch angle is good and you hit it on a good part of the face, the spin should be in a good enough spot. At your speed and with a  negative AoA, the higher loft driver could definitely be worth a shot.

[dsmil]

On 6/23/2022 at 11:21 PM, Playmaker88 said:

I took the driver to Break Through Golf today in Richardson, TX....what nice guys!!!  The loft was measured and it was 14 degrees at the center of the clubface.  This begs the question....what is the difference...if any....between hitting this driver or just hitting a 3 wood?  Would there be anything about the makeup of a 14 degree driver that would result in longer drives than a 14 degree 3 wood?  If not, why would they even manufacture a 14 degree driver?  I am still just as confused as ever...and feeling very ripped off by the ebay seller.

The driver should be more forgiving on off center strikes and assuming the length is longer, there would be a potential for more speed. I don’t anything about the driver but the listed loft does not always equal the actual loft. Either from manufacturing tolerances or because manufacturers like using the traditional 9, 10.5, 12 degrees as the stated lofts, regardless of what the actual loft is. For instance, these guys may figure that 14 degrees is going to max out the potential on this driver based on head design and the player profile, but no one wants to buy a driver listed at 14 degrees. So maybe they listed it 12 so people will buy it.

[ShortGolfer]

A 14 degree driver has a larger 460cc head than a 14* 3W which makes it easier to design it to be more forgiving.

Also, drivers are optimized for hitting off the tee, while a 3W is designed for both tee and fairway lies.

 

While I played with irons last season, including a 4I off the tee, I find that I can hit a positive angle of attack off the tee so 14* is too much loft.

I changed it from +2 to standard.

[seis]

I have the Pro Launch Blue, 3 wood length, that I occasionally slap onto a TM Supertri 10.5 head when I’m having trouble finding fairways. It really helps to get the confidence back at the expense of some yardage.

[garyt]

On 6/23/2022 at 11:21 PM, Playmaker88 said:

I took the driver to Break Through Golf today in Richardson, TX....what nice guys!!!  The loft was measured and it was 14 degrees at the center of the clubface.  This begs the question....what is the difference...if any....between hitting this driver or just hitting a 3 wood?  Would there be anything about the makeup of a 14 degree driver that would result in longer drives than a 14 degree 3 wood?  If not, why would they even manufacture a 14 degree driver?  I am still just as confused as ever...and feeling very ripped off by the ebay seller.

I hit a 14* driver way higher than a 15*  3 wood.

[Billfitz]

As you should, if you're doing it right. Driver works best when it hits the ball on the upswing, which increases the effective loft. Unless teed up if you hit a fairway wood on the upswing you're going to top it.

[AC168]

I played 12* for years … tried everything… best solution was actually a combination of lessons and switching to a mid-mid profile shaft for greater stability.

[Jeff58]

If you’re still here OP, just my 02

 

If you placed the ball 2” above ground on your rear instep, and aligned the face to fly at the intended target line, you’d obviously drive the ball into the ground. You could also blame that on an overly steep swing path.

 

In order to hit with an ascending angle, you *must* have the ball placed forward of the swing’s low point, with a tee height that intercepts the ball in the center of the face, and a grip rotation angle that faces the target line at impact. You’re just not doing that. No equipment will help you, nor should you be looking for bandaids.

[NerdyGolfer]

Did you ever try the 14* driver? I struggle with a negative AoA and delight my driver a TON. I’d like to hear  some real world results from this. Thanks!

[Crn50]

I've recently got the 14* sldr because I've been experimenting with my driver, so far I've not found nirvana but having a fitting next week with fingers crossed lol...