Driver - Adjusting Loft

[BackNine08]

Hello - In regards to adjusting a driver loft, what is the difference between buying a 10.5 off the shelf or buying a 9 degree adjustable drive and then moving the loft up to 10.5. I realize that increasing the loft closes the face but most adjustable drivers allow for that to be brought back to square also..

 

Thanks

[ShortGolfer]

Depends on the manufacturer, as the adjustment changes are interactive and different.

https://www.taylormadegolf.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-TMaG-Library/en_US/v1669158905465/manuals/2020_tuning_manual.pdf

Page 2 has a chart that describes what each of the 12 positions does.  But only for Taylormade.

Edited February 11, 2023 by ShortGolfer

[Stuart_G]

5 hours ago, BackNine08 said:

Hello - In regards to adjusting a driver loft, what is the difference between buying a 10.5 off the shelf or buying a 9 degree adjustable drive and then moving the loft up to 10.5. I realize that increasing the loft closes the face but most adjustable drivers allow for that to be brought back to square also..

 

All drivers allow you to point the face where ever you want at address.  But that doesn't necessarily "undo" the face angle change.   A closed face driver will look different from a neutral or open face driver at address - even if the face is pointed in the same direction.   Some people are sensitive to that difference - some people are not.

 

One way to find out is to take any adjustable driver, set the loft to the highest setting and go test it out.  Then change the setting to the lowest lofted setting and test it out again.   If there is a noticeable change in shot shape, then getting the right face angle could be important for you.   If there is no change in shot shape - you should be free to use any setting to adjust launch and spin (assuming center face impact).

 

 

 

[PNW_Golfer]

Check out MobileClubMaker on YouTube, AJ does a really good video on adjustable hosel drivers

[BackNine08]

On 2/15/2023 at 10:45 PM, PNW_Golfer said:

Check out MobileClubMaker on YouTube, AJ does a really good video on adjustable hosel drivers

Thanks.

[sfdoddsy]

It depends on your swing. As you mentioned, adjustable drivers don’t actually change the loft, they change the face angle.

 

The loft change comes when you square (or not) the adjusted head at address.

 

So a true 10.5 head should play to 10.5 loft, but a 9 set to 10.5 may well not.

 

I personally use the adjustments to change shot shape, not shot height.

 

 

[BackNine08]

9 minutes ago, sfdoddsy said:

It depends on your swing. As you mentioned, adjustable drivers don’t actually change the loft, they change the face angle.

 

The loft change comes when you square (or not) the adjusted head at address.

 

So a true 10.5 head should play to 10.5 loft, but a 9 set to 10.5 may well not.

 

I personally use the adjustments to change shot shape, not shot height.

 

 

Interesting. Didn’t realize that the loft change was actually a face change and then subsequent squaring. Always thought it was a true loft change and the face angle change was a byproduct. 

[Stuart_G]

56 minutes ago, BackNine08 said:

Interesting. Didn’t realize that the loft change was actually a face change and then subsequent squaring. Always thought it was a true loft change and the face angle change was a byproduct. 

 

Depends on how you define "true loft."   There really is no one single definition of "true loft" so depends who you talk to.   The terms with clear definitions are "static loft" and "effective loft."

 

The "static loft" of a driver head is measured against the ground plane, without a shaft, while the head sits in the naturally soled position.   Since it doesn't involve the shaft, this does not change with the hosel adjustment.   This is also the more traditional meaning of "loft" when referring that in woods and drivers (and hybrids).

 

The "effective loft" is the loft measured relative to the shaft plane.    Clamp the club in a loft/lie gauge with the shaft vertical and measure the loft like you would with an iron.    This 'loft' does change with the hosel adjustment.

 

Face angle does change with a hosel adjustment.  It doesn't really matter if you call it the primary change or a by-product.

 

So the only question is - how does the face angle change effect your ability to get your desired face-to-path (or face orientation) at impact? 

 

For those sensitive to face angle it can be very problematic.   So those people need to think of the adjustment as a face angle change and the hosel settings as more of a shot shape adjustment.    

 

Others that are not effected at all by the face angle change are free to think of the hosel adjustment as a loft adjustment.

 

Those are the two extremes - many can fall somewhere in between those two.

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Stuart_G

[BackNine08]

3 minutes ago, Stuart_G said:

 

Depends on how you define "true loft."

 

The "static loft" of a driver head is measured against the ground plane without a shaft while the head sits in the naturally soled position.   Since it doesn't involve the shaft, this does not change with the hosel adjustment.   This is also the more traditional meaning of "loft" when referring that in woods and drivers (and hybrids).

 

The "effective loft" is the loft measured relative to the shaft plane.    Clamp the club in a loft/lie gauge with the shaft vertical and measure the loft like you would with an iron.    This 'loft' does change with the hosel adjustment.

 

Face angle does change with a hosel adjustment.  It doesn't really matter if you call it the primary change or a by-product.

 

So the only question is - how does the face angle change effect your ability to get your desired face-to-path at impact? 

 

For those sensitive to face angle it can be very problematic.   So those people need to think of the adjustment as a face angle change and the hosel settings as more of a shot shape adjustment.    

 

Others that are not effected at all by the face angle change are free to think of the hosel adjustment as a loft adjustment.

 

Those are the two extremes - many can fall somewhere in between those two.

 

 

Awesome. Thanks for the detailed explanation!

[sfdoddsy]

Indeed. If you don't square the adjusted face at address, your 'loft' adjustment will have a bigger affect on shot shape than shot height.

 

Likewise the 'draw' settings on many drivers don't actually close the face to produce a draw, they make the lie angle more upright to encourage shots to start left.

 

It is all a tad confusing, not also a tad deceptive.

 

If I were happy with the shot shape of a driver, but wanted more or less height or more or less spin, I would use the hosel. I would get a different head.

 

If I were happy with launch and spin, but wanted to tweak shot shape, I would adjust the hosel.

 

Again this depends on your swing.

 

One of my faults is that I don't square the face at address (usually it is closed). As a result I am quite sensitive to face angle changes, especially lofting up. It too often turns my preferred shot (start slightly right and draw back) into a pull.

 

This is one of the areas where fitting can help.

 

Even better is being able to take clubs out onto the course and see what tweaks do in real life.

[myspinonit]

As I understand it the loft changes come into effect after adjusting the hosel if the club is square at time of impact.  Holding the club square to the target to one's eye may assist in that regard depending on the player.

 

After several years of having my 7w and 5w lofted down a degree (sitting a bit open)  to try to eek a few more yards out of my senior swing I think I'm going back to standard.  I was not generally as solid or long with either club at the end of last season.   I think I was being manipulative to get it square at impact rather than swinging freely.  I think I'm going to  keep my 5H lofted down a degree as it feels a touch closed at standard to my eye  and I generally still hit  a baby draw  at the slightly open hosel adjustment.

Edited March 21, 2023 by myspinonit