Is there a BIG difference between 9* and 10.5* identical drivers?

[hardten]

Anybody compare both?

I know its a dumb question but. I have taken the prevaling advice of the experts and have gone from 9.5* to 10.5* driver lofts over the last few years. I, for whatever reason can,t hit my foot inside on LMs. I would quit if my game remotely equalled what the results were inside on the LMs. Anyway I finally got to play last weekend and hit my new G10 10.5 * V2HL stiff. Similiar ball flight to my Burner TP 10.5* stock stiff Reax. Nice ballflight ,somewhat high and no ballooning. Of course little to no roll because of damp fairways. Some of my playing partners ,that I am usually at least equal to,were sometimes past me with a lower ball flight. I noticed that last year at times too. I will certainly play a few more rounds before determining anything ,but would going to the 9* really make that big a difference. I will say I do like the V2HL shaft. I may just trade the burner TP in for a identical 9* G10 but thats kind of dumb. I have to go quite a ways to try and demo the 9*.

[dukesweb]

This may seem strange, but I had the same thing happen to me with my new G10. A buddy I play with all of the time usually hits the ball near mine maybe 1-2 times a round. He got a new "knockoff" driver with an ultra-whippy shaft. He hits a real low ball normally and without some fairway run, he is dead. We played the other weekend and he was even with me and sometimes ahead of me on drives that didn't carry as far as mine but ended up longer. I would hit what I thought was a nice solid drive only to find it yards behind him. I was playing a 10.5 G10 with stock S flex. Well, I recently got a 10.5 Rapture with Aldila NVS R flex and we played yesterday on really soft, soggy fairways. I was back to hitting the ball well past him. The G10 is now on to EBay. I bought it after reading all of the accolades on here, but in the real world, it just did not produce for me.

 

From my experiences, the 9* will launch a bit lower but you may also lose some control and distance in the air. If you always play on flat, firm fairways it might get you a few more yards but not much.

[hardten]

Thanks for reply. I think the G10 is fine just curious about the loft. I am going to try and hit it next to my TP tomorrow and trade or sell one eventually. I loved the TP but ,at least feel wise, like the G10 a bit more. The truth is out on the course.

[wakenwae]

I would think that a 10.5* would launch a little bit higher than 9.5*. You mentioned identical drivers, but I wonder if there really is such a thing with all the variances in the true loft on the face and in the way the graphite shaft is made. It seems like we all have had an experience when we demo the Jumbo 800 and knock the snot out of it on the driving range. We then order a Jumbo 800 just exactly like the demo club only it turns out not to be exactly like the demo club. After a while we learn that it's better to actually tape up a driver, that you can buy, and hit it instead.

 

I just think to make a linear relationship between the two "identical" drivers except for loft, you will encounter all those variables and might not be happy with what you end up with. JMHGO

[$maker]

You should have the loft tested. Drivers don't always play true to spec and other G10 owners have mentioned that the G10 might be playing somewhat weaker than the stated loft. So the 9* might be playing at 9.5* and then 10.5* could be playing at 10.75 or 11*

 

I've hit the 9* only with a few different shafts and my launch numbers were good, not too high. I currently play a Callaway 10* stated head and launch angles were in the same ballpark with the the G10.

[Spumoni]

Last year I had a Tour Edge Exotics 10.5* driver. The shaft broke at the hosel and since it has a life time warranty my local golf shop sent it back for me. While I was waiting for it they gave me the same driver & shaft but in a 9* head. I hit the 9* lower than the 10.5* but not too low. I don't think I gave up any carry distance but gained distance with more run out on the ground. I kept the 9* and gained distance! As many people have said on this site many drivers have a higher loft than stated on the club. Give a 9 or 9.5* a try.

[schlebrock]

The biggest differences are obviously going to be loft and spins rates. Going from a 10.5 to a 9.0 (or vice versa) can severely affect your launch angle and spin rates, thus affecting your overall driver distance.

 

So to answer your question, there very well could be a big difference in changing lofts in identical drivers.

[Taylormadematt]

About 1.5 Degrees lol

[wildwilly911]

why did you go up in loft and go to high launch shaft? i would look for a different shaft.

[hardten]

As I stated I began going to 10* or 10.5 * a few years ago with all the experts ie Wishon,Thomas,etc universally stating amatuers don,t play enough loft in their drivers. I mentioned my continual bad results inside with LMs so I don,t get a decent picture of what works and don,t Typically I extensively demo on range. I wasn,t even in the market for a new driver this year but took a bunch of stuff into to unload in trade and ended up with so much credit I bought the G10 driver,3 wd,18* & 21* hybrids on impulse. I did demo the various Ping stock shafts outside and was surprized the V2HL worked out the best. Eventhough I hit a fairly high ball to begin with the V2HL works very well and certainly doesn,t balloon. I am really talking bringing the ball down slightly for more rollout. Then again I could lose what I think is a very nice high penetrating ballflight. Plus I like the soft but controlled feel of the shaft. I probably shouldn,t even bring up this minor concern untill I play on some dryer fairways.

[hypergolf]

When I was choosing my G10 driver, the carry distance I got was quite similar at 240-250 meters but 9* had more role so I went with 9*.

[dgrelecki]

All things being equal, and those heads actually being 9* and 10.5*....the 10.5* would launch 1.5* more with ~+400 RPM. Shaft wise, in my experience, that's a pretty high spin shaft.... In an ideal world, the best thing to do is get on an outdoor launch monitor like a trackman and use the same ball you would use under gaming situations...but that's not easy to find.

Good luck!