Why don't I hit my driver longer? Help!

[JeCook]

my irons are fine.....

Hi guys,

I need some help with my driving distance. Here are my stats from trackman. Firstly I am using a Burner 07, stiff shaft, 9.5 driver. My 6-iron swing speed is 86 ish. I am a 6 h'dcap (UK) and i feel that my long game needs the most work.

DRIVER
Average ball speed 138mph
ver launch 13
ave height 72
land angle 32.8
carry 220
total 245

4-IRON
Average ball speed 120mph
ver launch 13
ave height 59
land angle 32
carry 184
total 200


5-IRON
Average ball speed 120mph
ver launch 13.8
ave height 71
land angle 39
carry 175
total 193

7-IRON
Average ball speed 111mph
ver launch 18.8
ave height 78
land angle 42
carry 154
total 166


I am looking at getting the new Superfast Burner - what loft and shaft would you recommend? Any other advice would be helpful, I would like to gain another 20-30 yards.

thanks all

[Grobster]

The launch angle for your irons look surprisingly low.

As an example the loft of a 7 irons is usually around 35 deg, so having a verticacl launch angle of 18.8 seems low. the loft of a 4 iron is usually about 24degree, so again your vertical launch at 13 deg seems low. Distances seem good though, perhaps the shafts are set up that way??

In regards to the driver i am guessing that you are striking the ball with slightly downward stoke.

If you are a right hander, try and keep your left shoulder high and pick a high window in the sky with the driver. Try doing this with a higher tee peg and a more forward ball position in an attempt to catch the ball on the up stroke. It is a good idea to put a bit of tape over the front edge of the crown to protect you from 'skying' the ball, as you get used to this.

It's got to be worth a try before spending more money.

[JeCook]

[quote name='Grobster' timestamp='1290004067' post='2794764']
The launch angle for your irons look surprisingly low.

As an example the loft of a 7 irons is usually around 35 deg, so having a verticacl launch angle of 18.8 seems low. the loft of a 4 iron is usually about 24degree, so again your vertical launch at 13 deg seems low. Distances seem good though, perhaps the shafts are set up that way??

In regards to the driver i am guessing that you are striking the ball with slightly downward stoke.

If you are a right hander, try and keep your left shoulder high and pick a high window in the sky with the driver. Try doing this with a higher tee peg and a more forward ball position in an attempt to catch the ball on the up stroke. It is a good idea to put a bit of tape over the front edge of the crown to protect you from 'skying' the ball, as you get used to this.

It's got to be worth a try before spending more money.
[/quote]

thanks for the feedback

yes - the vertical launch angles don't look right altho' I am a low ball flight type of guy - DG S300 shafts on my irons. I would take the launch angles with a pinch of salt.

[dan360]

Try a 10.5 deg head with the exact same shaft as the one you play now and see if anything changes.

I'm not picking on you....many people play way too little loft in their driver these days.

Your driver shaft flex/kick point could be an issue. Not all stiff shafts are created equal, ie a high kick point (tip stiff) will launch lower than a mid kick point (neutral) or low kick point (tip loose) shaft type.

[JeCook]

[quote name='dan360' timestamp='1290007008' post='2794838']
Try a 10.5 deg head with the exact same shaft as the one you play now and see if anything changes.

I'm not picking on you....many people play way too little loft in their driver these days.

Your driver shaft flex/kick point could be an issue. Not all stiff shafts are created equal, ie a high kick point (tip stiff) will launch lower than a mid kick point (neutral) or low kick point (tip loose) shaft type.
[/quote]

thanks - I think the difficulty is that i don't really have a club fitter that I can fully try all the shafts, so i need to make decisions based on my ball speed, etc. I will try a 10.5, although the height of my driver (above) was higher than my 7-IRON, so my question - what height should I be looking for?

[randomhero1090]

You left out your driver SS. You swing your 6i just a touch slower than me. I swing the driver about 105-108mph. So lets say your average driver SS is 100 mph. With a ballspeed of 138 mph, your smash factor is only 1.38.... So your contact is poor.

My guess.... Your driver ballflight is lower, baby pull-fade, occasional pull or pull draw. You are probably hitting DOWN on the ball, generating too much backspin, and probably coming across the ball just a little with a slightly open face creating some slice spin. Any of that sound right?

I agree with above. More driver loft. When I went from 9.5 to 10.5 I added a good bit of carry distance, probably around 15 yards. Gained about 20 yards of distance overall.

[dan360]

[quote name='JeCook' timestamp='1290007399' post='2794849']
[quote name='dan360' timestamp='1290007008' post='2794838']
Try a 10.5 deg head with the exact same shaft as the one you play now and see if anything changes.

I'm not picking on you....many people play way too little loft in their driver these days.

Your driver shaft flex/kick point could be an issue. Not all stiff shafts are created equal, ie a high kick point (tip stiff) will launch lower than a mid kick point (neutral) or low kick point (tip loose) shaft type.
[/quote]

thanks - I think the difficulty is that i don't really have a club fitter that I can fully try all the shafts, so i need to make decisions based on my ball speed, etc. I will try a 10.5, although the height of my driver (above) was higher than my 7-IRON, so my question - what height should I be looking for?
[/quote]

I didn't pay too much attention to your iron launch angles, as honestly they seem way too low to be accurate, but at any rate...

"Ideally" a 14-16 deg launch angle for a 130-140mph ball speed. That can change based on the head, the angle of attack to the ball, swing path, all sorts of goodies.

The spin rate is also very important. Low launch needs a higher spin to generate lift for the ball. High launch needs less spin. For an 'ideal' launch of 14-16 deg with 138mph ball speed, your spin rate off driver should 'ideally' be around 3600rpm. Again, with many variables.

It used to be lower launch/higher spin was the ideal fitting, but as of last few years the high launch/low spin thing was the rage. Ball technology is changing again (thanks USGA) so if the golf ball becomes "spinny-er" again, the ideal launch angle may change again as well.

Without access to a fitter with a variety of test subjects, it can get expense.

Check out this link:
http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/82596-chart-for-ideal-launch-conditions/page__hl__optimal+flight

[jwscode]

[quote name='JeCook' timestamp='1290002129' post='2794722']
Hi guys,

I need some help with my driving distance. Here are my stats from trackman. Firstly I am using a Burner 07, stiff shaft, 9.5 driver. My 6-iron swing speed is 86 ish. I am a 6 h'dcap (UK) and i feel that my long game needs the most work.

I am looking at getting the new Superfast Burner - what loft and shaft would you recommend? Any other advice would be helpful, I would like to gain another 20-30 yards.

thanks all
[/quote]

I like the Burner Superfast, tried one out for a round, was very impressed at the ease of the swing and I hit most of the fairways with nice distance. Very good club for the price, Dont think you would go wrong there, myself I like a 9.5 with stiff shaft, worked real well for me.

[pava]

I wouldn't listen to any of the people saying your vertical launch is too low on your irons. They appear to be right in between the average PGA and LPGA numbers according to the Trackman website. http://www.mytrackman.com/TrackMan.Online.DrivingRange/PGANumbers.html

[Buzzkill]

[quote name='JeCook' timestamp='1290002129' post='2794722']
Hi guys,

I need some help with my driving distance. Here are my stats from trackman. Firstly I am using a Burner 07, stiff shaft, 9.5 driver. My 6-iron swing speed is 86 ish. I am a 6 h'dcap (UK) and i feel that my long game needs the most work.

DRIVER
Average ball speed 138mph
ver launch 13
ave height 72
land angle 32.8
carry 220
total 245

4-IRON
Average ball speed 120mph
ver launch 13
ave height 59
land angle 32
carry 184
total 200


5-IRON
Average ball speed 120mph
ver launch 13.8
ave height 71
land angle 39
carry 175
total 193

7-IRON
Average ball speed 111mph
ver launch 18.8
ave height 78
land angle 42
carry 154
total 166


I am looking at getting the new Superfast Burner - what loft and shaft would you recommend? Any other advice would be helpful, I would like to gain another 20-30 yards.

thanks all
[/quote]

Your driving distance seems to be about right according to your iron distances. Should be around 250 yards total.

[JeCook]

Thaks for all the advice - i'll keep searching for the extra 20-30 yards. Thats all I want!

PS I don't have my Driver swing speed, just my 6Iron (86mph). y contact is not always 100%, as i said, I am a 6 hdcp but my driving needs work. I miss mostly on the left - pull but no hook spin. I fade the ball sometimeas as well.

I used to have a 983K with graffalloy Blue stiff shaft - I was pretty straight with it.