Driver ballflight to high

[Collie]

Hi Guys
My driver: Fusion Tour Model 9.5 degr,draw, stiff shaft. My ballflight with driver (sorted my irons out with left wrist drills) has always been high, and with the windy area where I stay, it is sometimes a problem.
Direction and distance and shape is ok, but get the balloon effect and the wind kills me off the tee.
Should I get a 8.5 degr driver? Will that help? Or is there something I can change swingwise ? Please help!!

[Rackster]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

Hi Collie

Can you / anyone give me a link for these left wrist drills.

Thanks

Rackster

[LowPost42]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

From a purely equipment point of view, the lower your loft, the lower your trajectory. So yes, going down in actual loft (ie, just because it says 8 on the bottom doesn't mean it's 8 at the face) will lower your trajectory.

[Collie]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

The launch angle with this driver is 14-16 degr. which is to high. Just came back from the golf shop where their monitor gave me the readings - constant in that range. Hit some other drivers too, and still the same. Must be in the swing more than in the club? Help....

[jbrunk]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

I am guessing your angle of attack is too steep with the driver. Could be a problem with your swing and/or ball position.

[RandomHero1090]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

Considering you are playing a stiff shaft with a 9.5* head, I will say your swing speed is over 90 mph. Couple things you can try....

1) Teeing the ball up a little LOWER. Will promote a shallower angle of attack.

2) Teeing the ball BACK in your stance. You will catch the ball with a level strike opposed to on the upswing (which will decrease your launch angle).

3) Take the club back wide and low. Its should feel like the club is BEHIND you instead of ABOVE you (like with full wedge shots where you swing VERY upright). The driver should be on a wide arc.

4) Think SMOOTH when you swing. You are trying to keep it LOW, so don't try to kill it.

I actually do all 4 when trying to hit it low. I hit my straightest drives like this as well. Usually roll a mile.

[BrianW]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

The launch angle with this driver is 14-16 degr. which is to high. Just came back from the golf shop where their monitor gave me the readings - constant in that range. Hit some other drivers too, and still the same. Must be in the swing more than in the club? Help....

The ideal mean launch angle with a driver is 20 deg to give optimum carry and roll in average conditions, you are lower than that so it seems to me you don't have a problem with high ball flight, quite the opposite, 14 / 16 is not high.

If your driver has 9.5 deg loft then it stands to reason that you gain the additional launch angle by teeing up and hitting the ball on the upswing. As the Random H suggests to get a lower flight in windy conditions then either tee up lower or bring the ball back a little so that you hit up less. If your swing was level at contact you would have a 9.5 deg launch angle that would rise slightly dependent of the amount of spin applied to the ball. You could also use a low spin ball.

[jambalaya]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

How far and how straight are you hitting them?

[30yearlayoff]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

The tip and kickpoint in the shaft have a lot to do with ball flight as well as the angle of the face.

I have the exact same driver (neutral bias). I assume you have the NVS in Stiff (65g)???

I struggle with this driver doing the same thing. I have to tee the ball lower and swing very flat and level. Make sure....6 inches before and after the ball...you are level with the club head. The advice on feeling like the driver is behind you is good. I hit the best drives by taking it back without bending the wrists until the right wrist bends naturally. This means you have to have loose wrists (not locked) but don't cock early. Once I feel the right wrist fold naturally, I start the downswing.

The feeling is the club never got up but...if you look at it on film, it did.

Overall, I like this driver but...I am going to experiment with different shafts.

[LowPost42]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

Considering you are playing a stiff shaft with a 9.5* head, I will say your swing speed is over 90 mph. Couple things you can try....

1) Teeing the ball up a little LOWER. Will promote a shallower angle of attack.

2) Teeing the ball BACK in your stance. You will catch the ball with a level strike opposed to on the upswing (which will increase your launch angle).

3) Take the club back wide and low. Its should feel like the club is BEHIND you instead of ABOVE you (like with full wedge shots where you swing VERY upright). The driver should be on a wide arc.

4) Think SMOOTH when you swing. You are trying to keep it LOW, so don't try to kill it.

I actually do all 3 when trying to hit it low. I hit my straightest drives like this as well. Usually roll a mile.

Point #2: You mean decrease LA, right?

Other than that, it sounds like good advice to me. I just had a pseudo journal entry where I figured the same thing - swing within yourself. Swinging out of your shoes is a recipie for ugliness.

Plus, in this situation the extra clubhead speed may be producing more spin - which potentially produces more height.

Which addresses another point. Collie, even though your LA is between 14 and 16° (which is OK to me) how is your spin? Too much spin with those numbers will balloon your flight and kill distance (just as too little spin will, too).

I've got a guy who comes by once every couple of weeks to hop on the monitor. He's playing a driver right now that; when he draws it, needs to hit it dead flush otherwise he doesn't generate enough spin to keep it airborne. His cut shot works very well, though (due to the extra spin).

Just a thought.

[RandomHero1090]

Re: Driver ballflight to high

[quote=LowPost42;10537358]Point #2: You mean decrease LA, right?

quote]

Made my corrections Thanks!

You made another great point Low....You need SOME backspin. When I was fitted, my 10.5 stiff driver was over 3000 rpms. Going to a mid-high kickpoint stiff shaft and a 9.5 degree face lowered my backspin down to 2600 rpms. I am getting more roll and a more boring flight. I also can work the ball a easier.