Re: R9 driver settings

My R9 came with a little fold-out pamphlet which contained a chart showing the trajectories for each setting. What I did was go to the range and experiment with each one. I found that the variation in my swing was greater than the variation in the settings making it difficult to get a good sense of how much of an effect each setting was having. To complicate things further, the balance of the club at setup was affected by the setting which made me want to compensate by changing my grip slightly.

Long story short, after trying all of the different settings, I ended up leaving it in the N position and tweaking my swing instead of my club.

Re: R9 driver settings

Ah, the driving range-good advise! Just take along the wrench.
I ended up back at the neutral position as well, at least for now. Seems to work great with my shortened swing. Going out with a grandson this a.m. and will try out the L position again, thinking it will mimick the setup on the Burner 3 wood, which I really like. It would be nice to have a driver and 3 wood with exactly the same amount of offset.
Looks like there's also intermediate L (and R) settings if the full settings are too strong. Gives me something else to blame when the ball heads off into the bush. LOL
Thanks for the reply Bill....Wil

Re: R9 driver settings

Settings don't seem to make much difference-I guess if you're from the old school with the (Nicklaus) straight left arm setup it's a bit easier keeping your hands ahead of the ball when you line up your drive.
Nevertheless, it's a nice club using any setting. Really liking it...Wil

Re: R9 driver settings

I used to have a major problem coming over the top and slicing the ball. I bought the R9 hoping that adjusting the club for a draw bias would help straighten my drives. It may have helped a little, but not enough to overcome my swing flaws. What did help was learning to slow down my backswing so that my arms didn't outrace my chest, making a full shoulder turn, and rolling my forearms over during impact and follow trough. Now I seldom slice my drives unless I'm tired or have a sore back and don't make a smooth, full turn. I still experimented with the different settings to see what effect they had on distance and trajectory and found that the N position seemed to produce the best combination for me.

I like the idea of being able to make adjustments if need be, even if I'm not using any now. And since I don't feel like I'm sacrificing much in the way of distance or forgiveness to get it, I'm happy with it.

Re: R9 driver settings

Thanks Bill-sounds like c/b my problem, as well. I'll try that today.

...Wil (Canada)

Re: R9 driver settings

Bill, I was going to PM you but others may benefit from the direction we seem to be going.
1. First, slowing down that backswing definitely helps straighten drives. I didn't realize why but your explanation makes sense.
2. While my back is 68 years old and fused any kind of shoulder turn also helps.
3. Still have to learn that forearm roll-Tom Watson and AJ Bonar are adament about it so it's well worth spending time practising. Hope I can learn how to do it.

IMO Johnny Miller has an excellent golf DVD out and I've been practicing a stand alone last half of his swing, where he hits the ball like a hockey slapshot/table tennis slam/hammering a nail home with the palm of your right hand (ouch!). Using a straight left arm that goes back to parallel with the ground, neutral grip and a 90deg hinged right arm a shortened swing sends the ball dead straight; about 160 yards with a 5i and 225 to 240 with the driver. Now to me this is like finding the proverbial beautiful rich girl whose daddy owns that liquor store! Why bother with the full swing-just smack it with the right arm/hand and away it goes; DEAD STRAIGHT! Has anyone tried this or am I drinking too much of my homemade wine? Maybe it could be integrated with a shoulder turn and weight shift but I haven't been able to make that work yet. Probably still overswinging.

Best regards...Wil (over in 'Canader')

Re: R9 driver settings

Wil,

I am unfamiliar will Miller's DVD, but the drill you describe sounds very interesting. Are you saying that you hit these shots with no shoulder turn at all? How long did it take you to master it? I'd like to try it the next time I go to the range.

Hitting drives straight is critical to scoring on the courses I play in northern Minnesota. The fairways are carved out of the deep woods, and penalty strokes can add up fast for lost balls.

As for rolling the forearms, what worked best for me was making sure that the left arm rolled over the right arm on the backswing (playing right handed), This created a natural tendency to reverse the action on the downswing without having to think about it.

Bill

Re: R9 driver settings

Hey Bill;
It's like throwing a baseball or skipping a rock across the water--there's no concious attempt to turn the shoulders or shift the weight but, to a lesser extent, that probably happens a bit, either naturally or from habit, but I don't deliberately try to turn the shoulders or shift my weight. It's SO simple it's almost too easy. If you can just visualize the impact there's really nothing to learn. That 90 degree right arm is like a piston driving the door shut.
As well, it's just a good exercise to practise---Miller (and everyone else) says this is where you should be at impact and the first half of everyone's swing, including at the top, can be different from others.
Testing this on the range first sounds like a good idea.
BTW--the DVD is called "Fixing Your Swing" (Vol. 1) and only costs $19.95. Of all the many golf books and DVDs I have, this one's the best of the best. Straight to point but still complete.
Really hope to hear back from you and hope you can make it work.
Best regards...Wil

Re: R9 driver settings

Addendum:
Here's the drill:
Put your arms out in front of you like you were holding a club at address, but without a club in your hands. Place your palms together, simulating a neutral grip. Then swing the right arm (only) back about 90 degrees with right elbow pointing straight down and against or close to your right hip.
Then SLAM the palm of your right hand up against the palm of your left hand. The right elbow acts like a hinge swinging a door. Assuming the face of your club was properly aligned at setup, the ball HAS to go straight! That's it! ...Wil

Re: R9 driver settings

Thanks for the added description Wil. The local golf shop didn't have Johnny's DVD, so I'll see if I can order it on Amazon. I've got a busy weekend coming up, but I hope to get to the range early next week and experiment a bit if it doesn't rain.

Bill