Golf-FAQ.com

what degree golf driver should i use

by Dr. Derick Hintz IV Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

What degree should I set my driver at?

The ideal driver loft depends on your swing speed and the attack angle. Average players that swing the club less than 95 MPH will likely find that a 10.5-degree driver performs the best. Better players who can control their drives and want the most distance will lean more towards a 9-degree driver.

Do I want a 9-degree or 10.5-degree driver?

9-degree drivers produce a lower trajectory and produce the best results with fast swing speeds that generate the spin needed to get maximum airtime. 10.5-degree drivers are suited to most golfers with an average swing speed that requires forgiveness and extra distance.

What degree driver do most pros use?

Professional golfers tend to play with a driver that has about 9.5 degrees of loft. Of course, there are some golfers who find 10.5 or 8.5 to be more effective, but you will generally see most players end up in the 9 to 9.5 range. The loft on the driver makes it easier to launch.

Is a 9-degree driver hard to hit?

A 9-degree driver takes a bit more clubhead speed to hit well. If you are a faster swinging player, the 10.5-degree driver may launch too high for you. Faster swinging golfers can compress a golf ball much better than a slower swinging player.

Do any pros use a 10.5 degree driver?

At the WGC-HSBC Champions, Dustin Johnson took the title using a TaylorMade SLDR driver with 10.5 degrees loft. Although TaylorMade has recently been touting the benefits of "lofting up" with its new driver, it's actually been a trend on the PGA Tour for more than a decade.

Do lower lofted drivers go further?

If you have a golfer with a very high clubhead speed (i.e. the hose on full blast) they'll need a lower loft to get maximum distance. For a slower clubhead speed (i.e. the water pressure is lower) they'll need a higher loft to get more distance. What you CANNOT do is match a low clubhead speed with a low lofted driver!

What degree driver does Tiger Woods use?

RELATED: Tiger Woods hopes to walk the walk at Masters When Woods showed up at the 2021 PNC Championship, he had a new TaylorMade Stealth Plus 9-degree driver in the bag, equipped with his familiar Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60TX driver.

What degree driver does Rory McIlroy use?

9 degreesMcIlroy has decided to join Tiger Woods by sticking the new TaylorMade Stealth Plus Driver - a brand new carbonwood from the company - straight in his bag. The four-time major champion is using the new red-faced driver in 9 degrees with a Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X shaft.

Is a 12 degree driver easier to hit?

Is A 12 Degree Driver Easier To Hit? The additional loft of a 12-degree driver makes it an easier club to launch, ensuring you consistently get the ball airborne off the tee. If your swing is on the slower side, you will derive the most value from a 12-degree driver.

Is there a big difference between 9.5 and 10.5 driver?

If your tee shot trajectory is too low, then choose a 10.5-degree driver rather than its 9.5-degree counterpart. All else being equal, you'll hit the ball higher with a greater-lofted club.

What degree driver does Bryson DeChambeau use?

Cobra LTDxBryson was using a Cobra King Radspeed driver which had only 7.5 degrees of loft but in 2022 he has switched to a Cobra LTDx which only has five degrees of loft. "A lot of (the design improvements) were from last year's input,” DeChambeau told GolfWRX on Monday at the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open.

What loft does Tiger Woods use?

The 15-time Major winner is very particular about his wedges as most of his game is based around feel. As such he usually sticks with a model that works for him and right now he uses two TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 models which have 56 and 60 degrees of loft.

What degree driver does Justin Thomas use?

The most significant change Thomas has made in his driver recently is he switched from a 9-degree head to a 10-degree head. However, by adjusting the SureFit hosel into the D-1 setting, its actual loft is decreased back down to 9 degrees.

What degree driver does Dustin Johnson use?

When Johnson showed up on Monday to the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, he had two drivers in the bag that he was testing. Both were 10.5-degree TaylorMade Stealth Plus drivers equipped with LA Golf DJ-Series prototype shafts.

What driver is most used on PGA Tour?

So, according to Golfing Focus, currently, Titleist is the most popular and used driver on the PGA Tour. Titleist's TSi3 is the most used driver among the top 100 PGA Tour pros, with around 13% of golfers choosing it. This is interesting as when it comes to drivers, we mostly think of TaylorMade or Callaway.

What size driver do pros use?

between 44.5 and 45.5 inchesFor perspective, driver shaft lengths have increased over the last quarter century, both on the PGA Tour and in the marketplace. It was typical in the 1990s for drivers played on tour to be in the 43-inch range, and now the majority of tour players use a driver between 44.5 and 45.5 inches.

What is the key factor when hitting a driver?

The key factor when hitting a driver is the make a smooth connection with the centre of the clubface and that is going to come down to the angle of attack of the clubhead as it makes contact with the ball.

What loft do you need to swing a golf club faster?

Someone who is swinging the club faster will need to use a lower loft to get the maximum distance and someone with a slower swing speed will need more loft to get the right trajectory and the maximum ball speed for their potential.

What is the loft of a golf club?

The loft of a golf club measures the angle of the face of the club as you address the ball.

How does loft affect golf?

The loft of your driver can have a big impact not only on the distance you achieve from the tee but also how many fairways in regulation you hit as you navigate the course which is probably always more important.

Why is loft important in golf?

The higher loft is going to make it easier to hit the sweet spot on the club face and send the ball straight more often, albeit with a bit more height. For us straight is a lot more important than far until you reach the stage where you can make a conscious decision that you need a lower flight directory and higher ball speed and opt for a 9.5 degree loft.

How to calculate swing speed?

If you want to calculate your swing speed the old fashioned way, then divide the average distance of your drives by 2.3. If you drive the ball 230 yards on average, that would be a swing speed of 100mph.

When driving in windy weather, what do you do?

When the weather is windy, you want to keep your shots low with the driver to avoid it getting carried away by the wind. Being able to adust you loft downwards means you will be able to keep those drives low and get good distance, avoiding the wind as much as possible.

What is the best loft for a golf driver?

Why? Well imagine firing water from a garden hose at a plant pot on the other side of the garden. If someone were to turn down the pressure of the hose, you would have to tilt the nozzle upwards to try and maintain the distance the water is traveling. The same applies to the loft of your driver. Golfers with this swing speed would typically benefit from a driver between 12-14° of loft.

How many degrees is the loft on a golf club?

Here’s a fact for you. The loft on your clubface varies from top to bottom by up to six degrees! Loft is at its lowest on the bottom of the clubface and is at its highest on the top. Strikes above the clubface centre will tend to launch higher with less spin and vice versa on shots from low on the clubface.

Why do golfers spin the ball less?

2. Upward hitters. Golfers that hit up on the ball (have a positive attack angle) will tend to spin the ball less because their spin loft is lower. So they can therefore afford to have slightly more loft to maximize distance.

Why do golfers need more loft?

Why will most golfers benefit from more loft? The chances are because a) it makes it more difficult to curve the ball offline and b) your swing speed isn’t fast enough to warrant the low loft you’re using to maximize distance. But it must be said, a higher loft won’t work for everyone.

What is the best angle to hit a ball down?

However, you need to make sure you maintain a high enough launch angle in the process, above 11 degrees ideally.

How high should the launch angle be when hitting a golf ball?

However, you need to make sure you maintain a high enough launch angle in the process, above 11 degrees ideally. 3.

Where is the loft on a golf club?

Impact location Here’s a fact for you. The loft on your clubface varies from top to bottom by up to six degrees! Loft is at its lowest on the bottom of the clubface and is at its highest on the top . Strikes above the clubface centre will tend to launch higher with less spin and vice versa on shots from low on the clubface.

Why use a 12 degree driver?

Using a 12 degree driver as opposed to a lower amount of left can help many struggling golfers. The main benefits of using a 12° driver is the higher launch trajectory you’ll experience off the tee. The higher launch will help the ball clear trees and move with the wind easier.

What is the aim of a golf drive?

The aim of a golf drive is to keep the ball low and hit it as long as possible. The complete opposite to this approach is a wedge which is instead used to hit the ball really high in the air. Naturally, wedges and irons will have a much higher range of loft.

Why is loft lower in golf?

A lower amount of loft will cause the ball to fly at a lower height, create more roll and generally travel further. This is why drivers in particular tend to fall under the lowest range of loft. The ultimate aim of a golf drive is to hit the ball as far as possible, so a lower amount of loft is ideal.

How high should a golf loft be?

The loft you choose will depend on the club you’re currently using. To feel a large enough difference I recommend you choose a club that is 1.5 to 2.5° higher than the driver you’re using at the moment.

What is the average club head speed?

The average club head speed for a male golfer is about 95 MPH (15 km). Most players who fall under this average should use a loft of 10.5 degrees. This is a good starting point and should allow you to enjoy a perfect combination between launch and distance for your swing speed.

Why do golfers move up on loft?

Some golfers find moving up on loft can actually create a more accurate flight path as well as gaining more distance.

Which is better, 9.5 or 12 ° driver?

A 12 ° driver is a better choice for a beginner golfer as the higher degree of loft will help them hit the ball at a higher angle. 9.5° drivers are better suited for golfers with more experience and a faster swing speed.

What do you need to know when buying a golf driver?

Everything You Need To Know. When you purchase a driver, you need to make sure that you are choosing the proper loft for your game. A golf driver with the wrong loft can make it very difficult to get both ball speed and distance from your shots. With the proper driver loft, you can get the performance you need from a club.

What happens if you play with a driver that is too low?

If you play with a driver that is too low for you then you will also miss out on distance. The distance is impacted both by drivers that are too low lofted and too high lofted. This should help to show you how important it is to find that perfect driver loft. In addition to distance, you must also consider forgiveness.

Why is driver loft important?

If you choose a driver loft that is not right for your game, you will struggle with distance, launch, and forgiveness.

Why do junior drivers have lofts?

The reason that junior drivers are built with the high loft is to accommodate those with slower swing speeds. However, not all Junior golfers have these lower swing speeds, which is why it is so important to get a driver lofted to you particular needs.

What determines what loft you should be using in your driver?

The main factor that determines what loft you should be using in your driver is swing speed. The faster your swing speed, the lower the loft you can play with. Golfers with high swing speeds have the ability to launch the ball high because of the spin that they create.

What is a lower lofted driver?

Lower lofted drivers are for the golfer with the fastest swing speeds.

How much loft do women golfers have?

Women golfers typically have between 13 and 16 degrees of loft in a stock woman driver.

What does a driver do in golf?

Your driver sets the tone for the rest of your game. A fairway splitting first shot puts you in position to score well, but a mis-hit off the tee can leave your game lacking and your confidence wavering. So choosing the right driver is crucial. At tgw.com, we have a wide selection of drivers, and one of them is perfect for you. But before you begin your search, it’s best to understand specific aspects of a driver so you won’t be overwhelmed and can make an informed decision.

How long is a golf driver?

No standard length exists for a driver. Every manufacturer offers different models with varying lengths (usually 43.5” to 47”) but drivers continue to get progressively longer, with some even reaching 48” (the maximum allowable). That’s because in most cases, the longer the shaft the faster the head will travel. However, if it’s hit off-center, it may actually decrease distance. Also, the longer the shaft the harder it is to control and hit the ball squarely. So the best thing to do is choose the longest driver possible that you can still hit consistently and accurately. Remember, you’re not driving for show; you’re driving to put yourself in position to score.

What shafts are used in golf clubs?

Drivers are equipped with graphite shafts usually offered in different flexes. For the majority of golfers, the shaft included with the driver will work just fine. Weight is what you’ll want to pay attention to. You don’t want a shaft that’s too heavy. As far as flex, if your drives carry between 230-250 yards, a regular flex is best for your game. If your drives carry any more or any less than that yardage range, you’ll need to adjust your flex to stiff or senior/ladies, respectively. For a deeper dive into the world of golf club shafts, check out the TGW Golf Shaft Buying Guide.

Why do golf clubs swing sideways?

Many golfers think they’re not good enough to get custom-fit clubs, that the flaws in their swing will override any potential benefits of clubs built just for them, but fitters say the reason many players hit it sideways is because they haven’t been custom-fit. Trying to swing golf clubs whose length, weight, lie angle, shaft flex or grip size don’t match the body encourages players to make unnatural compensations that prevent them from developing proper mechanics. Choosing this type of driver will cost you a little more time and money, but it ensures you’ll get a perfectly-fit driver.

How many yards should a golf drive be flex?

As far as flex, if your drives carry between 230-250 yards, a regular flex is best for your game. If your drives carry any more or any less than that yardage range, you’ll need to adjust your flex to stiff or senior/ladies, respectively. For a deeper dive into the world of golf club shafts, check out the TGW Golf Shaft Buying Guide.

Can you adjust the face angle of a golf club?

Using only a wrench, golfers are now able to adjust the face angle, loft and lie angle without the help of their local club fitter—or having to buy a new club altogether. Golfers can alter the club dynamics to suit their desired ball flight or pick up a few additional yards of carry. Many manufacturers insist an adjustable driver gives you every advantage. However, others disagree, citing a more expensive price tag, additional weighting in less than ideal locations, and confusion about all the different setting combinations as reasons to play a traditional, non-adjustable driver.

Can you custom order a driver?

Many drivers can also be custom ordered. Customers can select a custom shaft and grip, as well as length fit to them. All custom orders are placed directly with the manufacturer and assembled by the experts that make the clubs. This is a great option if you have been custom fit for a driver.

How long should a golf driver be?

Choose a driver with a shaft of the proper length. Interestingly enough, most tournament professionals opt for drivers that are 44.5” long, while most manufacturer make “off-the-rack” drivers that are an inch or two longer. Once again, there is no correlation between the length of your driver and the distance of your tee shots. You should find a driver that you can consistently hit the ball on the center of the club.

What determines the right driver for a golfer?

Choosing the right driver depends on length, loft and the golfer's stroke.

How much loft do you need for a golf driver?

If your swing speed is over 100 mph and you hit the golf ball a long way, you should have a driver with a loft of about 12 degrees, or less , and that will produce less backspin. But if you are like most golfers with swing speeds that are below 90 mph, you will need a more lofted driver that increases that backspin to keep the ball aloft.

Can you play golf with a lower degree driver?

These features have largely impacted the way you play golf, so with them, you can even play with a lower-degree driver provided you swing with an upward angle of attack, and the center of gravity is deep and low.

Is the loft of a golf club high?

Although its loft is not very high, the large clubhead and the construction itself allows golfers to square the ball at impact, helping them reduce slices. This option is perfect for golfers who are on a budget and who occasionally play golf.

What degree of loft is best for a driver?

(It’s still true that golfers who swing less than 80 mph would likely benefit from using drivers with 11 degrees of loft or higher.) Lower lofts can provide more energy transfer at impact because there’s less of an oblique angle.

Can you have less loft on a driver?

To be clear, less loft isn’t the answer for everyone, especially players who don’t have a positive angle of attack. But that’s the benefit of going through a quality driver fitting with an experienced fitter and a launch monitor. The cause and effect of a change in loft can be clear. Also, with an adjustable driver, you can play around with those changes as your swing changes, too.

Is more loft a sign of a good swing?

More dynamic loft isn’t always the sign of a good swing (see sidebar, page 21), but less loft can still provide help.

What is a golf driver?

Golf drivers are the lowest lofted hitting club in your bag for maximum distance. The loft is one of the most misunderstood factors in deciding on your next driver. Many golfers select the loft on their driver based on what the professional golfers use. More mature golfers will apply more common sense in selecting the loft ...

How to get better distance on driver?

To counteract this, it is important to look at what loft a senior golfer should have on their driver and as we get older and our swing speed starts to slow, a higher loft can be the best way to get the best distance possible for our potential and improve our ball flight and accuracy as well. Having the correct loft for on your driver will minimize the loss in distance as your swing slows down thus enabling you to maintain your competitiveness. Driver lofts are available between 4 and 20 degrees and your swing speed, shaft flex, torque, shaft type, angle of attack, and lie angle will play a significant role in selecting the best one for you.

Why are longer shafts better for golf clubs?

Longer shafts will enable you to create a wider arc and thus generate more clubhead speed. It has a negative side in that longer shafts tend to be more difficult to control. Ensure that your shaft is suited to your length and swing plane.

What should be a decisive factor in your decision of which loft to select?

As described earlier your swing speed should be a decisive factor in your decision of which loft to select. Below is a comparison between clubhead speed and the recommended loft

How much does a Ping G25 weigh?

The Ping G25 was first released in 2013 and is a titanium driver with a lie angle of 58 degrees and a club head volume of 460 cc weighing in at 205 grams and has a D3 swing weight.

Why should drivers not produce excessive spin?

Drivers should not produce excessive spin as this will create a trajectory that starts low and balloons further down the fairway, resulting in a loss of distance. Lower spin of the face of the driver will produce a longer shot, but if the spin is too low you will lose distance as well.

Where do golfers buy their equipment?

Many golfers buy equipment either from suppliers or from internet shops without knowing the exact requirements that will assist them in getting better.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9