What is a good face angle for a golf driver?
Golf drivers from 2 years ago and before were manufactured with closed face angles from ranging from 0.5 - 2 degrees. A closed golf driver face was thought to help control a slice. But a closed face angle merely points your club left of target and doesn't solve the problem of hitting a slice.
Why don't driver heads have a face angle?
The real reason wood heads have a face angle and iron heads don’t is because of tradition and the manner of play. We golfers are taught to set woods down on the ground so they sit flat on their soles. To know what driver face angle spec is going to bring about the most improvement, we also need to know the current face angle of the golfer’s driver.
Does face angle affect the direction of a golf ball?
If the swing is not on plane, face angle influences ball direction as well. The proper face angle for a player can be determined via computer testing or by observation of ball flight. A player is best fit with a face angle that will provide consistent directional results based on how he swings the golf club.
What is the proper golf stance with the driver?
Because the driver plays a crucial role in your success as a golfer, it is critical to understand the proper golf stance with the driver. The driver is by far the longest club in the bag. Also, the driver has far less loft than our other clubs, and we usually hit the ball off of a tee when hitting the driver.
How open should my club face be?
Then he explained that because you generally set the club so the face is one-quarter inch or so behind the ball, it needs to be slightly open to the target line at that point. If it looked square and you didn't manipulate it during the swing, when the club returned to impact it would be slightly closed, causing a hook.
Does adding loft to a driver open the face?
When you lower the loft of a golf club, you are also going to close the angle of the clubface. If you increase the loft on a club, you will open the face angle on the club. This applies when you are adjusting loft on the driver as well as irons or hybrids.
How do you measure face angle on a driver?
0:011:35Martyn Roberts - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd this is just a short video presentation to help you understand how the visuals of a face angleMoreAnd this is just a short video presentation to help you understand how the visuals of a face angle of a driver will actually look. If we take a look at the driver on the left hand side. And we draw a
Should clubface be slightly open at address?
1:015:25How to Fix an Open Club Face (Address and Impact) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAt address when you put it behind the golf ball is square. You would not believe how many golfersMoreAt address when you put it behind the golf ball is square. You would not believe how many golfers come to my lesson t and they say todd i'm slicing the golf ball. And they set up to the golf ball.
What angle should a driver be?
For the average recreational golfer with an average swing speed, a 10.5-degree driver will likely perform the best. The average distance will be very close between them, but a 10.5-degree driver will be more forgiving and will hit more fairways. Again, it'll depend on your skill level, swing speed, and launch angle.
Does lowering loft on driver close the face?
Being able to adjust the loft allows golfers to achieve launch angles and spin rates that are suited well to the way that they deliver the club. When you adjust a hosel to increase loft, you are actually closing the face fractionally. Conversely when you reduce loft you are open the face slightly.
How should the driver face look at address?
0:130:54Driver Address - Ian Clark - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou were to address the ball with the ball in the middle of the club face and at impact the clubMoreYou were to address the ball with the ball in the middle of the club face and at impact the club head was raised. You can see the contact point will be toward the heel.
Should driver sit flat at address?
1:358:40Toe Up or Down? Hit Longer and Straighter Drives - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou know more down towards the ground. So here's the answer that I would give people if you were toMoreYou know more down towards the ground. So here's the answer that I would give people if you were to stand straight up.
Should I adjust my driver lie angle?
0:001:36Does Lie Angle Matter in your Driver? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou have to really adjust that line well to really aim the face in any different. Direction. NowMoreYou have to really adjust that line well to really aim the face in any different. Direction. Now another problem with drivers are they're typically built on about a 60 degree angle.
Why is my driver face open at impact?
So if you go to the top of the swing and bring the “square” club face down to the impact position, you will see that it is completely open. In other words, golfers need the same amount of rotation of the arms in the downswing as they had going back.
How do I fix open club face driver?
1:339:193 WAYS TO FIX AN OPEN CLUB FACE - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo the first thing I'm going to do is grip if you have a weak grip. Then the very very good chanceMoreSo the first thing I'm going to do is grip if you have a weak grip. Then the very very good chance that the clubface is going to be open a weak grip would be when your hands are rotated.
Does an open club face cause a slice?
Open club face The most common cause of a slice is an open club face. This open club face will give you contact that isn't square and often feels like a “side swipe.” The most common cause of an open club face is an incorrect grip as your hand position will directly reflect in the face.
How To Get the Correct Measurements
The “Special” Golf Club Gauge in my studio is capable of accurately measuring loft, lie and face angle in 1/10th degree increments. The driver shown has 55 degrees lie angle, 12.5 (12½) degrees of loft and the face angle here is purposely adjusted in the gauge to 0 degrees so the loft can be measured in the square face (hit) position.
Why Manufacturers Give The Wrong Measurements
The reasons for this are a good starting point for this discussion. The first reason is that manufacturers vary in the method and way they measure driver loft.
Face Angle
Let’s bring face angle into the equation here. The face angle on a driver is basically defined as the clubface angle when the driver is soled on a hard surface with the shaft held perfectly at a 90 degree angle to the line of flight.
Measuring
At one time, all drivers were measured for loft by using the angle formed from across the sole to the face. Irons were never measured this way; they were measured the correct way from the hosel centerline to the face in the square hit position.
What This Means For Fitting
Here’s what this loft and face angle stuff means in regards to fitting. We will use a tour pro for example; to hit the ball straight and apply maximum force to the ball, a tour pro has his face angle and clubhead path perfectly square.
Points To Consider
This is why the manufacturers make different face angles. The face angle in the design will automatically open up the face on an “open or slice face angle” and automatically close the face on a “closed or hook face angle”.
Recommendations
Hopefully, this is helping with explaining driver loft and also with how you use driver face angle in fitting. My personal preference for face angle for all golfers who are not trying to correct a problem is to play with a square (0 degree) face angle.
What loft angle should a driver have?
If you are a beginner golfer we would typically recommend a driver with a high loft attack angle of between 12-14 if you are looking to add extra distance as the probability is that your clubhead speed is lower.
What is the average clubhead speed on the PGA Tour?
The average driver clubhead speed on the PGA Tour is 113 MPH and 94 MPH on the LPGA Tour with even faster ball speed ( TrackMan) which indicates that they will require less loft, typically a 9.5 degree loft for their driver (especially the longest hitters on tour).
What loft is needed for a golfer to hit a ball?
Golfers who swing faster than 120mph would require a loft below 9.5 degrees and those golfers with a slower swing below 90mph would be better choosing a loft between 11.5 – 17 degrees for the optimal launch angle.
What loft is the best driver loft for 90mph?
A popular speed is between 80mph and 90mph and this is where many golfers make a mistake as they will opt for a 9.5 degree when really a loft of 11-13 would be the best driver loft for 90mph speed to hit the ball as far as possible.
Why is driver loft important?
Driver loft is important because it can affect both the distance and the trajectory of your drives. Your skill level will determine which loft for your driver you should choose. A beginner golfer or one with a slower swing speed will benefit from a driver with more loft and an experienced golfer with a higher swing speed will benefit from less loft.
Is 12 degree loft good for golf?
A 12 degree driver loft will be fine for most amateur golfers and not too much. This is because most everyday golfers have a slower swing speed than professionals and can benefit from a 12 degree loft compared to a driver with less loft such as a 9.5 degree driver.
Golf Stance With Driver – Ball Position
As I mention in that previous post about the proper setup, the longer the club, the more forward in the stance you should have the ball.
Posture
As I mentioned earlier, the driver is the longest club in the bag, and much longer than any of our other clubs. Therefore, we are going to be standing much taller as we address the ball.
Driver Stance Width
With the driver, we are also attempting to generate alot more swing speed than with our other clubs. As a result, we want more stability. Therefore, we want to set up with our feet a bit wider than shoulder width.
Driver Stance Alignment
Your alignment with the driver is one that you’ll want to play around with a bit. Here’s why…
What does loft angle mean in golf?
The bigger the loft angle, the higher the ball will go, and correspond ingly, the less distance the ball will travel. That is why each club in your set has a different loft. It means that whatever distance you want to hit the ball, there is a choice of club for that distance.
What are the two key angles used to specify a golf club?
The two key angles that are used to specify a golf club are loft and lie. The loft determines how steeply the ball lifts off from the club. The lie angle determines if the club is level on when addressing the ball. There is more information about these below.
What to do if your golf club has a wrong lie angle?
If the clubs do have the wrong lie angle, speak to your teaching professional , they may be able to adjust lie angle for you. If you are having trouble visualizing how the wrong lie angle can affect the trajectory, take a lob wedge, stand at address with the club pointing to your target.
What happens if your golf club is not flat?
If it is not flat, and the toe is off the ground, this will tend to make you hit the ball to the left of the target line. On the other hand if the heel of the club is off the floor then that will tend to make you hit the ball to the right of target line .
Why does each club have a different loft?
That is why each club in your set has a different loft. It means that whatever distance you want to hit the ball, there is a choice of club for that distance.
Optimizing Ball Flight Trajectory
To have the absolute perfect golf ball flight trajectory (maximizing distance of course), there are two elements that need to be optimized… Launch Angle and Spin Rate:
The 5 Factors Affecting Driver Launch Angle and Spin Rate
Okay, we talked a lot about optimizing your driver launch angle and spin rate to achieve the perfect ball flight right? But how do you actually control those things?
How to Change Those Numbers With a New Driver
So we’ve talked about the 2 elements affecting ball flight and distance, AND the 5 factors directly affecting those elements.
So What Loft Driver Should I Use? Putting It All Together
I’ve thrown a LOT of info at you, and it can be confusing, I know. There’s just not a “best loft” simple answer.
Final Thoughts on Driver Loft
Use the knowledge presented in this article to analyse your current ball flight trajectory. Then, reverse engineer what can be fixed or what can be improved.
