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what loft should i use for beginner golf driver

by Lyla Gulgowski DVM Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The ideal loft is dependent on your swing speed and shot shape. 10.5º and 12º golf drivers are usually best for beginner golfers as the added backspin only loses a small amount of distance, but keeps your drives much straighter.Feb 8, 2022

Full Answer

What degree of loft is best for a 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.

How much loft do you need for better driving range?

Sixteen years ago, Golf Digest presented compelling evidence that average golfers needed to use drivers with more loft to maximize distance—sometimes as much as 12, 14 or 16 degrees. But because of changing driver designs and changing swings, the opposite might be true today.

What is the best driver loft for your swing?

In fact, swings often got the most distance with driver lofts at 9 degrees or less. (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.)

What is the best loft for a golf club?

This is because a golfer with a slower speed has much more to gain with a club that can launch the ball higher and more accurately. On the other hand, if your club head speed is in the high range 110 to 115 MPH (177 to 185 km), you’ll benefit more from a lower loft like 7° to 10° degrees.

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What loft should I play my driver?

Anywhere between 8.5-10° will usually suffice. If you have a mid swing speed of 95-104 mph, a driver loft of between 10-11.5° will normally be a good starting point.

Is a 12 degree driver good for beginners?

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 driver should a beginner use?

What degree driver should a beginner use? The driver is one of the hardest clubs for beginners to hit so getting the right loft is essential. The rule of thumb is that more loft means more forgiveness, making the driver a bit easier to hit. With that in mind we recommend a beginner using a 10.5° or 12° driver.

What driver loft is best for high handicappers?

A higher handicap player is going to do best with the 12 degree driver. With this club in their hand, the golfer can get plenty of ball speed, distance, and ball flight as well. IF a faster swinging player were to attempt to use the 12 degree driver, they might struggle with getting the control they need.

Is 12 degree driver loft too much?

DOES THE 12 DEGREE DRIVER HAVE TOO MUCH LOFT. The 12 Degree loft driver may be considered by some to have too much loft. But they are not likely the right golfers for that type of club. 12 degrees is not unreasonable, considering that the average driver sits at 10.5 degrees in loft.

Does higher loft reduce slice?

A higher driver loft can help a slice because it will help to encourage a bit more forgiveness and backspin on the driver. These features of a higher lofted driver are going to help improve a slice and straighten out overall ball flight. A slice is often caused by a bit too much side spin being applied to a golf ball.

How much loft should a beginner driver have?

Most golf drivers for beginners come in 9.5º, 10.5º and 12º options. The ideal loft is dependent on your swing speed and shot shape. 10.5º and 12º golf drivers are usually best for beginner golfers as the added backspin only loses a small amount of distance, but keeps your drives much straighter.

What is the easiest driver to hit for beginners?

Best Drivers for Beginners and High Handicappers 2022Ping G425 SFT driver.TaylorMade SIM2 MAX-D driver.Callaway Epic Max driver.PXG 0211 driver.Cobra F-Max Airspeed driver.Wilson Launch Pad driver.Callaway Big Bertha B21.Cobra Radspeed XD driver.

Is a higher loft driver better?

With a slightly upward angle of attack—rather than downward—a lower-lofted driver can produce better results. Ko's upward angle of attack is typical of the LPGA Tour. According to TrackMan data, the average attack angle on the LPGA Tour is distinctly upward at +3 degrees.

Is 9.5 or 10.5 driver better?

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.

What flex do I need for my driver?

– Golf Shaft Flex ChartCarry DistanceSwing SpeedFlexUnder 200 yardsUnder 75 mphLadies or Senior200 to 240 yards75 to 95 mphRegular240 to 275 yards95 to 110 mphStiffOver 275 yardsOver 110 mphStiff or Extra StiffOct 15, 2019

What loft is Tiger Woods driver?

Woods' driver on Friday appeared to be 1.5 degrees open, giving the club a loft of 8.25 degrees total, while the club's sliding weight port was moved towards a draw setting.

How much loft do you need for a golf driver?

Here is a quick guideline you can use to determine which lofted driver you should start with when first using a driver: Men with a fast golf swing – 10-12 degrees of loft. Men with a slow golf swing – 12-13 degrees of loft. Women with fast golf swing 12 -13 degrees of loft.

Can you play golf at old age?

It’s a sport that you can try out as soon as you are old enough to walk and hold a club. It’s a sport that you can play well into old-age if your health permits. It’s no contact and low-impact, so there is little risk ] link to How to Play Golf Tournaments: The Ultimate Guide.

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.

What is spin loft?

Spin loft is the difference in angle between your attack angle (how much up or down the clubhead is traveling at impact) and dynamic loft (the loft presented to the ball at impact). The higher the spin loft, the more backspin you create.

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.

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.

What does Golf Monthly look at?

Golf Monthly looks at the different elements of a golf swing that affect the amount of loft you should play on your driver. Getting the right loft on your driver is crucial to maximise distance.

Does downward attack angle affect dynamic loft?

There are many factors that effect it. A downward attack angle tends to reduce dynamic loft, as does having the hands excessively ahead of the ball at impact. Remember, dynamic loft affects launch, spin and ultimately distance so have a go on a decent launch monitor to see what yours is. Here’s a fact for you.

Does clubface angle affect loft?

Clubface Adjustability. If you’ve got a driver that offers clubface angle adjustment, changing the face angle can also affect the loft too – unless the two work independently. When you open the clubface, you reduce the loft and vice versa. So be wary of this when tweaking yours. Dynamic Loft.

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.

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.

How much loft should a woman use for a golf swing?

The faster-swinging women golfers should use something with 12.5 degrees of loft or less.

What happens if your driver doesn't have enough loft?

If your driver does not have enough loft, you are going to notice that you have a hard time keeping the ball straight. The lower lofted drivers are much less forgiving, and those with slower swing speeds often have a hard time hitting them straight.

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 high lofted?

If you play with a driver that is too high lofted for you, then you will miss out on distance. 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.

What is loft adjustability?

The loft adjustability is a modern feature and allows players to personalize the driver to match their skills and the angle of attack. In this case, you can experiment with various settings to find your perfect match.

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.

Is dynamic loft a sign of swing?

More dynamic loft isn’t always the sign of a good swing (see sidebar, page 21), but less loft can still provide help. “Poll a hundred fitters, and 90 of them will tell you the most common thing they see is the flip, causing high dynamic loft and leading to launch or spin issues,” Sherburne says.

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.

What is adjustable loft?

The Adjustable Loft. The Adjustable loft is a relative newcomer to the composition of the golf club and as you can probably guess , it allows you to change the loft on your drivers, fairway woods or hybrids any time you like and this has a number of key advantages for your driver.

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.

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.

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.

How much loft do you need for a driver?

The standard amount of loft for a driver is 10.5 degrees. However many players have found out just like I did, that moving up to 12 degrees could mark a significant improvement in your driving results.

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.

What is a Titleist 917F2 driver?

Titleist offers an excellent driver called the 917F2. This driver actually allows you to adjust the amount of loft! This is a great idea for golfers who either don’t know which loft is right for them or who would just like to adjust club specs in the future.

What is the shaft size of Taylormade Aeroburner 12?

It would be difficult to miss a golfer using the Taylormade Aeroburner 12 driver. With its white colored head, 46 inch shaft, and stiff flex; this is a driver worth looking at.

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.

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.

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 loft in golf?

The loft refers to the club’s launch angle and it will affect the height, draw, and spin of the ball when you connect. You want an adjustable loft because when you are just starting out, you will not know which loft is the best option for you.

Why is loft important in golf?

The reason loft is important is that it dictates the ball’s launch angle off the driver and will affect the heigh, spin, and draw of your shot. Each golfer will have their own unique loft setting that is best for them and the best way to find out which loft is best for you is to try them all.

How to find aerodynamic clubhead?

In terms of shape, the head should be aerodynamic. You can find an aerodynamic clubhead by checking out the club’s crown (top) and making sure it tapers down toward the backend and is not too square-shaped.

What is club fitting?

A club fitting will allow you to get the perfect length of not only your driver but of all your clubs. This is a luxury to most golfers but if you want to start yourself on the right path to success, getting your clubs fitted to the exact specs of your arm length and body will be worth it right away.

Why is shaft flex important?

The shaft flex is an important aspect because it will affect the ball’s flight more than virtually anything else. Choosing the best flex for you will depend on your swing speed. Golfers will have the choice between extra stiff, stiff, regular, senior, and ladies flex options.

Why is the material of a golf club important?

The material of the golf club is important when it comes to weight and overall durability. We have already suggested our favorite shaft material, but it is important that you understand the material options you have for the club head.

Should I use a driver for golf?

There are several reasons why a person that is new to golf should use a specific driver, and since your driver is among the most important clubs in your bag, it is not something you should take tight lightly. When it comes to choosing your first driver, the thing you will want to do is find something that is forgiving.

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