New Driver

LeeroyJones

So I'm buying a new driver. I'd be lying if I knew what all the specifics mean so I have no idea what to say when I go into a shop and the assistant tells me about how X driver is steel/titanium or is 10 degrees or 10.5.
I know I should have researched before I went in, but I'm trying to do that now! Can someone break down for me what these specs mean!!?
I'm a casual golfer, play off 18 playing 2-3 times a month all year for about 2 years now.
I appreciate any pointers!!!

k.p.h

Jesus this could actually be a very technical thread if you wanted it to be, since their are so many variables that can make a difference. But since you only play a couple of times a month you are probably just looking for something that gets you out their in decent fashion with the least amount of effort.

The two specs you would be most interested in are shaft flex and loft.

Their are different flexs in shafts that are designed to correlate with how fast you swing. most amateurs play with either a stiff or a regular flex shaft. So you would need to determine ho w fast you swing (or how hard you hit it). The shaft flex can impact how accurate you are and how far it go's. If you swing at a slow to medium pace a regular will probably do but if you are hitting it a serious belt stiff is the best option.

In regard to loft it obviously effects how hight you hit the ball. But more importantly how much the ball spins. Finding what is the right loft is generally an operation for a demo on a trackman(equipment to measure your swing and the variables of the ball as they leave the club face). But a general rule is the more the loft the higher it go's but with less side spin. Side spin is the nasty spin that causes the ball to slice/hook. So if you have a tendency for that to happen a little more loft is the way to go.

TBH the best advice is to get on a machine and get custom fit, that way you will end up with the driver that is optimum for you. Barring that you can demo a few clubs see what you think. Since you only play a few times a month I would recommend a driver with 10.5 loft with a regular shaft, and then just make sure to make a nice smooth swing with your driver.

Best drivers on the market at the moment IMO. Ping G15 or Ping K15. Taylormade Burner 2.0 or the Taylormade R11. It might be worth looking into the secondhand market too at Ping G10's and TM R9 and BurnerSuperfasts.

bustercherry

k.p.h wrote: »

Jesus this could actually be a very technical thread if you wanted it to be, since their are so many variables that can make a difference. But since you only play a couple of times a month you are probably just looking for something that gets you out their in decent fashion with the least amount of effort.

The two specs you would be most interested in are shaft flex and loft.

Their are different flexs in shafts that are designed to correlate with how fast you swing. most amateurs play with either a stiff or a regular flex shaft. So you would need to determine ho w fast you swing (or how hard you hit it). The shaft flex can impact how accurate you are and how far it go's. If you swing at a slow to medium pace a regular will probably do but if you are hitting it a serious belt stiff is the best option.

In regard to loft it obviously effects how hight you hit the ball. But more importantly how much the ball spins. Finding what is the right loft is generally an operation for a demo on a trackman(equipment to measure your swing and the variables of the ball as they leave the club face). But a general rule is the more the loft the higher it go's but with less side spin. Side spin is the nasty spin that causes the ball to slice/hook. So if you have a tendency for that to happen a little more loft is the way to go.

TBH the best advice is to get on a machine and get custom fit, that way you will end up with the driver that is optimum for you. Barring that you can demo a few clubs see what you think. Since you only play a few times a month I would recommend a driver with 10.5 loft with a regular shaft, and then just make sure to make a nice smooth swing with your driver.

Best drivers on the market at the moment IMO. Ping G15 or Ping K15. Taylormade Burner 2.0 or the Taylormade R11. It might be worth looking into the secondhand market too at Ping G10's and TM R9 and BurnerSuperfasts.

How the fcuk could you recommend from that post :rolleyes:

k.p.h

bustercherry wrote: »

How the fcuk could you recommend from that post :rolleyes:

Just a calculated approximation.

The way fitting is done is a driver is spec to suit the swing you have, my idea how ever mis guided is if fitting is not an option is to match the swing to a driver. Since the OP is off 18 and only plays a couple of weekends a month best to take a little extra loft and a regular shaft and adjust his swing to suit those specifications.

And also the percentage of golfers that would end up playing a 10.5 R is very high so I was just calling it on the numbers.

Tones69

k.p.h wrote: »

Just a calculated approximation.

The way fitting is done is a driver is spec to suit the swing you have, my idea how ever mis guided is if fitting is not an option is to match the swing to a driver. Since the OP is off 18 and only plays a couple of weekends a month best to take a little extra loft and a regular shaft and adjust his swing to suit those specifications.

And also the percentage of golfers that would end up playing a 10.5 R is very high so I was just calling it on the numbers.

Agreed with u there, 10.5 reg shaft would prob be the most popular driver among your average golfer, and thats what this OP sounds like from his first post. If you're not looking to spend big money then at the moment in onlinegolf in the uk you can get the mizuno mx700 driver for 100 sterling, which is cracking value to be fair as most places here are still charging about 170-199 for them

http://www.onlinegolf.co.uk/product/Mizuno-Golf-MX-700-Hot-Metal-Driver/p10629.aspx

f22

This is as bad as the analyse my swing thread. If you want a proper opinion talk to someone who knows what they're talking about. Pop into your local proshop if you can't make it for a proper fitting of some sort.

Without meaning to point the finger at anyone in particular the majority of people here aren't in the slightest bit capable of giving an educated opinion on either suitable equipment or moreso the golf swing.

Tones69

f22 wrote: »

This is as bad as the analyse my swing thread. If you want a proper opinion talk to someone who knows what they're talking about. Pop into your local proshop if you can't make it for a proper fitting of some sort.

Without meaning to point the finger at anyone in particular the majority of people here aren't in the slightest bit capable of giving an educated opinion on either suitable equipment or moreso the golf swing.

All he said is he would appreciate any pointers, we all know the BEST thing to do is go to a shop to get properly fitted but maybe he just wants to have a chat about it and get other peoples opinions, thats the whole point of these forums

k.p.h

f22 wrote: »

Without meaning to point the finger at anyone in particular the majority of people here aren't in the slightest bit capable of giving an educated opinion on either suitable equipment or moreso the golf swing.

I know you don't want to start a slagging match or anything silly f22 but I would think what you said is a bit harsh. Their are plenty of people posting here that could give you an educated opinion on equipment and the golf swing.I must say stockdams analysis of my swing really helped me out. I'v spent countless hours researching golf equipment and all the technical aspects of equipment so I reckon my opinion is fairly educated. Reckon I what I said to the OP is what anyone who knew what they were on about would have said anyway.

I presume that when you said go talk to a pro you actually meant get fitted on a trackman which is definitely the best advice though.

f22

The best thing to do is talk to someone who knows what they're talking about, that's the best pointer he can get.

How someone can advise a 10.5 regular with zero information on height, build, athletic ability etc. sums it all up perfectly!

k.p.h

f22 wrote: »

The best thing to do is talk to someone who knows what they're talking about, that's the best pointer he can get.

How someone can advise a 10.5 regular with zero information on height, build, athletic ability etc. sums it all up perfectly!

Jesus it was just a recommendation based on what speed swing the average 18 handicapper would have and the average amateur for what it's worth. 10.5 is generally the standard loft with a R shaft but on the upside if it was a little too lofty you would get less side spin, with the assumption that the OP gets the occasional slice or whatever less side spin would be a good thing. Anyway sound for that f22.

bustercherry

k.p.h wrote: »

Jesus it was just a recommendation based on what speed swing the average 18 handicapper would have and the average amateur for what it's worth. 10.5 is generally the standard loft with a R shaft but on the upside if it was a little too lofty you would get less side spin, with the assumption that the OP gets the occasional slice or whatever less side spin would be a good thing. Anyway sound for that f22.

In all fairness then based on your assumptions (and tones) you should hit regular flex 10.5 lofts?

k.p.h

bustercherry wrote: »

In all fairness then based on your assumptions (and tones) you should hit regular flex 10.5 lofts?

In a way Ah no just if the OP was just going picking something up off the shelf that would be the best bet IMO. Feel like I am being taken out of context here now but probably just my fault for not explaining properly. Like I said in my first post getting custom fit or a demo be the best bet, I just deduced from the fact he has only played 30 or so times and played of 18 that 10.5 R be a safe enough option. I'l leave this thread now anyway, I might be wrong here too it was only a tidbit comment after the end of the real info , could end up going around in circles.

f22

You're not being taken out of context, you're simply giving the OP ill informed advise. You mention reducing spin rate, for the average player with less ball speed you actually need to increase spin rate to optimize ball flight. The chart below is a pretty good rule of thumb.



As you mentioned earlier fitting is the logical choice but many ranges wil have a try before you buy policy so at least try a few options before buying.

k.p.h

Less side spin more back spin with more loft :rolleyes:

f22

k.p.h wrote: »

Less side spin more back spin with more loft :rolleyes:

Explain that one to me please? Face angle (or angle of impact) on a club controls side spin.

The general bad shot for alot of high handicappers is a slice, thats why manufacturers introduced draw based drivers to counteract this (Face angle and weighting).

The face angle on most tour focused drivers come a degree or so open.

k.p.h

Could get fairly technical now once you start talking about spin etc and where it comes from. But pretty much the ball only spins one way, a straight shot is one that has vertical spin imparted on the ball, a slice is one that has more horizontal spin. This equates to diagonal spin.

Now could be a long post if we go into where the actual spin comes from, but more loft dose impart more vertical spin. That the reason why as you move down through you irons slices become less apparent. But the simple thing is if the ball is spinning with a higher rpm in a vertical manner it has to be spinning less in a horizontal manner as it only spins one way.

It's impossible to increase vertical spin on a ball without reducing horizontal spin. I always found it a little annoying talking about spin because the language used almost imply's that their are two spins on the ball, but obviously their is only one but if you were trying to describe it you would end up talking about axises and a whole heap of other confusing terminology.

In regard to the open and closed clubface position I recommend a read of this article about the ball flight laws. The general question of where spin comes from is a pretty tricky one especially since the PGA did not even know themselves until recently. That coupled with the fact that most pro golfers actually hit their driver with a slight downward angle of attack really confuses the situation even more.

http://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/ball_flight_laws

L.O.F.T

LeeroyJones wrote: »

So I'm buying a new driver. I'd be lying if I knew what all the specifics mean so I have no idea what to say when I go into a shop and the assistant tells me about how X driver is steel/titanium or is 10 degrees or 10.5.
I know I should have researched before I went in, but I'm trying to do that now! Can someone break down for me what these specs mean!!?
I'm a casual golfer, play off 18 playing 2-3 times a month all year for about 2 years now.
I appreciate any pointers!!!

k.p.h wrote: »

Could get fairly technical now once you start talking about spin etc and where it comes from. But pretty much the ball only spins one way, a straight shot is one that has vertical spin imparted on the ball, a slice is one that has more horizontal spin. This equates to diagonal spin.

Now could be a long post if we go into where the actual spin comes from, but more loft dose impart more vertical spin. That the reason why as you move down through you irons slices become less apparent. But the simple thing is if the ball is spinning with a higher rpm in a vertical manner it has to be spinning less in a horizontal manner as it only spins one way.

It's impossible to increase vertical spin on a ball without reducing horizontal spin. I always found it a little annoying talking about spin because the language used almost imply's that their are two spins on the ball, but obviously their is only one but if you were trying to describe it you would end up talking about axises and a whole heap of other confusing terminology.

In regard to the open and closed clubface position I recommend a read of this article about the ball flight laws. The general question of where spin comes from is a pretty tricky one especially since the PGA did not even know themselves until recently. That coupled with the fact that most pro golfers actually hit their driver with a slight downward angle of attack really confuses the situation even more.

http://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/ball_flight_laws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66zPFuMxTtc

Tones69

L.O.F.T wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66zPFuMxTtc