Hello people, I have what I think is a quite a bizarre problem with my new driver and live in hope that someone can yield some assistance.

I was recently in the market for a new driver and after being successfully fitted on a launch monitor I ended up purchasing a Taylor Made Burner TP (8.5 Stiff), which I love by the way. Anyway, for the first 5-6 weeks I was regularly flushing it, getting a nice high penetrating ball flight, plenty of length and accuracy, it seemed I could do no wrong with it. This was when the problem started, gradually the trajectory in ball flight has dropped quite a bit, thankfully without loosing too much length off the tees. As far as I can tell, there is nothing wrong with the driver as my mates are hitting it fine. I have come to the conclusion that my swing may have slowly changed to suit the club.

Any ideas on what I could tweak in my swing to get back the ball flight and launch angle I had a few weeks ago? I am at a loss to what may have changed, my swing doesn’t feel any different.

Thanks in advance :)

Not sure all I can suggest is:

Check your address and ball position has not changed slightly.

Tilt your upper body away from the target by a degree or two at address. Voila. Instant higher launch.

Not sure all I can suggest is:

Check your address and ball position has not changed slightly.

I guess it would be extremely difficult to suggest changes without actually seeing me swing the club. I am pretty methodical with my setup and ball position, especially off the tee! I’m starting to think it has something to do with my extension at the top of my backswing.
If I get a chance I’ll try posting a video!

Thanks.

Even without seeing the swing ask yourself how it is possible to be delofting the driver through impact?

Timarnold,
Your shaft is to stiff and 8.5 degree is to low of loft. If the ball domes over in flight at the end , your shaft is way to stiff and your driver hasn’t enough loft.Don’t change your swing to compensate for a club. The club should suit you.
For most people aren’t suited to a stiff shaft.
I’ll be honest you have been taken for a ride, most tour players are going for 12 degree drivers with medium firm shafts.
Guys on long drive tour use 13 degree drivers.
The average golfer when I fit them are generally suited a regular to medium soft shafts with lofts between 13 to 16 degrees and they hit these drivers lower than a 9.5 degree when using a launch monitor.On a driving range so you can also see the ball flight.
You can’t fit anyone in a net, how do you know where the ball went our if you have strong ball flight.
Honestly get ride of the driver isn’t for you

Timarnold,
Your shaft is to stiff and 8.5 degree is to low of loft. If the ball domes over in flight at the end , your shaft is way to stiff and your driver hasn’t enough loft.Don’t change your swing to compensate for a club. The club should suit you.
For most people aren’t suited to a stiff shaft.
I’ll be honest you have been taken for a ride, most tour players are going for 12 degree drivers with medium firm shafts.
Guys on long drive tour use 13 degree drivers.
The average golfer when I fit them are generally suited a regular to medium soft shafts with lofts between 13 to 16 degrees and they hit these drivers lower than a 9.5 degree when using a launch monitor.On a driving range so you can also see the ball flight.
You can’t fit anyone in a net, how do you know where the ball went our if you have strong ball flight.
Honestly get ride of the driver isn’t for you

Thanks bi0mechanic, I can see your point and respect it, it’s possibly quite valid. My only concern is that for the first few (5) weeks of having the club I was hitting it perfectly, 290mts, slight fade, nice mid-high ball flight . Only in the last fortnight have I had problems with ball flight, it is just a little lower than I would like. I haven’t intentionally changed anything in my swing.

Oh, and I mistakenly said the driver is 8.5 when in fact it is 9.5, probably doesn’t make a great deal of difference though?

Any idea what your swing speed is?

Tilt your upper body away from the target by a degree or two at address. Voila. Instant higher launch.

Home on The Range

I can second this as something to check from my own experience. I have found in the past that when my swing and setup still feels the same and the only difference is the ball is lower that I do not have as much spine tilt away from the target. That is one of the things I change when I want to bring the ball down is to setup with less tilt. If I think about keeping my spinal tilt and my head back through the shot the ball will launch higher. Easy thing to try.

Any idea what your swing speed is?

5 Iron Swing Speed = 90mph

Driver Swing Speed = 145mph

I just have a the stock Taylor Made shaft (stiff) with mid kick point.

I had a look at some old footage of my swing and compared to more recent stuff and I think that my lateral shift forward on the downswing is too aggressive. Heading to the range tonight, will work on it and see what eventuates!

145 clubhead speed would put you up with the worlds fastest.

145 clubhead speed would put you up with the worlds fastest.

Sorry, I read the wrong figure, that is velocity of ball after impact. Driver swing speed is 105mph.

haha, yes I thought it might have been the case:)

Timarnold,
This sounds like a good indication, your shaft is too stiff and not enough loft , If your ball flight has been a bit lowe, the old brain kicks in and starts throwing in compensation for your club.Then problems occur
At first you will hit your driver good, but after a while it starts to deminish. I can hit any driver but give it a week or two then everything goes peared shaped.
Try a more lofted driver with a softer or regular shaft and find out what the outcome is,then in your mind then you know mechanics is the problem

I agree with biO on this one. Go demo an extreme. Pick up a 12 degree driver and hit it more than a handful of times. Watch it sail probably a bit too high with little effort. Then go a 10er and see how that goes.

Now you have more loft on the club you will not be ‘trying to hit it up.’

bi0 can you name one LD competitor who uses a 13º driver in competition?

timarnold,
the only way you can hit 290m with a clubhead speed of 105mph is with a strong tailwind and a downhill landing area.
If you have a more aggressive lateral shift then you have probably changed your impact conditions from hitting up on the ball to hitting down on it.
For example, if you were hitting up into the ball at 5 degrees, your clubhead speed should get about 235m of carry. If you are now hitting down on the ball at 5 degrees, you will probably be getting only 190m of carry with a very low trajectory.

timarnold,
the only way you can hit 290m with a clubhead speed of 105mph is with a strong tailwind and a downhill landing area.
If you have a more aggressive lateral shift then you have probably changed your impact conditions from hitting up on the ball to hitting down on it.
For example, if you were hitting up into the ball at 5 degrees, your clubhead speed should get about 235m of carry. If you are now hitting down on the ball at 5 degrees, you will probably be getting only 190m of carry with a very low trajectory.

Yep thats exactly what I have been working on this weekend, I think my left shoulder and or hip was laterally creeping in front of the ball at impact causing me to hit down on it pretty severely. The new driver is so much lighter than my older one which has caused my swing to become a bit more aggressively at the ball, probably over swinging. I wound it back about 20% today, concentrated on quiet hips/shoulders and instantly started to see some real improvement.

That 290 should have been yards by the way, it’s old launch monitor info, sorry bout that!

How did you come up with those distances? The are pretty spot on!

Thanks for the help :)

Timatldg,
Look up on the net,world champion uses 13 degrees, plus Krank Drivers which are commonly used on the long drive tour, there stock standard is 13degrees, they endorse higher lofted drivers.
This is one thing I dislike about glossy magazines the big club manufactures buy up the advertising tell you a heap of garbage and people think it’s gospel.
90% of golfers need 13 degree drivers and higher.
The only reason people hit 10 degree or lower high is they break down through impact. You give them at 13 they won’t hit the ball higher, in time they hit the ball lower as their swing improves.
Myself I have to use a 13degree driver other wise i hit the ball to low and then start compensating for the lower lofted driver and hit to high.
The long drive boys are the same they have great impact positions any lower they send the ball into the ground.
The second best club fitter in the world says the same thing as I do. the guy fits over 700 people a year for the past 25 years, he agrees with me on this

How come alot of LPGA pros are using pretty low lofted drivers ?
eg Lorena 7.5*

Timatldg,
Look up on the net,world champion uses 13 degrees, plus Krank Drivers which are commonly used on the long drive tour, there stock standard is 13degrees, they endorse higher lofted drivers.
This is one thing I dislike about glossy magazines the big club manufactures buy up the advertising tell you a heap of garbage and people think it’s gospel.
90% of golfers need 13 degree drivers and higher.
The only reason people hit 10 degree or lower high is they break down through impact. You give them at 13 they won’t hit the ball higher, in time they hit the ball lower as their swing improves.
Myself I have to use a 13degree driver other wise i hit the ball to low and then start compensating for the lower lofted driver and hit to high.
The long drive boys are the same they have great impact positions any lower they send the ball into the ground.
The second best club fitter in the world says the same thing as I do. the guy fits over 700 people a year for the past 25 years, he agrees with me on this

Mate. Name that world champion. The current mens WC is Mike Dobbyn. He used a 7.5º Geek head & Whupnshaft at last years Worlds. I’ve held several LD state championships at my facility here in SA & I’ll give you a hot tip…NONE of the guys who can swing 135mph + would use a driver over 9.5º in competition as it adds too much spin. My shop has sold Krank drivers & I’ve spoken to Lance Reader ( the owner of Krank) personally in the past. To put it politely…You are talking out of your hat.
Just to further put you in the picture. Here is a link to the equipment list from a recently held event in the US featuring the cream of long hitters.
LD spec sheet
Note. In a field of nearly 50 competitorsOnly ONE clubhead over 7.5º (& that lone 8.5º is Mobley, ex WC, & he’s always used higher lofts than the other guys as he’s a smooth swinger) Even Mike D is using 6º.

Pardon my French but…. Who the F!#K is the SECOND best club fitter in the world??? Please tell me it’s not Tom Wishon.

Also FWIW I use a 12º driver. I’m all for constructive advice but you’re not offering that. You are confusing facts with fiction (or loft with launch angle)

Sort yourself out.

1. Is Mobley the bloke who iused the Callaway 454 to win in 2005 ?
Is he still using a Callaway Driver just out of curiosity ?

2. If Tom Wishon is the World’s 2nd Best, Who is the BEST ?

3. iSin’t a 13 or 14* Driver like a Strong 3-wood in performance (off the tee) ??

How come alot of LPGA pros are using pretty low lofted drivers ?
eg Lorena 7.5*

If Tiger plays Lefty will he be that good ?
You sure Square is Good ? Don’t Think So !
Good Golf is Fun plus the Great Outdoors…
In the Bag: Clubs and Balls. My Handicap is Bad Golf.

This may explain why some LPGA pros use low lofted drivers. There was also an article called “have another look at loft” in Feb08 Golf digest. on the nett.

www.trackmangolf.com/newsle...

This is the correct linktrackman link

1. Is Mobley the bloke who iused the Callaway 454 to win in 2005 ?
Is he still using a Callaway Driver just out of curiosity ?

2. If Tom Wishon is the World’s 2nd Best, Who is the BEST ?

3. iSin’t a 13 or 14* Driver like a Strong 3-wood in performance (off the tee) ??

If Tiger plays Lefty will he be that good ?
You sure Square is Good ? Don’t Think So !
Good Golf is Fun plus the Great Outdoors…
In the Bag: Clubs and Balls. My Handicap is Bad Golf.

Yes. Same guy but he’s back using Alpha heads now.
Typically a 13º driver will flight the ball higher & further than a strong 3 due to the longer shaft & lower COG.