Went up to 11.5 degree on the Driver loft and shortened shaft so it’s now 44.5”. Wow… it’s nice to actually play fairway golf instead learning about the local wildlife 🌲
Cracking video, thanks Simon. As a 60 year old golf with a 2-3’ hit up on the driver (swing speed 94mph thanks to a speed stick) I have found a lower spin head and 9.5’ of loft in summer good and 10.5’ in the winter an acceptable set up. My advice to all golfers is get your driver and yourself checked every couple of years.
Getting fit for my 12 degree Sim Max a few years ago has been an absolute game changer. Looking at my stats before and after the change, I gained in carry distance, total distance, accuracy and most importantly confidence. Driver went from one of the least favorite to now one of the absolute favorite clubs.
Found this very informative. Thank you. Was recently fitted for new driver, figured it would be good to get checked as swing speed dropped a bit for me due to age and I thought I might need a softer shaft. SS was 100mph but I hit up so fitter put me in 9deg head with low launch, low spin firm shaft that feels very stable. My spin is low 2's but if I hit with a lower AOA it goes up to mid 3's on my Garmin at the range.
I always struggled to find fairways and was scared to try super low loft but tried everything from 9-12 degrees. Then had a lesson and the coach dropped my loft to 7deg and immediately had an impact. Then had a driver fitting with no dialogue about the fact I’d been playing 7deg loft and the fitting ended with me in a 7.5deg driver.
Not only did I go up to 12 degrees a few months ago, I also went down to 43.5". The combination of these two changes has made me so much more confident off the tee without losing any distance. For reference, I'm a 43 year old guy who is generally in the 250 yard range. The main side effects of these changes are that I now tee the ball closer to center in my stance and use something closer to my standard swing. Hitting up on the ball always felt a bit off to me, so I guess the 12 degrees of loft help to accomplish that by default. As you mentioned, Simon, so much of this comes down to each player's characteristics. There are so many options out there that allow us to find the tools that will cater to our tendencies.
I totally get what you are saying and the validity of your findings, but due to many factors I am limited to a driver swing speed of 75mph and have gone over to a mini driver lofted up to 15.5 degrees of loft,,,, I have gained just shy of 17 yards of carry compared to my old 11.5 degree full length driver and a double plus I hit far more fairways.
My swing speed is low 90’s mph and have a 9 degree loft. I average about 220 in carry but when I catch it right can go 240 ish. My coach thinks I should go to stiff shaft as opposed to regular, but watching this I think a 10.5 degree loft might be the right loft. FYI I play on a course by the sea so windy most of the time, thanks
You need to weigh up the carry versus total distance considering where you play. Higher carry could mean lower total distance in some instances and into wind performance could suffer too. Shaft fire will affect feel more than flight but with that confidence to get through the ball but I would look at where your carry versus total yardage sits and make a call on that
I play 9 degrees in my F9 and Aerojet drivers which is spot on for me, my issue is I struggle to square the face at impact with the Aerojet a lot of the time but with the F9 no problem using the same shaft, any ideas would be helpful thanks!
Nice video, good to see someone with a sort of comparable AoA for driver. I can manage 3 degrees at best, but it' usually between 1 and 2. I've been tinkering a lot with settings, ending up either with 12.5 or 11.5 for my modest 93 mph. Flight pattern is indeed recognizable, runout etc. But I do sense that the 12.5 is more forgiving. As in 'loft is your friend'. What's your take on that?
Nice video! I’m wondering if the higher spin drive is more likely to stay in play? I believe pga tour average is around 2500 spin, which seems a bit higher than what you like. I’m thinking it’s easier to hit a wedge straight than a 3 iron, but then also thinking higher spin might equal more side spin as well 🤷🏻♂️
The shorter shaft helps with the wedge quite a lot too. In principle the higher spin does help very slightly with straighteners and when maximising carry it’s good but in the UK with variable conditions and more ground help the lower spin gives a slightly stronger overall distance
This is excellent content, thank you. One question, when you lower the loft on an adjustable driver (say from 10.5 to 9), does that open the face? And vice versa, when you add loft on the loft sleeve, does that close the face slightly? Thank you
I would add that you need to be careful when you are just looking at the static loft of the club. The design/weighting of the club head, shaft, and AoA can all dramatically change the results. I have been optimized at 9.5 degrees of loft with a swing speed of 92 mph. I gained 10 yards of carry and about 10 yards of roll out from my previous 10.5 degree setup. Bottom line is get fitted by someone who knows what they are doing.
I get quite a bit of loft out of my 9 degree turned down to 8. I recently hit my best measured drive ever of 318 yards on the course but it was set at 9 at the time. I know I can hit even farther, but I don’t have measuring equipment when I’m at the range.
The loft change will make much more of a difference than the shaft as that will only fine tune spin and launch so the loft will dictate base launch and spin
In neutral position the face angle is unaffected. Lifting down opens the face and lifting up closes the face. The spin dies change very slightly doing this as well but mainly this the face angle orientation
Great explanation Simon but did I miss something? Did you use the same head but adjusted three ways on the hosel or three different heads with varying lofts?🤔
Hi Simon, you're the only other person I've ever seen set up driver way off the toe. I'm wondering why this helps you strike the center of the face in delivery? I started doing the same a few months ago with my TPT shaft and have never hit driver better.
What a timely video. Question, noticed your ball flight shape all pretty similar for all 3 "heads", I'm under the impression that minus loft via sleeve opens face angle while adding loft via sleeve closes the face angle. Should we expect significant shot shape difference when making 1.5 deg (cobra) sleeve adjustments? Is there a right & wrong way to setup to the ball after adjusting the loft sleeve? Would it be possible to say on cobra adapter, go down 1 deg in loft yet because of a faulty setup to the ball, still present the stock loft (or more) Thanks
The sleeve moved face angle as you mention but varies how much depending on the brand. Taylor Made’s changes face angle a couple of degrees whereas Titleist’s is only a degree. Shot shape-wise it is not significant but would be roughly up to 10 yards or so for most golfers. After adjusting the sleeve you should still set up as normal as otherwise you will potentially alter the way the sleeve change affects performance.
@@Precision_Golf I have a 9 and a 10.5. I don't notice any difference at setup (doesn't look more open to me) when I turn the 10.5 down to 9 5, nor shot shape (but could be my inconsistency) Would be helpful to know for cobra heads, how much change loft affects face angle. Might double cog adapters like callaway & titleist change the face angle less over single cog (taylomade , cobra)? Appreciate it greatly.
My swing speed is about 119 mph. I play a GT2 9° turned all the way down. I still hit it really high It’s flying pretty straight, but I see my pitch mark not too far away from my ball in the fairway. Should I go to an 8° turned all the way down.?
The science of golf in a nutshell. One question. Your attack angle is up on average about one degree but what happens when the attack angle is perhaps one or two down. Obviously launch angle would be down but how does that influence spin rate. Does it automatically go up? i.e. does the spin rate go up on a more lofted driver?
Went up to 11.5 degree on the Driver loft and shortened shaft so it’s now 44.5”.
Wow… it’s nice to actually play fairway golf instead learning about the local wildlife 🌲
Im 38 driver swing speed 104mph lofting up to 11.5 degrees has been a game changer for me!
That’s great to hear
Cracking video, thanks Simon. As a 60 year old golf with a 2-3’ hit up on the driver (swing speed 94mph thanks to a speed stick) I have found a lower spin head and 9.5’ of loft in summer good and 10.5’ in the winter an acceptable set up. My advice to all golfers is get your driver and yourself checked every couple of years.
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it!
Getting fit for my 12 degree Sim Max a few years ago has been an absolute game changer. Looking at my stats before and after the change, I gained in carry distance, total distance, accuracy and most importantly confidence. Driver went from one of the least favorite to now one of the absolute favorite clubs.
Fantastic!!
Found this very informative. Thank you. Was recently fitted for new driver, figured it would be good to get checked as swing speed dropped a bit for me due to age and I thought I might need a softer shaft. SS was 100mph but I hit up so fitter put me in 9deg head with low launch, low spin firm shaft that feels very stable. My spin is low 2's but if I hit with a lower AOA it goes up to mid 3's on my Garmin at the range.
Glad it was useful!
I always struggled to find fairways and was scared to try super low loft but tried everything from 9-12 degrees. Then had a lesson and the coach dropped my loft to 7deg and immediately had an impact. Then had a driver fitting with no dialogue about the fact I’d been playing 7deg loft and the fitting ended with me in a 7.5deg driver.
Spot on - it is about what works for you in practice not in theory
been waiting for a video like this forever. thanks simon!
Thanks for watching!
Another great video as always!! Learned so much from you.
Glad to help! Thanks for watching Joey
Not only did I go up to 12 degrees a few months ago, I also went down to 43.5". The combination of these two changes has made me so much more confident off the tee without losing any distance. For reference, I'm a 43 year old guy who is generally in the 250 yard range.
The main side effects of these changes are that I now tee the ball closer to center in my stance and use something closer to my standard swing. Hitting up on the ball always felt a bit off to me, so I guess the 12 degrees of loft help to accomplish that by default.
As you mentioned, Simon, so much of this comes down to each player's characteristics. There are so many options out there that allow us to find the tools that will cater to our tendencies.
Absolutely. So many solutions out there but the key is finding what works for you
Thanks Simon! Your a wealth of knowledge!!
I appreciate that! 👍🏻
Great explanation of loft dynamics Simon…… .v.informative👍
Many thanks Andy
I totally get what you are saying and the validity of your findings, but due to many factors I am limited to a driver swing speed of 75mph and have gone over to a mini driver lofted up to 15.5 degrees of loft,,,, I have gained just shy of 17 yards of carry compared to my old 11.5 degree full length driver and a double plus I hit far more fairways.
Sounds like a double win!
My swing speed is low 90’s mph and have a 9 degree loft. I average about 220 in carry but when I catch it right can go 240 ish. My coach thinks I should go to stiff shaft as opposed to regular, but watching this I think a 10.5 degree loft might be the right loft. FYI I play on a course by the sea so windy most of the time, thanks
You need to weigh up the carry versus total distance considering where you play. Higher carry could mean lower total distance in some instances and into wind performance could suffer too. Shaft fire will affect feel more than flight but with that confidence to get through the ball but I would look at where your carry versus total yardage sits and make a call on that
I play 9 degrees in my F9 and Aerojet drivers which is spot on for me, my issue is I struggle to square the face at impact with the Aerojet a lot of the time but with the F9 no problem using the same shaft, any ideas would be helpful thanks!
Check the head weights match - my guess is the F9 is heavier
Nice video, good to see someone with a sort of comparable AoA for driver. I can manage 3 degrees at best, but it' usually between 1 and 2. I've been tinkering a lot with settings, ending up either with 12.5 or 11.5 for my modest 93 mph. Flight pattern is indeed recognizable, runout etc. But I do sense that the 12.5 is more forgiving. As in 'loft is your friend'. What's your take on that?
It can be depending on your spin rate. If you are a low spin player then definitely, if you are high spin then definitely not!
Nice video!
I’m wondering if the higher spin drive is more likely to stay in play? I believe pga tour average is around 2500 spin, which seems a bit higher than what you like.
I’m thinking it’s easier to hit a wedge straight than a 3 iron, but then also thinking higher spin might equal more side spin as well 🤷🏻♂️
The shorter shaft helps with the wedge quite a lot too. In principle the higher spin does help very slightly with straighteners and when maximising carry it’s good but in the UK with variable conditions and more ground help the lower spin gives a slightly stronger overall distance
This is excellent content, thank you. One question, when you lower the loft on an adjustable driver (say from 10.5 to 9), does that open the face? And vice versa, when you add loft on the loft sleeve, does that close the face slightly? Thank you
It does slightly yes
Thank you very much. Great content.
I would add that you need to be careful when you are just looking at the static loft of the club. The design/weighting of the club head, shaft, and AoA can all dramatically change the results. I have been optimized at 9.5 degrees of loft with a swing speed of 92 mph. I gained 10 yards of carry and about 10 yards of roll out from my previous 10.5 degree setup. Bottom line is get fitted by someone who knows what they are doing.
Completely agree
I get quite a bit of loft out of my 9 degree turned down to 8. I recently hit my best measured drive ever of 318 yards on the course but it was set at 9 at the time. I know I can hit even farther, but I don’t have measuring equipment when I’m at the range.
It is tough without data and the loft will depend on your spin as much as the launch angle to maximise distance.
wonder the comparison between a high loft driver with low launch shaft vs low loft driver with high launch shaft
The loft change will make much more of a difference than the shaft as that will only fine tune spin and launch so the loft will dictate base launch and spin
What are the benefits of playing a 10.5° driver as standard verses adding loft to a 9° driver or taking loft off a 12° driver?
In neutral position the face angle is unaffected. Lifting down opens the face and lifting up closes the face. The spin dies change very slightly doing this as well but mainly this the face angle orientation
Thanks Simon.
Pleasure!
Great explanation Simon but did I miss something? Did you use the same head but adjusted three ways on the hosel or three different heads with varying lofts?🤔
Thanks Paul. It was the same head but in three different loft positions
Just adjusted mine up to 12.5 degrees as the new TPT shaft is lower launching...
👍
Hi Simon, you're the only other person I've ever seen set up driver way off the toe. I'm wondering why this helps you strike the center of the face in delivery? I started doing the same a few months ago with my TPT shaft and have never hit driver better.
A terrible 30 year old habit that has stuck! Glad it’s not just me! 😁
@@Precision_Golf I do the same
What a timely video.
Question, noticed your ball flight shape all pretty similar for all 3 "heads", I'm under the impression that minus loft via sleeve opens face angle while adding loft via sleeve closes the face angle. Should we expect significant shot shape difference when making 1.5 deg (cobra) sleeve adjustments?
Is there a right & wrong way to setup to the ball after adjusting the loft sleeve? Would it be possible to say on cobra adapter, go down 1 deg in loft yet because of a faulty setup to the ball, still present the stock loft (or more)
Thanks
The sleeve moved face angle as you mention but varies how much depending on the brand. Taylor Made’s changes face angle a couple of degrees whereas Titleist’s is only a degree. Shot shape-wise it is not significant but would be roughly up to 10 yards or so for most golfers.
After adjusting the sleeve you should still set up as normal as otherwise you will potentially alter the way the sleeve change affects performance.
@@Precision_Golf
I have a 9 and a 10.5. I don't notice any difference at setup (doesn't look more open to me) when I turn the 10.5 down to 9 5, nor shot shape (but could be my inconsistency)
Would be helpful to know for cobra heads, how much change loft affects face angle.
Might double cog adapters like callaway & titleist change the face angle less over single cog (taylomade , cobra)?
Appreciate it greatly.
My swing speed is about 119 mph. I play a GT2 9° turned all the way down. I still hit it really high It’s flying pretty straight, but I see my pitch mark not too far away from my ball in the fairway. Should I go to an 8° turned all the way down.?
Loft might help but a lower spinning head (GT3 for example) might also be worth considering
@@Precision_Golf but the gt 2 is so much easier to hit I don’t hit it in the middle all the time.
The science of golf in a nutshell. One question. Your attack angle is up on average about one degree but what happens when the attack angle is perhaps one or two down. Obviously launch angle would be down but how does that influence spin rate. Does it automatically go up? i.e. does the spin rate go up on a more lofted driver?
You are correct - with a downward angle of attack spin will 9 times out of 10 kick up more quickly by adding loft versus an upward angle of attack
@Precision_Golf so more loft more spin plus attack angle equals more spin. Got it
Why did you decide to add ghetto music to the intro? The previous music was civilized rather than barbaric.
Hi. Thanks for your comment. We’re just catering for all tastes, we actually quite liked it 🤷🏼😁
@@Precision_Golf I beg you, never again use music with any hint of the ghetto.
Hopefully you can overlook the music and enjoy our content 😁