No club in the bag gets as
much technology put into it
as does the driver. For some golfers,
bashing the long ball is the most
fun they have on the course.
A lot of emphasis is put on
driving the ball long these days,
and it seems to have overtaken the
short game in importance in the
minds of many golfers. Actually,
driving distance is somewhat
important. If the average course
length that the average golfer
plays is around 6,200 yards, and
they hit the ball around 220 yards
off the tee for the typical 14
drives, that means that the driver
is responsible for 3,080 yards, or
about half of the yardage. So, you
can see that the driver is a pretty
important club.
Too many of our students have
drivers that are ill-fitted for them.
Often you will see them struggle to
get much height on the ball, even
on good hits. While a low bullet
was the preferred ball flight back in
the days of balata balls, the modern
ball requires a different flight. The
mantra of high-launch and lowspin
best suits what should be
happening today.
There is a limit on how much
height the ball should be hit,
though. And, it may be beneficial
for some golfers to hit the ball
lower than what is considered
optimal, since optimal involves
carry distance. Golfers who play
firm courses will probably find
that they will get more overall
distance (carry + roll) if they hit
the ball lower than what will give
them the most carry.
A launch monitor is the best
tool for dialing in a student’s
proper specs, but not everyone
has one, nor are they always
readily available. Without a
launch monitor, how are we to
determine if a student’s driver is
not right for them?
While standing outside, reach
your arm straight out in front of
you horizontally. Now, raise your
arm so your fingertips are as high
as the top of your head. Your
fingertips now approximate the
top trajectory you should see most
students’ drives reach. If your
students’ drives are noticeably
lower than this, they are likely
shortchanging themselves when
it comes to their drivers.
To get more height, a driver
with more loft is needed.
You might have seen some
advertisements for shafts that
promote higher launch angles,
but primarily this is done through
driver loft. One of the shaft’s
functions is to affect backspin.
Assuming your student’s launch
angle is good, if their drives fall out
of the sky fairly quickly, chances
are they are not getting enough
backspin. They need a shaft with
a softer tip and a lower kick point.
If their drives tend to “balloon”
or upshoot, they are probably
getting too much backspin and
need a firmer-tipped shaft with a
higher kick point.
In general, golfers who have
fairly quick tempos and transition
moves benefit most from firmertipped
shafts, while those who
have slower tempos and transitions
will be fit best with softer-tipped
shafts. A good source for shaft
information is the Golfworks,
and their online catalogue can be
found at www.GolfWorks.com.
As for shaft flex, a very
general guideline is that swing
speeds from 85-95 mph should
use regular shafts; swing speeds
from 95-105 stiff shafts; and 105
and above extra-stiff shafts. This
guideline is not hard-and-fast. For
example, there might be those
with swing speeds under 95 mph,
but with very quick tempos, who
will best be served with a stiff
shaft, and those above 95 mph,
but with very slow tempos, who
should use regular shafts. A good
rule of thumb is for the golfer to
use the most flexible shaft that
they can control.
If you clearly see that a
student’s driver is not right for
him, don’t hesitate to speak up.
And, with the above information,
you can probably steer them into
driver specs that are very close
to what they need. For more
information on learning all about clubfitting, please contact
jenn@usgtf.com.
Back
to Main Articles
