One of the biggest misconceptions in drivers is the theory that goes something like this…”The lower the loft of my driver is the longer I will hit the ball. Only old men and girls use a driver with a loft of more than 10°.” Well this theory sounds logical but in most cases it just isn’t true. Most golfers are leaving 10-12 yards per drive to their egos because they just will not give up those 8, 9, 10 or even 11 degree drivers and start using more loft. When looking at driver loft we need to be looking at backspin, loft, swing speed and a little known factor in your swing called the Angle of Attack into the ball. This is the term used to describe whether you hit the ball on a downward blow, level to the ground or on the upswing. We’ve all had the experience of trying to spray someone with garden hose as they run away from us. You need to aim that hose at a 45° angle with the most water pressure you can find. Much lower or higher than that just will not get that water very far. Well that’s Launch Angle and how far the ball goes when you drive it will depend a lot on launch angle. Launch angle is determined by clubhead loft, swing angle of attack and then by the speed the ball is going when it leaves the club face. The more the downward angle of attack and the slower your swing speed, the higher the loft must be to maximize your drive distance. I recently heard Tom Stites speak. Tom is with Nike Golf and the man who works with Tiger Woods on equipment. Tom said the following… “Most people do not launch the ball high enough”. And Nike probably doesn’t make a driver with the loft many golfers need. So let’s say you have a swing speed of 90 mph and your angle of attack is +2.5° (in other words 2.5° upward), with a 9° driver you’d have 10.5° launch angle and the ball would go 206 yards, with an 11° driver you launch angle would be 12.1° and the ball would be out there 5 more yards at 211. God forbid if you used 13° driver you’d launch it at 13.7° angle and add another 2 yards to your distance. These figures assume you hit it dead center square to the target. The more loft gives you backspin which gives an aerodynamic lift to ball and sends it out there further. Now I’m not a scratch golfer by any means and I’m now using a 14° driver with an “A” flex shaft to the get maximum distance in me (which isn’t much). If I could add about 35-40 mph to my swingspeed and hit on a upward angle of attack I could use that 9° driver that XYZ Golf says will hit that ball farther than I can see.

Launch Monitor research shows that the average of all golfers’ swings with the driver at somewhere between 80 to 93 mph or less and with a slight angle of attack, regardless of gender, need at least 13° on the driver to maximize their distance.

I am now using Zelocity's Pure Launch launch monitor and am able to determine optimal launch angle. With a few calculations and a control driver your Angle of Attack can be determined.

I hope this hasn't totally confused you, I’ve just scratched the surface of the subject. If want to delve into this more go to Tom Wishon Golf Technology’s web site www.twgolftech.com or pick up a copy of Tom’s book THE SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT GOLF CLUB, available at Eagle Custom Golf, Amazon.com & many fine bookstores.