Instruction
The Quest for 300: It Starts with Your Clubs (Part 3)
So far in this series I have discussed the prerequisites for hitting a true 300-yard drive. This means hitting it 300-plus yards without the aid of wind, elevation, a sprinkler head or a cartpath.
It is true that only a small segment of golfers who read this are capable of this feat. Heck, many golfers would love to hit their drivers 250 yards once in a while. I understand the struggles of those golfers, and aim to help every one of them hit their drivers as far as they can, even it that distance is much less than 300 yards.
One of the most talked about aspects of driving a golf ball long and straight is the club that is used. Since this article is published on GolfWRX, I feel very confident assuming that my readers are using drivers that are six years old or less. If you are playing something older than this, consider upgrading, because you’re really missing out on forgiveness.
Click here to read other articles written by Steve Pratt.
To maximize performance, a golfer needs a driver that fits their swing, not just an expensive or flashy one. It needs to create the correct launch and spin to have a landing angle between 36 and 39 degrees. If golfers see their tee shots “climb” in the air, and their shots don’t roll much when they land on a firm fairway, they probably have a landing angle of more than 45 degrees. If they hit low line drives, they likely have a landing angle under 30.
There are infinite combination of launch angles and spin rates that will produce the correct landing angle for a golfer’s course conditions. For example, golfers who play in the desert might get more total yards out of drives with a lower landing angle, while golfers who play in softer conditions might get more distance from drives that carry farther. The ideal launch, spin and landing angle will also vary by a golfer’s club head speed and angle of attack.
Let me give an example of wildly different launch and spin numbers that will produce an optimal landing angle. Some golfers might launch their drives at 6 degrees with 3600 rpms of backspin with a landing angle of 38 degrees. They might get similar results by launching their drivers at 16 degrees with 2200 rpms of backspin. It is a delicate balance, but the distance golfers gain from finding the ideal launch, spin and landing angle will be well worth it. For the golfers who I have fitted, the average gain has been 33 yards.
Here are a couple of tips to help you find the right driver for your swing:
- The loft stated on the bottom of the club can be misleading. Head design and shaft can change the actual spin loft of that driver by several degrees. Just because you’re a 9.5 in one brand doesn’t mean you will be in another brand — or next year’s model from the same brand.
- Shaft choice can affect ball flight by affecting the overall spin loft of the club. This is why the “bend profile” and “tip stiffness” of a shaft can be so important. Knowing “cpms” may also come in handy, considering that a stiff shaft in one major brand can differ significantly from another.
- A golfer’s angle of attack (AoA) will profoundly affect what driver will work best for them, so it is integral that they knows what their AoA is. Keep in mind that AoA does not affect spin rate. Trackman has discovered scientifically (and in practice) that hitting down by itself does not cause an increase in backspin.
- User error will trump equipment changes by a large margin. Unless a golfer is a really good player (2 handicap or less), they will not see a meaningful differences in spin or ball flight by making small changes in shafts or heads. They’ve got to compare apples to apples, and the average golfer hits a lot of oranges. Even small mishits will result in gear effects that will easily overcome a minor change in equipment.
For example, I’ve seen golfers go from 4000 rpms of spin to 2000 in a half hour without changing gear. They merely worked to hit the ball more solidly and squarely. It would be very difficult to simply change gear and get this much change, and much more expensive too!
While technique plays the biggest role in the efficiency of ball flight, a poorly fit driver can cost golfers as much as 60 yards. If golfers can understand what optimal ball flight looks like and decode what the target audience of a particular driver head or shaft is, they will be on their way to adding free distance off the tee. Their best bet is get on a FlightScope or Trackman with an experienced fitter and learn what they can do to hit it farther.
Coming next: I will talk about a simple training routine that can steadily increase your club head speed so that you can realize your distance goals.
The Quest For 300: How To Bomb Your Driver (Part 1)
The Quest For 300: How To Bomb Your Driver (Part 2)
- LIKE33
- LEGIT4
- WOW4
- LOL3
- IDHT1
- FLOP1
- OB1
- SHANK2
Instruction
Clement: Laid-off or perfect fade? Across-the-line or perfect draw?
Some call the image on the left laid off, but if you are hitting a fade, this could be a perfect backswing for it! Same for across the line for a draw! Stop racking your brain with perceived mistakes and simply match backswing to shot shape!
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK1
Instruction
The Wedge Guy: The easiest-to-learn golf basic
My golf learning began with this simple fact – if you don’t have a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, it is practically impossible for your body to execute a fundamentally sound golf swing. I’m still a big believer that the golf swing is much easier to execute if you begin with the proper hold on the club.
As you might imagine, I come into contact with hundreds of golfers of all skill levels. And it is very rare to see a good player with a bad hold on the golf club. There are some exceptions, for sure, but they are very few and very far between, and they typically have beat so many balls with their poor grip that they’ve found a way to work around it.
The reality of biophysics is that the body moves only in certain ways – and the particulars of the way you hold the golf club can totally prevent a sound swing motion that allows the club to release properly through the impact zone. The wonderful thing is that anyone can learn how to put a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, and you can practice it anywhere your hands are not otherwise engaged, like watching TV or just sitting and relaxing.
Whether you prefer an overlap, interlock or full-finger (not baseball!) grip on the club, the same fundamentals apply. Here are the major grip faults I see most often, in the order of the frequency:
Mis-aligned hands
By this I mean that the palms of the two hands are not parallel to each other. Too many golfers have a weak left hand and strong right, or vice versa. The easiest way to learn how to hold the club with your palms aligned properly is to grip a plain wooden ruler or yardstick. It forces the hands to align properly and shows you how that feels. If you grip and re-grip a yardstick several times, then grip a club, you’ll see that the learning curve is almost immediate.
The position of the grip in the upper/left hand
I also observe many golfers who have the butt of the grip too far into the heel pad of the upper hand (the left hand for right-handed players). It’s amazing how much easier it is to release the club through the ball if even 1/4-1/2″ of the butt is beyond the left heel pad. Try this yourself to see what I mean. Swing the club freely with just your left hand and notice the difference in its release from when you hold it at the end of the grip, versus gripping down even a half inch.
To help you really understand how this works, go to the range and hit shots with your five-iron gripped down a full inch to make the club the same length as your seven-iron. You will probably see an amazing shot shape difference, and likely not see as much distance loss as you would expect.
Too much lower (right) hand on the club
It seems like almost all golfers of 8-10 handicap or higher have the club too far into the palm of the lower hand, because that feels “good” if you are trying to control the path of the clubhead to the ball. But the golf swing is not an effort to hit at the ball – it is a swing of the club. The proper hold on the club has the grip underneath the pad at the base of the fingers. This will likely feel “weak” to you — like you cannot control the club like that. EXACTLY. You should not be trying to control the club with your lower/master hand.
Gripping too tightly
Nearly all golfers hold the club too tightly, which tenses up the forearms and prevents a proper release of the club through impact. In order for the club to move back and through properly, you must feel that the club is controlled by the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. If you engage your thumbs and forefingers in “holding” the club, the result will almost always be a grip that is too tight. Try this for yourself. Hold the club in your upper hand only, and squeeze firmly with just the last three fingers, with the forefinger and thumb off the club entirely. You have good control, but your forearms are not tense. Then begin to squeeze down with your thumb and forefinger and observe the tensing of the entire forearm. This is the way we are made, so the key to preventing tenseness in the arms is to hold the club very lightly with the “pinchers” — the thumbs and forefingers.
So, those are what I believe are the four fundamentals of a good grip. Anyone can learn them in their home or office very quickly. There is no easier way to improve your ball striking consistency and add distance than giving more attention to the way you hold the golf club.
More from the Wedge Guy
- The Wedge Guy: Golf mastery begins with your wedge game
- The Wedge Guy: Why golf is 20 times harder than brain surgery
- The Wedge Guy: Musings on the golf ball rollback
- LIKE88
- LEGIT14
- WOW6
- LOL1
- IDHT0
- FLOP4
- OB1
- SHANK8
Instruction
Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!
Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?
- LIKE0
- LEGIT3
- WOW2
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK2
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole1 week ago
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Brandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why
-
Equipment3 weeks ago
What we know about Bryson DeChambeau’s 3D-printed Avoda irons
-
19th Hole6 days ago
LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
Steve Pratt
May 16, 2013 at 5:17 pm
@tmk – For 115 mph I like 2000-2300 spin a lot more than 1500. Even at 14 degrees launch I doubt that the ball is hanging up long enough. Can you share what you’re hitting to get that low spin?
You may have overshot the mark here a bit. The penalty would be not being able to carry bunkers or doglegs on command, which is two advantages a long hit can gain. Of course, the built in hazard of going from, say a 9.0 to a 7.5 is the slight extra curve on a face error.
tmk
May 20, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Thanks Steve. The club I was fitted for that brought my spin down that low is an Adams speedline super LS in an 8.5 degree loft. Loved it on the launch monitor as it was getting me about 15 extra yards. But your prediction was correct. I was able to demo before buying, and, on the course this weekend, in soft conditions, the Adams generally was not quite as long as my gamer (Ping Rapture V2 with Fuji Rombax 6w06, x flex). Now, I’m at a total loss. Maybe just stick with my current gamer.
tmk
May 16, 2013 at 10:54 am
Great article Steve. Quick question — I have a 115 swing speed and recently was fitted to a very low spinning head (slightly lower loft as well). With just this change, my spin dropped from 3000 to 1500. LA is around 14 degrees. All this seems good as I know I’ll get more distance on solid hits. However, I’m sure there is going to be some downside as well. Will I have less control in general? Will mis-hits be penalized more severely? Thanks in advance.
Steve Pratt
May 15, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Hey Andy!
A full set of data makes it really easy to give feedback.
You would ideally want to launch it higher and land it steeper. You could either add loft, keeping the same swing…or you could change the swing direction from -4.8 to +4.8 by swinging significantly more to the right. This will dramatically increase your AoA and launch automatically.
Of course the kicker is that you will have to square the face to the new path and not leave it open. Overall it appears you are losing about 15-16 yards here.
Andy
May 17, 2013 at 4:14 am
I’m continually working on getting more from the inside, but this has always been a weak point. I come from a steep swing that was from the outside with a big cast. Now (years later) that’s gone, but when I haven’t played for a while I slip back into that weak cast a little from the outside. The data above shows this clearly.
Having hardly played in Jan-April (terrible winter here in the UK) it’s as bad as it gets right now and will improve over the summer as I get into comps, training and much more practice.
But I need to get the swing speed up a LOT if I’m going to get the ball further out there. Right now 98 is an average with my best peaking at 101 / 102.
I will definitely up the loft on the driver during the winter / wet conditions. But in the summer I’m going to be enjoying watching that ball roll out. 🙂
Andy
May 15, 2013 at 5:16 am
Hi again Steve. Still enjoying the articles and especially looking forward to part-4.
Looking at the Trackman data from the fitting session at TaylorMade Wentworth recently… Landing angle averaged at 32.5 (lowest 31.7, highest 35). Averaging 231 carry + 30 roll.
I have regular sessions with my PGA Pro and suspect that extra strength / fitness is the key to raising club speed and therefore distance. I doubt that there are any easy fixes.
Below is my Trackman data for the R1 TP driver with Rul 60 shaft.
Att Ang — -1.8
Club Path — -3.1
Face to Path — 2.1
Club Speed — 98.7
Ball Speed — 146
Launch Angle — 11.2
Spin — 2553
Carry — 231.6
Total — 261.7
Land Angle — 32.5
Smash — 1.48
Spin Ax — 5.3
Spin Loft — 15.1
Face Ang — -0.9
Dyn Loft — 13
Swing Dir — -4.8
Andy
May 15, 2013 at 5:37 am
It’s also worth adding that this data was taken with range balls. Although they were 100% compression the fitter stated there would be a small performance loss (up to 5%) over a premium ball.
Weather was around 9 degrees Celsius and fairly calm. It didn’t rain during the fitting, but had done so earlier. I’m guessing they set the TrackMan to “concrete” ground settings to make you look better – lol.
The driver was set to 10deg loft, draw bias (10g in the heel -1 in toe), face alignment left as standard.
G
May 13, 2013 at 1:15 pm
You’re not helping manufacturers sell more gear if you’re telling people they can improve their spin rate just by changing their swing in a half-hour session!
Andy
May 15, 2013 at 4:26 am
We all know that working on our swing is far more important than any equipment. But that fact will never stop us buying more equipment anyway 🙂
Steve Pratt
May 13, 2013 at 12:55 pm
@Niles – Yes chances are pretty good that you can pick up 25 or 30+ yards. From your information I would guess that you have high clubhead speed and a fairly severe negative AoA on the driver (-5 or more). It also sounds like your driver probably fits your current swing pretty well…if the smaller devices can be trusted.
It would take some adjustments to your swing, but you would probably end up hitting your 3 wood as far as your driver.
Your first step could be to check out the Trackman locator on their site, or just google it.
Niles
May 13, 2013 at 11:18 am
I am a +1 and have a low launch angle (6 degrees or so and create 3300 rpms or so) I’ve never been on a Trackman rather smaller devices at demo days and simulators. I am as long or longer than most people I play with in competitive state and USGA events. I am often told I should hit it further than I do. I am located in Iowa and would love an accurate driver fitting. What are options in central Iowa?? Thanks!
Steve Pratt
May 13, 2013 at 3:25 am
Trackman has shown conclusively that AoA has virtually no effect on spin rate. This is because the spin loft stays the same, no matter what the AoA is. You only change dynamic loft and launch angle by hitting down.
Tony Wright
May 13, 2013 at 11:43 pm
Thanks for the reply Steve. So you are saying, as an example – say I am using a 9 degree loft driver, if I hit a drive with a -3 degree AofA and then another with a +3 AofA that the spin rates of the two shots will be the same? Or am I missing something here. Thanks again.
Tony Wright
May 12, 2013 at 11:40 pm
I am enjoying this series of articles thanks Steve. I do have a question. You say AofA does not affect spin rate. That has not been my experience. Can you elaborate with details on why you said that thank you.
nick
May 12, 2013 at 12:15 pm
very beneficial info regarding multiple options to achieve landing angle.