The Art of Buying the Modern Driver
By Kevin Downey, Innovex Golf Company
Can you believe the size of the drivers on the market today? Not that long ago, we thought 300cc was so big, nobody would buy them. What were we thinking? Now at 460cc – and occasionally larger – these driver heads are bigger than ever. These Uber-Drivers, as I like to call them, are awesome folks…
They are extremely forgiving and long. And that’s what we’re all seeking, right? We want that ball to take off like a rocket and hang in the air like a balloon. Big head, high launch, low spin. These are the keys to distance and accuracy, as long as we achieve the proper LAUNCH ANGLE for our ball speed. If not, we often get a low launch with little spin and no lift, little distance and less accuracy. Golfers all over the world are buying drivers that have too little loft. These golfers are filling the auction sites with ‘almost new’ drivers and going back to their recently replaced big stick.
This shouldn’t be the case. These Uber-Drivers can offer more distance and better accuracy than anything we’ve ever hit – so long as we achieve the necessary launch conditions. How do we know if we’re doing this? Well, the simple answer is – if the ball is going further, then yes. We are looking to get the appropriate launch angle for our ball speed, which can get rather complicated. The best way to determine this is to get with a professional club-fitter that utilizes a launch monitor. Let them tell you what loft is appropriate for the driver you’re looking to purchase (or have recently purchased).
Why are these massively over-sized drivers longer? Well, the technical answer is that the weight is moved low and back in the head to achieve VERTICAL GEAR EFFECT, therefore lowering spin rate. Spin creates both lift and drag – we want lift, but not drag. So, our goal is to get just enough spin. High launch + low spin = distance. That is one of the reasons why PGA Tour players have gone from an average drive of 257 yards in 1980 to 285 yards in 20041. The average golfer has not gained such yardage. Why not? Because the average golfer has not been fitted for the appropriate driver loft, which is crucial to hitting these extremely oversized drivers longer and straighter.
What loft should you buy in a 400+ cc driver if a launch monitor isn’t available for you to be fitted on? Well, obviously that depends on you, but in our fitting studios we haven’t fitted a driver with less than 12 degrees of loft in any head greater than 420 cubic centimeters. A good rule of thumb is that if your old driver is less than 300cc, then go up 3 to 4 degrees of loft. If your previous driver is 300 to 350cc, then increase loft by 2 to 3 degrees. Finally, if your driver is 350 to 400cc, then go up 1 to 2 degrees.
The old adage that the top of the driver should be set at the middle of the ball is no longer true. We want to hit the ball on the upswing, therefore requiring a tee height where the top of the driver is no higher than the bottom 1/3rd of the golf ball. So, tee it high and hit that sucker on the upswing!
Forget what you ever thought about drivers and loft. Go get yourself an Uber-Driver in a higher loft and hit the ball longer and straighter than you ever have. The equipment works folks – we just have to make sure that it fits.
1Source – www.pgatour.com
