Is 8.5 degree driver too low?

Anywhere between 8.5-10° will usually suffice. If you have a mid swing speed of 95-104 mph, a driver loft of between 10-11.5° will normally be a good starting point.

What does 8.5 degree driver mean?

Loft Angle

Loft is the angle of the face of the club relative to the ground. Besides putters, drivers have the smallest loft angle of any club in your bag. An 8.5 driver has a loft of 8.5 degrees, while a 10.5 driver has a loft of 10.5 degrees.

Does a lower degree driver go further?

Lower lofts can provide more energy transfer at impact because there's less of an oblique angle. It's why your 7-iron flies farther than your 8-iron. In our test, drivers with less loft consistently produced more ball speed, even for low swing-speed golfers (3.2 mph more compared to the 10.5 and 12-degree drivers).

Are lower degree driver harder to hit?

The primary benefit of the 10.5-degree driver is that it is more forgiving than a lower lofted driver. When you take loft away from a club, you make it harder to hit. Generally, the less loft a club has, the faster a player must swing the club to get the distance and launch results they need.

Who should use an 8 degree driver?

Recreational golfers who have a swing speed of 110 to 120 mph should select a driver with a low loft of 8 degrees. According to PatRyanGolf.com, the average club head speed for a recreational male golfer is 84 mph, so most recreational golfers would seek a higher loft.

Driver Loft from 10.5 to 8.5 - Mid handicap Testing

What degree driver does Tiger Woods use?

RELATED: Tiger Woods hopes to walk the walk at Masters

When Woods showed up at the 2021 PNC Championship, he had a new TaylorMade Stealth Plus 9-degree driver in the bag, equipped with his familiar Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60TX driver.

Are 9 degree drivers harder to hit?

Is A 9-Degree Driver Harder To Hit. Golfers with slower swing speeds may find the 9-degree driver too difficult to hit consistently and achieve maximum distance. However, golfers with high swing speed will benefit from the lower loft.

What degree driver hits the farthest?

The low loft of a golf driver is very surprising from the perspective of physics. Everyone in freshman physics learns that the optimal launch angle for a projectile - the angle that makes a ball fly the farthest - is 45 degrees.

Do any pros use a 10.5 degree driver?

At the WGC-HSBC Champions, Dustin Johnson took the title using a TaylorMade SLDR driver with 10.5 degrees loft. Although TaylorMade has recently been touting the benefits of "lofting up" with its new driver, it's actually been a trend on the PGA Tour for more than a decade.

What is the best degree driver for distance?

Most golfers find that the 10.5 degree driver is the best loft for matching both distance and forgiveness. You will find that even with average swing speeds, the 10.5 degrees gives you tremendous distance and lots of high launch.

What degree driver is best for beginners?

Most golf drivers for beginners come in 9.5º, 10.5º and 12º options. The ideal loft is dependent on your swing speed and shot shape. 10.5º and 12º golf drivers are usually best for beginner golfers as the added backspin only loses a small amount of distance, but keeps your drives much straighter.

What is the most common loft for a driver?

The least-lofted golf club, other than a putter, is the driver. Drivers are typically lofted between 8 and 11 degrees, so drivers with lofts of 9.5 and 10.5 degrees are common. The higher-lofted driver is typically a better choice for an amateur player.

Does decreasing loft open the face?

Being able to adjust the loft allows golfers to achieve launch angles and spin rates that are suited well to the way that they deliver the club. When you adjust a hosel to increase loft, you are actually closing the face fractionally. Conversely when you reduce loft you are open the face slightly.

What loft driver should a mid handicapper use?

Most mid-handicap golfers have swing speeds between 80-95 MPH and that's why the best driver loft will normally be 11-13 degrees.

Is a higher loft driver easier to hit?

The answer to our question is a higher lofted driver easier to hit is yes. What is this? If you are a slow swinging golfer who needs the added loft to help you consistently launch your ball high and far off the tee.

What degree driver do pros use?

Professional golfers tend to play with a driver that has about 9.5 degrees of loft. Of course, there are some golfers who find 10.5 or 8.5 to be more effective, but you will generally see most players end up in the 9 to 9.5 range. The loft on the driver makes it easier to launch.

Does teeing the ball higher give you more distance?

“When you tee the ball higher, you have a better chance of swinging up on it and hitting the top part of the clubface, which launches the ball higher and with less distance-robbing spin,” says Foley. “Less spin means you have a better chance of getting some roll.”

Does a 9 degree driver go further?

At –4 AoA the 10.5 degree driver was 9 yards longer due to higher launch and higher spin. At +2 AoA the 9 degree driver was 14 yards longer due to decreased launch angle and reduced spin. At +4 AoA the 9 degree driver was 14 yards longer due to decreased launch angle and reduced spin.

What is a good driver for an average golfer?

The majority of golf drivers on the market will suit average golfers, but the one which stands out above all is the Ping G425 Max. This driver has been designed specifically for the average golfer, which means it has one of the biggest sweet spots and highest MOI.

Which is better 9.5 or 10.5 degree driver?

In theory, a 9.5 degree driver shot will travel lower at a greater speed with less backspin than a 10.5 degree driver when struck square. You must be sure that you have enough club head speed -- how fast the golf club is moving toward impact with the golf ball -- to warrant a lower lofted driver.

What is the average driver loft on tour?

Most professionals on the PGA golf tour are using a driver with a loft between 9 and 10.5. The golfers will change the loft based on the shaft they have on their club and how the shaft impacts the ball flight as well. Most golfers on the professional circuit have a very fast swing speed.

What driver does Phil Mickelson use?

Phil Mickelson uses the Callaway Epic Speed driver.

What driver does Dechambeau use?

Bryson was using a Cobra King Radspeed driver which had only 7.5 degrees of loft but in 2022 he has switched to a Cobra LTDx which only has five degrees of loft.