What's the difference between 9.5 and 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.

Do I want a 10.5 or a 9-degree driver?

The ideal driver loft depends on your swing speed and the attack angle. Average players that swing the club less than 95 MPH will likely find that a 10.5-degree driver performs the best. Better players who can control their drives and want the most distance will lean more towards a 9-degree driver.

Does a 9.5 degree driver go further?

The lower your swing speed, the more you'll benefit from a club with greater loft. A “Golf Digest” study of drivers with a variety of lofts concluded that players with average swing speeds will hit the ball farther with an 11-degree driver than a driver that's lofted by 9 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.

Is a 10.5 degree driver more forgiving?

We would venture to say that the vast majority of amateur and beginner golfers will benefit a lot more from the extra loft of the 10.5 degree driver than using a 9.5 degree and this comes down to forgiveness.

What Driver Loft Should You Play? Impact of Driver Loft On Distance And Accuracy

Does a 9 degree driver go further?

Participants in our tests achieved more distance when they used drivers with less than 10 degrees of loft. In fact, swings often got the most distance with driver lofts at 9 degrees or less.

What degree driver does Tiger Woods use?

At the 2022 Masters, Tiger Woods used a TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ driver, a 15-degree TaylorMade SIM 3-wood and a 19-degree TaylorMade M3 5-wood. That has been Tiger's standard setup, along with his TaylorMade P·7TW irons (3-PW) since he joined TaylorMade in 2017.

What degree driver goes 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.

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.

How much does 1 degree of loft affect distance?

How Much Does 1 Degree of Loft Affect Distance? Given that you're at your maximum clubhead speed, just 1-degree change in the loft angle of a golf driver can affect your driving distance by 2-4 yards.

Is a lower loft driver harder to hit?

The 10.5-degree driver is the best choice for most golfers. If your swing speed is very fast, the 9-degree will help you get the best ball flight and launch. Remember that the lower the loft on a club, the harder it is going to be to hit consistently and to hit well.

What is a good driver for an average golfer?

I'd recommend a 13 or 14-degree driver for the best results. The extra loft will launch the ball higher in the air, it'll put less sidespin on the ball, and you'll get more distance. Someone that has an average swing speed (80-95 MPH) should use a driver with a little bit less loft.

What degree driver should a beginner use?

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.

Is a higher loft driver better?

In general, the slower the swing or club speed, the higher the loft of the driver to optimize both carry and roll. Most drivers come in degrees of loft from 8.5 to 16. Long Drive competitors have drivers that have only 4 to 7.5 degrees of loft.

Does increasing driver loft close the face?

When you lower the loft of a golf club, you are also going to close the angle of the clubface. If you increase the loft on a club, you will open the face angle on the club. This applies when you are adjusting loft on the driver as well as irons or hybrids.

Will a 9 degree driver help with a slice?

If you start with a 10.5-degree driver, you will likely be able to adjust it up into the 11- or even 12-degree range and down to the 9-degree range. However, if you purchase the 9-degree driver, you may not be able to get the loft quite as high as you will need to reduce your slice.

Is 11.5 loft too much?

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. If you hit down on the ball, you're likely to have high spin loft, so using less loft will actually reduce your backspin and should help you hit the ball further.

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.

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 loft should a high handicapper driver be?

A higher handicap player is going to do best with the 12 degree driver. With this club in their hand, the golfer can get plenty of ball speed, distance, and ball flight as well. IF a faster swinging player were to attempt to use the 12 degree driver, they might struggle with getting the control they need.

What loft is Dustin Johnson's driver?

Both were 10.5-degree TaylorMade Stealth Plus drivers equipped with LA Golf DJ-Series prototype shafts. On Tuesday ahead of the event, GolfWRX caught up with Johnson to see what's in the bag for 2022, and to get his thoughts on the new red-faced Stealth Plus “Carbonwood” driver.

What driver does Phil Mickelson use?

Phil Mickelson uses the Callaway Epic Speed driver.

What driver does Bryson 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.

Who needs a 9 degree driver?

A 9-degree driver is suited to golfers that generate swing speed above 100 mph and use a stiff shaft. Slower swing speed will experience difficulty to generate sufficient spin to get the golf ball airborne and likely lose distance using a low lofted driver.