What is the "Perfect" ball flight for a driver ???

[3oneday]

What is ideal, is it high and piercing or mid flight with maximum run ?

I feel I get it out a little low lately, been tempted to go up a notch or two to 10.5 but maybe I'm just using too stiff shaft ? When I played an 8.5 R9 reg flex I felt it flew great, nice and high (yes I sold it, what's new).

I have no issues with direction unless I put a shite swing on it, just flight.

What's the preference for you guys ?

[live4golf]

I prefer a high ball flight. The only time I hit low is in high wind or if there is another specific reason.

[virge666]

I like high with a little spin as I can.

For a good comparison for me is by looking on TV and seeing how high the Pro's hit it with Pro tracer. Even with the wind yesterday, Ernie and Charles were just bashing it into the air.

The other point is that higher means less sidespin, which means more accuracy.

Most people's idea of roll is a fallacy, Roll should only be a very, very minor part of the flight. The best roll can be achived by having an optimum angle of decent. ie - the angle the ball comes down from it's apex. As proven by the Trackman launch monitors, It is way better to err on the side of higher rather than lower as the ground offeres WAY more resistance than air.

The easiest way to fit a driver is to grab a driver that you can hit 10m above the ground as well as sending it into the stratospere. That way you have a club that you can hit all shots.

But by default - I like to bomb it high and let the technology of the ball do the rest.

[3oneday]

That's the juggle isn't it, one that will go high enough and not drop like it was shot.

[Jack]

straight

[3oneday]

What is ideal, is it high and piercing or mid flight with maximum run ?

I have no issues with direction unless I put a shite swing on it, just flight.

straight

you got it going on today jacky, go blog mate.

[Jack]

Why would you hit it any other way if you can just hit it straight?

[Iain]

Yep, the higher the better.

[3oneday]

Why would you hit it any other way if you can just hit it straight?

dunno, wouldn't more carry be better ?

[Jack]

dunno, wouldn't more carry be better ?

only if it goes straight..

[Eag's]

If it finds the fairway consistently I don't care how it gets there.

[PeteyD]

Nothing like a nice high carry into the mulga.

[Ferrins]

Just get hehind one of Lucas' drives to witness the perfect ball flight.

[Scoot]

High with little roll, so it goes over the trees and finishes in the middle of the adjacent fairway.

[Minor_Threat]

straight

I'm with Jack here..

I couldnt give a fork if it stayed 10ft or 100ft off the ground as long as I'm hitting from the fairway!

[Tongueboy]

when i played well(forget when)i used to visualise on the 20 metre tunnel down the middle of the fairway and i didn't give a rat's arse what it did in the tunnel

[TheNuclearOne]

Plenty of wind around here and the fairways are firm, so i like mid flight myself.

[LarryLong]

What does science have to say? Assuming that you hit the ball straight, which ball flight will result in the longest drives? Does this change on hard fairways? Surely somebody's worked it out with all things equal?

Assuming that a higher lofted driver is easier to control, is there a point where you shouldn't have a driver lofted less than X degrees because it will start cutting down on distance?

[virge666]

That's the juggle isn't it, one that will go high enough and not drop like it was shot.

Then you have too soft a shaft, or the wrong ball.

What does science have to say? Assuming that you hit the ball straight, which ball flight will result in the longest drives? Does this change on hard fairways? Surely somebody's worked it out with all things equal?

Assuming that a higher lofted driver is easier to control, is there a point where you shouldn't have a driver lofted less than X degrees because it will start cutting down on distance?

Yep - it all runs off ball speed. NOT swing speed.

So 150mph ball speed, you want about 13 degree launch and less than 3000 rpm spin rate.

As for the ground, it really doesn't matter that much unless the ground is on an up slope or a downslope. There is a slight difference, but as long as the ground has grass - it is more resistant than the air.

[razaar]

Here are a few interesting facts regarding launch angle etc.-
A driver (7 oz head) with 10* loft travelling at 100 mph ( level, square on hit) will produce an 8* takeoff trajectory, with a ball speed of 134 mph. If the contact is higher on the roll of the face it will take off at a trajectory 80% of whatever the loft is at that spot on the clubface. If it is lower on the roll the trajectory will be 80% of the impact loft. To get a higher trajectory and maximum carry distance for my swing speed, I need to catch it on the upper part of the sweet spot with a square on hit and on the upswing.

[virge666]

Here are a few interesting facts regarding launch angle etc.-
A driver (7 oz head) with 10* loft travelling at 100 mph ( level, square on hit) will produce an 8* takeoff trajectory, with a ball speed of 134 mph. If the contact is higher on the roll of the face it will take off at a trajectory 80% of whatever the loft is at that spot on the clubface. If it is lower on the roll the trajectory will be 80% of the impact loft. To get a higher trajectory and maximum carry distance for my swing speed, I need to catch it on the upper part of the sweet spot with a square on hit and on the upswing.

You may want to check those numbers mate - cause those numbers look very old to me. The smash factor for starters is way down on most of the numbers I see.

[razaar]

You may want to check those numbers mate - cause those numbers look very old to me. The smash factor for starters is way down on most of the numbers I see.

They are old numbers but the science is still the same.

[virge666]

They are old numbers but the science is still the same.

No mate - they are not.

You ball speed should be about 153mph with a current driver, your launch is 2 degrees off and adjustments are wrong.

New balls, new heads with deeper COG and different faces.

[Iain]

1.48 is the max legal smash factor I think with driver. So should be 148mph.

[virge666]

1.48 is the max legal smash factor I think with driver. So should be 148mph.

I dont know if there is a legal smash factor as the balls are not restricted.

I have seen 1.56 a few times, but most of the Pro golfers I have seen are 1.53'ish.

The LPGA are very good at this as to max their ball speed.