An easy analogy is the difference between a 3 iron and a 9 iron. If you are ready to go to the next level of golf, but still struggle with a high handicap, then this list is for you. What is the correct driver loft for the average senior golfer. I recently tested a bunch of midhigh handicap golfers and came up with the above averages based on what they were doing. To add more spin loft, simply use a higherlofted club.
If you reach 181 yards with a driver your swing is about 70 mph. A driver that helps your ball send to the air as soon as possible with a longer distance. In the guide below ive handselected ten best driver for high handicapper that are specifically designed to help people who are struggling with their distance and accuracy. In this article we will help you find the best golf driver for seniors in 2020.
I tested for distance, forgiveness, adjustability, workability, look, feel, and sound. This helps the midtohigh handicap golfer gain better distance on mishits. Average driving distance by age and handicap golfmagic. My average 3 wood is out driving my driver distance. With everything else constant, the more lofted your driver is, the higher and straighter your strikes will glide. It is a driver that will help the high handicap golfer to optimize distance without sacrificing too much forgiveness. If you fall in the 70 mph or under range, its best to select a driver with a loft of around 1819 degrees similar to a 5wood. Aldilas rogue silver driver shafts have low torque 3. The rbz black driver is the latest in the hightech lightweight rbz range presenting a wellpriced driver offering top performance. The loft on your driver is a key factor that helps determine the success of your tee shots on longer holes. Less loft is less forgiving which is evidenced by how much easier it is to hit a 9 iron than a 3 iron. Optimize driver loft for more distance true fit clubs. The standard shaft length for a driver is 45 inches.
All else being equal, the more lofted your driver, the higher and straighter your shots will fly. Choose a graphite shaft if you do not generate a high swing speed. Youre swinging approximately 80 mph if you drive the ball 206 yards, 90 mph if your drives reach 232 yards and 100 mph if you drive the ball 258 yards. When the k15 first came out, i traded in a bunch of clubs in and tried at the golf galaxy simulator along with a sales rep.
For many of you that might actually decrease your distance. Its a frequently asked question and one that will vary from person to person and depend on a number of factors that could get very technical and indepth. With ability to adjust the club head weight as low as 182 grams standard driver heads today are around 206 grams this provides the option to increase the driver length up to 48 the maximum allowed by the rules most standard drivers are 45. How to determine which loft you should get on your driver. Anyone have experience getting longer with high loft driver. With most other clubs, were concerned about distance control, while with the driver we usually just want to get as much distance as we can. The key to that low torque is the ultrahightensile strength of the carbon fiber. At the same time, balls dont tend to roll as far when theyre hit with a high trajectory.
The longer the club, the more clubhead speed it naturally generates. Too often, an amateur golfer will choose the loft of his or her new driver based on what their favorite professional player uses instead of taking the time to assess the best loft to suit his skills. However, seniors should think to have a high angle to throw the ball at maximum distance. Im a high handicapper with mid 80s swing speed, so my input is my own personal experience. Participants in our tests achieved more distance when they used drivers with less than. The combination of the driver head and shaft is crucial. In fact, senior golf driver tend to require senior grade shafts, owing to much slower swing speed. Experts claim that the best golf driver for ladies should have a loft between 1216 degrees.
Tour experience golf custom golf fitting studio toronto, canada. The 3 iron 24 loft is difficult to control while a 9 iron 44 loft is very easy to hit high and straight due to higher loft. Adjustable loft to aid in forgiveness and launch angle. But although we can say for sure that most golfers need more loft than they now use, the exact amount depends on several different aspects of their swings. Dynamic loft is the driver loft, plus or minus your angle of attack. More loft means numerically highera 12degree driver has more loft than a 9degree. So makes me think i should try higher loft in driver. The more loft i add to the driver, the farther i can carry the ball. There is a good chance that you are reading this post because you are looking at ways to increase driver distance which leads you to wanting to know what is the best loft for a driver having an advantage of distance from the tee is a huge benefit especially when combined with accuracy.
What is the correct driver loft for the average senior. Of course, increased loft also means getting the ball airborne easier. Most likely, you are using a driver with around 11 of loft, while your three wood has somewhere around 15 of loft. The largest allowable head size on a driver is 460 cc in size. Best golf drivers for mid handicappers 2020 golf sidekick. When a golf ball is launched from a club, it follows a trajectory dictated by its speed, launch angle and spin rate. Seniors should always buy a 460 cc driver head, as the larger size offers an expanded sweet spot, which provides maximum forgiveness. To find the best 10 drivers on the market for senior golfers, i had lots of fun testing out great products on the range. If you drive the ball 155 yards, your speed is roughly 60 mph. So more distance can result in shorter shots to the green. Unfortunately, age can slow you down, and change the way you golf. If you have a golfer with a very high clubhead speed i. Once youre confident with a good driver for high handicappers, you can start slashing that score down further. Select a driver that gives you as high a trajectory as you can get without sacrificing accuracy and find a ball that gives you the best feel and distance with your driver.
Golf balls and the center of gravity on drivers have changed so much since 2003 that playing a higher loft isnt needed anymore to create the ideal distance recipe of high launch and low spin. Twenty years ago, i would have said to keep the driver at home until you can consistently put the irons in the fairway however, todays drivers are extremely forgiving and better designed to hit a teed up golf ball than most three and five woods. It is not designed for golfers that are fighting a slice. The benefits of high lofted drivers golfindustryonline. On the pga tour, rory mcilroy was the longest driver. Im not a big proponent of buying a better game, but the fact is if your current driver is more than about 5 yrs old, you are leaving fairways and distance on the table. High loft driver clubs, grips, shafts, fitting the. The 3 best golf drivers for seniors with slow swing speeds. I consider this mostly subjective these days thanks to the quality of clubs being put out by all manufacturers. And its basically you cant just say thats the loft that you should be actually. If you are gaming a 7 degree driver, you re throwing away a lot of distance unless you are hitting up on it 8 or.
If you have a mid swing speed of 95104 mph, a driver loft of between 1011. Best golf drivers for high handicappers 2020 edition. How much distance are you losing with your driver adam. In the previous segment of this blog, we discussed hitting the ball on the sweet spot in order to optimize your smash factor or efficiency. Preferably, you will have to asses various aspects of the driver in order to get the best loft for your driver. One of the biggest trends seniors fall into is selecting a driver with a lower loft, the theory being the lower. All of our picks are the best rated drivers for seniors. I wonder what degree of loft high handicap players use in. Ever since a 2003 golf digest study said that most golfers needed more loft on their drivers, the quest for the correct loft has heated up. Most average handicap golfers will have a swing speed of around 8090 mph and would benefit from a driver loft of anywhere from 1012 degrees. The average golfer swings the club at 84 mph, according to. One of the most misunderstood aspects of picking out a driver is choosing the loft. They hit low, flat drives that rely on roll to achieve the overall distance they desire. In general, the slower the swing or club speed, the higher the loft of the driver to optimize both carry and roll.
For example, most golfers assume that getting a lower loft on their driver will increase distance. Such shafts tend to be well suited for women golfers, senior golfers and for golfers who have a high handicap. Long drive competitors have drivers that have only 4 to 7. Best driver for seniors in 2020 top rated models compared. Your slices and hooks will be even worse with a lower lofted 8 to 10 degree driver while more loft 10.
Best drivers for beginners and high handicappers april 2020. Every club has unique characteristics, most notably where the center of gravity is. In short, i spent hours on each club identifying the things you want to know before you pick out a club for your next round. A driver with a loft of fewer than 10 degrees will result in lower shots, while greater than 10 degrees of loft. If yourswing speed is 100 mph or more you can often step up to a driver with less than a 10 degree loft 9.
Top 6 best drivers for beginners and high handicappers in 2020. Increased loft leads to increased backspin and decreased sidespin. While this is true for all clubs, the discussion properly centers around the driver. The best ladies driver for high handicap players are usually adjustable. Too often, an amateur golfer will choose the loft of his or her new driver based on what their favorite professional. What is the correct driver loft for the average senior golfer when choosing a driver, senior golfers should be careful to select the correct loft. If you find that these lofts still dont deliver the distance you expect, you can opt for something higher. Todays pros and other stronger players use drivers with lofts of 9.
Remember that the lower your swing speed is, the higher loft of the driver you need. In this list, we will cover golf drives for players with a high handicap to send the ball off the tee. For senior golfers, taking an appropriate loft on the driver is essential to take a chance for creating shorter second shots. If your own speed is anything between 85 and 95 mph then a. Professional and lowhandicap players with high swing speeds, for example, typically use drivers with little loft, often less than 10 degrees. An appropriate loft choice will maximize your distance. As you can see, there is a fairly linear progression taking place. I wonder what degree of loft high handicap players use in their drivers.
Automatically that makes it harder to hit in the air and keep straight. More loft 10,11,12 degrees equals more forgiveness and with the modern driver design, it also equals more distance up to a point. Even though the three wood has a smaller club head, you may hit it farther because the loft helps the ball stay in the air for as long as possible. Find out if you could be losing distance on the golf course from using the wrong loft in your driver. The driver is the primary club used from the tee box on the golf course. If you have a modern driver with at least 10 degrees of loft, id say go ahead and use the driver. In order to select the proper loft driver, have your swing speed measured at your local golf shop. The more clubhead speed that you generate, the more distance that you can expect to get. The best driver for high handicapper in 2020 must read.
The average malegolfer swing speed is in the mid90s. What is the correct driver loft for the average senior golfer video by dean butler i get asked quite a lot about the loft of a driver, whats correct for the senior golfer. While the majority of golfers dont have enough loft on their driver and would benefit from more, for the others and those using differently designed driver heads, more loft can in fact lose them distance. Which is the best golf driver for mid handicap golfers. The degree of your loft is a determining factor to the success of your tee shot on distant holes. We helped rob understand how his club path and face angle were affecting his ball flight, and fitted him to a new driver that encouraged and enabled more of a draw ball flight. In general, this will be a spot that is slightly towards the toe and just above the center of the clubface.