Loft on your Driver (worth checking).

[Maverickping 187]

Curious how many people have had the loft on their driver checked for accuracy? A long time ago I was playing SMT and had a head hand- picked for 12* and got close at 11.8. Went into a big box store looking for a certain number and had to go through maybe between 8-10 to get the number I was looking for. Then I started playing some Tour Edge drivers, same thing only this time it just didn't seem quite right (stamped 10.5) so I took it into Modern Golf and it turns out it was a 9.9 which is something that will not work for me. Seen heads vary as much as 2* degrees either way. Doesn't sound like much but it can be a killer for your game. For me I don't have the swing speed anymore to be playing anything under an “actual” 10.5. Not trying to mess with anyone's mind here but if you're not getting the results you expect out of your driver, check the loft. That might just be it.

[cnosil 17,088]

Do you have a loft tool that you use?

[Big Canoer 162]

I have a 12.5* TaylorMade M2.

My question is does it matter if it is off a few degrees?

If you were fitted (you were fitted right?) then the fitter simply tweaked it as needed to get the optimal launch angle and spin rates for YOUR swing, regardless of having an exact measurement of the loft. I am guessing that the majority of the newer, say last 5 years, drivers have the ability to adjust the loft. If you are playing a non-adjustable loft driver then you might be off a bit having hit a few thousand shots over the years but I cannot imagine it being off more than a degree which should not matter much.

[03trdblack 860]

Other than mentally I seriously doubt a .6* difference in loft is going to affect you unless you're one of the premier ball strikers on the PGA tour.  In fact, to get a head that close to the stamped loft from the factory is pretty darn good!  There is definitely a tolerance from the factory and +/- 1* is considered a pretty tight tolerance.

 

Most of us are not consistent enough to be able to measure that small of a difference in loft.  The way you deliver the club will change slightly from swing to swing.   Also, if you hit the ball 1/2" high or low on the face you're already going to be hitting at a different loft than the center due to the bulge and roll built into drivers.  I think in this situation it's going to be more into the shaft and/or head design that may be causing any issues you might be having.  

[hckymeyer 6,315]

The tolerances and variance of driver lofts is not exactly "new" news...

 

https://www.mygolfspy.com/mygolfspy-labs-the-worst-kept-secret-in-golf/

 

And unless you are buying in person and happen to carry a loft gauge around there's not a lot you can do about it.  You could buy tour issue stuff that has all been measured, of you could have a fitter hand pick a head for you that's been measured.  Other than that you are rolling the dice.

 

I agree that it could definitely affect performance though.  When MGS tested lofts some were off by over 2 degree's.  That's also + or - so from head to head you could be seeing 3-4 degree's of variance, and that can absolutely affect the performance of your driving.

[Mr_Theoo 3,204]

The tolerances and variance of driver lofts is not exactly "new" news...

 

https://www.mygolfspy.com/mygolfspy-labs-the-worst-kept-secret-in-golf/

 

And unless you are buying in person and happen to carry a loft gauge around there's not a lot you can do about it. You could buy tour issue stuff that has all been measured, of you could have a fitter hand pick a head for you that's been measured. Other than that you are rolling the dice.

 

I agree that it could definitely affect performance though. When MGS tested lofts some were off by over 2 degree's. That's also + or - so from head to head you could be seeing 3-4 degree's of variance, and that can absolutely affect the performance of your driving.

These types of things are some of the reasons I'm worried about buying a new driver even if I get fitted you don't know what you are getting.

[Zeasy 383]

These types of things are some of the reasons I'm worried about buying a new driver even if I get fitted you don't know what you are getting.

This is what puts me on the fence about the "in depth" fittings. All that time, effort, and money, to get a driver that will sit in a 2* window. Seems like a lot of precision for a wildcard tool.

[MattF 10,558]

If you're worried about what head you'd get after the fitting, can't you test using the head that you will have? I'm sure most club builders can do that.

[cnosil 17,088]

Think about it this way. You go to your fitter and get fit for a head and shaft that has to be ordered. Your 10.5 degree driver could range from about 9 to 12. Then with your swing being variable and the shaft also being variable you don't see the. performance you worked so hard to get at the fitter.

 

How often do we hear about clubs that were fit but don't perform when they get the actual club

[Zeasy 383]

If you're worried about what head you'd get after the fitting, can't you test using the head that you will have? I'm sure most club builders can do that.

 

I tried this once. They had only one adapter that could allow another head to be used and it was broken. You could probably take a brand specific head to a brand specific fitter, though. 

[Zeasy 383]

Think about it this way. You go to your fitter and get fit for a head and shaft that has to be ordered. Your 10.5 degree driver could range from about 9 to 12. Then with your swing being variable and the shaft also being variable you don't see the. performance you worked so hard to get at the fitter.

 

How often do we hear about clubs that were fit but don't perform when they get the actual club

 

Bingo. This seems like a pretty big issue that is either ignored or gets a lot of rolled eyes.

[hckymeyer 6,315]

If you're worried about what head you'd get after the fitting, can't you test using the head that you will have? I'm sure most club builders can do that.

This is actually one of the negatives to a high end fitter or someone using a fitting cart.  Typically they aren't stocking a ton of inventory, they have to order the head.  So they use a system like Club Conex so all of the heads and shafts are interchangeable.  You aren't testing with the actual head you are purchasing.  

[ole gray 16,728]

This is actually one of the negatives to a high end fitter or someone using a fitting cart.  Typically they aren't stocking a ton of inventory, they have to order the head.  So they use a system like Club Conex so all of the heads and shafts are interchangeable.  You aren't testing with the actual head you are purchasing.  

 

So what if you buy a driver from PGA Superstore etc. and take it to a fitter to have them help you set the correct loft and potential shaft options for your new purchase.  Wouldn't this be a more accurate  fitting since you are bringing the driver you will be gaming to the fitter? 

[cnosil 17,088]

So what if you buy a driver from PGA Superstore etc. and take it to a fitter to have them help you set the correct loft and potential shaft options for your new purchase. Wouldn't this be a more accurate fitting since you are bringing the driver you will be gaming to the fitter?

Better option but assumes you bought right shaft. Would be ideal to get refit on the club you purchased if you were given the specs during a fitting. Would be best to work with an authorized reseller in that case

[ole gray 16,728]

Better option but assumes you bought right shaft. Would be ideal to get refit on the club you purchased if you were given the specs during a fitting. Would be best to work with an authorized reseller in that case

 

I'm going to schedule a fitting soon get the correct shaft for my swing.  I'm taking a driver I recently acquired and hopefully the fitter can find the best option for launch angle, ball speed, carry and total distance, dispersion, etc. I've never had a true shaft fitting and I've heard once you get a true fit, you are good to go no matter what head you choose. Is this true?

[hckymeyer 6,315]

I'm going to schedule a fitting soon get the correct shaft for my swing. I'm taking a driver I recently acquired and hopefully the fitter can find the best option for launch angle, ball speed, carry and total distance, dispersion, etc. I've never had a true shaft fitting and I've heard once you get a true fit, you are good to go no matter what head you choose. Is this true?

Nope

 

It's entirely possible that a shaft will react differently in different heads. Then again it's also possible it could still be the best shaft in a different head.

 

At that point it's usually nickel and dime type stuff though.

[revkev 22,961]

I'm catching up today because my course is closed and I took the day off to play after an insane couple of weeks!

 

An interesting thread particularly since I intended to start a thread on the potential of a new driver fitting for me.  I will start the thread but a couple of observations first. 

 

Someone mentioned it so I will state what I think I know and that is that our swings don't vary anywhere near as much as we think from swing to swing or day to day.  Every fitter that I've ever spoken with has told me that.  The difference between a great hit and a miss are far less than you would suspect and in a series of swings like at a fitting a swing pattern will normally develop.  The exception might be when a player is going through lessons that are intended to bring about a more radical swing change.

 

We've seen a blog post that documents the head/loft variances so there is no doubt that it's true.  I would love to know the breaking point though - that would be a great test - at what loft variance will I start to notice a performance difference?  My guess is that it will be something over a half a degree as most manufactures adjust in .75 of a degree increments.  Remember that adjustable heads were developed to simplify the fitting process.

 

There are a couple of safe guards against this sort of issue - getting fit and receiving a different loft on the head.  If your fitter is reputable he's going to guarantee his work.  Have him check the loft on the driver when it comes in and if it's not what was ordered - back it goes.  As a consumer you have that right.  That or get fit by the guy who is going to build the club for you.  I do agree that can end up with a driver that is significantly different from what fit you if you aren't careful.

 

Great thread and great reminder for many of us!  Thanks!

[jaskanski 1,276]

Nope

 

It's entirely possible that a shaft will react differently in different heads. Then again it's also possible it could still be the best shaft in a different head.

 

At that point it's usually nickel and dime type stuff though.

 

I'd agree with this for the most part. 

It used to be a bigger deal back in the day when heads were pretty random off the production line and of course adjustability for loft and face angle were not available.

Today it is a lot easier to get to where you need to be in terms of loft and if you're a good enough fitter, you can match that loft to a swing type and shaft.

The actual true loft needs to be digitally measured to find out what it is, but this is only necessary if you need to have a reference point to start from. If you have a head which is pretty accurate off the production line (which they tend to be these days) then the ideal launch can be dialled in with adjustability. However, because of bulge and roll on most drivers (notice the face is curved) that measured loft only applies to a single point on the club face - anywhere else the loft will be different. So finding the centre of the club face consistently is still the number 1 priority in fitting.

[revkev 22,961]

@Jazkanski - Could you define "pretty accurate?"  And also could you remind us of the loft variance due to roll?  Another words if I heal my driver how much loft am I loosing or gaining? 

 

Thanks, I'm glad that you weighed in.

[jlukes 13,677]

If there was only a golf site that looked into loft discrepancies. Oh wait

 

https://www.mygolfspy.com/mygolfspy-labs-the-worst-kept-secret-in-golf/