Impact of adjusting driver loft

[tdc1]

I’ve been trying to find best setting with my G425 Max 10.5* driver.  I've tried the higher lofts with both neutral and draw settings for back weight, and currently use standard loft/draw setting for back weight.  So far I have resisted going down in loft for fear of club face being open at address (my miss is usually high toe push/slice).

Assuming a good swing at the ball, what might I expect to see at the lower loft setting?
 

Thanks!

[fozcycle]

7 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

I’ve been trying to find best setting with my G425 Max 10.5* driver.  I've tried the higher lofts with both neutral and draw settings for back weight, and currently use standard loft/draw setting for back weight.  So far I have resisted going down in loft for fear of club face being open at address (my miss is usually high toe push/slice).

Assuming a good swing at the ball, what might I expect to see at the lower loft setting?
 

Thanks!

If the driver was sold as a 10.5* and you loft down to say 9*, then this closes the clubface by 1 or 2* causing a left pull.  Try setting up and opening the face at address. 

[Shapotomous]

All things being equal you will probably see a lower ball flight and a fade tendency with the loft set a click or two lower going from 10.5 to 9.  Some pro shop or club fitter in the area should have a 9* head you can try to see if the lower loft can help without the open face that de-lofting a 10.5 will promote.  I briefly experimented this past winter with a 10.5* (mine is a 9*) to see if the extra loft would translate to a more optimal launch angle resulting in more distance.  Lofting mine to 10.5 closes the face and I had a tendency to lose the ball left in that set up so I wanted to try a natural 10.5.   I didn't gain anything in distance and stuck with my 9* and my natural straight to slight fade ball flight.

 

[tdc1]

55 minutes ago, fozcycle said:

If the driver was sold as a 10.5* and you loft down to say 9*, then this closes the clubface by 1 or 2* causing a left pull.  Try setting up and opening the face at address. 

Hmm, I’ve always thought that delofting will open the face.

[PMookie]

10 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

Hmm, I’ve always thought that delofting will open the face.

Yes, de-lofting opens the face, increasing loft closes the face. 

[golfinnut]

51 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

Hmm, I’ve always thought that delofting will open the face.

Yes, de-lofting the club will open the face & increasing loft will close the face. Try lowering the loft & keep the weight as far back as possible.  

[heavygolffeels]

6 hours ago, fozcycle said:

If the driver was sold as a 10.5* and you loft down to say 9*, then this closes the clubface by 1 or 2* causing a left pull.  Try setting up and opening the face at address. 

This is incorrect. 

Delofting the driver will open the face. 

 

Beyond that @tdc1 , I wouldnt be afraid of opening the face. Seems odd with the right miss, but for some people knowing its open forces you to return it square or closed. And for a draw, closed to the path, but open to the target is what you want. 

[fozcycle]

32 minutes ago, scooterhd2 said:

This is incorrect. 

Delofting the driver will open the face. 

 

Beyond that @tdc1 , I wouldnt be afraid of opening the face. Seems odd with the right miss, but for some people knowing its open forces you to return it square or closed. And for a draw, closed to the path, but open to the target is what you want. 

Are you sure? Both my Cobra F8 and my PXG 0211 open the face when you increase the loft, say from 10.5 to 11.5. The face would then close when you loft down?..I have never delofted, so I could be wrong.  Possibly all drivers are not the same when adjusting the loft.  Cobra has a draw setting for each loft degree.

[heavygolffeels]

1 hour ago, fozcycle said:

Are you sure? Both my Cobra F8 and my PXG 0211 open the face when you increase the loft, say from 10.5 to 11.5. The face would then close when you loft down?..I have never delofted, so I could be wrong.  Possibly all drivers are not the same when adjusting the loft.  Cobra has a draw setting for each loft degree.

When you toy with the adapter, you are never truly changing the loft of the club. The face is fixed, the driver loft is what it is. When you add loft on the adapter, what you are really doing is closing the face. Now the face appears closed, so you open it so it looks neutral and now you had added loft. When you lower the loft on the adapter the club becomes open. You will grip it so it looks neutral so you have delofted the club. This is how it works for all companies. 

Cobra is somewhat unique in that they have a draw setting lower than the stamped loft. This should be impossible as lowering the loft opens the face. A higher loft than stamped makes sense, but not lower. So how do they do it? By not changing the loft at all. The draw setting just makes the club 1 upright. 

[dlow206]

7 minutes ago, scooterhd2 said:

When you toy with the adapter, you are never truly changing the loft of the club. The face is fixed, the driver loft is what it is. When you add loft on the adapter, what you are really doing is closing the face. Now the face appears closed, so you open it so it looks neutral and now you had added loft. When you lower the loft on the adapter the club becomes open. You will grip it so it looks neutral so you have delofted the club. This is how it works for all companies. 

Cobra is somewhat unique in that they have a draw setting lower than the stamped loft. This should be impossible as lowering the loft opens the face. A higher loft than stamped makes sense, but not lower. So how do they do it? By not changing the loft at all. The draw setting just makes the club 1 upright. 

This is my understanding as well. It's really the soleing of the club back to square after changing the adapter setting is what is modifying the loft. 

[fozcycle]

33 minutes ago, scooterhd2 said:

When you toy with the adapter, you are never truly changing the loft of the club. The face is fixed, the driver loft is what it is. When you add loft on the adapter, what you are really doing is closing the face. Now the face appears closed, so you open it so it looks neutral and now you had added loft. When you lower the loft on the adapter the club becomes open. You will grip it so it looks neutral so you have delofted the club. This is how it works for all companies. 

Cobra is somewhat unique in that they have a draw setting lower than the stamped loft. This should be impossible as lowering the loft opens the face. A higher loft than stamped makes sense, but not lower. So how do they do it? By not changing the loft at all. The draw setting just makes the club 1 upright. 

Thanks much scooterhd2.  I appreciate your detailed explanation.

[garyt1957]

On 7/7/2021 at 11:28 AM, fozcycle said:

If the driver was sold as a 10.5* and you loft down to say 9*, then this closes the clubface by 1 or 2* causing a left pull.  Try setting up and opening the face at address. 

Just the opposite, lofting down opens the face. But only if you then address the ball with the face square.

edit: should have looked before posting. should've known this would already be addressed. It is counterintuitive at first. You would hood a club to deloft and keep a shot under a tree and open the face to add loft to an iron.

Edited July 21, 2021 by garyt1957

[JDHolmes]

Ping drivers adjust lie angle when changing loft. This is different than most manufacturers. It doesn't affect face open or close like others although one site states that increasing loft promotes draw. Small - or + decreases lie angle by 1 degree. Big - or + decreases loft by .2 degree.

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, JDHolmes said:

Ping drivers adjust lie angle when changing loft. This is different than most manufacturers. It doesn't affect face open or close like others although one site states that increasing loft promotes draw. Small - or + decreases lie angle by 1 degree. Big - or + decreases loft by .2 degree.

The new ping drivers can also adjust lie angle either + or - 1*

[NRJyzr]

On 8/10/2021 at 10:30 AM, JDHolmes said:

Ping drivers adjust lie angle when changing loft. This is different than most manufacturers. It doesn't affect face open or close like others although one site states that increasing loft promotes draw. Small - or + decreases lie angle by 1 degree. Big - or + decreases loft by .2 degree.

They all do, actually.  The basic adapter isn't capable of separating lie and face angle, it's just a slightly offset (crooked) attachment to the shaft tip.