Driver Loft Setting Conundrum

[MVJameson]

First of all, just want to say this is my first post so let me get a few things out of the way.  Goal this year is to drop my handicap into the teens.  Ended last year as a 33 handicap, took some lessons at the beginning of the year and have been playing as much as I can since.  Have the handicap down to 24 so far. 

My issue is this:  Where I play it is always very windy (Avg is around 20-22MPH).  I game a Cobra Radspeed XB driver and I have it lofted down to 9 degrees on the Draw setting (used to slice the ball very bad).  I have it set this way to try and keep the ball down out of the wind.  My misses are still right but not slicing as bad as I used to.  Should I loft it back to 10.5 degrees to enhance the forgiveness and give up a little yardage (or a lot depending on the wind) or leave it at the lower loft and live with potentially spraying the ball around the course more often????

Let me know your thoughts and happy to be a part of this community.

[RickyBobby_PR]

Without any launch monitor numbers nobody can say what to do or if 10.5 will do anything good or bad.

Control in the wind is going to come down to how the ball is launching and spinning.

Rhe best thing to do is your own testing by playing with the settings and see which one gives you the desired ball flight and results. Or go get fit for driver and shaft combo that works best for you.

 

[Shankdog]

I would ask a pro while getting a lesson.  They may even say to loft up to 12 degrees, who knows.  In my humble opinion, it’s better to be a little shorter and in the short grass as opposed to bombing them OB.
 

Good luck!

[chirshadin]

Adjusting the loft setting on a driver can be a conundrum for some golfers, as it can have a significant infohoops impact on the trajectory and distance of the ball. Generally, a higher loft will produce a higher ball flight and more spin, which can be helpful for golfers who struggle to get the ball in the air or need more carry distance. A lower loft, on the other hand, will produce a lower ball flight and less spin, which can be beneficial for golfers who generate a lot of spin or need more roll-out distance.

Edited April 6, 2023 by chirshadin

[hckymeyer]

The beautiful thing about adjustable drivers is that they are easily adjustable.  You could probably change the setting and hit a few balls faster than reading these replies!

Generally speaking if you raise the loft you will close the face angle a little bit and increase spin.  Lowering the loft will open the face angle and decrease spin.  The cobra also has 3 draw settings which will give you a more upright lie angle.  

My advice with a right miss would be to play around with the draw settings and try out +1, STD and -1 on the range and see what happens.  Worst case you just adjust it back to where you had it.

[LeftyMatt89]

I agree with the above recommendations and think time with a pro and the range to do trial and error is useful. Definitely better to have a shot playable and maybe shorter than chasing a few more yards.

 

I also think if it is extremely windy, potentially try a ball like left dash or chrome soft LS. 

[Fred Mitchell]

tee height, swing plane shallow or steep and ball also effect the final trajectory, its a combination lock.

[Stuka44]

On 4/4/2023 at 10:13 AM, MVJameson said:

First of all, just want to say this

I would say this.  You took lessons, and you've begun playing as much as you can.  Your handicap has gone down from 30 to 24.  So I'm guessing that whey you say "spray it", most of your drives although a little less consistent "AT THIS POINT"  than you would like them to be, ARE STILL PLAYABLE off the tee.  I'm guessing OB shots are down, toppers off the tee have been reduced, and perhaps other things that I can't think of right now  are down, and you are scoring BETTER than when you were a 30 handicap.

I would say don't change anything ON THE CLUB, at this point.  Continue playing and getting more consistent with " your swing".  As a few said, you can try moving your ball position, and/or tee height affect the height of the drive.  I have some drives that draw a little, some that fade a little, and some that go more or less straight.  I have gotten to the point where I can "on occasion" actually fade or draw when necessary on a dogleg.  But on straight holes, if it ends up in play, I'm not really too awful concerned about the shape of the shot that got it there.

I believe as you play, and continue to improve you will find you will begin to have much more control over your drives as CONSISTENCY OF SWING IMPROVES.

 

[heavygolffeels]

All guesswork. Lowering the loft is actually opening the face and aiding the right miss. Your draw setting is then compensating by making the lie angle more upright. In theory lofting up would actually close the face and help you more. Should be a draw setting at STD, but at +1 draw setting would help the most with the right miss. Does that added loft hurt in the wind? Possibly. Could be a higher ball flight. Maybe.  But could also take away the cut spin and fly straighter through the wind. 

[Golf2Much]

@MVJameson, welcome to MyGolfSpy forum.  You've got some good advice above.  Good luck in your journey to the teens!