Distance vs Speed

[Josh Parker]

Article

I read this article today and found it interesting. With switching to the mini driver recently to gain accuracy, my SS is about 2-4mph slower than the driver but I have gained distance because of the other conditions of launch and spin.

Has anyone else thought about this or experienced similar results?

[The TXBexar]

I'd say from personal experience, it make sense: get better control of your drives, and you won't need more speed to compensate & off-set the less-controlled drives. 

For myself, I have plenty of Launch Angle and solid swing speed (95mph avg for driver) but my Backspin hovers right at 2850-3100RPMs and absolutely decimates my driving distance. The issues is with my swing currently, but the few times I've been able to monitor-test a Low-Spin driver and get my swing to slow down a little and drop the RPMs to the 2250-2500RPM range, I instantly gained 9-14 yd's on my drives, going from 255yd avg. to 265-270yd avg. My swing speed average for those tests went down to about 90-92mph, but I gained good distance in doing so.

[NM01]

It’s a good indication your driver isn’t optimized for your swing.

If launch and spin are an issue with driver then you need a driver tuneup to make better contact have have better club delivery.

Launch and spin are caused by other factors. Dynamic loft, path, face angle, face to path, contact point on face.

Compare all the numbers on a launch monitor and see what the differences are and spray the face of the driver to see contact point.

i personally have not gained more distance with the mini driver, accuracy wasn’t anything significantly different. The mini driver was a shorter option off the tee instead of using a fairway wood

[Josh Parker]

22 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

It’s a good indication your driver isn’t optimized for your swing.

If launch and spin are an issue with driver then you need a driver tuneup to make better contact have have better club delivery.

Launch and spin are caused by other factors. Dynamic loft, path, face angle, face to path, contact point on face.

Compare all the numbers on a launch monitor and see what the differences are and spray the face of the driver to see contact point.

i personally have not gained more distance with the mini driver, accuracy wasn’t anything significantly different. The mini driver was a shorter option off the tee instead of using a fairway wood

Currently for my swing and in general, I need more loft on the driver.  I hit center face pretty well but my path is still steeper than it needs to be.  So much of it is mental.  Ha.  I plan on going to get fit soon for the driver. 

My mini has my driver shaft in it and I'm making center contact constantly.  I don't know if it's the smaller head and I just concentrate more or what mental block is there with the driver but even my coach is confused by it.

[cksurfdude]

For me - average recreational bogey golfer, and a good drive is 230 - my thinking is about hitting it better not harder; i.e. making better contact and getting a better smash factor with the swing speed that I have.

I have been fit for the driver, but I continue to tinker with shafts and hosel and weight settings as my swing evolves. 

Currently thinking about testing (range, no LM) lofting down from 12°.

[Hacker60521]

@Josh Parker I hope others will chime in on this. But it was either Arrcos, or maybe Mark Broadie’s book “Every Shot Counts”, that suggested a drive that is off the fairway is but farther than a drive landing in the fairway is better for your score on that hole. I know it was a head scratcher when I read this.  If I can find the reference I will edit and update. 

[Jdawg3109]

A few years ago I got on the I need more ball speed train and I have regretted it everyday. I went to a fitter and I told him that I need more ball speed and he fit me into the Cobra Speed Zone and I was in the high 150s but on the trackman I wasn't really seeing any distance gains and the fitter convinced me it was the trackman not me, so I bought the driver. All the trackman numbers were spot on and I wasted a bunch of money and time because on top of it I bought some speed trainers and got my swing speed up to the 115 area but still not the distance I was hoping for. So I finally decided to give PXG a try and during my fitting (with the same guy who fits me for irons) and he asked me in the fitting to slow my swing down and focus on my transitions and he would dial the club in to do the rest and he did. My ball speed is down but my launch and spin are way better and my swing is smooth not fast and I now hit 290 to 310 about every hit compared to 250 to 300 so I would say this article is spot on and thank you for sharing. 

[Hook DeLoft]

8 hours ago, Hacker60521 said:

@Josh Parker I hope others will chime in on this. But it was either Arrcos, or maybe Mark Broadie’s book “Every Shot Counts”, that suggested a drive that is off the fairway is but farther than a drive landing in the fairway is better for your score on that hole. I know it was a head scratcher when I read this.  If I can find the reference I will edit and update. 

I remember seeing this, perhaps on this forum.  I would think mitigating factors would be how penal the rough is and the speed of the player.  A slow swing speed player may only be able to wedge the ball back to the fairway.  I remember that happening to me a few years back when our club was letting the rough grow before the club championship.  I was only about 130 yards from the green in the rough but was only able to advance the ball about 20 yards with a sand wedge. I would definitely have been better off in the fairway at 150 yards.  Bryson De Chambeau, on the other hand, would have had no problem with the lie.

Edited July 27 by Hook DeLoft

[cnosil]

8 hours ago, Hacker60521 said:

@Josh Parker I hope others will chime in on this. But it was either Arrcos, or maybe Mark Broadie’s book “Every Shot Counts”, that suggested a drive that is off the fairway is but farther than a drive landing in the fairway is better for your score on that hole. I know it was a head scratcher when I read this.  If I can find the reference I will edit and update. 

The topic of discussion is about players that choose to lay back or hit shorter clubs off the tee and sacrifice distance to get accuracy.     Lou Stagner; who analyzes data discusses this topic in one of his weekly newsletters:  https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/p/fairway-vs-rough

Yes,  course conditions do influence decisions,  but his summary in the article:

Remember, these numbers are across “typical” conditions. If they keep the rough at your course US Open length and thickness, these numbers will be a bit different, but this should give you a good baseline.

Our old rule of “hit the ball as far as YOU can making sure to take into account penalty strokes and other hazards” still applies. If you are worried about hitting more fairways, no need. Any tee shot that gives you a reasonable chance to hit a green in regulation is a good tee shot, even if it’s in the rough!

Finally, for higher handicap players notice that as we get farther from the hole, the scoring difference between the fairway and rough basically disappears.

[TJ Hall]

While the two factors go together, it is not an exact thing.  I have a tendency to over swing sometimes, which leads to some bad results (in both distance and accuracy).

I have found a smoother and shorter swing results in finding the center of the club face more often, which also resulted in better distance and accuracy.