Every day my wife says “you’re not watching golf tips again?” and I have to remind her that James Robinson delivers daily golf related content to help us raise our games, lower our handicaps and just get us enjoying golf LOADS more. And I don’t even play golf.
Cobra f9 with fujikura shaft. I put the adjustable shaft at 9.5 draw. It's perfect for my bad form. Distance and accuracy has improved in just 2 weeks. 230 yards always right to 250 yards down the middle
I have the g410 plus but fancied a change so just put the f9 in the bag and i saw a big flight change from the std to draw setting. The fitter found the optimum setting for me and i will never change this unless something goes drastically wrong with my swing
I feel somewhat out of my depth here as I’m going to contradict a professional, lofting up or down for a pro or single figure handicapper might only bring a 5 yard gain or 300 less rpm, but (and a very big but) for a 20 + handicapper in his mid to late 60’s it can make a massive difference, quite literally the difference between been playable or nothing more than fit for the bin. Driver adjustment isn’t just about spin or distance it can just as much, or even more so, be about accuracy and forgiveness. Adjusting my driver has taken me from 230 yards + all over the place, to 210 yards ish fairway after fairway. It isn’t all about distance guys !
I adjusted my M2 2917 up and down and nothing made me able to hit my drives any better. Went back to my old Cobra Bio Cell, now lofted up to 11.5 and it works a treat with very reliable and straight drives. Another You Tube post I saw encouraged trying a higher loft, especially for guys who may feel it a bit girly to use a higher rather than a lower loft.
Switching to an adjustable driver (Taylormade R9) has really helped my game. At 67, I shot my 3rd under 80, a 77 on a par 70 course, round almost as soon as I put it in my bag. I set it to a 10 degree full draw and I am keeping it in play much better. I only paid $50 so I'm looking forward to upgrading now that I see the advantage.
Great content james I loved this video, I game I titleist 915 d2 at a4 but i'd say this isn't a far test as your personal driver has half inch taken off which actually decreases distance
I have a Callaway Rogue Drawin 10.5. I change from standard to draw bias depending on how windy as I have a fade bias, more wind, more draw bias needed.
Best advise I ever got regarding golf was if you hit a club and it works, buy that one because the same club ordered in might not be the same as the one you hit.
Merry Christmas James! All I ask for this year is to see the stats on one full screen without the dancing camera. I’m feeling woozy after watching the stats review with all this eggnog. Cheers mate!
Graham my wife says the same thing but I do play Golf and more than she wants me too ! keep up the great work James I'm realy enjoying your vids as its summer here in Oz conditions are perfect for my new G410 :)
Surely the adjustability is for the fitter to dial the club in to your swing not for the player to mess with.Once the fit is finished the settings should not be changed.
In my experience it did make a difference. I struggled with an "over fade" (!!) so I set the driver in the maximum draw bias (loft up a degree, sleeve set to draw, movable weight set to draw) and it worked, most drives were fairly straight. Then I took some lessons and gradually dialed back the draw bias - although I still have it lofted up a degree, and I am still relatively straight. As for the loft up/loft down issue I would suggest this has a lot to do with swing speed. I doubt most golfers with a swing speed of 90-95 mph should play a driver with 9-9.5 degrees of loft and would be better with a 11-11.5 degrees, whereas someone with a 105 mph swing could easily play a 9 degree loft - although even there much will depend on swing and how much up a player strikes the ball with the driver
I adjusted my TS3. My angle of attack was terrible when I got fitted and ended up getting the 8.5 loft. Swing has changed and improved a lot over the year and I no longer need the low loft to keep my flight down. I've bumped the loft up to 9.25 as well as added a 2 gram weight in place of the standard weight to get my swing weight just north of D3. I don't like that lofting up closes the face. I see no harm in tinkering if you are seeing consistent patterns over a period of time and have educated your self on the adjustments. I did the swing weighting with local pro shop so I knew where it was when I started and that the 2 gram weight put it right where I wanted. I've seen a slight bump in distance and some of that is from improved strike(efficiency) from the adjustments and the rest is simply from increased swing speed. But dispersion and strike consistency are vastly improved.
I play my original Taylormade M2 9.5 degree head at standard loft and lie after switching to a new Project X shaft. I played the stock shaft for two years lofted up to 10.25 degrees to promote a draw. My swing got out of wack and started over drawing then found a deal on a new stiffer shaft. I started with testing the new shaft in standard and loved the more neutral penetrating flight so I just kept it there, for now...
I have the Callaway epic driver and I adjust it every time my swing gets off track. Helps me hit straight but doesn't help my swing. It's like a crutch. Helps you keep golfing but doesn't fix your messed up swing.
I found this summer to be really windy, my Taylor made m2 was set at 10.5 and would generally go over top of the tree line on our fairways. From what I've seen your fairways are fairly open where as ours are cut out of thick woods, for the most part you cannot see the next fairway so For the most part you keep it low , under a hundred feet and you can stay unaffected by the wind so I deleted my m2 to 9 degrees from 10.5 It has worked wonders I'm no longer hitting squirrels and rabbits, though I am now finding fewer balls !
Just tried my Callaway that i had down at 9.5 back to 10.5and it went amazing gained at least 10 yards and hit three drives further than ever today...!
When I started golf I used a 13 degree lofted driver to try to minimise my slice by supposedly increasing back spin but as I have improved my swing I find I can hit it with lower and lower lofts.
Yep, I use the loft sleeve. Cobra LTD 10.5° lofted up to 11.5°. I use a 3w shaft in it, so I'm trading a little bit of speed due to shorter shaft for a little bit of better launch, possibly a little more spin. Much lower than 11-11.5° and I get a few dippers that don't really seem to carry as far.
With the few adjustable drivers in my possession, I have found that adjusting to nominal values provides the most solid contact with the ball. So if I have a Titleist 9 degree driver, and I adjust it to the 'A1' setting (which is no change to loft or lie, that is, it is set to 9 degrees), then I get the most solid feel at contact. It may not go exactly where I want it to, but it has the most solid feel. So, my suggestion is to first buy the best driver for you with the loft set at the regular, standard value, and then maybe tweak it only a slight bit from there. It never feels good to me when I make a large adjustment (say more than 1 degree) from the standard value. It seems awkward and I fight it. And I would say that makes sense because the driver is engineered to perform best at the standard configuration.
Agreed! Titleist drivers feel better set to A1. But, seems like Titleist 917 - 3 wood at A4 up from 15 to 16.5. That Makes a nice sort of 4 wood. Room for more wedges with only 2 woods, the driver/4wood setup.
I set my Titleist 910D2 driver 0.75degr. lower loft to hopefully avoid hitting high balls. And for me, it works. Probably getting a pro having a look at my swing might have done the same thing but this is the simple solution.
Keep cranking out the great clogs James! I play the Ping G410 1 degree up at 11, and in the flat setting, weight currently in the fade setting (I tend to hit towards the toe) but my coach and I are working on more center contact and then I can move it to the middle
Personally I didn’t get fit for my driver but I did this exactly. I got a Titleist ts2 and fiddled around with the adjustments until my ball flight was dead straight or a slight draw.. which it is now and I’m very happy with it. I’m on setting C3 which is .75 upright and .75 higher loft
Great stuff as always! Would be great to see also individual manufacturer ”sleeve” test to see the STD vs the opposite or if possible different steps what do they change in terms of distance, dispersion, forgiveness etc. what ever is sensible with you & Mark as well.
When I got fitted for my PING G400, when they were changing the loft setting, the monitor read that the launch angle definitely changed; there was up to a 5degree launch angle change between the standard 9 loft and the 10 loft setting. The 9.5 was perfect for me. I haven’t changed it out except to show a friend how the settings work. No point. I’m cranking my drives, great distance and height. Why change it? If I make a change, it’ll be to upgrade the driver, which probably won’t happen until the 2022 season. I don’t see tech changing enough to give that much greater forgiveness plus distance for the price.
If I had a consistent swing I might be able to tune my driver (a Calloway Epic). I have tweaked the loft up and down, I have moved the rear weight around, fade or draw....and I am still playing military golf.
unexpected but not surprising. Golf being a game of opposites and James being a PGA pro will have a preference of what suits his eye. He and a lot of people will subconsciously react to the additional or lack of loft to create the flight conditions he wants. I think of it like how different putter necks and alignment types influence our ability to aim the putter face. That's why we as golfers have ignore the marketing hype and get fitted as we all see things and react differently to the feels and looks.
Interesting video! I have my TaylorMade M3 set at the standard 9.5 degree of loft with the weight setting in a draw bias. I'm able to hit fairways consistently, but will try different loft settings to check out the ball flight,carry distances, and dispersion going forward.
James, do you think a high handicap player can feel the difference between the different loft settings? Keeping in mind that the swing is very inconsistent?
Strange that more loft equates to less spin. I can only imagine that is something to do with the face angle? By lofting up the adjustment closes the face so would promote more of a draw which generally spins less than a fade, which lofting down will promote by opening the face angle up.
Can vary from person to person but I'm assuming you're somewhat correct. I'd guess angle of attack is the biggest contributor, adding loft may make it a more square face at impact, or it may increase spin for other swings.
Be interesting to see if potentially the strike location has moved higher up on the face and slightly toe side. My guess would be strike is what's changing the spin numbers.
I often wonder how much slippage and energy transfer loss occurs in adjustable sleeves. Once you are fitted, there should be purchase option to have a simple glued in shaft.
I'm playing a Cobra F-Max driver. I was fitted to the extent of a stock driver. I've since had some lessons and continue to work on my swing. My issue is that if my swing changes significantly enough, that driver may not suit me anymore. If it was adjustable, I'd have some room to change without buying a new driver.
I play a TS2 and had to adjust it open because it presents closed in the standard setting, which caused me to hook/pull the ball dramatically. Looks much straighter even though adjusted "open."
My only adjustable club is 3 hybrid, I change it to play summer and winter, loft up for winter try and keep in air longer, summer only back to normal loft, just seems to help my game, think it’s just in my head though lol
Hi James, please could you do a test with the Ping G410 with the lie angle changed, also with weights moved and even two weights in on fade and draw. Merry Christmas.
Huge difference for me when I drop my driver below 10 degrees (face opening). If I’m feeling good I can keep it at 9.5 but that’s the lowest otherwise I start leaking right.
Thanks for sharing. I have 2 questions : 1- Will the results be the same with a mid handicap golfer ? 2- What's the consequence on the MOI (then on the consistency) when you turn the shaft ?
I have the g410 plus 9* neutral weight sits square but if i put the weight in draw i definitely see the ball draw slightly. Also got cobra f9 9* std setting sits square hits straight bombs but in 9* draw again i see a draw flight appearing. So yes adjustable drivers do work
I’ve developed a fade on my drive and woods . I’m swinging outside to in. Wasn’t like this when I started golf but my swing does this now . Anyway while I am trying to correct my swing I’ve found that when I adjust my M3 and driver to draw to compensate literally does nothing
Wilson Pro Staff 10.5 deg, firm flex shaft, non adjustable loft... I'd like to see you test different loft drivers that are non adjustable. They are closer to my price range. Currently I have a 10.5 deg driver but wonder if I would like a higher or lower loft for better performance.
I'm of the understanding optimal loft is based on swing speed. Do you find that correct? I also think ball flight is a good indicator, slice too slow for the loft. Obviously that's not entirely the end all base line but is there truth in that line of thinking? If 13° is the lowest dynamic loft I can present with a hit straight from the deck then 13° is my lowest lofted club. (Which is now a new mini driver, ladies driver, senior driver or classically known as a spoon 3W) if 18° then a 5wood. If 21° 7 wood. Is that test sound in reasoning? There's so very much misinformation in golf it's difficult to sort out.
I’ve put several drivers on max draw and I still hit a fade. Years ago they’d tell you not to aim far left if you’re a slicer because you’ll never correct your swing flaws. Don’t these drivers essentially do that exact same thing?
As Kourtney points out, moving the weight in some of these to the heel will increase the shutting down the face through impact. However, none of these adjustments are there to correct swing flaws. There are made to fine tune your ball flight characteristics, spin, launch angle, and strike area mainly. See a professional about your swing flaws first would be my advice. Seeking a fix from your equipment is futile at best. Merry Christmas! 🎄
There's no draw setting that makes you hit a nice drae if you keep swinging left/out to in.. settings are just to help you close the face but you still need to hit right in order to get the draw
Great video James Can you do a video on the moveable weight setting in various drivers with your mid handicapper be great to see the benefits of draw and fade settings available and do they really help Keep up the great content
Cobra f9 Speedback 9.0 (8.7 actual) in the tour fitting - 2 with a Mitsubishi Rayon Chemical Tensei White 70 TX built at d6 with an 18gram upfront and an additional 6gram weight at back. I only play my driver at 44.5. I use the heavier weights to maintain Swing weightm
I'd love to see an explanation and test on all the settings available on some of the shafts. Some offer increases and decreases in loft, closed and open faces and lie changes but there seem to be more opens than there are actual shaft positions so how do you really know which setting does does what?
Adjustable is great to get the club fitted to you, if you can get a driver that isn't adjustable that you hit really well and get the same performance out of it compared to a locked in adjustable driver than you probably just saved yourself a bunch of money.
James, my question is since these drivers such as the Cobra can change from draw to fade, do they actually work? On your next golf holiday, could you test those in order to shape the ball to fit the hole? Also, can you make changes during a round? Good holidays!
James!!!Just purchased an m5 driver 9° with hazardous smoke shaft, used for the first time on a driving range with automatic tees which I found frustrating as I dont think they are high enough and was struggling to carry driver over 200yds so obviously felt deflated played on sunday at hartlepool golf course changed to +2° and I was nailing it my only concern is I've been told that when you up the loft you close the face how true is this I'm not sure.
When you adjust the loft then the grip is out of line. I find it just puts me off and I can’t get comfortable over the ball. Once I have it set it has to stay there.
I would like to see 1 video for each club testing all settings to see if they work not just loft. Or does your brain try to adjust the swing so it does or doesn't work
Merry Christmas james, loving this vid but can you add all the upright an watever all the other stuff was as I don’t understand it I’ve tried reading up about golf stuff an it goes over my head, I much prefer your demos+explanations much easier to learn when you have numbers an a sort of “expert” giving feedback. I say sort of expert as even you had to look stuff up lol
Hi James, what's your explanation for every driver with loft up spinning considerably less than loft down? Surely subtly swing changes on your part are not contributing that much?
A little odd that the loft ups were the lower spinners, opposite of what I thought was going to happen. Adding loft to an iron increases spin. I guess the lower spins have to do with lie & face angles when changing lofts, right?
Impact of lie rather than loft video please. Been playing around with that a bit but keen to get a Pro’s view what lie changes could do to shot shape...
I never touch the loft or bias. Neutral all the way. I think this makes you work harder to get a better more consistent swing and be able to draw / fade when required. I’m not so good as to be able to do all that but still prefer the club neutral and work to obtain consistency and shot shape. If I set it up for a draw then I’d be struggling where I need straight or fade and vice versa. More of a gimmick and those changes in distances are simply not worth it. Neutral.
I play with the adjustments on my TS2 shafts more than I ought to, but don't touch my PING G 400 MAX or TM M1 (2016) at all. I assume that Callaway has a patent on their shaft tip. Shame, as I really like those new Align grips.
I use a Taylor Made R15 9.5 degree lofted down 1/2 to 9.0. Ozik Matrix stiff shaft. I played around with the loft on the driving range a lot and found the 9 degree area was best for carry and launch angle for me. I can add a little height if needed to go over trees by teeing up a bit and addressing a couple inches back. I have an M3 as well but just dont like the feel of it as much and dont seem to get the same distance as the R15 with the same shaft. --- Question for you James about the spin rate. I am assuming that the launch monitor is calculating the spin regardless if it is back spin or side spin, correct? So with the lower loft but higher spin that could be side spin and accounting for shots that go left or right, correct? The lower spin rates with the higher loft could be accounting for the setting where it is easier to have more accurate shots. Does that sound right? Sorry I just am not very familiar with the launch monitors and how they calculate things. Loved the video though. Very interesting.
I was fitted for a Callaway Rogue with a 9 degree loft. I went to the 10 degree this winter to get a little more carry. Not a lot of difference to be honest with you.
Sorry if you did, I was wrapping Xmas presents while watching! If you could it would be great. I had a driver fitting a few weeks ago and am hoping that an adjustable driver can evolve with my hopefully improving swing..
Every day my wife says “you’re not watching golf tips again?” and I have to remind her that James Robinson delivers daily golf related content to help us raise our games, lower our handicaps and just get us enjoying golf LOADS more. And I don’t even play golf.
Please do a video on the difference with the changing of the weights in the back. Draw, fade and neutral
Still won't work unless you have 0 zero path numbers
The biggest up side of an adjustable club is the ease of changing shafts.
Cobra f9 with fujikura shaft. I put the adjustable shaft at 9.5 draw. It's perfect for my bad form. Distance and accuracy has improved in just 2 weeks. 230 yards always right to 250 yards down the middle
I have the g410 plus but fancied a change so just put the f9 in the bag and i saw a big flight change from the std to draw setting. The fitter found the optimum setting for me and i will never change this unless something goes drastically wrong with my swing
Would love to see dispersions of the UPs vs the DOWNS.
I feel somewhat out of my depth here as I’m going to contradict a professional, lofting up or down for a pro or single figure handicapper might only bring a 5 yard gain or 300 less rpm, but (and a very big but) for a 20 + handicapper in his mid to late 60’s it can make a massive difference, quite literally the difference between been playable or nothing more than fit for the bin. Driver adjustment isn’t just about spin or distance it can just as much, or even more so, be about accuracy and forgiveness. Adjusting my driver has taken me from 230 yards + all over the place, to 210 yards ish fairway after fairway. It isn’t all about distance guys !
I adjusted my M2 2917 up and down and nothing made me able to hit my drives any better. Went back to my old Cobra Bio Cell, now lofted up to 11.5 and it works a treat with very reliable and straight drives. Another You Tube post I saw encouraged trying a higher loft, especially for guys who may feel it a bit girly to use a higher rather than a lower loft.
9.5 deg TS3 stiff Hzrdus shaft adjusted to 11 deg! Brought my spin down to 2400! Love it, can’t see me changing for a while!
Switching to an adjustable driver (Taylormade R9) has really helped my game. At 67, I shot my 3rd under 80, a 77 on a par 70 course, round almost as soon as I put it in my bag. I set it to a 10 degree full draw and I am keeping it in play much better. I only paid $50 so I'm looking forward to upgrading now that I see the advantage.
I currently use a Ping G400 10.5 loft. I have adjusted the loft down to 9.9 and really enjoy the flight.
Great content james I loved this video, I game I titleist 915 d2 at a4 but i'd say this isn't a far test as your personal driver has half inch taken off which actually decreases distance
I have a Callaway Rogue Drawin 10.5. I change from standard to draw bias depending on how windy as I have a fade bias, more wind, more draw bias needed.
Best advise I ever got regarding golf was if you hit a club and it works, buy that one because the same club ordered in might not be the same as the one you hit.
That's true.
Merry Christmas James! All I ask for this year is to see the stats on one full screen without the dancing camera. I’m feeling woozy after watching the stats review with all this eggnog. Cheers mate!
Graham my wife says the same thing but I do play Golf and more than she wants me too ! keep up the great work James I'm realy enjoying your vids as its summer here in Oz conditions are perfect for my new G410 :)
Surely the adjustability is for the fitter to dial the club in to your swing not for the player to mess with.Once the fit is finished the settings should not be changed.
James, would love to see if the loft sleeves actually do what they are designed to do, by checking it on a loft/lie machine.
In my experience it did make a difference. I struggled with an "over fade" (!!) so I set the driver in the maximum draw bias (loft up a degree, sleeve set to draw, movable weight set to draw) and it worked, most drives were fairly straight. Then I took some lessons and gradually dialed back the draw bias - although I still have it lofted up a degree, and I am still relatively straight.
As for the loft up/loft down issue I would suggest this has a lot to do with swing speed. I doubt most golfers with a swing speed of 90-95 mph should play a driver with 9-9.5 degrees of loft and would be better with a 11-11.5 degrees, whereas someone with a 105 mph swing could easily play a 9 degree loft - although even there much will depend on swing and how much up a player strikes the ball with the driver
I adjusted my TS3. My angle of attack was terrible when I got fitted and ended up getting the 8.5 loft. Swing has changed and improved a lot over the year and I no longer need the low loft to keep my flight down. I've bumped the loft up to 9.25 as well as added a 2 gram weight in place of the standard weight to get my swing weight just north of D3. I don't like that lofting up closes the face. I see no harm in tinkering if you are seeing consistent patterns over a period of time and have educated your self on the adjustments. I did the swing weighting with local pro shop so I knew where it was when I started and that the 2 gram weight put it right where I wanted. I've seen a slight bump in distance and some of that is from improved strike(efficiency) from the adjustments and the rest is simply from increased swing speed. But dispersion and strike consistency are vastly improved.
I play an Epic Sub Zero 10.5 deg set down to 9.5 as I get a better flight & distance but I do sometimes put it back up for a different flight.
I play my original Taylormade M2 9.5 degree head at standard loft and lie after switching to a new Project X shaft. I played the stock shaft for two years lofted up to 10.25 degrees to promote a draw. My swing got out of wack and started over drawing then found a deal on a new stiffer shaft. I started with testing the new shaft in standard and loved the more neutral penetrating flight so I just kept it there, for now...
I have the Callaway epic driver and I adjust it every time my swing gets off track. Helps me hit straight but doesn't help my swing. It's like a crutch. Helps you keep golfing but doesn't fix your messed up swing.
Would like to see weight changes from draw to fade to see difference in spin, height, decent angle, carry and roll out.
I found this summer to be really windy, my Taylor made m2 was set at 10.5 and would generally go over top of the tree line on our fairways.
From what I've seen your fairways are fairly open where as ours are cut out of thick woods, for the most part you cannot see the next fairway so
For the most part you keep it low , under a hundred feet and you can stay unaffected by the wind so I deleted my m2 to 9 degrees from 10.5
It has worked wonders I'm no longer hitting squirrels and rabbits, though I am now finding fewer balls !
I would be interested in how accurate the lofts are on all the clubs you test
Just tried my Callaway that i had down at 9.5 back to 10.5and it went amazing gained at least 10 yards and hit three drives further than ever today...!
When I started golf I used a 13 degree lofted driver to try to minimise my slice by supposedly increasing back spin but as I have improved my swing I find I can hit it with lower and lower lofts.
Yep, I use the loft sleeve. Cobra LTD 10.5° lofted up to 11.5°. I use a 3w shaft in it, so I'm trading a little bit of speed due to shorter shaft for a little bit of better launch, possibly a little more spin. Much lower than 11-11.5° and I get a few dippers that don't really seem to carry as far.
With the few adjustable drivers in my possession, I have found that adjusting to nominal values provides the most solid contact with the ball. So if I have a Titleist 9 degree driver, and I adjust it to the 'A1' setting (which is no change to loft or lie, that is, it is set to 9 degrees), then I get the most solid feel at contact. It may not go exactly where I want it to, but it has the most solid feel. So, my suggestion is to first buy the best driver for you with the loft set at the regular, standard value, and then maybe tweak it only a slight bit from there. It never feels good to me when I make a large adjustment (say more than 1 degree) from the standard value. It seems awkward and I fight it. And I would say that makes sense because the driver is engineered to perform best at the standard configuration.
Agreed! Titleist drivers feel better set to A1. But, seems like Titleist 917 - 3 wood at A4 up from 15 to 16.5. That Makes a nice sort of 4 wood. Room for more wedges with only 2 woods, the driver/4wood setup.
Have a G400 LST 10 degree and I set it down a degree, which also opens the face slightly, which I prefer.
I set my Titleist 910D2 driver 0.75degr. lower loft to hopefully avoid hitting high balls. And for me, it works. Probably getting a pro having a look at my swing might have done the same thing but this is the simple solution.
Keep cranking out the great clogs James! I play the Ping G410 1 degree up at 11, and in the flat setting, weight currently in the fade setting (I tend to hit towards the toe) but my coach and I are working on more center contact and then I can move it to the middle
I know how you feel, I love testing myself. Its what I do for a living.
Personally I didn’t get fit for my driver but I did this exactly. I got a Titleist ts2 and fiddled around with the adjustments until my ball flight was dead straight or a slight draw.. which it is now and I’m very happy with it. I’m on setting C3 which is .75 upright and .75 higher loft
Great stuff as always! Would be great to see also individual manufacturer ”sleeve” test to see the STD vs the opposite or if possible different steps what do they change in terms of distance, dispersion, forgiveness etc. what ever is sensible with you & Mark as well.
When I got fitted for my PING G400, when they were changing the loft setting, the monitor read that the launch angle definitely changed; there was up to a 5degree launch angle change between the standard 9 loft and the 10 loft setting. The 9.5 was perfect for me. I haven’t changed it out except to show a friend how the settings work. No point. I’m cranking my drives, great distance and height. Why change it? If I make a change, it’ll be to upgrade the driver, which probably won’t happen until the 2022 season. I don’t see tech changing enough to give that much greater forgiveness plus distance for the price.
Taylormade Tour M5 9.0, 6.5 Hzdrus smoke 70g . have it set to standard as per my fittting works brilliant!
Played around with the loft on driver that standard is 9. Now set at 8 Played out to be best flight and distance setting for me. Wilson Triton driver
Must admit I expected more difference in distance. ! Nice one James !
If I had a consistent swing I might be able to tune my driver (a Calloway Epic). I have tweaked the loft up and down, I have moved the rear weight around, fade or draw....and I am still playing military golf.
It’s fun to have options at your fingertips but it’s not a substitute for good ball striking
Surprising to see you had more spin with a lower lofted driver...I thought your spin should increase when you present more loft (I.e loft up)
unexpected but not surprising. Golf being a game of opposites and James being a PGA pro will have a preference of what suits his eye. He and a lot of people will subconsciously react to the additional or lack of loft to create the flight conditions he wants. I think of it like how different putter necks and alignment types influence our ability to aim the putter face. That's why we as golfers have ignore the marketing hype and get fitted as we all see things and react differently to the feels and looks.
Can you do a video on moveable weight...
Gold
I have to say the TM adaptor has been great for me this season the adjustment on the M5 is great but it's hard not to tinker
Had 3 adjustable drivers and after fiddling with them to get the best results, they all ended up square and at 10*!!
I find adjustability useful for fairway woods and hybrids switching out different length shafts.
Interesting video! I have my TaylorMade M3 set at the standard 9.5 degree of loft with the weight setting in a draw bias. I'm able to hit fairways consistently, but will try different loft settings to check out the ball flight,carry distances, and dispersion going forward.
James, do you think a high handicap player can feel the difference between the different loft settings?
Keeping in mind that the swing is very inconsistent?
Nice interesting video which I enjoyed very much, if you have the time then I would like to watch you play around with all the settings
Cobra f9 9.0° with a fujikura atmos tour spec 65 (black) 44.5". Weights in front. Swing speed 107-110, ball speed 160-166, launch 10-12° and spin 1850-2100.
Strange that more loft equates to less spin. I can only imagine that is something to do with the face angle? By lofting up the adjustment closes the face so would promote more of a draw which generally spins less than a fade, which lofting down will promote by opening the face angle up.
Can vary from person to person but I'm assuming you're somewhat correct. I'd guess angle of attack is the biggest contributor, adding loft may make it a more square face at impact, or it may increase spin for other swings.
Be interesting to see if potentially the strike location has moved higher up on the face and slightly toe side. My guess would be strike is what's changing the spin numbers.
I often wonder how much slippage and energy transfer loss occurs in adjustable sleeves. Once you are fitted, there should be purchase option to have a simple glued in shaft.
I'm playing a Cobra F-Max driver. I was fitted to the extent of a stock driver. I've since had some lessons and continue to work on my swing. My issue is that if my swing changes significantly enough, that driver may not suit me anymore. If it was adjustable, I'd have some room to change without buying a new driver.
I play a TS2 and had to adjust it open because it presents closed in the standard setting, which caused me to hook/pull the ball dramatically. Looks much straighter even though adjusted "open."
I would expect significant trajectory change for you. For me it really changes my impact position.
You can have an align grip put on, if you’ve been fitted and then the setting is sorted 👍
Good timing on this one James, off to Pete cowens tonight to mess with the settings on the epic flash 3 wood
My only adjustable club is 3 hybrid, I change it to play summer and winter, loft up for winter try and keep in air longer, summer only back to normal loft, just seems to help my game, think it’s just in my head though lol
It would be nice if you would show what all adjustments mean and do
Hi James, please could you do a test with the Ping G410 with the lie angle changed, also with weights moved and even two weights in on fade and draw. Merry Christmas.
Huge difference for me when I drop my driver below 10 degrees (face opening). If I’m feeling good I can keep it at 9.5 but that’s the lowest otherwise I start leaking right.
Got fitted for the f9 hit my longest drive of 295 with adjusted 7 degree loft due to my ball flight being so high
Thanks for sharing. I have 2 questions :
1- Will the results be the same with a mid handicap golfer ?
2- What's the consequence on the MOI (then on the consistency) when you turn the shaft ?
I have the g410 plus 9* neutral weight sits square but if i put the weight in draw i definitely see the ball draw slightly. Also got cobra f9 9* std setting sits square hits straight bombs but in 9* draw again i see a draw flight appearing. So yes adjustable drivers do work
I’ve developed a fade on my drive and woods . I’m swinging outside to in. Wasn’t like this when I started golf but my swing does this now . Anyway while I am trying to correct my swing I’ve found that when I adjust my M3 and driver to draw to compensate literally does nothing
Wilson Pro Staff 10.5 deg, firm flex shaft, non adjustable loft...
I'd like to see you test different loft drivers that are non adjustable. They are closer to my price range.
Currently I have a 10.5 deg driver but wonder if I would like a higher or lower loft for better performance.
I'm of the understanding optimal loft is based on swing speed. Do you find that correct?
I also think ball flight is a good indicator, slice too slow for the loft. Obviously that's not entirely the end all base line but is there truth in that line of thinking? If 13° is the lowest dynamic loft I can present with a hit straight from the deck then 13° is my lowest lofted club. (Which is now a new mini driver, ladies driver, senior driver or classically known as a spoon 3W) if 18° then a 5wood. If 21° 7 wood.
Is that test sound in reasoning?
There's so very much misinformation in golf it's difficult to sort out.
Interesting, I will try this with my Eoic Flash.
I’ve put several drivers on max draw and I still hit a fade. Years ago they’d tell you not to aim far left if you’re a slicer because you’ll never correct your swing flaws. Don’t these drivers essentially do that exact same thing?
As Kourtney points out, moving the weight in some of these to the heel will increase the shutting down the face through impact. However, none of these adjustments are there to correct swing flaws. There are made to fine tune your ball flight characteristics, spin, launch angle, and strike area mainly. See a professional about your swing flaws first would be my advice. Seeking a fix from your equipment is futile at best. Merry Christmas! 🎄
There's no draw setting that makes you hit a nice drae if you keep swinging left/out to in.. settings are just to help you close the face but you still need to hit right in order to get the draw
Usually a higher loft driver is easier for a mid-high handicapper to hit. Does adjusting the loft up on these adjustable drivers have the same effect?
Would have been nice to know what the standard loft and carry was to see the real difference between std, up, and down.
I still use my Cobra Speed Pro S driver from 2008
Loving the editing
Great video James
Can you do a video on the moveable weight setting in various drivers with your mid handicapper be great to see the benefits of draw and fade settings available and do they really help
Keep up the great content
Cobra f9 Speedback 9.0 (8.7 actual) in the tour fitting - 2 with a Mitsubishi Rayon Chemical Tensei White 70 TX built at d6 with an 18gram upfront and an additional 6gram weight at back. I only play my driver at 44.5. I use the heavier weights to maintain Swing weightm
I'd love to see an explanation and test on all the settings available on some of the shafts. Some offer increases and decreases in loft, closed and open faces and lie changes but there seem to be more opens than there are actual shaft positions so how do you really know which setting does does what?
WOW! that surprised me I thought the spin would go down on loft down not up?
I have´nt tried to change my driver lofts but I´ll do it now and test it. Rogue driver here but I´m in the market for a new one (Cobra SZ?).
Adjustable is great to get the club fitted to you, if you can get a driver that isn't adjustable that you hit really well and get the same performance out of it compared to a locked in adjustable driver than you probably just saved yourself a bunch of money.
Awesome 👏 so for extra distance it’s best to loft down rather than what has been said in recent times to get the launch up?
I have mucked around with the loft sleeve but didn't find it made a massive difference. Biggest thing is how the face sits at address.
James, my question is since these drivers such as the Cobra can change from draw to fade, do they actually work? On your next golf holiday, could you test those in order to shape the ball to fit the hole? Also, can you make changes during a round? Good holidays!
James!!!Just purchased an m5 driver 9° with hazardous smoke shaft, used for the first time on a driving range with automatic tees which I found frustrating as I dont think they are high enough and was struggling to carry driver over 200yds so obviously felt deflated played on sunday at hartlepool golf course changed to +2° and I was nailing it my only concern is I've been told that when you up the loft you close the face how true is this I'm not sure.
When you adjust the loft then the grip is out of line. I find it just puts me off and I can’t get comfortable over the ball. Once I have it set it has to stay there.
I would like to see 1 video for each club testing all settings to see if they work not just loft. Or does your brain try to adjust the swing so it does or doesn't work
M5 taylormade std loft 9.5 driver tiger weight settings
Merry Christmas james, loving this vid but can you add all the upright an watever all the other stuff was as I don’t understand it I’ve tried reading up about golf stuff an it goes over my head, I much prefer your demos+explanations much easier to learn when you have numbers an a sort of “expert” giving feedback. I say sort of expert as even you had to look stuff up lol
Hi James, what's your explanation for every driver with loft up spinning considerably less than loft down? Surely subtly swing changes on your part are not contributing that much?
Agreed Callaway designed the best sleeve
A little odd that the loft ups were the lower spinners, opposite of what I thought was going to happen. Adding loft to an iron increases spin.
I guess the lower spins have to do with lie & face angles when changing lofts, right?
I reckon the angle of attack at the ball will be making the difference
Impact of lie rather than loft video please. Been playing around with that a bit but keen to get a Pro’s view what lie changes could do to shot shape...
My Ping has the 360 grip so it always looks the same I like that! 😁
I never touch the loft or bias. Neutral all the way. I think this makes you work harder to get a better more consistent swing and be able to draw / fade when required. I’m not so good as to be able to do all that but still prefer the club neutral and work to obtain consistency and shot shape. If I set it up for a draw then I’d be struggling where I need straight or fade and vice versa. More of a gimmick and those changes in distances are simply not worth it. Neutral.
I play with the adjustments on my TS2 shafts more than I ought to, but don't touch my PING G 400 MAX or TM M1 (2016) at all.
I assume that Callaway has a patent on their shaft tip. Shame, as I really like those new Align grips.
I use a Taylor Made R15 9.5 degree lofted down 1/2 to 9.0. Ozik Matrix stiff shaft. I played around with the loft on the driving range a lot and found the 9 degree area was best for carry and launch angle for me. I can add a little height if needed to go over trees by teeing up a bit and addressing a couple inches back. I have an M3 as well but just dont like the feel of it as much and dont seem to get the same distance as the R15 with the same shaft. --- Question for you James about the spin rate. I am assuming that the launch monitor is calculating the spin regardless if it is back spin or side spin, correct? So with the lower loft but higher spin that could be side spin and accounting for shots that go left or right, correct? The lower spin rates with the higher loft could be accounting for the setting where it is easier to have more accurate shots. Does that sound right? Sorry I just am not very familiar with the launch monitors and how they calculate things. Loved the video though. Very interesting.
I was fitted for a Callaway Rogue with a 9 degree loft. I went to the 10 degree this winter to get a little more carry. Not a lot of difference to be honest with you.
I prefer a non-adjustable or stock driver like always I prefer Ping
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Sorry if you did, I was wrapping Xmas presents while watching!
If you could it would be great. I had a driver fitting a few weeks ago and am hoping that an adjustable driver can evolve with my hopefully improving swing..
Please test lie settings for fade and draw bias. Always wondered if it was snake oil.
I need a new driver still mine is non adjustable . Still have the old taylormade aeroburner