Prioritise ‘strike point’
In seeking to control and improve both your driver launch angle and spin rate, it’s important to understand right from the start that they are heavily influenced by the point of impact between club and ball. Let’s examine this… and identify the ideal impact zone.
1 On a roll
Picture the clubface vertically, running down from crown to sole. The face is not completely flat; in fact it has curvature, known as roll. The three tee pegs stuck on to the clubface illustrate it. The middle peg represents the club’s designed loft. The upper peg adds a couple of degrees to that loft, while the lower peg takes a couple away.
2 Impact point: Effect on launch
When you see face represented like this, it is easier to grasp that an impact point higher in the face supplies some extra loft and launch than strikes lower in the face. This means creating impact at or above the club’s centre line becomes an efficient way to raise launch – and fire some yard-eating height into your drives!
3 Impact point: The effect on spin
There is a complex concept known as vertical gear effect that affects spin rates running down the face. We don’t need to understand all the physics of it; all we need to know is that lowdown strikes typically add spin, while high-inthe-face strikes reduce it. This means that highlaunching, upper impact zone is also great for bringing spin rates down.
4 The importance of handle position
As represented by the main image above right, optimal launch and spin comes when your driver arrives at the ball with the handle and head close to the manufacturer’s designed position, with virtually no shaft lean. This, of course, is why they designed it that way! Below it are two common club golfer impact positions...