Choosing the correct head and shaft

This last month I have had a run of golfers really struggling with their tee shots.

In particular, losing distance on their friends and not hitting the ball straight enough. I was amazed at how old some of the drivers where that they used.

On the market there are hundreds of different driver heads, shafts, grips etc.

It is important to find the correct driver that will suit your game.

There are three factors you need to get right when choosing a driver:

The launch angle of the ball. This will be affected by the clubhead, shaft and even the ball.

Normally the lower the ball speed the higher loft you will need.

The spin of the ball. This will be affected by the clubhead, shaft and ball.

Normally the higher the ball speed the less spin you will need.

The ball speed

This will be affected by the clubhead, shaft and ball.

As you can see it is important to get everything correct when choosing a driver.

It is an old myth that it is all about the shaft.

The driver head

Selecting the correct head can help you improve the distance and direction off the tee.

Normally the smaller the head the more that you can work the ball in flight.

A larger head can help with straighter shots. A smaller head normally launches the ball slightly lower.

OFFSET driver heads can help reduce a slice.

The shaft

Choosing the correct shaft will help you increase the ball speed, produce consistent shots and improve the feel from the ball.

The length of the driver has increased over the years, but make sure that the length is not too long as this can cause a lot more off centre hits.

A one inch off centre hit can lose around 10 yards for an average golfer.

A heavier shaft and firmer flex is needed if you have a quicker tempo. A lighter and softer flex is needed for a slower tempo. Getting this wrong can reduce the ball speed.