I need to bite the bullet and get a suitable driver for my swing. Lessons seam to have sorted out my swing with the irons but the knock on effect is that my once quite trusty drive is now not working.

The pro says my driver swing is as good as it can be at my stage of learning and very similar to my iron swing just on a shallower plane as it has to be with a bigger stick.

Problem is I'm not getting any height and therefore poor distance. As an example last night it seamed to seldom get more than 15-20 feet off the ground!

I have a 10 degree G2, stiff Aldila shaft and I know it's not right for me even though I like the club, maybe I'm a brand snob, but I'm sure it's time for a driver with more loft and a higher launching shaft.

So here's the rub, I don't quite trust the launch monitor stats so I'm just going to try a load of clubs to see which goes best in use on the range.  However I have no idea on the kind of shafts that launch high, any suggestions on high handicap drivers and the shafts I should look for? 

90mph swing speed if that hels in recomending a shaft.

Crux try the mizuno mx-560 with the exsar shaft... this is high launching. Most of the mizuno shaft options are low or medium launching (aldila green being low and aldila orange medium) (they call it the kick point...)

I had a Callaway ft-3 with the aldila orange... and although the shaft was medium the club did hit it very high... so the heads do make a difference also which is why they always tell you to try different makes of head and shaft or get custom fitted.

The23rdman, because the time I went on the launch monitor the flight path predicted by the computer was not the same as the actual result, also the total distance was not calculated, some clubs got a decent roll others died upon the ball hitting the ground.

The monitor was great for seeing swing, ball speed, backspin and carry, etc. I will use the monitor when testing a new club but the final decision for me will be the ball flight I see.

Stuart, tnx, i'll add the mizuno to my list.

When I went to my fitting on Monday, I was hitting balls on a normal range (not nets) so I could get the stats and see the ball flight for myself. It was using the Flightscope system which actually detects ball flight, rather than predicts it.

hi,

i posted a topic about the accuracy of the vector, i found it to give readings that are too high for ball speed by around 10mph (approx 5%) and clubhead speed by around 7mph(5%), would you agree.

both numbers were around 5% too much i reckon which is a lot.

The inaccuracy is accounted for if you take along your current driver and use that first though. Then, as long as the vector is consistent, you at least have a comparison.

Ultimately, the specific stats you have (distance etc) is irrelevant because what you want is a driver that gets it out there as far as you can hit it accurately. So providing you pick a driver that performs best at those, you are buying the best driver for you. How far it says you hit it is less relevant isn't it?

Yes, I went to the ping website and used their webfit option, it sugested 10.5 - 12 or even 13.5 degrees and the following shafts:

ST V2 High Launch 65  (R,S),

Grafalloy ProLaunch Red  (R,S),

Aldila VS Proto 65  (R,S,R,S),

Aldila NVS 65

I'll go try them along with the other suggestions in here.

My only experience of buying based on a launch monitor session turned out to be an expensive error. Possibly it's the mental effect of hitting into a net (i.e. you are aiming at a random spot that is 2 metres in front of you, not a real target).

Whatever, the "perfect" results on the launch monitor did not translate into success on the course.

General wisdom with drivers and loft/launch angle is:

1. Find the right loft that gives enough back-spin and lowest side-spin so that you can keep it straight. More loft = straighter and so less tendency to fade/slice, usually very important for high handicappers
2. Then fine tune with shaft

Straightest drivers I've ever found are:

• Nike Sasquatch or Sumo in 13° loft
• Ping Rapture 13.5

Neither of these launch as high as you'd think - I hit them lower than my chum hits his 10.5° G10. What they do give is plenty of back-spin, which will lose you a few yards, but make sure that you will be on the fairway. The 13.5 Rapture is my current gamer - it is utterly straight - no fade, resistant to effects of side-winds.

Shafts will make minimal difference to the launch, but you will find very different feel. I have tried the UST V2 in a couple of drivers  - horrible - and I know many people who report the same and won't touch one.

Beware that there are huge numbers of fake Nike and Ping drivers out there but....the fakers don't bother with the high lofted versions (they stick to the 9-11° versions that sell en-mass) so you can buy secondhand and from ebay in safety.

Did my big driver test today and walked out with a surprise purchase. I was half set on a TM Burner or  G10 before entering the shop and I tried both those as well as an Adams, a Cleaveland, and offset versions in most of those clubs too. They did not have any Mizuno drivers.

It was most interesting to me that I can't hit a offset face to save my life, I slice them every single time I try to hit one. i think my brain must subconsciously compensate for the offset by opening the club face in the impact, very bazaar.

I also could not stop hooking the burner which meant it was off the list. I really got on ok with both the Adams and the G10 which was longest for me but neither club could find the middle consistently with my push being the most common result which turns to a slice if I don't rotate through fully.

Finally after seeing me slice all the offset clubs the sales guy went for a TM R7 draw weighted club, it sits square and so looks normal at address but obviously the weight helps close the face at impact. I knew from the first hit that it was made for me a nice straight drive that drew a wee bit at the end. Consistently down the middle and as long as the G10 and even my pushes ended up only 5 yards off line or drew back in. An amazing club, the shaft is a wee bit shorter than the G10 and felt easier to control and I just could not seam to slice the ball even when going after it as hard as I could. Best of all it was on sale and the cheapest of all the drivers I  hit

So 10.5 degree R7 draw weighted, regular flex  is the new club in my bag.

 If you want to hit higher then you want a Pro Launch Blue not red!

http://www.grafalloy.com/grafalloy/products.asp

The red is designed to hit the ball ultra low.