9 vs 10.5 vs 12 Degree Drivers – What Degree Should My Driver Be

When it comes to golf, there is no magic pill we can take to improve dramatically overnight. It take a solid diet of practice and gameplay for us to get better over time.

One major obstacle that plenty of beginners face is that they are using the wrong equipment and the one club that get’s the most attention and is often the biggest culprit is the driver.

There are a number of factors to consider to ensure your driver is the right club for your game but the degree of loft is perhaps the most pertinent.

 

What Is Loft In A Driver

Loft is the angle at which the face of your driver coincides with the ground.

The higher the loft, the more the club will strike the ball in an upward motion and this normally works in conjunction with the speed the club is sung at to determine, how high and how far the ball will go.

 

9 vs 10.5 vs 12 Degree Driver Loft Overview

The 9 Degree lofted driver is perfect for the faster swing speeds. If you are strong and swing the club fast, the 9 degree driver will be perfect, once all other elements of your club, swing, stance and grip are in order.

10.5 Degree will be for the average swing speed and can be considered a good option for most beginners. It will allow for a cleaner contact with the ball and a higher ball flight to get you down to course in the less strokes

The 12 degree is generally for slower swing speeds like Juniors, Ladies and Seniors. The extra loft, gives the perfect angle to connect with the ball and give it best trajectory for the maximum distance.

Higher lofted drivers also tend to be more forgiving as there is less opportunity for a hook or a slice with more driver loft in the club.

 

Swing Speed And Driver Loft

If you swing the club very fast, you will want to use a driver with less degrees of loft as the extra power you get behind the ball will allow for a lower but further distance to be achieved.

Take Bryson Dechambeau as an example who has the fastest swing on tour and generates awesome distance off the tee. The driver he uses is modified so it only has 5 degrees of loft.

If you swing the club more slowly, you will want to use a higher loft as the ball will travel at a slower speed. The higher loft will allow the ball to get into the air more easily and get the maximum amount of distance for that swing speed.

Ladies, Juniors and Seniors are the perfect example of who can make use of a higher lofted driver but also beginners who can make use of the extra forgiveness afforded by more loft.

 

Swing Speed Vs Perfect Driver Loft Table

Swing Speed

Perfect Loft

70 – 85 mph

12 Degrees

85 – 100 mph

10.5 Degrees

100 mph

9 Degrees Or Less

 

 

How Can I Determine My Swing Speed

Know that you understand which degree of loft suits which type of player, you may already have an idea of which degree of loft you should be going for and its important to make the correct decision for your game and not deciding because of your ego to use a lower loft.

There a few ways to determine your swing speed:

A Personal Launch Monitor:

The personal launch monitor market has begun to boom over the last decade or so and you can pick up many options for any price point.

You simply place the device behind you and it will give a ton of cool information about your shout, including swing speed.

Get A Fitting

A fitting is a great way to get the perfect club for your game, not only will you be able to determine your swing speed, but you will also be able to try out each loft to see what works best.

You can also get the Other aspects of selecting the perfect driver for your game correct like shaft flex and club length.

 

What Happens If You Have Too Much Loft On Your Driver

This is when your swing is too fast for the loft on your driver.

If you use a driver that has too much loft, you will most likely see your shots soaring too high and losing distance as the trajectory is too high.

It can also cause you to hook or slice the golf ball and end up in the rough or tree either side of the fairway.

 

 

What Happens If You Don’t Have Enough Loft

This when your swing is too slow for the driver you have.

This is going to lead to your shots hitting the grass 20 yards in front of you frequently and when you do get the ball in the air, it is very likely to veer off to the right as you slice the golf ball frequently.

 

 

Other factors That Determine You Success With The Driver

Shaft Flex

While almost all driver shafts are made from graphite nowadays, you are going to have a choice about the amount of flex you need in the club.

Flex refers to the amount the club bends as you swing.

A slow swing speed will require a more flexible shaft and a faster swing speed will require a stiffer shaft.

Shaft flex ranges from regular to stiff and also includes ladies and senior flex to suit all golfers.

Stiff or extra stiff is for fast swingers and regular, seniors and ladies will cater to those who don’t swing the club as fast.

 

Shaft Weight

The weight of your driver shaft will certainly effect how fast you can swing the club and what loft you need to have on your driver.

Getting a fitting is a great way to get the perfect shaft weight for your club.

 

Club Length

Since the driver is the longest and most wieldy of clubs in our bag, having the incorrect length is likely to show up in mishits, slices, hooks and even airshots.

There is a standard length of driver and typically options for one inch longer or shorter as stock by manufactures.

If you really want to find the perfect length, call down to the local pro and have them assess your driver and swing.

 

Stance

Standing too close or too far from the ball is likely going to also cause problems with your driver.

Check out this article for more information on the stance needed to make maximum use of your driver.

 

Grip And Swing

Other areas where people fall down with their driver is in the swing mechanics and their grip of the club.

Again, a great way to iron these issues out is to get a golf lesson or two from the local pro.

 

FAQ

Why Am I Hitting My 3 Wood Further Than My Driver

Many High Handicappers find that they can hit their 3 wood further and straighter than their driver.

This is more than likely down to the loft on their driver being too strong.

Another possible cause of this is that you are standing too close to the ball with your driver and this will also cause you to slice your driver frequently.

 

Why Do I Slice My Driver So Much But Hit My Irons Straight

This is more than likely down to the loft of the driver or the length of the club causing your swing to break down.

You could possible be standing to close to the ball with your driver so possibly take a step back at address and see if that reduces the frequency of the slice.

 

Will Teeing The Ball Higher Work For Hitting My Driver Higher

The most obvious solution when your loft is too strong or your flex is too stiff is to lift the tee a little bit higher in the hope that the ball will fly further which is always going to be the case.

The dynamic loft is the effective loft when your driver hits the ball which is dependent on your club and swing speed.

Teeing higher isn’t going to effect the dynamic launch so it will be much more effective to drive using the right club s opposed to teeing the ball higher.

 

Will D Type Drivers Stop A Slice

A D Type driver is one the is offset, ie. The head of the club is behind the shaft and this has the effect of giving more dynamic loft when making impact with the ball.

A D Type Driver can be an effective solution to fix a slice but can be a bit of a band aid to hide to real causes of the slice in the first place.

 

Best 12 Degree Driver For Faster Swing Speeds

Callaway Mavrik Max Driver

The Callaway Mavrik Max is an excellent driver to contend with and will certainly give you a big advantage over a regular driver that comes in a beginner set.

For one, the sweet spot is massive and it comes with more offset than the Mavrik to make the club more forgiving.

The face is made of ultra thin titanium and jailbreak weighting technology make this club a serious asset.

You can choose your shaft weight, shaft flex and between 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees of loft making this an excellent choice for slower swing speeds.

Pros

  • Excellent Ball Speeds
  • Easy To Hit
  • Fit The Club To Your Game
  • Offset For Forgiveness
  • Trusted Brand

Cons

  • Not The Newest Model From Callaway
  • Expensive

Overall Score: 96/100

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Best 9 Degree Driver For Fast Swing Speeds

Cobra Speedzone 2020 Driver

Cobra are a name who have burst onto the scene recently with the star acquisition of Bryson Dechambeau.

The clubs they make are also solid and as the name suggests, the Cobra Speedzone is built for sickening ball speeds off the tee.

The Speed back weighting and shape, CNC milled titanium face and the t bar speed chasis enable this driver to achieve such impressive distances.

Choice of 9/10.5 Degree Drivers and all the way up to Extra Stiff Shaft make this a must see for any fast swingers out there.

Pros

  • Incredible Distance
  • Speedback Design
  • Carbon Crown
  • Optimal Weighting

Cons

  • Not As Forgiving
  • Not Available in 12 Degree Loft

Overall Score: 94/100

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Best Driver For A Draw

 

Taylormade M6 D Type Driver

The Taylormade M6 preceded the Sim Max and is well appreciated as one of the best Taylormade drivers of all time.

It is not only built with distance and forgiveness in mind, the offset nature of the head ensures that it will correct a slice in most golfers due to the draw bias position of the club face.

The clubface is variable thickness in the twistface and is ultra thin for extra ball speeds and distance and the carbon crown really allows you to let the ball fly with distance and forgiveness.

 

Pros

  • Excellent Reviews
  • Distance And Forgiveness
  • Cures A Slice
  • Available In All Lofts
  • Twistface Technology
  • Good Price

 

Cons

  • Wont suit if you don’t slice the ball
  • Not as long as the regular M6 Driver
  • Hard To Fault

 

Overall Score: 95/100

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Conclusion

 

The choice of driver loft can be a crucial one in getting to master your drive in as quick a time frame as possible.

Slower swingers and high handicappers will need a more generous loft and those who swing faster or learn to improve at the game can start looking at the 10.5 Degree or the 9 Degree driver.