Questions on drive (suspect too much spin)

Bottom-line qn: Does shaft affect ball spin? How do I know if my drive have too much spin and whether it is an equipment issue?

Hello,

Seek some advice. I am using a TM superfast 2.0 with regular flex stock shaft and 9.5 loft.

Handicap is about 20. Swing is not perfect but fairly repeatable and consistent. Playing for about 1.5 years now.

My launch angle seems right but suspect there is too much spin off the club. Reason is that my ball doesn't seem to run much and seems to have alot of backspin. When ball lands on fairway, there is a deep divot and sometimes ball gets embedded. Doesn't roll much after landing. Distance off the tee is between 190-220m on average.

I've read through several online articles. Could it be that I am not hitting the sweet spot of my driver? If so, how do I check if I am hitting sweet spot?

suprefast is known to have high backspin. Have you tried other clubs?

Suggest you contact BFG/Wizgolf for a swing analysis using Trackman monitor. You will know how good you are in hitting the sweet spot (smash factor), your attack angle (too steep/downward = more spin), the actual spin (back/side) produced by your drives.

DGMan/Golfamigo/Rangereye will give you some alternative shafts/driver heads to try and you can see the results immediately. More often that not it's the swing, but there are some aftermarket shafts that can help reduce spin. Then you make a call, fix the swing or buy the shafts. DGman is known to tell people to go see a coach

non-pro forumers can give you are just general theory/opinions lah. technology is available to us, you shud take advantage.

Had the same problem. My fitter reduce the length from the shaft tip end by 1 inch. Seem to solve my problem...

spin can be caused by various reasons. a quick example...

1. hit off sweet spot - it can be a result of both inside-out or outside-in swing path (technique)
2. Negative Angle-of-attack (A0A) with a less lofted driver head or positive AOA with a more lofted driver, yeah would love to argue this one out (choice of loft)
3. too much steering at impact (using too much hands and one can generally find a jerky swing especially when a golfer is tired)
4. lateral hip movements (technique and impact quality)
5. impact on top of sweet spot indicates too much downward impact or at the sole indicate too much upward sweep (technique)
6. mistimed tempo (length is a major factor)
7. type of ball
8. torque of shaft
9. flex of shaft
10. club head design

i am sure there are more.

as a salesman, scenario 7 to 10 means kaching $$$$, but you know what i have to say about spin...

for the benefit of those who have never come to Bukit Merah, 70% of the time, a result of the golfer's input and not their equipment.

but all said and done, sometimes getting the right equipment will help one build up the resolution to train harder and to seek the right help to get better...kaching $$$

cheers....DGman

DGman wrote:

spin can be caused by various reasons. a quick example...

1. hit off sweet spot - it can be a result of both inside-out or outside-in swing path (technique)
2. Negative Angle-of-attack (A0A) with a less lofted driver head or positive AOA with a more lofted driver, yeah would love to argue this one out (choice of loft)
3. too much steering at impact (using too much hands and one can generally find a jerky swing especially when a golfer is tired)
4. lateral hip movements (technique and impact quality)
5. impact on top of sweet spot indicates too much downward impact or at the sole indicate too much upward sweep (technique)
6. mistimed tempo (length is a major factor)
7. type of ball
8. torque of shaft
9. flex of shaft
10. club head design

i am sure there are more.

as a salesman, scenario 7 to 10 means kaching $$$$, but you know what i have to say about spin...

for the benefit of those who have never come to Bukit Merah, 70% of the time, a result of the golfer's input and not their equipment.

but all said and done, sometimes getting the right equipment will help one build up the resolution to train harder and to seek the right help to get better...kaching $$$

cheers....DGman

Boss, any solution for too low spin? I'm serious, my ball was like nadal hitting a top spin

"When ball lands on fairway, there is a deep divot and sometimes ball gets embedded. Doesn't roll much after landing."

If you've noticed the weather recently and your ball is leaving a deep pitch mark or is embedded in the fairway, that sounds like a very wet and soggy fairway to me, not because you have too much spin. Spin reduction wil not likelyl help if the fairway is very soft. In actual fact lower spin may reduce the distance the ball carries making your drives even shorter in soggy conditions.

DGman, it was me that came down yesterday I want to thank you for your patience, advice and most importantly for letting me hit those BFG irons. (can't stop thinking of the nice crisp impact and now look at my old callaway set in disgust)

For the other GR-ians fyi: Eric helped replaced my regular stock shaft with a Graman and the new package comes with a black-white mult-compound golf grip. Very, very attractive pricing and value for money. Whole thing white now ... looks like this year it is going to be a white x'mas hohoho

Also, after hitting at the track man, summary = 70% Indian fault:

1. High swing speed
2. Low smash factor (due to swing faults like overswing and missing sweet spot)
3. Large dispersion (both left and right especially if tempo changes)

After the trackman session I couldnt stand up straight but just had to go to the range. Didn't help that I had gone to RCC for 18 holes in the morning already that day. Smacked another 100 balls at the range.

When I went home I was never so "shag" before. (comparable to the point after BMT road march). Woke up late for work. Severe calf muscle cramp. Had difficulty pressing down on car accelerator.

Haha... thanks DG again.

DGman wrote:

spin can be caused by various reasons. a quick example...

1. hit off sweet spot - it can be a result of both inside-out or outside-in swing path (technique)
2. Negative Angle-of-attack (A0A) with a less lofted driver head or positive AOA with a more lofted driver, yeah would love to argue this one out (choice of loft)
3. too much steering at impact (using too much hands and one can generally find a jerky swing especially when a golfer is tired)
4. lateral hip movements (technique and impact quality)
5. impact on top of sweet spot indicates too much downward impact or at the sole indicate too much upward sweep (technique)
6. mistimed tempo (length is a major factor)
7. type of ball
8. torque of shaft
9. flex of shaft
10. club head design

i am sure there are more.

as a salesman, scenario 7 to 10 means kaching $$$$, but you know what i have to say about spin...

for the benefit of those who have never come to Bukit Merah, 70% of the time, a result of the golfer's input and not their equipment.

but all said and done, sometimes getting the right equipment will help one build up the resolution to train harder and to seek the right help to get better...kaching $$$

cheers....DGman

you went to BFG after posting, whoa very fast ? reckon that would be just before shop closing.

so after getting the new shaft, what was the difference in your launch angle/spin rate/carry/total distance?

Ya.. straight after posting I drove down to BFG just before it closed. Made Eric stay back... so paiseh. Must buy coffee next time go down.

By the time my new shaft was in place I didn't get to try it out on the trackman. So no stats except maybe share some driving range statistics. (will go down to BFG again to post some stats update)

In summary, stiffer + shorter shaft, I would expect a shorter carry but less dispersion.

Since swing speed is fast, a higher smash factor and lesser spin from a more square impact may lead to distance compensation.

I will update stats once I get back to BFG trackman.

pushslice wrote:

you went to BFG after posting, whoa very fast ? reckon that would be just before shop closing.

so after getting the new shaft, what was the difference in your launch angle/spin rate/carry/total distance?

i think we worked on a few things besides determining what shaft Paul should use.

he has a lot of power but once we point out where he might better use them, i can see improvement straightaway. we even had time to work on some putting while the driver was being prep.

basically he discovered the following:

1. his grip pressure needs to be lighter
2. he can now swing the club instead of picking it up
3. he don't have to swing as hard but understanding about smash factor makes it easy to optimise distance and more important control and dispersion
4. he hits better with a heavy and more robust set of irons and his graphite irons is just going to hold him back in terms of his ability to play better golf

now you will noticed he said calf muscle cramp and not sore fingers, it just show that he is on the right track to hit the ball better.

as for WO, you should come and swing with your regular golf shoes so that i can see your AOA, i suspect there is quite a bit of hitting near the sole in the driver, which lead to the low spin. its probably the cause of the spin rate. kaching $$$

cheers...DGman

DGman wrote:

as for WO, you should come and swing with your regular golf shoes so that i can see your AOA, i suspect there is quite a bit of hitting near the sole in the driver, which lead to the low spin. its probably the cause of the spin rate. kaching $$$

cheers...DGman

How about having lunch first?

speaking of spin...here are some data from Trackman.



the main culprit for creating more or less spin needed to optimise ball flight are:

1. AOA in relation to the loft of the driver used
2. Club Path which indicate whether is bang on or outside-in or inside-out movements
3. Swing Plane and Direction - which will result in club path, AOA
4. Dynamic Loft - actual loft at impact
5. Face to Path - takeaway to impact - this will help golfer understand their swing better and also explain why they get side spin or top spin or back spin.

the information can be used in various way but using it as a club fitting tool, a lot of the information is redundant. it will be great if we can hand out the info to the coaches so that they can use it to help their students.

now i BS itchy and looking forward to a new toy... - - kaching - $ - $ - $

DGman

hi buweeza,

how did ur driver perform? pls share, thanks

noob question.. with a high smash factor, is it possible to carry the ball less than a guy with low smash factor? (assuming both have the same directions)

yes different swing speed will also produce different results. smash factor is largely an indication of efficiency, tempo and confidence.

hope it helps..DGman