In Golfsmith’s Master Craftsman School, we teach students how to use the Vector Launch Monitor from Accusport. During this test, we ask our students to hit drivers with different lofts. All of the data is compiled and presented to the class the following day. The students in our Master Craftsman School are the best of the best, and they typically have years of experience in fitting and repair. Yet even these experienced clubmakers often discover that a driver loft different from what they currently play may increase their distance.

Since the majority of our/your customers want additional distance off of the tee, we thought it would be an interesting case study to combine all of these data gathered over the last three years, in order to see the overall performance of the different lofts with a much larger sample than just 5-10 players.

The compiled data below include over 1600 shots from 112 students. The average clubhead speed was 89.77 mph, with an average launch angle of 14.84° and average spin rate of 3011.82 rpm. The average age of our students was 50.1 years, with an average handicap of 12.8. Names have been left out to protect the innocent.

When breaking down the data by handicap, we see that the even though the average swing speed had increased to 97.54 mph, the higher-lofted drivers still outperformed the lower-lofted drivers. The significant increase in the performance of the shots that are not struck perfectly (how many of us hit the driver solid every time?) is the primary factor in the overall increase in the average distance. Clearly there are players who can hit the 7.5° driver farther, but on average, the higher lofts yield remarkable stats under controlled conditions.

We challenge you to have a higher-lofted driver for your customers to try out on the course. In many cases, they will need to play a few rounds with the demo driver in order to convince themselves of the benefit of improving their worst shot (Min of Total Distance). Often, missing a shot with the higher-lofted driver will still afford the opportunity to hit the green in regulation and avoid a really big number. Improving your clients’ mis-hit tee shots has the added benefit of improving their emotional states, as well.