High on face

[pokerlife]

Just left the range and was using some impact tape with my driver for the first time.

It showed that i was hitting everything really high on the face of the club.
I tried to correct it but every shot was on top no matter what i tried.

Anyone else ever had this problem or know the cause of it?

 

[mjstrong]

How high is too high? Remember that high on the face can lead to higher launching and lower spinning drives, which will add distance to a lot of shots compared to perfectly centered contact. Can you post a couple of pics of the impact tape? I would try to make sure that they are in fact too high before you start to "correct" it.

 

[finncox]

How high is too high? Remember that high on the face can lead to higher launching and lower spinning drives, which will add distance to a lot of shots compared to perfectly centered contact. Can you post a couple of pics of the impact tape? I would try to make sure that they are in fact too high before you start to "correct" it.

While I did not read the study myself, I had a fitter recently tell me that the "high on the face" launch conditions were debunked (at least somewhat) by a recent study. He said middle of the face is what to shoot for. But, as I said, I did not read the study myself, and was unable to find it by googling the topic, so I'm not sure exactly what it said. Just FYI.

 

[johnnymarlboro]

Sometimes when I'm hitting it too high on the face, right before my take away I like to hover the driver so the ball is more inline with the center of the face. Or I suppose you could tee it a little lower. If you're still hitting it too high on the face with a lower tee then you might be hitting down on it too much, instead of sweeping it.

I've got a driver from 08, and it seems to launch higher and go further with a high hit on the face, but it feels like I'm hitting it with a tin can on the end of a stick. When I make center contact it just feels and sounds so much better. I can tell I hit in the right spot. What I don't get is if you're supposed to hit it higher on the face these days for higher launch and lower spin, why are the "feels" of the club so deceptive. Are any newer drivers better about this?

 

[mgranato]

How high is too high? Remember that high on the face can lead to higher launching and lower spinning drives, which will add distance to a lot of shots compared to perfectly centered contact. Can you post a couple of pics of the impact tape? I would try to make sure that they are in fact too high before you start to "correct" it.

Come on... playing from the sweetspot is like wearing a tie to an interview... you never have to apologize for it.

Besides, how do you know distance is gained when all you have is the metric system to go by?

 

[mjstrong]

Come on... playing from the sweetspot is like wearing a tie to an interview... you never have to apologize for it.

Besides, how do you know distance is gained when all you have is the metric system to go by?

Hehe, would you rather hit it 10 yards longer, or 10 meters?

Believe me, I'd take guaranteed sweetspot contact all day long. And, perhaps golf club design has changed to align the sweetspot and "hotspot" more closely.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

While I did not read the study myself, I had a fitter recently tell me that the "high on the face" launch conditions were debunked (at least somewhat) by a recent study. He said middle of the face is what to shoot for. But, as I said, I did not read the study myself, and was unable to find it by googling the topic, so I'm not sure exactly what it said. Just FYI.

I'd have to see where he read that. Since the beginning it was known that a hit slightly higher on the face above the sweetspot did give up a little bit of ballspeed but it was more than made up with the higher launch and lower spin.

However if any of the newer drivers (i haven't kept up with equipment in about a year and a half) have been able to get the COG of the head low and far enough away to be able to still hit it in the sweetspot with same launch conditions but better ballspeed i'd be all for it.

 

[mjstrong]

I'd have to see where he read that. Since the beginning it was known that a hit slightly higher on the face above the sweetspot did give up a little bit of ballspeed but it was more than made up with the higher launch and lower spin.

This is what I was referring to. I am also a little out of the club-design technology loop however.

 

[finncox]

I'd have to see where he read that. Since the beginning it was known that a hit slightly higher on the face above the sweetspot did give up a little bit of ballspeed but it was more than made up with the higher launch and lower spin.

However if any of the newer drivers (i haven't kept up with equipment in about a year and a half) have been able to get the COG of the head low and far enough away to be able to still hit it in the sweetspot with same launch conditions but better ballspeed i'd be all for it.

And like I said before, I haven't read the study either, so take all of this with a grain of salt. For all I know, he could have been completely wrong.

 

[Richie3Jack]

So, are the 'hotspot' and the 'sweetspot' not the same?





3JACK

 

[mgranato]

The sweetspot produces the highest COR possible.

The fastest clubhead speed/ball speed is out towards the toe (about 3/4" off the sweetspot for ball speed) according to TM.

The higher up the face you go, the more loft you find. This typically allows for a higher launch angle, but with a slightly lower spin rate.

If a player benefits (longer distance) from this off-sweetspot impact, guess what this says about the "fit" of the driver?

A higher launch angle is only good for those who don't hit their optimal angle and spin from the sweetspot. It ain't for everyone.

 

[Virtuoso]

If you have a decending angle of attack then sometimes impact high on the face can create launch conditions that more than make up for the loss in ball speed. If you have a positive angle of attack then you can find a fit where your most optimum ball speed is also your most optimum launch condition. So, if you sweep up, you can have the best of both worlds; if you hit down, you are going to give up one or the other.

If TM says the best HS/BS ratio is coming from 3/4" toe-ward of the sweet spot then they are either measuring head speed wrong or cg location wrong.

 

[mgranato]

If TM says the best HS/BS ratio is coming from 3/4" toe-ward of the sweet spot then they are either measuring head speed wrong or cg location wrong.

How dare you question the little orange Danish box of knowledge around these parts!

What say you about the toe side of the head traveling a good faster than the sweetspot, and that being the basis for the increase in speeds?

 

[Virtuoso]

How dare you question the little orange Danish box of knowledge around these parts!

What say you about the toe side of the head traveling a good faster than the sweetspot, and that being the basis for the increase in speeds?

I work with a Trackman and I think it is an outstanding device. And, the toe is absolutely moving faster than cg, center-face, and heel, etc, because of closure rate. But, energy transer is maximised at impact with a point on the face perpendicular to cg, not toe-ward of there. The toe is moving faster, but the ball speed is dropping, so the HS/BS ratio is worse on toe-hits.

 

[adamscot89]

MG is right about the high toe impact, it is not the sweetspot, but on new drivers it is the spot where the highest smash factor can be obtained. Any good player who has ever hit that high toe draw that flies forever and rolls a hundred yards can attest to this increase in smash factor. That being said it is always better to depend on center contact which is much more consistent and easier to control, the sweetspot on most drivers is going to be much larger than trying to hit a spot on the toe, although it has been proven that the twisting of the face during the impact interval is minimal and does not affect the ball, so if you need a few extra yards, go ahead and hit the toe bash.

I would suggest setting up with the club hovering as one users before said or if you must set the driver on the ground, then line the toe of the club up with the center of the ball while the driver is on the ground so that when it is in the air, it will line up with the sweetspot.

 

[Virtuoso]

MG is right about the high toe impact, it is not the sweetspot, but on new drivers it is the spot where the highest smash factor can be obtained. Any good player who has ever hit that high toe draw that flies forever and rolls a hundred yards can attest to this increase in smash factor. That being said it is always better to depend on center contact which is much more consistent and easier to control, the sweetspot on most drivers is going to be much larger than trying to hit a spot on the toe, although it has been proven that the twisting of the face during the impact interval is minimal and does not affect the ball, so if you need a few extra yards, go ahead and hit the toe bash.

I would suggest setting up with the club hovering as one users before said or if you must set the driver on the ground, then line the toe of the club up with the center of the ball while the driver is on the ground so that when it is in the air, it will line up with the sweetspot.

Oh serenity now, serenity now....

 

[mgranato]

I work with a Trackman and I think it is an outstanding device. And, the toe is absolutely moving faster than cg, center-face, and heel, etc, because of closure rate. But, energy transer is maximised at impact with a point on the face perpendicular to cg, not toe-ward of there. The toe is moving faster, but the ball speed is dropping, so the HS/BS ratio is worse on toe-hits.

Correct, I think I said the sweetspot/cog produces the highest COR. But... the smash can be "cheated" upward on the LM from the toe hit.