Increasing Driver Angle of Attack

[garethw]

I went for a driver fitting yesterday which ended up with me just needing to swap the standard regular flex shaft in my Big Bertha for a Fujikura EXS 5.0 in Stiff. The shaft change alone brought my spin down from over 4000 rpm to around 2200 rpm and also brought the dispersion a lot lot tighter.

 

I have not got all the Trackman numbers from the session as I am waiting for the fitter to send me the link to them. However from memory my driver average swing speed was 91 mph with a average smash factor of 1.48 however the furthest total distance was only 224 yards. This is primarily down to my angle of attack being between - 7 to - 4 degrees down. He commented that with the club speed, ball speed and smash factor if I can get the angle of attack up I should be capable of increasing that distance.

 

Are there any drills / tips to help me increase that to 0 or a + number? I'm currently playing the ball off the inside of my left foot and trying to get some spine tilt to stay behind the ball. Sorry I do not have any current video at present I'll try to get some in the next day or 2.

[TB07]

If your setup is bias toward a + AoA, then make sure you return close to that or even more exaggerated to that at impact. Hips forward, head behind, handle raised.

[PutterKilledTheDream]

If your spin is 2200 rpm ( fairly low) and your smash 1.48 than your striking the ball solidly on-center. I'm guessing your launch angle must be very low at -7 AoA range which would explain a shorter carry. At 7 down with a driver it's most likely a swing flaw ( possibly a lateral sway/ head moving forward). Going from that extreme to positive is unlikely as you should incrementally try to shallow.

[dornstar]

[quote name='garethw' timestamp='1409747843' post='10055381']
Are there any drills / tips to help me increase that to 0 or a + number? I'm currently playing the ball off the inside of my left foot and trying to get some spine tilt to stay behind the ball. Sorry I do not have any current video at present I'll try to get some in the next day or 2.
[/quote]
I had a negative angle of attack with the driver and my coaches at Bann Lynch Golf told me the simplest fix is to make practice swings where you try to contact the ground a foot or so behind the ball with the driver. Basically, if your low point is at the middle of your stance, your club will be ascending from that point on. Just make sure you don't hang back and flip the club in order to do it.

[596]

I have a huge launch angle. Video shows that I do not flip. I have a near + or + angle of attack. I use a 10.5* driver, K15. I'm looking for a 9.5*.

I always setup with my club head 6-8" behind the ball. This marks the bottom of my swing arc. I swing to that point and end up with a + angle of attack, or close to it. I do NOT hit UP on the ball. When I try this it leads to total disaster. Hitting UP is a bad idea. It may be a mental thing but thinking "hit up" leads to horrible shots. Just plan on the bottom of the arc being 6-8" behind the ball and swing away. Your impact must be shallow to do this, if you get steep, it's gets almost as ugly as thinking "hit up".

Remember...setup is 80% of the swing. If you setup with the club head 6-8" behind the ball, don't even think about it. Just setup this way and then swing. Do not adjust anything else. Just allow the setup to work with your swing. Let your unconscious mind and body make the adjustment.

Hope this helps.

[garethw]

Thanks I was setting up this morning with the ball slightly more forward, increased my shoulder tilt until it felt really exaggerated and tried to shallow out my swing as per my lessons. I managed to get between -5 and -2 (which is a slight improvement) using swing byte 2. I will also try teeing it up with the club further back from the ball next time I am on the range. I have 4 and a half weeks to try and increase it before my new shaft arrives and I can check it on trackman again.