Last week I spoke to you about iron fittings and what is involved in the iron fitting process. This week it's all about the Driver fitting and what you need to know to get the best driver for your game. 

Because of the size of a driver head (generally 420-460 cc) there is huge scope to alter the playability of the club. There are two things you need to focus on, forgiveness and distance. In my experience the majority of golfers score better when they are in the fairway and although this sounds obvious we all get sucked in to focusing on distance. That said, a well struck shot that is hit reasonably straight will, on average, travel further.

Much is made of adjustability and you will have heard or seen some of the very technical looking devices at the end of a driver shaft that allows you to change the loft and lie angles. This is a great tool for fine tuning a fitting where the correct club head and shaft have been selected, but please do not look to adjustability to fix any significant issues in your technique. The driver can only do so much but having the wrong one will be very detrimental to your game.

There are three main areas to consider when contemplating a new driver. Launch angle, spin rate and smash factor or how we measure the quality of your contact... centred hits basically. The trick is to optimise the launch angle and spin rate in order to get the most from the speed you create. I use my TrackMan software to measure this and TrackMan's accuracy is what sets it apart. Generally speaking we are looking to produce high launch angles with lower spin rates but it depends on the amount of speed. The correct amount of each will depend on your club head speed and your contact with the ball which together, produce your ball speed and it is from here we measure what is the best option in terms of head type (mid or high launch head) loft and shaft flex.

All of these combinations will effect the performance of your shots, but again, once we have accurate information the process is quick and straight forward. Usually I can get the right driver in to someone's hand within 6-10 shots because the figures you produce with your own driver will determine the direction of the fitting. In the end, a change is only worth it if we can improve on your current driver so always bring your own driver and remember, it is always worth finding out if what you have can be improved on!

Click here to book a fitting session with me!



Congratulations to Paul Conway who qualified in the individual competition while playing with myself and Jessica McNulty at the PGA Tankard in Carlow. Paul goes on to represent the club at Druids Glen in the national final so we wish him the very best of luck! 

Well done to Ursula Owens, Eimear Lenehan and Mary Smith who won the ladies team competition and to Patsy Larkin who won the Larkan last Sunday, just before he heads off for his winter training! 

Despite a turn in the weather the time sheets are still very busy and it's great to see so many of you out playing. Remember the winter is an ideal time to work on your game, get your clubs assessed or get some valuable advice on what you need to do to play better golf!

If you would like to book a lesson with me, click here.