Angle of Attack, Face Impact Can Drastically Affect Distance

AofA DriverAngle of attack and where you impact the ball on the face of your driver can have a dramatic affect on distance.  Why?  The lower your angle of attack, the lower your ball flight and the greater the amount of spin you put on the ball.  More spin implies more drag and less distance.  The picture at the right is a positive angle of attack of 5 degrees which is what most of the LDA (Long Drivers of America) will strive for in order to reduce spin and get the most distance.  Most amateurs we test have a neutral to negative attack angle.  Even so, we can help improve distance with the right club loft and shaft profile.

Where you impact the ball on the face of the club will also affect distance.  Nothing good happens (spin or loft) when you hit the ball on the heel or low on the face.  Everything good happens (lower spin, higher loft) when you hit the ball center-up and center-toe on the face.   This is due to the bulge and roll of the club face actually reducing spin and creating a slight draw bias.  Sometimes this can be fixed simply by ball position and/or tee height.  So, if you are questioning if you are getting the proper distance from your driver, maybe you should get fit and see what loft and type of shaft will optimize your performance!