Once again, the issue of “hitting up” with the driver has resurfaced.  We’ve debated the issue here on several occasions.  Now, Golf Magazine has reaffirmed its own previous research in the February 2009 issue with a TrackMan launch monitor to show once and for all that, with the driver, striking the ball with an ascending blow will result in more distance.

I want to make sure we’re on the same page when we talk about angle of attack.  Remember that the swing is an arc.  From the top, the club head moves down the arc and then gets to the lowest point, and then starts going back up the other side of the arc.  In the simplest terms, if you hit the ball before the club head hits its lowest point, you have a negative angle of attack and are making a descending blow.  If you hit the ball after that point, you have a positive angle of attack and are making an ascending blow.  If you hit the ball right at the low point, you’re making a level hit and have an angle of attack of zero degrees.

Hopefully, this puts an end to the debate once and for all.  I believe Golf Magazine has proven convincingly that if you do not have a positive angle of attack with your drives, you are robbing yourself of precious distance.

The Numbers

Golf Magazine’s research has shown that an optimal angle of attack for drives is somewhere between +4 and +6 degrees, regardless of swing speed.  For a zero degree angle of attack (a level hit), the ball flies about 14 yards less for a 90 mph swing speed.  For a -5 degree angle of attack (hitting down on the ball), expect to lose about 30 yards.  Additionally, you’d need a 15 degree driver to achieve the optimal spin rate of 3,100 rpm and the optimal launch angle of 10 degrees.

Golf Magazine includes a particularly interesting table (p. 83) that shows the actual (as opposed to theoretical) results of players of varying abilities who had their initial angle of attack measured and then received instruction from top-100 teacher Bruce Patterson on how to increase that angle of attack to achieve optimal launch conditions.  Then, they were tested again to see what kind of improvements they made.

Among those tested were a Tour pro and players with handicaps of 0, 9, 14, and 23.  Every one of the players increased his angle of attack and achieved a remarkable increase in distance.  The higher handicap players actually ended up increasing their swing speeds and gained between 15 and 23 yards.  The Tour pro and scratch player, however, maintained the exact same swing speeds but both still increased driving distance.  The Tour pro increased his angle of attack by 3.2 degrees and gained 21 yards and the scratch player increased his angle of attack by 2.2 degrees and also gained 21 yards.

Interestingly, none of the players tested actually achieved the optimal angle of attack of five degrees, but they all increased angle of attack by somewhere between 1.7 and 5.3 degrees.

Tiger versus J.B. Holmes

One of the most interesting comparisons made in the study is between Tiger Woods and J.B. Holmes.  Tiger can certainly bomb the ball, but J.B. is known for hitting the ball really long.  Using Shotlink data from the PGA Tour, they found that both players have very similar stats at impact.

A look at driver loft, club speed, and ball speed shows that both players are virtually identical at impact.  The differences end there, though, as Holmes has about a +3 degree angle of attack, while Tiger has about a -3 degree angle of attack.  This gives Tiger almost 1,000 rpm more spin than J.B. Holmes.  The result?  J.B. Holmes hits the ball nearly 20 yards further than Tiger for the same swing speed.

Another Case Study

Golf Magazine presents another interesting case study for increasing your angle of attack when driving.  PGA Tour player Jeff Sluman changed his swing to achieve a positive angle of attack and added 20-plus yards.  He also adds, “You’ll be taken aback by how simple this change is.”

What to Do

Simple:  increase your angle of attack!  OK, I know you probably want a little more than that.

The answer could be as simple as playing the ball just a little further forward in your stance.  Bruce Patterson recommends finding the bottom of your swing arc and teeing the ball three or four inches in front of that.  You’ll want to make sure your hands are more over your left thigh and your spine angle will tilt a little more to the right.

In addition to the research findings, there are several good pieces in the article with additional instruction on increasing your angle of attack.

I recommend checking out the article.  It’s depressing that I’m stuck in the middle of winter, because I’d really like to get out to the range to give these things a try.

Without a doubt, the findings confirm that, in golf, it’s not always about how hard you swing.  Optimal distance is a combination of a number of optimal launch conditions.  It’s very possibly for you to make a big jump in distance without having to commit to a big swing change.  It may be worth visiting a facility with one of those sophisticated launch monitors to see how close your swing comes to creating optimal launch conditions.

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