Short people, Big heads

[scamp]

I used to play a titleist 975 J-VS with reasonably successful results, but gave it up when there was all the uproar over high COR. Since then I have tried just about every new driver that has come onto the market, most of which seem to be 460cc.

Now here's my problem, I am only 5ft 5" tall and I cannot get on with these big headed drivers, I seem to have a high fade with each and every one of them and am now shorter of the tee then I was with the 975.

Tonight I played 9 holes with a Guy who has a Callaway Big Bertha II driver (the old 315cc club), he gave me a few shots with it and sure enough they were straight down the middle and past the drives that I hit with my 460cc Titleist.

He said that it looks like I create more club head speed with the smaller head.

a. Is this possible?
b. Has anybody else (who is short) experienced this problem?

[whitesox350z]

well im also 5 5 (14 years old) and i also have a bit of a slice with my 460cc driver, and with my old 363 i dont really have one
so i went to my pro and he said to tee the ball up further forward (toward my front foot) to allow the club to square up at impact, because when it's farther back its hard to turn your wrists over in time, because the clubhead is so big
so try teeing it up a little higher and putting it farther forward in your stance

something else that i've learned is that when you set up with such a big driver and it is farther forward in your stance, you adress to the ball (which leaves your shoulders open=a slice/fade) so set up so that your shoulders are alligned to the back or the clubhead

[shiva]

i'm 5'6 and same deal... I cant hit those 460's. I have a 350 cc and it feels pretty comfortable. My old one was a nike with a 275 cc and it was even more comfortable... just the sweet spot is tiny tiny :P

Only way i can hit one straight is to reduce my club speed to about half of what i swing with a smaller cc driver. Don't ask me why. I've wondered the same.

[golfnut86]

well im also 5 5 (14 years old) and i also have a bit of a slice with my 460cc driver, and with my old 363 i dont really have one
so i went to my pro and he said to tee the ball up further forward (toward my front foot) to allow the club to square up at impact, because when it's farther back its hard to turn your wrists over in time, because the clubhead is so big
so try teeing it up a little higher and putting it farther forward in your stance

something else that i've learned is that when you set up with such a big driver and it is farther forward in your stance, you adress to the ball (which leaves your shoulders open=a slice/fade) so set up so that your shoulders are alligned to the back or the clubhead

This is very good advice, even if you aren't short.

[macmai]

well im also 5 5 (14 years old) and i also have a bit of a slice with my 460cc driver, and with my old 363 i dont really have one
so i went to my pro and he said to tee the ball up further forward (toward my front foot) to allow the club to square up at impact, because when it's farther back its hard to turn your wrists over in time, because the clubhead is so big
so try teeing it up a little higher and putting it farther forward in your stance

something else that i've learned is that when you set up with such a big driver and it is farther forward in your stance, you adress to the ball (which leaves your shoulders open=a slice/fade) so set up so that your shoulders are alligned to the back or the clubhead

Yep, I tee my ball up higher than most and just at my left toe in my stance. If I tee it further back in my stance, I normally end up with a push to the right. Too far forward (past my left toe), then I can hook it pretty good.

I'd play with ball position and tee height to see what starts working for you.

[xender]

I've tried the 460's and didn't like it, too big for my comfort when taking it back. I think you might have hit the 975 better because of the shorter shaft ? I'm 5' 6" and I normally use a 45" shaft, am thinking about cutting it down at leaset 1/2 inch or full 1inch.

[pingman360]

i too dont like the 460cc clubheads... the optimal size for me is 360cc-400cc thats the size i'm most comfortable with... i dont know hwy its just kinda wierd...

[Shooter72]

I know with my Callaway X 3 wood the head is tiny- so I seem to make solid contact with it every time. Maybe swinging a smaller object makes you focus harder on the point of impact?

[whitesox350z]

yeah, i can always hit my 3 wood really solid too (adams ovation)
but now that i seem to have my driver sorted out i haven't been hitting it too great, it's still been going 230 (like it should) but its getting SOOO frickin high in the air that i dont think i could possibly get my 60* wedge that high
and i've gotten 15 feet of backspin with it

[scamp]

Just finished reading the buff on the new Mizuno MX-500 driver. The website says- “The MX-500 460cc combines the forgiveness and ball flight of an oversized driver with the control normally expected in a smaller clubhead.

A lightweight graphite toe-insert, reduces the 460cc’s tendency for pushed tee shots (caused by toe lag), allowing the clubface to square naturally for solid impact.”

It would seem that there is a reason for the pushed tee shots. Also looking at the lie angle on the Mizuno, it is considerably lower then the other drivers (56°). Better for short people??

I will be trying one of these to see if there is a straight drive to be had and if not I am off to purchase a Callaway Great Big Bertha II with the small head.

[nik.hisham]

I'm 5'7" - just 2 inches taller. I use the Nike SQ 460 cc 10.5 deg and have no problems with it. I hit it mostly straight and can go as far as 230 meters - but normally around 200m. On days where my swing is really crappy, my drives will fade a bit. But not slice.

Prior to this I was hitting a Srixon W-302 driver. Not sure what the head size was - prob 300++ cc. But *all* my drives using the srixon were slices.

So in my case, I don't think height is a problem. Its just the confidence I have with the particular driver.

[xender]

no, I don't think height is a problem either as I swing a 45" shaft. It's more the comfort level with the club head size. Thus far, 400cc seem to fit me the best, good distance and forgiveness (most of the time). 460 is too big to control. Am trying 425 to see how that goes.

[Nacho_D/FW]

I don't think your height has anything to do with it. I mean, I am 5'7 so that aint much taller than u but still. I am sure alot of girls on the LPGA are also 5'5 and they seem to bomb their drivers just fine. I think it's more of a confidence issue and perhaps like someone else suggested, posture and ball alignment.

Here is a quick fix to solve all your woes. Put up the driver and use a strong 3 wood. You'll only lose about 10-15 yards but you will be in the fairway all the time. I put up my Big Bertha II (380cc) and my Big Bertha (454cc) drivers and purchased a Callaway Steelhead Strong 3 wood. It has 13 degrees of loft and a 42.5" shaft. I can easily drive the ball 240yds and its always down the pipe.

I think someone on this board a long time ago said to not even use a driver until you can solidly shoot in the 80's. Seems to make sense to me.

Anyway, good luck!

[scamp]

I appricate the set up tips, but that is not the problem, as I said in the first post, I can get a 300cc Big Bertha II and nail it straight down the middle every time, setup/swing/aligmnent is fine. The issue is only with 460cc clubs.

As I said earlier, going to try the Mizuno and maybe the 400cc Titleist 905T and Taylormade 425cc see what happens. If they dont work I goning to find a second hand BBII, while it is nice to have the newest driver, straight is better

[MJFGolf]

Shaft length and lie could be an issue. Club fitting is MORE important than head size, but the suggestions as to teeing higher have a great deal of merit with the bigger driver heads. Read recent golf magazines about teeing it higher to hit it farther. You will always need to optimally at least have 1/2 your golf ball above the driver face, no matter what size head you are using. And a higher tee makes it more conducive to "draw" the ball v. fading it. But all in all, if you feel that you are that much shorter than everyone else, go to a pro you trust and have him fit you with different shaft lengths and lies. Fitting could be the cure....no matter what driver you use.

[Jimbo1013]

Just finished reading the buff on the new Mizuno MX-500 driver. The website says- “The MX-500 460cc combines the forgiveness and ball flight of an oversized driver with the control normally expected in a smaller clubhead.

A lightweight graphite toe-insert, reduces the 460cc’s tendency for pushed tee shots (caused by toe lag), allowing the clubface to square naturally for solid impact.”

It would seem that there is a reason for the pushed tee shots. Also looking at the lie angle on the Mizuno, it is considerably lower then the other drivers (56°). Better for short people??

I will be trying one of these to see if there is a straight drive to be had and if not I am off to purchase a Callaway Great Big Bertha II with the small head.

Here you go, just buy a new driver. Perfect, cuz if you cant hit one you may be able to spend a couple hundred to be able to hit a different one.

[Jorge Babarosa]

460's hurt my rotator cuff.

I stopped at 390. I used a 160 (I think that was the original Big Bertha weight) up until last year.

The 390 is perfect for me, plus it's not closed face like the 9 degree BB I had. It's also titanium which keeps the weight down for the clubhead size.

Funny tho' is the industry's clammoring for bigger. Every year they are bumping up the weights and size. What is the USGA limit (498?).

If painted orange... some of the drivers today, would resemble those big plastic drivers you buy 2 and 3 year olds to play with... gosh, I think I even had one of those.