For years I played the game much closer to the ground than in the air, and did so without much issue. But as I improved and began to play different courses, some more lush than others, some more difficult than others, that medium-low tee ball made life more difficult. Back in those days, for a southpaw at least, there were no clubs being made over 10.5º of loft. Other than changing a shaft for one with a softer tip, the only other option I had was to change my golf swing... swinging more upright, getting the club head further away from my body versus swinging it on a flatter plane to the inside. Physical limitations with ongoing back problems made that incredibly difficult. There had to be an easier solution, or so I thought anyway. I really didn't have the same drawbacks with my irons as I did with the woods and driver.
One day I was in a golf store and saw a PING ladies driver in left hand, 14º of loft. It was essentially the same PING driver I was playing, except it had more loft and naturally had a softer lady's flex shaft. I saw that it had a scuff mark near the top of the face, but was otherwise in good condition. I bought it for $99 and had them take the shaft out of my regular driver and put it in the lady's.
Wow. The difference was night and day. Easier to control, more carry, and given the soft conditions I would typically see periodically throughout the season - a noticeable gain in roughly 20-25 more yards in distance. Given the nature of my flat swing, of which I figured I was just stuck with and had to accept forever, this was an incredible eureka moment for me. After that season, I bought another ladies PING left hand in 14* just to keep as a backup.
It was essentially a glorified 3wood with a longer shaft. But man... that thing was money. I went from 220-225 on a good day to 240-250 on a normal day. On approach shots where I was automatically pulling out a hybrid or a fairway wood on certain holes, I was suddenly hitting mid and shorter irons. Not only was I finding more greens per round, but because the ball was coming in higher and softer with more loft - those approach shots weren't running away from the flag when they would land.
I remember Tom Wishon always advocating more loft for the average golfer. Get rid of the 3wood, add a 5wood. Play a driver with more loft, not less. Make the game easier, not more difficult. Controlling the ball better ultimately makes the game just a tad less stressful, and a higher lofted driver certainly helped me. It may not help everyone, but it totally changed my game, and changed it in a satisfying way.
