Which launches higher (EMB or AF101) ?

[smack]

Hello all,

I currently own a AF101 10.5 degree with a Diamana 73 stiff shaft. I really like the setup but I am hitting such a ballooning shot with this setup that I am considering of getting a 9.5 with the same shaft. The thing is, I was wondering if I keep the same shaft, which driver head will help keep the ball from ballooning? Before this setup, I owned the Miura Precious 10.5 with the same Diamana shaft and didn't balloon my drives. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Smack

[gocchin]

Hello all,

I currently own a AF101 10.5 degree with a Diamana 73 stiff shaft. I really like the setup but I am hitting such a ballooning shot with this setup that I am considering of getting a 9.5 with the same shaft. The thing is, I was wondering if I keep the same shaft, which driver head will help keep the ball from ballooning? Before this setup, I owned the Miura Precious 10.5 with the same Diamana shaft and didn't balloon my drives. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Smack

Hi Smack,

The EMB would launch higher due to the lower and deeper center of gravity. That said the AF-101 usually plays very true to loft so the ballooning is surprising. Is it a Diamana Blue you're playing? A 9.5 would of course make a difference and we could also request as low an actual loft as possible. I know you said that this Diamana did not balloon for you in the MD390 but have you considered another shaft for the Epon?

[idrive]

Personally.... I would change the shaft.

Ask Gocchin to suggest a similar shaft to what you're playing but with a lower launch.

Keep the Diamana and have it put into a Fairway Wood.

[Goodsie]

The 460cc Driver head has most of us teeing the ball about half a ball above the crown, thus here came the small sapling for a tee (which is littering our courses) then add in the modern shaft that is engineered to launch the ball higher and in the early days of the Cantaloupe sized Driver head the real sweet spot was in the upper region of the face. In a lot of cases of big headed drivers, this is still prevalent today. lGranted, the game is now in the air now versus on the ground so every company did their bit to help us get the ball up with low spin rates and on and on. The natural high ball striker has been having a field day with today's technology.

Addressing your particular situation, I have found that the Epon design engineers have actually moved the sweet spot back down to the middle of the face with the chemical milling process plus the placement of the weights inside the head....thus the upper region isn't necessarily the best shot producer with the AF101. So, I suggest that you tee the ball much lower when using the AF101 and see what happens. I found that my AF101 picked up 10yds distance by hitting the ball in the middle to lower region of the face. I used those ball strike labels to prove this to myself. My launch angle is still 12.5* but no longer do I have a drive that flutters out there. Of course, this is a suggestion only, but it worked for me and the AF101 is still the best Driver I've ever hit.

Goodsie

[herrsonic]

There are so many reasons why a shot would balloon. Easy adjustments without changing equipment include: Try teeing it up lower. Try hitting the ball lower in the face. Try placing the ball slightly more back in your stance. Adjust your angle of attack. If that doesn't work, you can try going with a lower loft or changing shaft. If you like Diamana, the white board is great for low trajectory shots. It's obviously cheaper to change the former before going out and buying new equipment.