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just wondering what it should look like. My new driver is a 8.5 deg witha stiff Grafalloy shaft and I hit it about 25 yards or so off the ground and average around 285 drives. Would I get more distance with a higher trajectory?

That is a good question, and I think that there are a few answers. Distance is not the only thing to consider. For example, I myself perfer a lower boring trajectory. Now I actually had my swing analyzed on a launch monitor (more in a second) and I would have better distance with a 10*, but I went with a 9*. The reason is that I like to be able to look up as see the ball virtually at eye level, and also I don't like shots to be affected by the wind (personal preference).
About the launch monitor: there is an optimal launch angle (not club loft) to hit the ball the maximum distance. Obviously; it's simple physics. But that angle depends on the person (spin rate, etc). I think it is somewhere around 12.5 degrees for an average person. But it is virtually impossible to determine your launch angle without a monitor. In summary: to determine the optimal loft for your particular swing, you need to be fitted using a launch monitor.

I think as far as "angle"/ball flight--somewhere in the 45* to 50* (degrees) is going to give you the most distance. Not too flat or too high. Now finding the right club to give you that flight is the hard part!

As precious roy says a launch of about 12 to 13 degrees is what the average Joe like us should be launching at.

Think about it this was. You have a garden hose with no nozzle on it. Turn it on full. You aim it in the air at about a 20 degree angle. The water plops on the ground maybe 5 feet from you. Now you move it to about a 5 degree angle. Again it plops down about 5 feet away.

Now aim that hose about 12 or 13 degrees and it will move to about 8 or 9 feet away.

So if you could put 3 identical swings on a driver and had three different launches the 12 degree would go the furthest.

Some tour pros launch at 14 or 15 but we do not hit it like them so don't get caught in that trap.

brianf

Long and straight...