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Hey everybody. I'm bery new to golf (roughly 13 rounds under my belt) and will be entering my second season in the upcoming months. I had been using a driver that came with my set of Wilson Hyperspeeds, and was getting very little roll/bounce on my drives. I hit the ball well, about 250 yeards with a relatively cheap driver, and have since upgraded to a Taylormade R 580 10.5* XD S Shaft which had added considerable distance (25-30 yards) based on my one outing at the driving range. However, my drives get a lot of air and tend to fall like a flare to the fairway. I usually get an extra 10 yards maximum out of this and I am playing on a very firm course.

I was at Edwin Watts and because if my nasty fade (most likely due to a swing speed exceeding a reg flex shaft) he recommended that I stay with the 10.5* to ensure straighter drives. Is this flare shot a big detriment to my game or is this a typical thing among players? The people I play with are co-workers in their 50's (I'm 24) who hit low, albiet relatively short, drives with quite a bit of roll. Because of this I really have no benchmark to compare my drives to

How can this be corrected? Is it just part of my game based on physical characteristics?

Secondly, should this be corrected? I have a good idea where the ball will end up based on very little roll

Most new golfers would be very happy with 275 yard tee-shots, and many experienced golfers would be also, especially if they know where the ball will end up! If you really want to do something about this, you could go to a reputable shop/fitter with a launch monitor. They might even conclude that you are hitting close to your optimum trajactory already (the optimum trajectory for modern drivers is quite high)! But if it is not causing you any problems, I would leave it alone.

Whe I say that I know where it is going to end up I am speaking in terms of distance, the left to right is still a little problematic. I'm quite young and, due to a lifetime involvement in baseball, can generate high swing speeds. I wouldn't say that I have a lot of control over the ball but that is something I am going to work on this summer.

I am basically trying to determine if I might be able to squeak out a little more distance in my drives. I am definately happy with the distance of my tee shots, but isn't golf about improving what can be inproved and not settling for non-optimal performace? I'd be perfectly happy hitting shots with less carry that would roll a little further past the point where my flares drop.

Power is the stong point of my game to I really want to maximize my potential in that area. The short game and iron shots will be a project that can't be as easily corrected for me.

Basically what I am loking for is to determine if the high soaring shots are more desireable to lower drives with a lot of roll. Maybe it is a player preference issue, I'm just a rook looking for some tips. My knowdge of the game is limited, so I need to turn to you seasoned vets for insight

On a side note: I live in Atlantic Canada and the reputable dealers are few and far between, if they exist at all. The launch monitors may be out of the question, so we'll have to stick to grass roots solutions for the time being

Which is best often depends on the ball being used. Most of the new balls are designed to maximize distance through air-time. For you, the guy who hits the high, towering home run is going to hit it further.
With some of the older style balls, distance is maximized through the roll. That equates to the line-drive hitter hitting the ball further. So, you see, it's not quite as simple a question as one would think.
For me, the Nike One Platinum gets me the best distance if I'm hitting it high. If I'm hitting my normal lower trajectory shots, the Srixon AD-333 seems to get me the most distance. I like 'em both, and switch balls dependent on how the ball is coming off the club face that particular day.

I used the Nike One Platinum las season as well as the Nike Pure Distance. I loved both but preferred the Pure D because it seemed to be more resistant to my massive fade that I was battling. Eventually I lost them all in the woods and was a little too cheap to replace them

I picked up some Top Flite Pure Distance XL More Roll from Edwin Watts to see if they make a difference. They are a cheap ball, but I'm only experimenting

I can't think of a way to add roll other than maybe using less loft. Power game was never really my strong suit anyways.

If you want roll hit a hook. You said that you fight a slice or fade. That direction indicates a fair amount of backspin which will eliminate alot of roll. That being said most of the big hitters now hit a powerfade because it's easier to control and the new balls and clubs optimize length with ball flight not with roll. Like Hogan(I think) used to say you can talk to a slice but a hook wont listen.