I always swing up with my driver on the ball. Hasnt failed me yet!
When they say that some pros are hitting down on their driver it's not to the extent of an iron shot. They'll play the ball a fraction further back in their stance with a very slight descending blow on the ball, 3-4 degrees at most. They are willing to sacrifice a few yards for increased accuracy in their mind.
Simple answer 99.99% of us should be hitting up and swinging slightly right of the target for the driver. Assuming u are righ handed. Pros depending on how they want to play the shot can hit it with zero to negative angle of attack. Since their game is based on control they can vary their setup. Kevin streeman likes to have a zero AoA and he did quite well today. If you want bombs and want max carry then up is the way to go. Andrewricegolf or waitemayo on YouTube.
Jayme G I totally agree with ya on that I set about 3/5 on head When i come around I want to just smash the ball and while its smashing the club face its lofting off it with driver angle high with a good launch angle low spin so I can get a good bounce out on those med hard farways.
Slightly up on the ball
Marc H Trackman is really clear on this. The results from measuring touring pros is that they swing up 4-5 degrees and swing inside out. The irons, on the other hand, are exactly the opposite. They swing down and swing outside in. Quite different than expected. Empirical Trackman analysis of face angle and path also verifies that this is the way to hit the ball straight. Irons, for Trackman, means fairway woods, hybrids, irons, and wedges. Although the outside to in path gets closer to straight when the loft increases. No pro hits up on fairway woods unless they want to hit a tremendous hook. Next time you watch "On the Range", watch how the pro downswing for irons are always outside the backswing. They are practicing coming slightly over the top and left of the target line. I'm sure the scientists at Titleist can verify this information.
Trackman is really clear on this. The results from measuring touring pros is that they swing up 4-5 degrees and swing inside out. The irons, on the other hand, are exactly the opposite. They swing down and swing outside in. Quite different than expected. Empirical Trackman analysis of face angle and path also verifies that this is the way to hit the ball straight.
Irons, for Trackman, means fairway woods, hybrids, irons, and wedges. Although the outside to in path gets closer to straight when the loft increases. No pro hits up on fairway woods unless they want to hit a tremendous hook.
Next time you watch "On the Range", watch how the pro downswing for irons are always outside the backswing. They are practicing coming slightly over the top and left of the target line.
I'm sure the scientists at Titleist can verify this information.
You're not entirely correct as far as "Trackman" evidence is concerned. As a reference take a look at:
http://www.trackman.dk/download/newsletter/newsletter6.pdf
PGA Tour pros "on average" have an angle of attack with the driver of -1.3* (that's a descending strike). Contrast that with LPGA Tour pros, where they hit up with the driver on average of 3*.
In fact, in the article referenced above (from Trackman's own data and study of touring pro swings), they address the question of "Why is the average PGA Tour attack angle with the driver negative when it is better to hit up on the ball?" As for the answer the to question, they put forth a few theories, such as pros generate so much club head speed that they are willing to sacrifice a little distance for more accuracy (implies and increase in accuracy by hitting down with driver). Regardless the Trackman evidence is clear that PGA Tour Pros hit down slightly with the driver. The question than is should the rest of us mortals hit down with the driver? Probably not for the simple reason that we're not on the PGA Tour (they're in a league of their own). I would say we should probably do what the LPGA Tour Pros do, and that is hit up on the ball with the driver.
Eric,
You are correct and probably the only other person in the USA that knows this. The men touring pros hit down a little and the women hit up. That is an anomaly that puzzles even Frederick Tuxen http://www.trackman.dk/download/newsletter/newsletter8.pdf. The only odd thing is that David Toms changed from hitting down to hitting up at 3-4 degrees (see Brian Manzella) and is now the best statistical driver (added 20 yards or so). So, I guess if you swing at 115 mph, you can still whack it out there. If you are a normal human, you probably need to hit up.
MRH
My driver swing was something that I fought with for sometime now. I now setup standing much more upright and farther back from the ball on the outside of my foot with only about a quarter of the ball above the crown and my hands a little forward. I feel I can get the proper swing path this way and I hit it just as I'm starting my upswing. I do have a fast swing at 122 and play a (913 D3 8.5 D+ White) and average 315-320. Before the change I felt I was hitting down on it to much and was keeping the club face a little to open leading to a very bad slice, now no slice just a small controlled fade.
5% upswing