I have played golf for over55 years. I have never heard a more articulate explanation of Driver loft/lie/ face angle! Excellent! Thank you!

Tom, Thank You! This explains the adjustable hosel better than any other description I have ever seen. I agree with Ed Reeder. This should be mandatory viewing before anyone buys an adjustable hosel driver.

A necessarily long video that does a wonderful job of explaining how adjustable hosel drivers work and what they don't do. Tom just tells it like it is, no BS. Viewing this video should be mandatory before anyone considers buying an adjustable hosel driver.

Tom, I would like to express my appreciation for your very intersting and detailed video on adjustable hosel Drivers. I recently purchased a Callaway XR 16 and was confused on the settings. Your video was clear and concise and I now know how the diferent settings will help me and what they mean. Thanks again! Gene

Tom--Terrific explanation as to how the "Big Box" adjustable hosel works--and you're correct in that they do not tell you to "square the face" to get the specified changes. In addition, I'd like to thank you for the explanation as to why and how TWGT makes their adjustable hosel driver and the corresponding data sheet that documents the actual loft, lie and face angle specifications whether or not the club is allowed to set on its sole or is manually manipulated to a face-square position. Best Regards, Stephen Yourth

Hi Tom, just wanted to say thanks for putting this video out there....I'm a pro, and I have an adjustable big name driver that I really like and have not played around much with the shaft sleeve until recently, and I found it very confusing since I couldn't understand how a closed clubface could loft up....I thought to myself surely they don't want me to resquare the face cause that's the only way I could see it happening, and I guess sure enough that's what they mean.....You're the ONLY person I could find on the internet that stated that clearly. In my professional opinion, this makes the loft element of these sleeves somewhat BS, because while it does work if you rotate the club that is not a preferred way to play and I would never teach my students that. The vast majority of players do not have the ability to hold that club square even when it is soled properly let alone adjust it by eye to do so....my take is that these things are really only good for working in two directions. Up and Down to impact lie angle and by rotating so as to open or close the clubface. While the later will have some impact on loft it will be the inverse of what the manufacturer will tell you...and will likewise hit the ball more left or right with that adjustment. So if you need a club that hits higher but has a closed clubface at address then you'd better buy a higher lofted model to start. Thanks again Tom!

Please don't die Mr. Wishon, you are the voice of reason in this confusing equipment game.

That made so much sense. I have a cobra fly z and my husband has the Nike fly vapor both adjustable hosel. And you are so right. There was no explanation with out purchase. Can't wait to try our drivers for real this time

Thanks for taking the time to explain this topic. Much appreciative for this information.

Fantastic video I never understood any of this until this video thank you taking the time to explain this I just purchased a epic adjustable O-Zone not happy

Either one will work fine for me considering I can't stand looking at a face that is not square. None the less, glad he made this video because you get none of this information when you buy an adjustable driver. Bought my first adjustable driver recently and I had to go to KZfaq to learn how it works. Haven't touched the loft adjustment yet...may not have to. Haven't bought a new driver since the around 2005...and the only reason I did was bc I came back to golf and all of a sudden my old 8.5 degree driver wasn't getting the ball up in the air like it used to bc, based on everything I've heard, the golf balls have changed drastically. All this new adjustability blew my mind. I used an old 8.5 degree Taylor Made 320ti with a stiff and stiff tipped shaft for years. My 3 wood is still an old Callaway Big Berta War Bird...and still happy with it...but I just couldn't get the 8.5 degree in the air like I used to. Swing speed hasn't changed. Still around 115 on avg with the driver.

Many thanks for this detailed explanation. IMO, if we are flexible in our ball position, changes in perceived loft with adjustable drivers can be offset, maintaining sole to ground relationship, by ball position back or forward in stance. eg when driver is adjusted to more loft, face will appear closed which can be offset by ball position back in stance.

Very informative video. Just ordered a Ping G400 Max and being an engineer I knew something had to give. I think It would be a good idea at address to pick the club up 90 degrees in front of you and square it like I do my irons at address before putting the club behind the ball. Thank You very much for the video.

I figured that out the hard way with an SLDR and hit a Titliest 913 d2 with lie adjustment as I am a slicer (or was) and the .75° upright lie angle now makes the face square when you "loft up" kinda funny taylormade prides themselves on lofting up but Titliest does it way way better with independent lie adjustment...I'm now hitting the ball very very straight with a lesson as well but yes you are exactly right and some manufactures are doing this the right way and some it's just loft. Great video...

I suspected it , but now I know it. Thx! Kind regards from The Netherlands.

Wouldn't a lot of this have to do with the shape or geometrics of the sole? In other words....if an adjustable hosel driver sits well squared perhaps the designer has shaped the sole to "sit well" also when the club is for example turned to squared from a closed adjustment to add loft? Hope that makes sense....

Tom,,,thanks so much for a superb video,,,,,I do have a concern though that LIE is still not addressed sufficiently.....Case in point,,,the Hogan era wood driver Lie was 49-50 degrees-----today's drivers are 57-60----that is a HUGE gap----and Yes your bendable hosel will go to 54 degrees but that sill is 5-6 degrees off of what used to be the norm,, (but you are much better than most of the industry),,,,,i would challenge you to look at the sole of today's player's drivers at address,,,,,90% are Big Time Toe up by most players......explanation,,,,,,,well Joe Jackass needs that so the toe will turn over and maybe create a straight ball instead of a slice,,,,,or with today's drivers the "Lie doesn't really matter because our soles are rounded",,,,,,,,Ok then,,,,why do the tour players have much flatter lies than the average consumer can get.......The Remedy,,,,,,,buy a REAL expensive Tour Issue Head or just live with a $600-$700 driver with 8-9 degrees toe up lie and try to adapt----but please keep spending money on our gimmicks to feed our endeavors like the Tour and worthless MARKETING R&D that sells clubs but does not fix results........thx for your time. steve

Well, I thought I knew something, that is, until I watched this video - thank you!

I'm confused by golfers who sole the driver on the ground to set the face angle prior to the swing. Particularly as they often do so several inches behind the ball. The driver isn't designed to be hit from the turf. Its designed to strike the ball 2" or so above the ground when teed up. Recognizing this, club designers and engineers design drivers with loft, lie and face angle optimized for the point of impact (w/isn't the surface of the turf or several inches behind the ball.)

I'm not sure the club will sole itself to the degree you're claiming. A tee box is not like a hardwood floor. If you're playing an extremely well manicured course then the club might gravitate towards being completely "soled," but thats not the case for most golfers. If you're adjusting your driver 3/4 of a degree up or down the sole angle of the club isn't altered to such a degree that I think when put it down on turf grass that it will revert 100% to its resting position. Though I agree it would somewhat if you happen to play that way. I just don't believe that's how golfers set up to the ball. My bet is most players have the club gripped before they sole the club to hit the ball. It seems very awkward to me to rest the club behind the ball and then take your grip. For better or worse golfers once they've played enough probably grip the club the exact same way every single time. Unless you're hitting a specialty hook or slice and you change the face angle and then take your grip you're gripping the club in the same place every single time. That's why at the end of a season if you haven't regripped your clubs there's sometimes almost wear spots where you grip the club. I guarantee this constancy isn't at the whim of where the club is soled on the ground, blindly taking your grip after its soled. Then the grip would have uneven wear, after all the angle of the ground is constantly changing too, at least with iron shots. I always enjoy your passion for the game Tom, just happen to disagree somewhat here.

There are the answers I was looking for! Thank you.

Smartly put Tom...great info.

Great informative video Tom.

Thank you for confirming that I am one of those who cannot adjust to a closed club face angle. It just throws my swing off. Cheers

I always thought it was a marketing gimic , I was taught to open club face weaken my grip to play fades and opposite to play draws ,I found I don't have to do so anymore as I have it set to play fades , and I swing in to out to play draws on the same settings . and have a neutral gripp

Hi Tom great demonstration ! just an idea...or another way to look at it do you think using adjustable hosels can make people more comfortable at adress with a specific club ? let's speak about a 15+2°/-2° 3 wood i'm a +1 HCP so i don't know if i'm accustomed to a square face, but i find that to get a square face with the 17° option i have to set the ball way back in my stance....or push my hands way forward... when it's in the 13° option i tend to set up with ball more forward, and hands even with the ball, not in front at all...which suits me better, but anyway... would you say that the adjustable hosel is handy for a player that has address position preferences ? so he can keep the same effective loft yet have a more comfortable adress and ball positions

thanks for the explanations

I learned a lot in this video, but I’m still missing something. Isn’t the new technology just replacing the old method of customizing a persimmon club by drilling a different shaft angle? If you can adjust it to the correct angle, isn’t that preferable to the fixed angle before this technology came along?

Thanks Tom. That was eye opening to say the least. loved all the information. I am one of the lucky ones who had myself fitted and am able to hit the driver fairly straight. I hit a fairly high ball. I am wondering if I go to a less loft would I be able to hit it lower. Your input would be appreciated Thank you.Ramsay

Your a pro thanks for your patient explanation

I don't understand how face angle is anything other than controlled by the golfer? Is Tom suggesting that your grip should be relative to how a club sits on the ground? I take my grip basedbefore even setting the club behind the ball.... for a "closed face" I just grip strong.... Am I missing something?

Thee best club fitter out there!

Excellent explanation.

The greatest! Thank you so much!

A Taylormade rep told me that if I lowered my M1 from 10.5 to 8.5 squaring the face at address would increase the loft back to 10.5. Is this true?

Excellent video... thank you.

Hello Mr. Wishon, thanks for taking the time to explain all this . I'm a left-handed 63-year-old who has had poor driving results for about 12 years now. My U.K. hcp has drifted from 11 to 22 in that time . I seem to score best by settling for a 3 or 5 wood off the tee . Do you have any L/H drivers that would help me, and any stockists or fitters in the south of England I could consult ? Thanks in anticipation of a reply , Nige .

Wow!!! That was very informative! Great video!

I have the adjustable but I don't set it at any changed offset. So it is like not having an adjustable hosel at all. I am a 2 cap, and hit the ball straight the vast majority of my shots. I think a lot is about ability... some have the game, but most do not. They just don't have the time it takes.

Really informative.

Now I am wondering if I set my 3 wood (big Bertha 2014) to the D setting which is supposed to be 1° upright will be the right way to go since I'm not looking to loft that or my matching 7 wood up? (Like I said the Titleist is set at 11° from 9.5 original and .75° upright which works great absolutely great) don't buy an SLDR if you don't plan on keeping it at a neutral loft...but I'm curious about my fairway woods since it worked so well with the driver. Thanks again great video

technically it's not always true that the golfer needs to manually square the face to get the stated loft from the adjustable hosel. if a manufacturer has the Default position in either the minimum loft or maximum loft positions, then no squaring of the face is needed for both these positions (obviously the default position will give the default loft, and the opposite loft position will also give the stated loft with zero change in face angle). that being said no manufacturer does this as it would only allow loft change in one direction as default would be in either minimum or maximum loft--this is not good for marketing and business reasons. also, it is not sufficient to square the face to get the loft adjustment stated by the manufacturer. it is ALSO required that the shaft have no lean toward or away from the target at address. this is because when you SOLE the club, the minimum loft position causes the shaft to lean most away target and the maximum loft position causes the shaft to lean the most toward the target. if the shaft is not returned to neutral at address then the advertised loft is not being delivered.

Loved it. Thanks so much.

Ok,if I have a cobra f9 tour 4-5 wood I change the loft to 19 degree the grip will turn what happens if I have a rib grip

I have the Cobra F8 Driver and the face angle stays the same no matter what loft you set it too.

Would the R 11s and R1 adjustable sole plate tech not do the job of squaring the face? Mind you it wasn't mentioned on the instruction.

Hi Tom, does this apply to the Callaway & Titleist hosels? On their charts, it shows that you can change both independently of each other. Cheers!

What about an adjustable weight driver?

As long as the golfer sets the driver in the same position at address he will surely see the different results in each position. Why would a golfer in the past buy a closed faced driver to then open it at address to make it look square? Some golfers like a closed face, some square, some open so doesn't the adjustable driver accommodate more golfers ?

Who voted this video down, TaylorMade?

Great explanation of it all =)

Does this apply to the Titleist surefit hosel?

What I find interesting is that some golfers would NOT square the face of their driver to their target when they setup to hit the ball. WHY would any golfer NOT do that? Going by your video it would appear that I am one of the FEW golfers that always aim the face of my driver, or any other club for that matter, to my target when I setup to play a shot. To me, anyone that just sets his driver down on the ground and takes their grip with the face aimed either left or right of their target is NOT being very smart. Seems totally DUMB way to play the game in my opinion.

So with my Callaway Optifit hosel by having +2 on the stated loft I am closing the club face and by having the D setting I am making it more upright ? meaning the club is a closed as it can get ?

Can the adjustable club give you more lag with the club? ( 3 woods, 5 woods etc)

Anyone you recommend in the Seattle area who shares the same philosophy?

This is just a way to say his gimmick is better than the other gimmick. Funny how he had designed an adjustable driver before. So people who bought that Wishon driver were dumb to fall for the prior rhetoric. As far as giving each buyer instruction manuals with purchase of an adjustable driver, again, he rips on his competitors and gives a reason why he is the savior to save you with this pamphlet with each driver of his. Well, newsflash, every big boy company has exact instructions online explaining how to adjust their settings. It costs them zero cents per driver for this and wastes zero paper or trees to do this unlike your pamphlet. So there is that. This entire not squaring club at target at address thing is buffoonery. 99.5 percent of golfers set up with clubface aimed square at Target. Their poor swing paths cause their slices or hooks. Even beginners know to aim the clubface wear they want ball to go. Your first time shooting a gun, did you aim the sights left or right of your target? Hell no, and basic human nature tells them to aim face at target. The big boys are able to spend fortunes on R&D and design advanced products. Unfortunately Tom can’t so he piggybacks on whatever new R&D designs the big boys designed and has China make a head. Or open source a head that China already stole a bingo. Bigs all are big marketing companies really and Wishon can’t compete there either. So, head to the free internet and bag on the guys he copies as marketing. I have never ever seen a player with these sticks and I’m not surprised. Guessing they are component heads and some hobby club builder in his garage or basement epoxy’s the stuff together for ten bux profit per club. Or they are experts cause they attended the golf works club builder two day seminar. Funny stuff

Hi Tom, does this apply to the Nike adapters? Thanks, very informative.

"You kids get off my lawn"

Thanks !

I did wonder how they worked.

This guy's a little shaky geez

Who voted this video down, TaylorMade?