Driver / 3 Wood / 5 Wood Optimal Length

[Dave2512]

For me optimal is driver 44", though I have another at 43", 3w 42" and 5w 41", all are D0-D0.5. What shaft I use in each one played a part in how I put it together. The optimizing was based on choosing a club I can usually control in certain playing situations, loft was a consideration as well, I want specific launch characteristics and ball flights for each club. Playing length was just part of it.

[GuamAP2]

I am 5'11" and have a bad shoulder and back. My driver is 45.125" my 3 wood is 43.375" my 5 wood id 42.75". The driver hits long but not very accurate and since my left shoulder is bad i tend to turn the club in right after impact thus creating a slice i feel like i cannot control the club in slowing down.  The driver is a Titleist Tour issue 913 head and the shaft is a Tour AD 6s. Same feeling with the 3 wood it is also a 913 with a Tour Ad 7s. The 5 wood is a bit more comfortable a 910 with the same shaft as the 3 wood.

Currently I can hit my 3 wood almost as long as the driver.

 

Would it be beneficial for me to shorten the driver to 44.5" or 44" and the 3 and 5  2" shorter than the driver respectively? Is 2" too much?

thanks

[1badbadger]

23 hours ago, GuamAP2 said:

I am 5'11" and have a bad shoulder and back. My driver is 45.125" my 3 wood is 43.375" my 5 wood id 42.75". The driver hits long but not very accurate and since my left shoulder is bad i tend to turn the club in right after impact thus creating a slice i feel like i cannot control the club in slowing down.  The driver is a Titleist Tour issue 913 head and the shaft is a Tour AD 6s. Same feeling with the 3 wood it is also a 913 with a Tour Ad 7s. The 5 wood is a bit more comfortable a 910 with the same shaft as the 3 wood.

Currently I can hit my 3 wood almost as long as the driver.

 

Would it be beneficial for me to shorten the driver to 44.5" or 44" and the 3 and 5  2" shorter than the driver respectively? Is 2" too much?

thanks

I am a big advocate for shorter drivers, and I think most players would benefit from reducing the length of their driver and fairway woods.

There are those who feel they will be giving up too much distance by cutting down their driver, but I have a lot of experience with this, and I'm willing to bet that not only will you not give up too much distance, you'll probably hit the ball longer!  I don't think anyone will debate that a longer driver is harder to control and less accurate, right?  I guarantee if you have a difficult time controlling your driver (you don't have to admit it to anyone but yourself) or if you tend to spray it, you're not hitting it solid.  If you're not hitting it solid, you're giving up yards.

A shorter driver is so much easier to swing, and it's so much easier to hit on the screws.  And when you hit the ball on the button, everything gets better.  The ball launches with more speed, better spin, better launch angle, and more distance.  Even if a shorter shaft reduces your swing speed by a couple mph (which it might or might not), hitting the ball solidly will more than make up for it.  But the truth is, most players release the club too early and a longer driver will actually be slowing down by the time the head reaches impact.

I think shortening your driver to 44.5" is a great idea, and 44" is even better.  I'd consider going with 42.5" on your 3 wood and 41.5-42" on your 5 wood.  Remember, this will lighten the swingweight, so you'll have to get the head weight back up, but I'm sure this will help you hit more solid shots more often!

[GuamAP2]

 Thank you, I have read about this the whole day and apparently what you said is the consensus. I have decided to have them cut to 44" driver, 42" 3 wood and 41" 5 wood. I hit that one long drive once in a while at the sweet spot but I tracked my drives and at best I am at 22% hitting the fairways and last time after shoulder and back rehab I'm down to 7% and struggle to control the club. I hope with these changes I will have more control. I will keep you posted on the results.

[1badbadger]

20 minutes ago, GuamAP2 said:

 Thank you, I have read about this the whole day and apparently what you said is the consensus. I have decided to have them cut to 44" driver, 42" 3 wood and 41" 5 wood. I hit that one long drive once in a while at the sweet spot but I tracked my drives and at best I am at 22% hitting the fairways and last time after shoulder and back rehab I'm down to 7% and struggle to control the club. I hope with these changes I will have more control. I will keep you posted on the results.

I think you'll notice a dramatic improvement Guam.  Remember, the key is to keep the swingweight from getting too light.  If you are shortening your driver by just over 1", that will reduce the swingweight by 6 to 7 points.  Personally, I like lead tape. It's cheap, easy to use, won't hurt the finish of the club, and worst case scenario you can peel it off and start over.  Some guys don't like the way it looks, but I've got it on a bunch of my clubs including my woods and it doesn't bother me.

Keep us posted!

[GuamAP2]

Does it matter where the tape goes? How much is the weight of the tape how much to put in? Sorry newbie here and not much resource on Guam for this kind of things

[1badbadger]

4 hours ago, GuamAP2 said:

Does it matter where the tape goes? How much is the weight of the tape how much to put in? Sorry newbie here and not much resource on Guam for this kind of things

Here is some information that will help. Applying the lead tape in the middle of the back of the club is a good place.  I don't like to put it on the sole, but sometimes there is no other place to put it.

[Mattyboy73]

On 6/14/2014 at 7:04 AM, Shindig said:

I have this perceived advantage with my 44" driver over a 46" one I used to use (and I'd usually do an AK grip on that, but not by two inches). I think I'm hitting the center of the clubhead more. But I haven't done an actual study on it or anything, and there are other variables in play too.

The bottom line is the manufactures know damn well that distance sells drivers when advertising. I have been in the industry for 25 yrs running golf companies and have talked with the top CEO’s in the industry of the largest companies out there. Amateur golfers want to hear they will gain more yardage so every ad campaign revolves around it. Whether your skill level can actually see the benefits is debatable but with AI is getting better but by and large all manufacturers are selling clubs too long for amateur golfers.  By an large amateur golfers will fair much better with a driver 45” and shorter. I have a clubhead speed of 122 mph and I have to use a Tour X shaft with a head that needs to get extra weight added to it do be at my optimal D-2 swing weight.  I have played with the longest hitters in the game (admittedly not Bubba) but guys who have been right next to him on driving distance stats and the majority (including Tiger until recently) all generally were in the 43.5-44.5” range. There are always exceptions to any blanket statement!! So this is not a blanket statement by any means but holds true in large part!!! These guys swings are virtually perfect and virtually repeatable almost every time with the tiniest of variances (no one is perfect). But amateur golfers would be very wise to error on the shorter side but make sure you pay attention to the swing weight and clubhead weight which several people have mentioned.  The frequency of the shaft obviously also comes into play when you start cutting shafts so you need a good club fitter to help you make sure all of these things are looked at.  Dotting a ball like one person mentioned is a rudimentary way of at least finding the length you can handle but if you start cutting it will stiffen the shaft,  especially if it it is tipped cut versus butt city but it has to be taken into account.  The Ping G10 is a perfect example of a great club design that has a innovative way to inject weight into a head if you have to get it the head weight back up because you go shorter and the swing weight becomes C-8 or something like that. But all companies due this for their players and will do it for you if you work through someone that is a certified fitter of that brand. So work with a club fitter even if it is using good old fashion lead tape put in the right place to ensure the proper CG, swing weight and shaft frequency (proper stiffness) to get the best of both accuracy and distance that your skill level can expect!!!