Shorter driver shafts

[misty_mountainhop]

Last few rounds I've been choking down an inch or so on all my clubs; not just the driver. Still a bit early to say but lets just say it looks like it's worth pursuing.

My driver is 45" (I think) but if I could be bothered I think I'd have it shaved an inch. So far, choking down, I'm hitting the ball at least as far as before and definitely more accurately. Same goes for irons. Definitely down to a good, consistent strike.

I'd be very surprised if anyone was losing 10 yards off a tee shot because they either choked down an inch or had their club shortened by a similar amount.

As for the TM Burners, I'm sure I read they were 46.5" and the shaft weight was, what, 49g? Now that IS a bad/dumb combination.

[JOSEPHLB]

What is the actual standard length of a driver shaft or is there such a thing? I am 5' 10" and like mentioned in multiple posts, I would prefer to have control over the shot as I am generally a good iron player.

There really isn't an industry standard in the golf world. What happened, as manufacturers fight over the claims to have the longest driver out, lengths have gotten longer. Also, when the shift from steel shafted woods went to graphite; you have to build it longer than steel, to get the driver in the "D" swingweight range.

[Matt P]

cutting the shaft down is only part of the equation as if you are also changing the swingweight of the club. Going to a club fitter to get the work done ensures that the club will be both the lenght you need and the proper swingweight, or at a swingweight you are comfortable with.

[MGP]

Most of my shortened drivers play in the C8-C9 range. It doesn't bother me in the least and I can't even tell the difference unless I swing one of the longer drivers then immediately swing a shorter one. Even then the difference is minimal and hard to detect.

I've built, trimmed, modified and weighted a lot of my friends clubs. Most of them can't tell the difference between C8 and D1. They can tell the difference between more center face shots and less though...

[hamletsdead]

Great topic. I've been on a search for a shorter driver with a smaller head for a month or so now, and gave up looking for a new KZG small-head and am just going to use my Tour Exotics strong 3-wood (13°).

I've been struggling with consistency on my drives, and realized I hit my 3-wood almost just as far and am also virtually always in the fairway with it, except for the occasional crazy topped shot. I took it in yesterday to have my club maker swap out my shaft for the same Aldila DVS I have in my hybrid (the 80 gram wood shaft), and am having him shorten it to 42.25" (and add some lead inside to keep it D2-D3).

Although the big dog drivers are alluring -- if only because they look like they can hit a monster drive -- after some reflection I realized that I hit my 2H better than any club in the bag, and routinely get it out there 200-210 (and sometimes 230) yards without much trouble; if i can replicate that success with a shortened 3W I'm betting I'm sitting at 240 in the middle of the fairway consistently. And that's where I want to be, regardless of what club gets it there.

[Caddyshack]

I have been doing a bit more research into this and have found out my 3 wood is 44" thats just crazy!! im going to choke down on both driver and 3 wood for the next 5 or so rounds on courses i know and if there is more accuracy and similar distance then im biting the bullet and taking and inch or 2 off both...

[white]

Maybe i can learn something from that .

[clearwaterms]

the current driver in my bag is actually 43" and it works quite well for me.

[Guest]

I'm very new to golf, a late bloomer in my 30's hehe... I'm considering buying the 2008 TaylorMade Burner that comes with a 46" shaft. I'm 6'2" but was still concerned that

I'm 6'3" and I cut my driver down to 44". Reason being I was always hitting out of the heal of the club. Took an inch off and same stance same swing but middle of club. Improving the distance and accuracy of my drives. I also cut my 3 and 5 woods down. Makes then very easy to use. Tiger has used a 43.5 driver shaft in the past. So I say cut that shaft.

[Alley Cat]

I'm 6'3" and I cut my driver down to 44". Reason being I was always hitting out of the heal of the club. Took an inch off and same stance same swing but middle of club. Improving the distance and accuracy of my drives. I also cut my 3 and 5 woods down. Makes then very easy to use. Tiger has used a 43.5 driver shaft in the past. So I say cut that shaft.

Yeah, I went and played my 1st round with the new driver and I felt a little erratic on the front 9, but then decided to start choking up on the club a little and found myself hitting more consistent shots. I think I'm going to go down at least an inch to 44.5", maybe 44". Thanks for the input.

[tricky]

I've long been a fan of a shorter driver and three wood. Recently I've come to thinking that the shorter driver combination might work better with a steel shaft.

Rationale? Well, I always hit steel shafted three woods better, and much prefer the feel. If I'm shortening the shaft, and reducing the swing weight, might I be able to afford use a steel shaft over graphite? I've tried various graphite three woods, and always come back to a cheap steel shafted small headed club (one of the factors in my preference for a shorter shaft is that i prefer a smaller club head as it feels less intrusive with my quick swing, and that's much easier to hit consistently with a shorter shaft).

I have a set of old much loved titanium titlest heads (all but the driver head still attached to their horribly whippy graphite shafts). I am very seriously toying with getting them made up into a short set with steel shafts. Any comments or advice appreciated.

P.S. I feel like I should say hello here, I'm new you see...... I'm an infrequent player (circa ten times a year), but a relatively long time golf club member (over ten years). I've been playing football on saturdays, and what with family commitments and british weather this means that I've never committed to golf. This changes this summer. Although I have a handicap of 21, I'm capable of playing much closer to 14-12 with a few rounds under my belt. I currently have a set of clubs that don't suit me (Callaway graphite shafted clubs, a hand me down from my father), and research has led me to a hungry lust for a set of Ping S58's (which I shall buy second hand as all the S58 users shed their clubs for the new S57's). I've trialled a set of these, and I hit them like a dream - both long, straight and consistent; everything my Callaways are not. I've not hit a club so striaght and consistent since my original £70 training set (no joke, they weren't as long, but I miss them.....).

Anyway. Hello all.

[I KyotE I]

okay when I got my xls I didn't get fully fit. more of a demo and see wich worded the best. I like it it is doing good but when I did the golf smith e-fit I found that for my height I should have about 3/4 of an inch less on my shafts. how much, providing there is a general rule, will having my driver cut down 3/4 of an inch hurt me or possibly help me. I don't have the straightest drive(who does) I started with a light fade but now that I am learning to get a better impact even swinging at the pace I like to, fast, I am getting some light pulls with the every-now-and-then push if that can help. If anyone has any info on how cutting my shaft down would affect me I would love to hear it. Maybe just doing it to the rest of the clubs and leaving the driver...for now at least might be the best choice?

[MikeLowry5]

I am going to have mine cut down to 44" tomorrow. I am 5'-8" and prefer a more upright swing which plays hell with trying to swing a driver. Once everything is complete and a trip to the range has been completed I'll let everyone know.

[grantc79]

I'm 6'5 and play a 44 inch driver :)

The amount of distance gained by an extra inch on your driver is negated a million times over by missing the sweet spot by a quarter of an inch.

[MikeLowry5]

I'm 6'5 and play a 44 inch driver :)

I think I am going to cut mine down to 39.75" now...... :)

[WUTiger]

If you cut down your driver shaft, it will lighten the swingweight. Clubfitters have a formula to estimate swingweight change.

You might need some lead tape to compensate. One after-market company have come up with lead weight ovals and discs which are thicker than tape, and easier to position neatly on the clubhead.

[Deryck Griffith]

I am 6'2" and just recently put a 45" (cut down from 46") proforce Tour Green shaft (75g) in my driver. I will never EVER go back to anything longer and with the combination of lower torque and shorter length in my shaft, I can feel exactly where the head of the club is during my swing. With these longer shafts, most players lose the feeling of the Clubhead throughout the swing which can lead to left and right shots. Shorter is the only way to go.

[Shanks A Million]

I am 5' 10" and I have a 2008 Tour Burner. I just got the shaft cut down to 44.5". I would rather have more potential for control then distance. Losing 10 yards (if in fact that's what I'll lose) is okay. 10 yards less on the fairway is better than 10 yards further into the trees. ;)

2 yards, actually, on a dead center hit. That's it, 2 yards per inch. Not as much as most people think.

I'm 6'5 and play a 44 inch driver :)

Absolutely. 99% of drivers are too long. I play a 44" driver, and I'll say even 44" is hard for most people to control. I'm 6' tall, and I consider 44.5" to be the maximum I would ever want. 42"-43" may even be better. 99% of golfers will add distance with a shorter shaft, not lose it. When my driver was at 45", I was hitting it 10-20 yards shorter. Cutting it down not only made it stiffer (I tipped it too), it made the swingweight a little more comfortable, and controllable.

If I measured the drives of 100 forum members here, and then cut their drivers down 1", I would bet that 99 of them would actually be hitting it further .