choking down or shorter shaft

[Gerald]

Recently I (we) got the advise to choke down on the grip of a too long driver, I've been testing out ..... trying this, thus, etc. not with a few balls, but with many full buckets of balls.

If I choke down let's say 1 inch on a 45 inch driver ..... I gain contol ..... period, also without really loosing distance or maybe only a few yards, maybe I find the sweetspot more often and hit it with better results.

Problem is choking down feels odd and also the the grip becomes thinner, which is leading to some other problems....... although in my case ..... is promoting a slight draw...... still it feels strange !!!

Wouldn't it be better to shorthen the shaft .... so that the grip feels normal again ?

[Scott_K]

I think the general advice on choking up on the driver was just to get a feel for the difference and to show everyone that you will gain accuracy. Yes the grip will taper down some and it may feel weird to have a little club overhanging your hand, but at least you get the feel for it before you commit and cut your shaft down. It will probably change the swingweight a little, but for most of us, we probably won't be able to tell as long as your cutting it from the grip end.

I think I'm going to cut soon (my stock = 46.25") and if I'm still not happy, swap out the shaft. I keep flip floppin'

[Jon K]

If you are more concerned about control off your driver, I think cutting your shaft is a great idea.... once you're comfortable and confident with that driver, you can then widen your stance and give er hell on those wide open fairways when you need to gain back some of that distance. Make sure you don't cut it too much though .. cutting your shaft starts altering your kick point and eventually will just mess up the entire club if you cut too much off. IMO don't cut more than an inch ... inch and a half at most.

[MGP]

Recently I (we) got the advise to choke down on the grip of a too long driver, I've been testing out ..... trying this, thus, etc. not with a few balls, but with many full buckets of balls.

I think you answered your own question. A shorter shaft works for you, you've proven that. The grip being thinner bothers you (same here). So get the club shortened. I've done it to almost all my drivers and fairway woods. A decent clubmaker or shop can do this in about 10 minutes and shouldn't charge you much for it -- maybe $20 (or UK equivalent) and the cost of a new grip. It's dead easy to do.

[bman1313]

Cutting it down is a good idea. Make sure a good clubfitter does it and I would make sure you get the swing weight back to a at least D0. Depending on the weight of the head and overall weight of the club a half inch is equal to approximately 3 swingweights.

[RobS]

There are a few different options:

1. Cut the shaft
2. Add more grip tape to the middle of the grip.
3. Buy a larger grip.

As many others have mentioned, adding weight or cutting the shaft will change the swingweight, total weight, and shaft stiffness or frequency.

[The Road Dog]

Robs has hit it with #3. Put a larger grip on the driver and don't cut the shaft. This allows you to grip lower now. But later as you gain skill you can go back to a longer club. Grips are cheaper
than shafts.