Shorter driver shaft

[JML22]

well ill just see how it goes at 45.5 or 45 and play it by ear.
no idea what swing weight really is, and wont til i have to deal with it haha.
All i know is a 46.5 driver is riddiculous and it gets away from my sometimes

[JML22]

That number didnt work, said its not assigned
know any others?

[Ruckus]

All my drivers are cut to 44" or 44.5", retaining a D3 swingweight. However, what I've been doing recently is taking the Anthony Kim/ Rickie Fowler approach and choking up about 1.5". In essence, I am hitting a 43" driver. I've never hit so many fairways in my life. I'm not concerned with losing a few yards... at least I am hitting my next shot from the fairway. I tried hitting my buddy's 43" driver, and it just doesn't feel the same. Give it a try before you cut your shaft down.

[JML22]

Yeah i have, i dunno it just feels weird choking up to be honest. But ill give it a try again and see
Been hitting all my clubs with much more confidence lately, its actualyl been a month since i've hit my 09 burner, so who knows what will happen

[HytrewQasdfg]

A shorter driver shaft will be a bit stiffer and 6-8 swing weights lighter. Will be more difficult to load the shaft for impact. But if you hit the fairway three times more often, remember straight is long.

This is why you should take it to a pro to have it shortened. By adding weight to the head, he can return the swing weight to its original level, and also decrease the effective stiffness of the shaft (adding weight to the head effectivly makes the shaft less stiff).

The other thing to remember is you don't "cut" a graphite shaft. If you try to use say a hacksaw (or worse yet a pipe cutter like you would on an iron shaft) the graphite will splinter. You need a special blade that looks like a rope impregnated with grit (it mounts on a hacksaw). In effect you are fileing away the graphite shaft instead of cutting it.

[JML22]

Weird, i never thought about swing weight before.
I'm about to head to the range we'll see how it goes. My driver definitely feels awkwardly long now

[SpringBokVol]

Question for anyone who has cut there's down - have you noticed an increase or decrease in your swing speed? Or has it stayed constant?

[JML22]

well i used my 09 burner today, 46.5 is just riddiculous, i have to get it cut down or get a new shaft or something

[TempoIsKey]

I played with a 09 Burner for a while last season and you're right, the shaft is way long. I had mine cut down to 44.5 which made the swing weight really light feeling. I got some lead tape and went to the range and kept putting tape on the club while hitting balls until i got the club feeling right. After you get it feeling good to you, you could have a qualified clubmaker do it permanently if seeing the tape bothers you. Just a thought.

[bigoak]

That is a pretty blanket statement. It all depends on how much is cut off and where it is cut from. A couple of inches isn't going to noticeable affect the stiffness. The general rule for sw is 3 points for each .5".

That is a pretty blanket statement also. I am sure that you have a scale to measure the swing weight after the alteration or is that under the blanket too. In my shop I have altered the length of hundreds of clubs and measured the change in frequency. 3 swing weight points for a half inch for an accomplished player is a lot.

[HytrewQasdfg]

That is a pretty blanket statement. It all depends on how much is cut off and where it is cut from. A couple of inches isn't going to noticeable affect the stiffness. The general rule for sw is 3 points for each .5".

I think that depends on the shaft. A lot of shafts are designed to be combo R/S shafts, and the initial stiffness is determined by how much you trim off the tip. Take this example:

Adilia VX Regular flex trimming instructions Driver - 0 trim 2 Wood - 0 trim 3 Wood - 0.5" trim 4 Wood - 1" trim 5 Wood - 1.5" trim Stiff flex trimming instructions Driver - 2" trim 2 Wood - 2.25" trim 3 Wood - 2.5" trim 4 Wood - 3" trim 5 Wood - 3.5" trim Also notice these trimming instructions for an UST V2 Stiff shaft Driver - 0" trim 2 Wood -0.5" trim 3 Wood - 1" trim 4 Wood - 1.5" trim 5 Wood - 2" trim The reason they do this is because (in theory) your shafts should be stiffer as you go up in clubs. The shaft on a 3-wood should be stiffer than the shaft you your driver. They acheive this by trimming the shaft 1 inch. I know trimming the tip is different than trimming the butt, but shortening the shaft from either end will increase the stiffness at least a little.