More control with the Driver = More loft or less length?

[podunker]

I have been curious about this question for a while. Read lots of different opinions on subject. Just thought I would see what you all have to say about it. I am needing a little more control with my driver. I am debating on cutting it down to 44" for more control. I play a 10.5 loft now, thought about getting a 12+ also and trying it. Maybe a combination of less length and more loft would even be better. I'm not concerned about distance really, just want something I can hit 235-245 in the fairway on tight holes. I want to take advantage of the large 460 heads on drivers for forgiveness that's why I don't hit a 3 wood. I have much more confidence with the larger heads. Been looking at some drivers with 13-15 degrees of loft also. But am curious to hear from people that have cut there driver shaft length down.

[LuciusWooding]

Shorter length, 1000%. It feels like a totally different club, and often it allows one to swing faster and keep a more controlled backswing. More loft is great, but you claim to hit it over 230 so there's no reason to go higher than 10* unless you hit it super low. The idea that loft counteracts sidespin (spin axis) is really not that significant, especially if it's only a degree or two of loft. Plus you hit it far enough that spin could become a problem, especially into the wind. If you want a 15* club, make it one you can hit off the deck IMO unless you really like lots of long clubs.

I play a 44.5" driver and would go as short as 43". The difference in clubhead speed is about 2 mph for me, and I make up for it in accuracy.

I hit my 44.5" driver a lot straighter than my 45" with 1.5* more loft.

Plus, butt trimming a shaft costs nothing or at most a few bucks to get it done, while a loft change is a whole new club. Might as well try it first before shelling out for a new club, especially a driver.

[Mr. Desmond]

I went to a 12.5 head (Adams 9088 UL) but installed a 45 inch length shaft with an aftermarket Fuji Blur 55g shaft and get more distance and more accuracy than with my former driver - a TM Superfast 2.0 10.5 and 13 deg in stock shaft and length - 46.5 inches. Plus, the new driver is a fairway finder.

When I put both setups in the launch monitor, for some reason, I was getting 7-8 more mph of swing speed with the Adams/Fuji Blur 55g Combo.

So I would say it is more than loft and length - a club and shaft design that works and with which you feel comfortable also contribute to speed. You don't have to settle.

[GaijinGolfer]

You shouldnt just cut down the shaft because its going to change the flex.  Go to a golf shop, tell them what you want to do and have them fit you properly to a shaft.

[inthehole]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

Shorter length, 1000%. It feels like a totally different club, and often it allows one to swing faster and keep a more controlled backswing. More loft is great, but you claim to hit it over 230 so there's no reason to go higher than 10* unless you hit it super low. The idea that loft counteracts sidespin (spin axis) is really not that significant, especially if it's only a degree or two of loft. Plus you hit it far enough that spin could become a problem, especially into the wind. If you want a 15* club, make it one you can hit off the deck IMO unless you really like lots of long clubs.

I play a 44.5" driver and would go as short as 43". The difference in clubhead speed is about 2 mph for me, and I make up for it in accuracy.

I hit my 44.5" driver a lot straighter than my 45" with 1.5* more loft.

Plus, butt trimming a shaft costs nothing or at most a few bucks to get it done, while a loft change is a whole new club. Might as well try it first before shelling out for a new club, especially a driver.

totally agree - I've significantly shortened my last 2 drivers & have never hit the ball as consistently AND farther.    As TitleistWI said, shortening will stiffen the flex.   I had a Nike Dymo in stiff flex & after I shortened it, I was pushing everything right - it was too stiff - lesson learned.     I buy regular shaft flex clubs now & after I shorten them, it stiffens them up & they play just about right (for me) - so this is a valid point & something to keep in mind when buying a club.     Granted, it's relative to how much you remove - through trial and error, an inch and a half off works well for me - if you only took half an inch off, wouldn't affect the flex nearly as much.    I'm not good enough to feel if the club is or is not perfectly balanced, so I do the work myself as opposed to having it done at a pro shop.    As with everything in life length matters, but from my experience as a high handicapper, less of it is a good thing when it comes to drivers .

[lumpuckeroo]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

Shorter length, 1000%. It feels like a totally different club, and often it allows one to swing faster and keep a more controlled backswing. More loft is great, but you claim to hit it over 230 so there's no reason to go higher than 10* unless you hit it super low. The idea that loft counteracts sidespin (spin axis) is really not that significant, especially if it's only a degree or two of loft. Plus you hit it far enough that spin could become a problem, especially into the wind. If you want a 15* club, make it one you can hit off the deck IMO unless you really like lots of long clubs.

I play a 44.5" driver and would go as short as 43". The difference in clubhead speed is about 2 mph for me, and I make up for it in accuracy.

I hit my 44.5" driver a lot straighter than my 45" with 1.5* more loft.

Plus, butt trimming a shaft costs nothing or at most a few bucks to get it done, while a loft change is a whole new club. Might as well try it first before shelling out for a new club, especially a driver.

Completely agree, when I'm needing to hit a fairway, I do what I call the Anthony Kim driver.  I choke up 1-1.5 inches and always seem to hit is solid and straight.  I honestly don't know why I don't do that all the time or just have my shaft shortened.  My brother plays a Taylormade R9 and was hitting the ball all over the course, he went in for a fitting and they had him go with a shorter shaft and all his troubles went away.

[anthony]

I had my Nike Sumo cut down to right around 43.75" two years ago and it was the smartest thing I ever did with my driver. It immediately felt better to swing and more under control. I didn't see any noticeable loss in distance in any way. It will be the first thing I do with my next driver.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by inthehole

totally agree - I've significantly shortened my last 2 drivers & have never hit the ball as consistently AND farther.    As TitleistWI said, shortening will stiffen the flex.   I had a Nike Dymo in stiff flex & after I shortened it, I was pushing everything right - it was too stiff - lesson learned.     I buy regular shaft flex clubs now & after I shorten them, it stiffens them up & they play just about right (for me) - so this is a valid point & something to keep in mind when buying a club.     Granted, it's relative to how much you remove - through trial and error, an inch and a half off works well for me - if you only took half an inch off, wouldn't affect the flex nearly as much.    I'm not good enough to feel if the club is or is not perfectly balanced, so I do the work myself as opposed to having it done at a pro shop.    As with everything in life length matters, but from my experience as a high handicapper, less of it is a good thing when it comes to drivers  .

Very true.  Cutting the shaft down is fine, you just need to make sure you start with a weaker flex.  I sometimes feel like people think that they can just take a hacksaw to their shaft, put a new grip on it and call it a day.

[DeanS]

Anthony Kim grew up using adult length clubs and plays with longer clubs today because thats what he is use to. Tiger's comment was that the extra length gave Kim better balance and more control. You might try choking down for a while.

[LuciusWooding]

Surely trimming the butt end of the shaft wouldn't significantly affect flex? Many shafts are trimmed 3" from the butt to be placed in a 3 wood, and they remain the same flex. Tipping the shaft is another thing, but I was led to believe the butt section was used to fit length while the tip section needs to remain intact to maintain kick point and playing characteristics of the shaft. As long as one trims from the butt end, it won't make much difference. That's how you fit length in most cases.

Swingweight, however, will change about 3 points per inch I believe. I don't mind that much, as long as the total weight of the club is reasonable. I like my irons to match in swingweight, but my woods are different and harder to match so I don't mind.

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by DeanS

Anthony Kim grew up using adult length clubs and plays with longer clubs today because thats what he is use to. Tiger's comment was that the extra length gave Kim better balance and more control. You might try choking down for a while.

IIRC, AK still grips down 1" to 1-1/2" on all of his clubs though.

Trimming 1-1/2" off of the butt of your driver shouldn't impact flex much.  Might change swingweight, but that's really just a number, and you can always add a little weight back to the head if it really changes the feel of the club.  Either way, the physics of the shaft are no different if you grip down 1-1/2" or butt trim the same amount.

I'll jump in on the bandwagon that shorter is straighter.  I had been playing the "old standard" length driver and 3-wood (43/42) up until last summer when I bought new clubs at the "new standard" length (45/43).  I trimmed an inch off of both my driver and 3-wood and gained distance and accuracy on both.

[logman]

There's something about gripping down the driver that doesn't quite feel the same as a shortened club but it'l give you the feeling of what the shorty feels like. I've got the 14 degree driver at about 44 .5 '. It's a real game changer for me. It gave me a fairway in regulation percentage of 77%. That makes golf a whole lot easier. I call the 14 degree the "safety driver" and I've paired it up with a 9 degree at 46" and a third driver at 20 degrees and 42". Go for it I reckon.