A question for the pundits.

[mizuno_lover]

I just read an article on the blog about driver lengths that I found quite compelling on driver lengths and how far players (non elite amateurs) actually hit the ball.  The article pointed out that the average length on tour for the driver was around 44 1/2" and that these were the guys that were pounding it out around the 300+ mark.  It also pointed out that the average length drivers we are buying are closer to 46 - 46 1/2" long.  The testing that ensued was with a 43.75" and a 45.75" driver and in most cases accuracy improved by 28% whilst carry distance fell by a yard or two with the shorter shafted option.  (Please note the lengths I have used are pretty close to what was used but I'm going from memory)  I also understand the concept of the shorter the shaft the more control you have and the easier it is to find the middle of the clubface.

 

The questions I have are, has anyone tried the shorter shafted option and if so what differenced did you find?  Was there any distance loss?  Did your accuracy improve?

 

I have a G25, 12 degree 46 1/2" driver.  Curiously my 3 wood is a 15 degree Mizuno that is 43 1/2" long.  I am wondering if its worth taking 2" off the driver and 1 - 1/12" off the 3 wood.  I tend to really smoke the 3 wood and rarely hit off line so maybe I should just leave it alone and just do the driver which I hit 250 - 260 pretty consistently but more often than not maybe 1 in 4 drives hit the fairway and the ones that don't are less than desirable.  Your thoughts gentlemen.

[Blade]

Just remember you'll have to add some weight to the head to get it to feel right if you take two inches off. It will likely feel stiffer too. Play around with it choking down a couple of inches before actually doing it. If you do, you might want to start with one inch. Then maybe a half inch more if you like it. If you still want the full two inches off take another half off. I would work my way there experimenting along the way instead of taking it all at once. It could really change the feel of the club.

[Mr_Theoo]

I play my 3wood at 42 inches which is much shorter than stock and I feel it's just as long if not longer off the tee cause I can control it. My driver is about 45 inches I'd like to go shorter but haven't been able to find anywhere that has shorter options to try.

[fozcycle]

Why don't you just choke up 2" and swing away?

[revkev]

Two inches is a lot. I will give you the standard MGS line, get fitted. The question is always what length shaft helps you hit the ball on the sweet spot the highest percentage of the time.

 

They are talking fitting on the Morning Drive BTW.

[Mr_Theoo]

Why don't you just choke up 2" and swing away?

For me it's not comfortable with the longer clubs

[jbil8802]

I cut down a stock shaft on my G25 a while back. Took 1" off it. Didn't feel much of a difference in swingweight or anything but obviously some people are more perceptive to that kind of thing.

[fozcycle]

For me it's not comfortable with the longer clubs

 

I agree, but you can get a sense whether the shorter shaft is better for you BEFORE you start cutting.

[mizuno_lover]

Two inches is a lot. I will give you the standard MGS line, get fitted. The question is always what length shaft helps you hit the ball on the sweet spot the highest percentage of the time.

 

They are talking fitting on the Morning Drive BTW.

 

Agreed Rev, and hitting the ball on the sweet spot is what I want to achieve as well as having it square to avoid the 3 out 4 that go where I don't want them to.  Unfortunately we don't get "Morning Drive" over here.

 

Not much of a one for choking down on clubs.  Can do it but prefer not to and had a crack at it in the back yard and it really does feel quite odd.  Might just buy a second hand G25 driver and get the shaft out of it cut down and try that.  G25's are old tech now and going pretty cheap aroundabouts.

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[evershady]

I just cut down my Driver shaft from 45.5 to 44 I haven't played a round yet but I went to the range and the dispersion was much less it's a Bi-matrix and i still have to stock shaft and i was switching back and forth between the two. I was really working the 44 both ways and didn't see a dramatic loss in distance. 

[PlaidJacket]

My driver (SLDR 45.25" - I recall) earlier this summer I met with my fitter for the purpose of getting a new custom driver. (Wishon 919 THI) The driver fit turned out to be a disaster quite frankly. I was hitting my SLDR great and still do. I just had decided I wanted a custom fit driver like the rest of my bag. After the fitting I thought I had a good fit and was excited to get the new club. However, after it arrived and I began practicing with it and playing it some I realized something was wrong. This particular driver is non-adjustable. I can't explain it accurately but Wishon doesn't design the face of his drivers like most companies do. His have a straight face angle from bottom to top as opposed to a slight bulge other use. Anyway, you can find information and read up on it if you like. The new driver was also built to 45". I just never could launch the ball high enough. In short... after further testing the 919 side by side with the SLDR on a launch monitor and hitting out doors I returned the 919. I did discuss playing a shorter length and tested a 44" setup but the results for me were not optimal. By the way... my old Wilson Staff wood driver and my Lewisville H&B persimmon driver are both exactly 43".

[Kor.A.Door]

You won't feel change to the stiffness of the shaft, even with 2 inches off you will only change the flex very minimally if at all. I read the article as well, and yes longer does mean longer, otherwise the long drive guys would be using 44" drivers vs. The 48-50" drivers the use, but the cost of distance is that you lose accuracy I di t think that the fix all is to cut 2" off the driver because the text says that's a good idea, I think if your shaft is 46.5" the. I would start with 1" and the. Adjust from there, the idea is that with the shorter length driver you will find the center of the face more often so your distance will increase as well as your accuracy. Getting fit is the fastest way to find out what is best for you, but if you are like some, you like to experiment, I like to tinker with things as well, but in this instance inwould try to find somewhere I could try different length shafts and find out what length shaft works best for me.

[MmmmmmBuddy]

I have played the same length in every driver since 1997. I have had to make adjustments to the lengths over the years to get the feel correct, but I just cannot accurately hit a driver any longer than 45". (this was considered a tad long back in the day....)

[jbil8802]

I'm not sure what eBay is like for you down under, but you can usually find the TFC 189 driver shafts on there for pretty cheap.

[RookieBlue7]

I play my driver at 44.5". You'll hit the ball further and straighter by finding the center of the face more often. The shorter shaft makes that easier. Think of it as swing a sledgehammer at its normal length vs putting a sledgehammer head on a 5 foot piece of rope. Which one are you going to be on target with more often?

[mizuno_lover]

Thanks for the replies so far men.  There is some good advice there and I have plenty to think about.  I priced a TFC 189 haft on E Bay and they are about $25 au plaus postage so about $60 all up.  Pretty cheap and will plug straight in.  I've never had a fitting done with a launch monitor so that is an exciting prospect to consider too.  It is a real comfort knowing good advice is just a post away on the forums here.  I'll let you know how I go.

[wbealsd]

FWIW, if at all possible work with a fitter that has a lot of options available to test.  There are SO many variables in a well fit club it's all speculation until you actually play it on the course.

 

As a rule of thumb, a shorter shaft is easier to control, but your mileage may vary.

 

In my case, I've found some heads are easier for me to square at impact with longer shafts, while others just don't work well with any shaft I've tried, regardless of length.

[EthanSterlingPrice]

I've used a shorter driver like those you mentioned and I like them. The last driver I had was like that and it seemed like it was a fairway magnet and a bomber, I'm gonna get the shaft in my current gamer to match the old one and we'll see how it matches up then I'll let you know.