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Cutting driver shaft


jerry.wilson

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I have played my driver at 44.5" for quite some time. You'll hear about how the 2" will effect swing weight, etc., but I much prefer the feel at the shorter length.

 

I've gone through a long series of Cobra drivers, and cut them all down to 44.5" without adding any weight back or making any other changes.

 

If you are doing the work yourself, be sure to leave the grip tape on while you cut it to help keep the shaft from splitting. If you don't have the tools/experience, it might be worth letting a local shop do it.

 

 

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I have played my driver at 44.5" for quite some time. You'll hear about how the 2" will effect swing weight, etc., but I much prefer the feel at the shorter length.

 

I've gone through a long series of Cobra drivers, and cut them all down to 44.5" without adding any weight back or making any other changes.

 

If you are doing the work yourself, be sure to leave the grip tape on while you cut it to help keep the shaft from splitting. If you don't have the tools/experience, it might be worth letting a local shop do it.

 

 

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I'm definitely going to let a local shop do it. I just wS curios what things this will effect. Thanks for the reply

 

 

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It'll make the swing weight lighter, but not always a bad thing.

 

It improved my accuracy off the tee by a mile, and didn't really rob me of any distance.

 

 

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I cut down my M1 by about an inch and it definitely helped me be more accurate. The swing weight didn't really change much I don't think but I could be wrong. Give it a go and see what you think. If you want to add weight to the head you can always buy another sliding weight and pop it in on the M1.

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You loose 3 swingweight points for each 0.5" you shorten the club - so for 2" you'll be loosing quite a substantial 12 points, which would take a D4 down to a C2 for example.

To restore swingweight, you need to add approx 2g of weight for each point so you'll be looking at 24g minimum to get the swingweight back. Not too difficult with interchangeable weights but you run into further problems - shaft cpm and flex are affected with each amount of weight you add (or subtract) so adding 24g could weaken the shaft flex by a full flex, meaning it will also possibly ruin the feel of the club too.

Always factor in what you will end up with before making any alterations to a club, especially when you are taking parts of it away. The best compromise would be to choke down on the club with your grip and remove less from the butt if you really have to. Check to see the results before cutting anything.

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Yes, bottom line is that your driver will feel lighter and depending on the shaft a bit more flexible, of course if cutting from the butt end, if you like the feel of it now, you'll have to add weight (lead tape strips, etc), I have always played under 45" in shaft length, currently I am at 44.25" and loving it...good luck

Driver              SLDR TP 10.5* with Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI 60 Tour X, 44.25"

3W                  Ping G25 with Diamana White Board D+ 82X, 42.5", tipped .5"

Driving Iron     Callaway X Prototype Utility with Tour AD DI 105X

Irons               4-P Callaway Tour Authentic Prototype with KBS C-Taper 130X

Wedges          Cleveland RTX-588 46, 50, 54, 58 with True Temper DG Tour X100

Putter              Odyssey White Hot Pro Tour V-Line with Super Stroke 1.0 Pistol GT Tour, 33.25"

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Great info here and I'm one of those who prefers the shorter length shafts.   That's exactly why I fell head over heels in love with my new Callaway Fusion driver which comes stock with the 44.5 shaft.  They added a 12 gram weight to the sole to bring the swing weight back up to D2.  The good thing being no guessing with lead tape or heavy bubble gum. I love it and although she's not the prettiest pickle in the pick jar, she's user friendly!

Ping G430 Max Driver 10.5 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids 
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges

LAB Mezz Max Broomstick Putter / TPT Shaft  (Platinum @ 45/78)

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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Right now I'm playing an M1 at 46.5" with an Aldilla rogue 110msi. I'm wanting to shorten it to 44.5". Is it as simple as just cutting 2" off the butt end of the shaft?? What kind of things do I need to worry about. I'm new to all this.

 

 

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Are you wanting to shorten it because you tried the same club in a shorter shaft?  Did you grip down 2 inches and like the feel?  Or are you just wanting to experiment?  I would first make a call to TaylorMade and ask them what would be the best option.  If you are going to have someone shorten it for you, I would consider sending it back to TaylorMade and have them do to your specs.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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jerry - It is all great information, especially the answer from jaskanski.

 

from the fittings I do, I continually see the benefit of a 44.5" driver (what I too have played for a long time). Firstly, I'd measure the existing SW and do my best to get close to that should you decide to shorten it. However, I agree that there is so much extra weight to be added in this case that you may effect the shaft playing characteristics by just cutting butt end.

 

That said, you could tip it as well (cut tip off) and cut from butt end. Effectively you're shortening from both ends to a preferred length without sacrificing (hopefully) the flex characteristics. If you start down this road, I'd suggest a REALLY smart and qualified fitter to help, or call TM customer service. You may just be able to add a different (heavier) shaft you can play shorter with better results.

 

Lastly, that Rogue shaft is typically low launch/spin. Perhaps altering it's playing characteristics isn't such a bad idea unless you're ball speed will overpower the changes.

 

Just a thought.

Strange is just a different point of view

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Don't get me wrong - there is merit to all of the info above, but I wouldn't worry about all the weight alterations until you try it shorter. You might like it. If you don't like it, you can add weight, go back to a longer shaft, etc.

 

I tried weighting mine, and it felt terrible - went back to stock, but kept it short.

 

For reference, I'm 46 with a bad back. 5'10" 180lbs. I hit my cobra king f6 with a 44.5" shaft and no other mods to alter weight in the 260-280 range and average about 70% of fairways hit.

 

 

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I am just finishing up my experiments with this exact topic. Using a ping G30 shorten to 44.5.... I swing it for a month with no added weight it performed very well at a C4 swing weight.... Then I added LED tape to get it back to a D4 Swang that for about three weeks and can honestly say it was just too heavy even though it was back to the original swing weights. My primary golfing buddy has the same Club at factory length and although mine was the same swing weight it felt like a tank in comparison. A lot of weight at the bottom at impact and I'm sure the shaft was behaving differently as well... looking back at it I can certainly say I changed the ratio of the weight, too much bottom weight, the same swing weight but in different ratio. I actually hit the club okay, but make no mistake it was a completely different Club, no longer a G30 if you get my drift. The sound of the club completely changed as well,, and it was an improvement really LOL LOL....more solid.

 

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I am just finishing up my experiments with this exact topic. Using a ping G30 shorten to 44.5.... I swing it for a month with no added weight it performed very well at a C4 swing weight.... Then I added LED tape to get it back to a D4 Swang that for about three weeks and can honestly say it was just too heavy even though it was back to the original swing weights. My primary golfing buddy has the same Club at factory length and although mine was the same swing weight it felt like a tank in comparison. A lot of weight at the bottom at impact and I'm sure the shaft was behaving differently as well... looking back at it I can certainly say I changed the ratio of the weight, too much bottom weight, the same swing weight but in different ratio. I actually hit the club okay, but make no mistake it was a completely different Club, no longer a G30 if you get my drift. The sound of the club completely changed as well,, and it was an improvement really LOL LOL....more solid.

 

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you may have also changed the shaft stiffness when you added weight

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64 Mack Daddy PM Grind Wedge

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Additional interesting information on my experiment:

I performed the above experiment in two different ways. I put added swing weight down the center bottom from Face To Toe.,, and I put the exact amount of weight across the bottom face underneath the face. The differences were dramatic.... First of all although the same amount of weight was added, the club felt much much heavier with the weight down the center from Face To Toe... And it also retained more forgiveness which the G30 is known for with this weight distribution down the center. But the swing weight was just too heavy for my hands to work with, very inconsistent period. Don't get me wrong, it retains some of the Forgiveness but it was still a completely different Club I was swinging compared to factory.... Most interesting was the swing weight under the face of the club, this very much changed the behavior of the club,, and I got more distance as well I'm sure of it.. And a bit of a more boring trajectory within limits of course we are talking about a G30 that does not boast a boring trajectory... But still an adding 12 grams of weight underneath the face totally changed the behavior of the club and again positive I received the more distance... I also fell in love with the muted sound it gave the G30 period. I actually enjoyed hitting the club with this weight distribution on the face it was just too much weight. It was like buying a new club LOL LOL..... What I am now settled into is only 4 grams of added weight up at the face of the club... This little added weight diminishes a little bit of the Forgiveness of the G30 for sure ,, but with the added benefit of lowering the launch angle and a greatly improved sound. I figure the swing weight is probably a C8, 6 points lower than Factory, but it doesn't feel like it is compared to my friends G30 and I'm convinced that's the important thing... I'd like to finish this very long post by saying that I enjoyed this experiment in the offseason and learned a ton of information hands on,, this is enjoyable for me and I know I'm in the same company with all of you... I learned that people should not blindly start messing around with swing weight without consulting people in the know... Even if you want to experiment like me don't abandon Consulting with Pros they can save you a lot of time and steer you in the right direction.

 

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Yes, bottom line is that your driver will feel lighter and depending on the shaft a bit more flexible, of course if cutting from the butt end, if you like the feel of it now, you'll have to add weight (lead tape strips, etc), I have always played under 45" in shaft length, currently I am at 44.25" and loving it...good luck

 

 

... Actually it will make the shaft play stiffer, especially with no weight added. The easiest thing to do is buy some lead tape and start adding a strip while hitting it at the range. If it feels good, add another strip. Keep adding lead tape until it starts to feel a little heavy. Then remove the last strip and see how it feels. The additional weight will bring the shaft closer to it's original flex, although for some a slightly stiffer flex may be advantageous. You can then either leave the lead tape on the head or buy another weight for a cleaner look. 

 

... I will add I also think it is a good idea to choke down and see how it feels, but some that have a good sense of feel will notice a slight difference after cutting it down, especially 2 inches as there is a counter balanced effect with the extra 2 inches under your hands. That said, most probably won't notice the difference. I know there are some that successfully play their shafts over 45" but they are certainly the minority. Most will find improved accuracy and improved distance with a shorter shaft. They may still hit the occasional bomb with a longer shaft, but playing it at 44.5" usually means constantly longer drives because you are hitting the center more often. Ymmv of course. 

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Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
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Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
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You are right cutting it shorter from the top but stiffens the shaft, don't let any club dealer tell you otherwise... generally you can go for example from a regular to a regular +.... or even more depending on the shaft of course. One of the things I learned for sure is cutting it shorter stiffens the shaft and if you add way much weight to the bottom of the head you have completely decimated the Kik Points that you're used to with the shaft... for me a minor adjustment with LED tape at the bottom of the head seem to work a a mere 4 grams

 

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Question related to the swing weight impact by cutting the shaft...

 

I currently play a mid-60 gram shaft but if I went to a mid-70 gram shaft and cut that one down approx. 1 to 1.5 inches would that help compensate for some of the swing weight reduction?

My answer to this is no, swingweight has more to do with the overall wait of the club... Clubface shaft the combination excetera.... cutting down any shaft even a 70 + gram shaft an inch and a half is going to drastically change the swing weight and feel much lighter... But you still might like the club with the lighter swing weight... With my experiment I just added four grams of weight to a club I shortened and it felt much better than the 12 grams necessary to get the swing weight back to factory.... mild changes to wait of the head will keep the shaft Kik Points operating pretty much the way they should this is very important... some people freak out a lot about that but they really need to experiment with it like what one gentleman said about going to the range and just adding what you think you need... The main factor for me is swinging a shorter Club 44.5 and hitting The Sweet Spot more often and hitting more Fairways... I've read many blogs and articles and that seems to be the ongoing consistent thing that a shorter driver is more consistent with very negligible loss and distance particularly for amateurs like us... a highly refined swing like a professional golfer, they may have a highly refined technique or system that works for them... But I take myself out of those conversations because that's a completely different level

 

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Question related to the swing weight impact by cutting the shaft...

 

I currently play a mid-60 gram shaft but if I went to a mid-70 gram shaft and cut that one down approx. 1 to 1.5 inches would that help compensate for some of the swing weight reduction?

 

The answer is no, so long as the shafts are the same balance point. Swingweight is basically an expression of the balance of the total club - not an expression of the total mass. If you add weight to the head the swing weight will go up, but the length and overall mass of the club will also have an effect on the overall balance of the club. As soon as you cut down any club, the swing weight drops because the mass has to be shifted further back to achieve the same balance point. It doesn't seem like a big deal when cutting a club down an inch or two, but when you realise the effect it has on the point of the club that is furthest away from your body when you swing it (i.e. the club head), then it is the most important swingweight component to get right. On the other end of the club, the swingweight change is less noticeable because the fulcrum is now nearer the body (i.e. your hands), so grip mass is less critical perhaps, but still has the same effect on the total balance of the club. The point is, it's less discernible to the senses when you swing the club, as opposed to the head which is very discernible when you swing the club.

The swing weight merely describes how the total mass is distributed along the total length of the club, not how the individual components mass are calculated. So it's possible to have a heavy shaft with a shorter length to have a lower swing weight than a much lighter shaft with more length. 

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The answer is no, so long as the shafts are the same balance point. Swingweight is basically an expression of the balance of the total club - not an expression of the total mass. If you add weight to the head the swing weight will go up, but the length and overall mass of the club will also have an effect on the overall balance of the club. As soon as you cut down any club, the swing weight drops because the mass has to be shifted further back to achieve the same balance point. It doesn't seem like a big deal when cutting a club down an inch or two, but when you realise the effect it has on the point of the club that is furthest away from your body when you swing it (i.e. the club head), then it is the most important swingweight component to get right. On the other end of the club, the swingweight change is less noticeable because the fulcrum is now nearer the body (i.e. your hands), so grip mass is less critical perhaps, but still has the same effect on the total balance of the club. The point is, it's less discernible to the senses when you swing the club, as opposed to the head which is very discernible when you swing the club.

The swing weight merely describes how the total mass is distributed along the total length of the club, not how the individual components mass are calculated. So it's possible to have a heavy shaft with a shorter length to have a lower swing weight than a much lighter shaft with more length.

Great post... this explains why simply replacing the weight at the bottom of a club for example 12 grams to get it back to factory swing weight simply doesn't work at least in my experiment.. it felt like a brick at the bottom.. I simply settled into adding just 4 grams and the club felt fine to me... Weight distribution is key... Great post

 

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I just recently cut my Cobra F6+ down to 43.5 from 44.5 and it has been fantastic. I haven't noticed any drop from distance either, just much easier to find the middle of the face.

 

 

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Thanks for the replies gents...very helpful info.

 

I've been gaming my M2 since January 2016 and it's around 45.5 inches.  Prior to that I gamed a Bridgestone J715 with the shaft cut down to around 43.75 inches.  That thing was a fairway finding machine.  However, when I demo'd the M2 I was getting around 10-15 yards more distance.  I'd say comfortably I can nut the thing and be pretty consistent around 75% of the time.  However, that other 25% it goes a bit left or right (not OB or anything but definitely missing the fairway).  I've got a few spare shafts laying around and one in particular - UST VTS Silver 7S Tour SPX - has been begging me to cut it down an inch and give it a try in the M2.  I think I'm going to tinker with it and see if dispersion tightens up a bit while maintaining my distance for the most part.

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This has been a very entertaining and informative thread! Good stuff guys...

 

 

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Ping G430 Max Driver 10.5 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids 
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges

LAB Mezz Max Broomstick Putter / TPT Shaft  (Platinum @ 45/78)

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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I finally went to my club fitter yesterday to have the Ping adapter put on my Paderson shaft.

 

Its currently at 45" with a D3 swing weight and clearly in the R range for flex.

 

I should have had him check the numbers with the other shaft in.

 

I picked up yardage and accuracy with my SLDR and M1 (never bagged) with that shaft. I'm hoping for similar results here. If not I will just drop the old shaft back in.

 

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Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

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Interesting article about how Rickie Fowler has cut his driver shaft down, again. 

 

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/find-more-fairways-fowler-shortens-driver/

 

 

I picked up a Ping G30 that comes stock at 45.75 and man it feels like I'm swinging a telephone pole!  My other driver which is the Callaway Fusion came stock at 44.5.  I took the Ping out for a few holes today and it didn't take long to realize I prefer the 44.5 so the Ping will be getting a trim down asap....

Ping G430 Max Driver 10.5 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids 
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges

LAB Mezz Max Broomstick Putter / TPT Shaft  (Platinum @ 45/78)

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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Wise decision,,, my gut tells me other manufacturers are going to start following Callaway lead and make shorter stock shafts

 

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I'm betting Cobra will be the next to offer the shorter option. Especially if Rickie wins with the short driver at the Honda...

 

 

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Ping G430 Max Driver 10.5 Degree
Titleist TSR1 4, 5, & 6 Hybrids 
Titleist T350 Irons 7 - W48 
Cleveland
CBX ZipCore  52 56 & 60 Degree Wedges

LAB Mezz Max Broomstick Putter / TPT Shaft  (Platinum @ 45/78)

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

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