Driver Length

[TShaffer 34]

On 2/24/2020 at 8:43 AM, Billy-Bo-Jim-Bob said:

Anyone out there shorten the driver length to gain more control and tighter dispersion? (or maybe even gained a few yards?) Just seems like when I set up my grip about an inch down the shaft I can give it a free swing rip and results are more consistent. My driver length is std at 45.5. Longest driver I ever owned.

I just barely cut off 2 inches from my 2014 big Bertha driver. I added some cut up lead tape to the hollow interior of the perimeter weight (added the desired weight while maintaining looks and I can now adjust the full weight amount without hastle) and it was the best decision I have made recently. I used to work a wicked slice and it's now a baby fade. Just as long and more fairways.

I put a new lamkin calibrate grip on it, similar to the golf pride align grips and just out the alignment ridge a touch closed so when I grip the club I don't have to hold a crazy strong grip to get the desired closing of the face. 

I definitely agree that it is a trial and error thing, my driver was so bad before I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, but it worked out for me. I would say if possible swing a friend's or hit the local shop and see if you can get your hands on a shorter driver shaft with your head to see if you like it, because I think it is a little different to have a shorter shaft vs choking down on a longer one.

[Hotdocta 92]

I don’t know why, but the shorter shaft does not work for me.  I keep losing it to the right.  I do not square up the shorter shaft for some reason.

[MALyons31 199]

Billy-Bob, 

Yes! I recently got fitted and as soon as he pulled the driver out of my bag, he said it was to long for me. I had a TM M2 that was 45.75” and I could only hit it at best 250. After trying about a dozen different drivers, what ended up working for me was a 45” TM Sim Max D-type with a VA Vylyn Shaft. He shortened my driver 3 quarters of and inch and I gained about 25 yards. Now carrying 250ish and 275 total. Also, after that, I looked up the PGA tour average for driver length and it is 44.75”. Reason being that it’s easier to find the center of the club face resulting in more yards and better control.....

[Hoganman1 154]

After several rounds I've found my drives tend to go left with the heavier head weight. I'm going back to the 3.5g weight that came in the club. My guess is dropping the head weight by 4.5g will make the swing weight around D1.  

Now, I promise to stop boring you guys with this because I know you're sick of hearing about it.

[Smellis745 536]

I was just going to report back that my 44.5" driver test didn't work out as good for me.  Some days it was ok, others it wasn't.  I find I hit the center of the face and square things up at 45.25" better though.

[braveheart 19]

On 2/24/2020 at 10:43 AM, Billy-Bo-Jim-Bob said:

Anyone out there shorten the driver length to gain more control and tighter dispersion? (or maybe even gained a few yards?) Just seems like when I set up my grip about an inch down the shaft I can give it a free swing rip and results are more consistent. My driver length is std at 45.5. Longest driver I ever owned.

I am doing the same thing and getting better results. Makes me think to cut off 1/2”, but I hesitate due to it possibly having less trade in or sale value. Also, maybe choking up is the way to go and just leave it alone. I know I’ve hit 45” better and did not like 44.5”.

Edited April 4, 2020 by braveheart

[Camille Bissarro 93]

On 3/31/2020 at 2:52 PM, Hoganman1 said:

After several rounds I've found my drives tend to go left with the heavier head weight. I'm going back to the 3.5g weight that came in the club. My guess is dropping the head weight by 4.5g will make the swing weight around D1.  

Now, I promise to stop boring you guys with this because I know you're sick of hearing about it.

Tales of apparently pointless equipment tweak tail-chasing never bore me... they're like fables I see myself in, yet never learn from...

[RickyBobby_PR 7,636]

On 2/26/2020 at 1:47 PM, RetiredBoomer said:

Mine, which is still quite new,  came standard at 43.75" with a 275cc head. 

When I ordered it with a slightly heavier shaft that matches my fairways,  I requested 43.5"

I hate the huge drivers, but that's just me. They seem to work fine for most players.

Including 99.9% of all professionals. Very few play less than 460cc.

 

13 hours ago, braveheart said:

I am doing the same thing and getting better results. Makes me think to cut off 1/2”, but I hesitate due to it possibly having less trade in or sale value. Also, maybe choking up is the way to go and just leave it alone. I know I’ve hit 45” better and did not like 44.5”.

I’ve never had anyone measure my club before trade in. The longer one holds onto a club the value decreases anyways. 
 

Current trade in value on a mavrik and sim are just under $180. 

[Camille Bissarro 93]

13 hours ago, braveheart said:

I am doing the same thing and getting better results. Makes me think to cut off 1/2”, but I hesitate due to it possibly having less trade in or sale value. Also, maybe choking up is the way to go and just leave it alone. I know I’ve hit 45” better and did not like 44.5”.

I much prefer to not grip down; the club never feels right when I do (unless it's a little punch shot). Consequently, I'm not averse to trimming the butt.

Also, shaft extensions, are a viable correction if you want to go back. They tend to be heavier than the original shaft material, but that can be offset with head weighting if necessary. They also can afford a small counter balance effect to the shaft, which, admittedly adds another variable into the mix.

For example, I've trimmed my current favorite driver shaft (ahina 60g stiff), then added an extension, then trimmed a bit off of that. The swing feel is great and the results pretty consistent, although I'm not a long hitter. 

If nothing else, tinkering gives you a different rapport with your equipment.

[braincramp 246]

I've played all my drivers for the 30 years at 43 1/2". I play with lead tape until I get the feel and performance I'm used to. Keeps me in the fairway and that's all I care about because I ain't gonna win no long drive contests ever!

[silver & black 6,048]

I'm thinking of cutting the shaft down in my TS3. It's 45.5"... about 1" longer than I have been used to playing for the last 6 years. Before I do that, I'm going to put my other shaft in and see if it helps.  This driver is a go left machine for me right now.

[zrumble 550]

I wonder if choking down on the grip working for some and not others is due to the feel of the grip? On a tapered grip if you have shorter fingers, like myself, some of that control might come from allowing a more natural grip? Compare that to when you butt trim a shaft and are now holding onto the grip where it’s the thickest diameter? Just a thought. 

[RickyBobby_PR 7,636]

7 minutes ago, zrumble said:

I wonder if choking down on the grip working for some and not others is due to the feel of the grip? On a tapered grip if you have shorter fingers, like myself, some of that control might come from allowing a more natural grip? Compare that to when you butt trim a shaft and are now holding onto the grip where it’s the thickest diameter? Just a thought. 

Depending how far down one grips the change in diameter does change and bother people. The mcc +4 is a great option to overcome that or using more wraps under the right hand

[chisag 14,726]

On 2/25/2020 at 8:47 AM, Smellis745 said:

This topic is one that is discussed quite often and the best advice remains the same, it's trial and error to find what works for you.  Some players will benefit from a shorter driver while others won't.  Some players will lose distance, while others find more.  I believe that each swing has a sweet spot length and that's why it's important to try things out.  I've got two drivers that I'll rotate round to round.  One is a 44.5" M3 with a Tour Green 85 TX and the other is a 45.25" M5 with a Synergy Black.  The M5 combo is a bit longer, but the M3 combo is a bit straighter.  The difference between the two is so little though, it's really a wash...for me.

 

... While it is true that every golfer is different and some do better with a shorter length and some do better with a longer length, it isn't an equal equation. There really is no stock answer but that said:

1. Even those that hit it farther with a longer shaft, the majority are not longer than 45-45.5". It is a very rare player that hits a stock 45.75-46" driver long and straight. There is a reason (other than loft) that the average golfer hits the center of their pw more often than their 5 iron. Shorter is easier to control. Add to that, quite a few golfers actually swing a shorter shaft faster, because it is not as unwieldy and/or they just have more confidence with a shorter length. On the flip side, some women or senior golfers with slow and smooth swing speeds can handle a longer length driver and might find additional yards with a longer shaft. And of course there are players like you that have no problem with longer length drivers and can reap the benefits of a longer shaft. 

2. But the majority will do much better with a shorter shaft. How short is the big question and as you said, every swing is different so it's important to find out. There will be a point of diminishing returns or we would all be playing 42" drivers. 43-45" is a great experimental length. As others have already stated missing the center is punitive, even by as little as 1/2" has a huge effect on distance and off by 1" on the toe, a reasonable miss for the average golfer, can lose you 20-28 yds. 

[RetiredBoomer 98]

On 4/5/2020 at 8:52 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

Including 99.9% of all professionals. Very few play less than 460cc.

 

 

Probably true, but I don't follow golf as sports entertainment.  It's just my recreation, so I play what I enjoy playing.

I'm looking into a hickory-shafted persimmon   brassie--spoon--cleek   set from Louisville Golf.

Expensive, but they'd probably be my last set of woods.  I do go back to when woods were sold in sets, by the way.

[RollingGreens 1,702]

On 4/5/2020 at 10:24 AM, silver & black said:

I'm thinking of cutting the shaft down in my TS3. It's 45.5"... about 1" longer than I have been used to playing for the last 6 years. Before I do that, I'm going to put my other shaft in and see if it helps.  This driver is a go left machine for me right now.

I am in the same boat at 5’6” I’m choking up a good 1.5inches. Always going right though off the tee. Let me know how it works out if you do change the shaft or cut it down. Always worried how the weight will feel

[B.Boston 13,889]

Yup!  played my G30 at 44.5 and currently the m5 is at 45.  The G30 we swapped the weight in the head to add 2 grams.  I'll evaluate the M5 at 45 inches once the driving ranges open up, but don't think it should be a problem since I was fit this time at 45 inches.  I may play around with headweight a little too, but the shaft I'm using now is less counterbalanced that before, and it already feels pretty good.

I'll also note that I don't feel like I've given up anything distance wise.  my strikes are much better and have a more consistent flight than I did before the switch.  YMMV but if you like chocking up a bit you'll probably like it at that playing length too.

Let us know what you end up doing!

[Quigleyd 762]

I like my driver at 45.25. But I naturally grip down a smidge so I am probably playing it at 45 or less in actuality. I just feel more comfortable gripping down. If I played it at 45 I would still grip down and potentially get too short. 

[Welshy 4]

Hi everyone,

Having been a professional for around 10 years and someone who has built clubs for around 20 years driver length is something that has interested me for years. Always trying to find that extra 5 or 10 meters has been of interest to me. 

Recently I have reshafted my Callaway epic flash sub zero with a Fujikura Ventus 7x at 44.5. This has seems to be the length I find I don't loose heaps of yards but pick up a tremendous amount of accuracy.

Before the reshaft it was playing at 45.75 which was great for length but not so much accuracy. The shorter length has increased the fairways I've hit by around 20% with only loosing 5 meters.

In my opinion getting the length right is really important in scheme of things for you driver.

 

Happy golfing

 

Cheers

 

[chisag 14,726]

7 hours ago, Welshy said:

Recently I have reshafted my Callaway epic flash sub zero with a Fujikura Ventus 7x at 44.5. This has seems to be the length I find I don't loose heaps of yards but pick up a tremendous amount of accuracy.

Before the reshaft it was playing at 45.75 which was great for length but not so much accuracy. The shorter length has increased the fairways I've hit by around 20% with only loosing 5 meters.

In my opinion getting the length right is really important in scheme of things for you driver.

 

... Are you losing 5 yards on your longest drives that stay in the fairway or are you averaging 5 more yards? I find my longest drives come from a 45" or longer shaft, but that length also produces my shortest drives due to missing the center and like you, also less accurate. While I have never tried to put a number on it, there is no doubt I average longer drives with a 44.5" driver.