Jump to content
TESTERS WANTED! ×

Driver shaft length. What's being tried


jkpigott

Recommended Posts

Curious to see how many are looking at driver shafts shorter than stock and what their experience has been.

Looking at the new stuff in 2019 and 2020, shafts are running 45.5 to 45.75.  Pretty tough to get consistent squared up center-face contact for anyone a 10 and up. Suspect mfrs are going this way to improve club head speed, but ball speed will suffer if you're not making good contact. So will accuracy.

From what I read and hear on various pods, most on tour are well shorter than stock - most around 44.25 to 44.5. Rickie leading the way at 43.5.

Retail doesn't make it easy from the demo carts I've seen.  Most shafts that are different from stock are longer not shorter.  Cobra an exception with their Tour Length (44.5").

I started with shorter driver several years back.  peak distance was a little shorter but fairways hit jumped and was usually very close in distance to stock driver.

Thoughts?

:cobra-small: F9 9* Atmos Tour Spec Black 6s 45"

:nickent-small:  17* and 20* Hybrids Aldila NVS

:macgregor-small:  VIP V-foil 1025c 4-P True Temper 120g ProPel Lite 2* flat, 1* strong

:cleveland-small:  CG10 52* (bent 50*) and 56 (bent 55*)

:mizuno-small:   MpTseries 60* Raw Haze

:ping-small:   Faith Wack-E 32"

:taylormade-small:TP5 ball

:titelist-small: Stand bag

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Original shaft was 45.75.;  I was playing 44.25 and now play 44.5 with the shaft I just acquired.   I didn't adjust swingweight and have no loss of feel or distance and strike the ball better.  

Here is a thread discussing driver length:

 

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I play anywhere from 45.25 to 46. Unless the fitter recommends a shorter shaft I play whatever the stock length is 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never satisfied with a decent thing, I think I've finally wrecked a Diamana ahina 60 S by chopping it too much (the Tiger/Ricky Fowler 43.5" experiment gone wrong...where's that missing .5"? I measured twice, I swear).

Previously I'd cut it to 44.5", built it back using a shaft extension, then cut it again. Now the contact sounds all wrong, the swing feels all wrong, and the ball flies all wrong.  Fortunately eBay abides (enables? incites?) a multitude of tinkerer's crimes. New shaft arriving in a few days.

I suppose it would be the smart thing just to get fit for a driver shaft by someone with more than 3/32 of a clue, but until shops open back up again...

Callaway Epic Speed + Mitsubishi MMT

TaylorMade SIM Titanium + Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue

Titleist U510 20* + Paderson Kinetixx Ballistic

Mizuno 919 Forged + Paderson Kinetixx TS-I

Cleveland CBX2 54*, Vokey SM8 58*

TaylorMade Spider Tour Black

Pro V1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I lopped an inch off mine last year to 44.75" and was hitting the driver well. So far this year it's been terrible...I'm going to look at some driver lessons.

In the bag:
Driver: :titelist-small: TSR2 Project X HZRDUS Black 5.5
Fairway: :callaway-small: Apex UW 19° & 21° Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX Black 5.5

Irons: :mizuno-small: JPX 923 HMP 5-PW UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Wedges: :mizuno-small: T-22 Denim Copper 48°, 52° & 56° UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Putter :Sub70: Sycamore 005 Wide Blade
Bag: 
:Ogio: Alpha Convoy 514
Balls: :callaway-small: Chrome Soft X

Cart: :CaddyTek: CaddyLite ONE Ver. 8


God Bless America🇺🇸, God save the King🇬🇧, God defend New Zealand🇳🇿 and thank Christ for Australia🇦🇺!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve played my old G30 at 44.5 since I got it. No issues for me with distance.

Currently the M5 I picked up is 45 inches. I’ll keep it that was as that’s the length I was hitting at my fitting anyway. We will see how that is early in the season and I’ll cut it down if needed when I regrip it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

:callaway-small: Epic Max LS 10.5 - Motore X F3 6X | :cobra-small: Speedzone 5-wood - Ventus Blue 8S | :titelist-small: TSi3 20* Hybrid - KBS Proto 85S

:edel-golf-1: SMS Pro 4-PW - Steelfiber i110S | :taylormade-small: MG3 Raw Black 50.09, 54.11, 58.11 - DG TI S200

:EVNROLL: ER2B | :titelist-small: Pro V1x | :918457628_PrecisionPro: NX9 Slope | Jones Trouper R | :CaddyTek: CaddyLite EZ v8

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would LOVE to try the new Cobra driver at the “Tour Length” they offer. It would be really interesting to compare distance and accuracy vs my driver at 45.25”! I know center-face contact is what will keep it hanging with the longer club, but after watching so many TXG videos, there are a LOT of factors that go into shaft selection so one CAN make center-face contact. It would require a fitting, for sure.

Interestingly, I haven’t heard a PEEP about the “Tour Length”. I need to look through YouTube. So far no one’s mentioning it in there initial testing.

(And NO, I’m not looking to get rid of the Honma! Good gracious.)

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would LOVE to try the new Cobra driver at the “Tour Length” they offer. It would be really interesting to compare distance and accuracy vs my driver at 45.25”! I know center-face contact is what will keep it hanging with the longer club, but after watching so many TXG videos, there are a LOT of factors that go into shaft selection so one CAN make center-face contact. It would require a fitting, for sure.
Interestingly, I haven’t heard a PEEP about the “Tour Length”. I need to look through YouTube. So far no one’s mentioning it in there initial testing.
(And NO, I’m not looking to get rid of the Honma! Good gracious.)

I think most places like TXG stock shafts to be 45 inches installed. So they lay somewhere between cobra stock and tour length. So everything Matt tests is @45 and they added head weight to it kind of making it a TL version.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

:callaway-small: Epic Max LS 10.5 - Motore X F3 6X | :cobra-small: Speedzone 5-wood - Ventus Blue 8S | :titelist-small: TSi3 20* Hybrid - KBS Proto 85S

:edel-golf-1: SMS Pro 4-PW - Steelfiber i110S | :taylormade-small: MG3 Raw Black 50.09, 54.11, 58.11 - DG TI S200

:EVNROLL: ER2B | :titelist-small: Pro V1x | :918457628_PrecisionPro: NX9 Slope | Jones Trouper R | :CaddyTek: CaddyLite EZ v8

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually learned about the tour length by accident.

Was hitting F9 from a demo cart. Put in the 63g Hazardous yellow. Then after hitting so well, put it side by side with an M6. Seeing how much longer the M6 was, I thought maybe I had put a 3-wood shaft in the F9 driver head by mistake.

Spoke to the Cobra specialist in-store and he said "oh yeah, that's a Tour Length shaft". Since then found it in the catalog. Noticed this week it is also called out on their web site.

Seeing the discussion above, I have created some franken-sticks through chopping and adding back.  Have never been thrilled with any of them.  But getting one new with the right length and weight has been great.  Just wish more mfrs put shorter options in the demo carts for fitting at the major retailers accessible to the masses.  I would be very surprised if TXG, Club Champion or Tru Spec did not have these shorter shafts as an option, but maybe I'll ask.

 

:cobra-small: F9 9* Atmos Tour Spec Black 6s 45"

:nickent-small:  17* and 20* Hybrids Aldila NVS

:macgregor-small:  VIP V-foil 1025c 4-P True Temper 120g ProPel Lite 2* flat, 1* strong

:cleveland-small:  CG10 52* (bent 50*) and 56 (bent 55*)

:mizuno-small:   MpTseries 60* Raw Haze

:ping-small:   Faith Wack-E 32"

:taylormade-small:TP5 ball

:titelist-small: Stand bag

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Playing Cobra Speedzone with tour length UST Helium shaft. R flex. Works great. More center face strikes than with longer shaft (too many off the heal) Went to shorter shaft with previous Calaway Fusion also UST shaft which also worked well. Getting 20 yd more distance with the Cobra and better dispersion.

Retired Army aviator. 2 Vietnam tours flying Hueys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shaft length in my driver is 44.5". I am also a shorter person at 5'5". I was fitted for mine at club champion and it produces excellent results when struck in the center (obviously!) however I struggle to find the center of the face and to be honest I am all over the place. I make excellent consistent contact with my 3 wood and because of this I was considering getting a 13 degree 3 wood to replace my driver. My current 3 wood is 15 degrees. Just curious if any one has tried this in lieu of shorter shaft length in driver and if so what were the results? I was thinking a little shorter but a lot better dispersion?

 :taylormade-small: Driver M6 9 Patterson Kinect 

:755178188_TourEdge: Tour Edge Exotic EXS 3 Wood 15 degree 

:taylormade-small: Rescue 3 fairway/hybrid wood 17 degree

:ping-small:  irons i-500 4-W Project X LZ 5.5 

:taylormade-small: Wedges,  Mill Grind 2- 50 degree, 56 degree, 60 degree HI-Toe

:cameron-small:  Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter Super Stroke grip

:Snell: MTB-X optic yellow

VESSEL  bag Player stand 2.0 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, BelowParGolf said:

Shaft length in my driver is 44.5". I am also a shorter person at 5'5". I was fitted for mine at club champion and it produces excellent results when struck in the center (obviously!) however I struggle to find the center of the face and to be honest I am all over the place. I make excellent consistent contact with my 3 wood and because of this I was considering getting a 13 degree 3 wood to replace my driver. My current 3 wood is 15 degrees. Just curious if any one has tried this in lieu of shorter shaft length in driver and if so what were the results? I was thinking a little shorter but a lot better dispersion?

You could get a fairway shaft for your driver and see how you go.

In the bag:
Driver: :titelist-small: TSR2 Project X HZRDUS Black 5.5
Fairway: :callaway-small: Apex UW 19° & 21° Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX Black 5.5

Irons: :mizuno-small: JPX 923 HMP 5-PW UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Wedges: :mizuno-small: T-22 Denim Copper 48°, 52° & 56° UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Putter :Sub70: Sycamore 005 Wide Blade
Bag: 
:Ogio: Alpha Convoy 514
Balls: :callaway-small: Chrome Soft X

Cart: :CaddyTek: CaddyLite ONE Ver. 8


God Bless America🇺🇸, God save the King🇬🇧, God defend New Zealand🇳🇿 and thank Christ for Australia🇦🇺!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@jkpigott oh man. I can absolutely speak on this topic, being that just a few weeks ago I got a new driver with a shorter shaft. Let me tell you, it made all the difference in the world.

Recently, for the first time I went for my first ever club fitting. When it was time to pull out my driver, the fitter asked me “How are you hitting the driver, how does it perform for you?” I told him, I leave it out to the right a lot and I don’t seem to get much distance with it and this is a Taylor Made M2 Dtype driver with a stock shaft. I was hitting my driver about 240 yards total and that was a good shot. So he pulls my driver out of the bag and does some measurements and immediately says, Man, this driver is way to long for you measuring at 45.75 inches. 
Long story short, he fitted me for a Taylor Made Sim Max Dtype with a 45 inch VA Vylyn Shaft and now I am absolutely smoking the ball off the tee. Once I got it home and got used to it, I’ve been carrying around 265. I’ve hit some 275-285 yard total shots. I couldn’t believe it. What a difference. 
For me, shortening the shaft helped me gain distance because as you said, I’m finding the center of the club face more because it’s easier to control. After doing so research about it, I found that I’m STILL above the tour average in driver length being 44.75” inches. 

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Right Handed

Handicap: 18

Driver: Taylor Made Sim MAX D-type 9.5 / VA composites Vylyn Shaft 65G Stiff

Irons: Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metals / KBS C-Taper Shafts Regular

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, MALyons31 said:

@jkpigott oh man. I can absolutely speak on this topic, being that just a few weeks ago I got a new driver with a shorter shaft. Let me tell you, it made all the difference in the world.

Recently, for the first time I went for my first ever club fitting. When it was time to pull out my driver, the fitter asked me “How are you hitting the driver, how does it perform for you?” I told him, I leave it out to the right a lot and I don’t seem to get much distance with it and this is a Taylor Made M2 Dtype driver with a stock shaft. I was hitting my driver about 240 yards total and that was a good shot. So he pulls my driver out of the bag and does some measurements and immediately says, Man, this driver is way to long for you measuring at 45.75 inches. 
Long story short, he fitted me for a Taylor Made Sim Max Dtype with a 45 inch VA Vylyn Shaft and now I am absolutely smoking the ball off the tee. Once I got it home and got used to it, I’ve been carrying around 265. I’ve hit some 275-285 yard total shots. I couldn’t believe it. What a difference. 
For me, shortening the shaft helped me gain distance because as you said, I’m finding the center of the club face more because it’s easier to control. After doing so research about it, I found that I’m STILL above the tour average in driver length being 44.75” inches. 

that's awesome!  25 yards gained from finding the right combo.. I have to imagine with the VA Vylyn you've seen improvements over the stock shaft too as far as accuracy goes?  I feel like those old TM stock shafts were pretty whippy.

:callaway-small: Epic Max LS 10.5 - Motore X F3 6X | :cobra-small: Speedzone 5-wood - Ventus Blue 8S | :titelist-small: TSi3 20* Hybrid - KBS Proto 85S

:edel-golf-1: SMS Pro 4-PW - Steelfiber i110S | :taylormade-small: MG3 Raw Black 50.09, 54.11, 58.11 - DG TI S200

:EVNROLL: ER2B | :titelist-small: Pro V1x | :918457628_PrecisionPro: NX9 Slope | Jones Trouper R | :CaddyTek: CaddyLite EZ v8

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have played a 45" for a long while. Went to a 44.5" in Uni for a season when I Was having major tee ball errors. It helped me get my Confidence back and made me change focus to hitting fairways over hitting it past competitors. 

These days I have a Mini driver at 43.75" I put it in the bag for those 5-6 hole late night outings to keep my mind sharp off the tee box

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/24/2020 at 5:34 PM, BelowParGolf said:

Shaft length in my driver is 44.5". I am also a shorter person at 5'5". I was fitted for mine at club champion and it produces excellent results when struck in the center (obviously!) however I struggle to find the center of the face and to be honest I am all over the place. I make excellent consistent contact with my 3 wood and because of this I was considering getting a 13 degree 3 wood to replace my driver. My current 3 wood is 15 degrees. Just curious if any one has tried this in lieu of shorter shaft length in driver and if so what were the results? I was thinking a little shorter but a lot better dispersion?

Might also want to look at the Taylor Made Original One Mini Driver. Lofts offered in 11.5 and 13.5. Std length was 43.75" which is slightly longer than today's typical top-end 3-woods which run about 43.25. And yes, I've seen a lot better dispersion with shorter shaft in driver. Size of 3-wood head (smaller) would provide somewhat less forgiveness in terms of both ball speed and I suspect accuracy, but sure is worth a try.

:cobra-small: F9 9* Atmos Tour Spec Black 6s 45"

:nickent-small:  17* and 20* Hybrids Aldila NVS

:macgregor-small:  VIP V-foil 1025c 4-P True Temper 120g ProPel Lite 2* flat, 1* strong

:cleveland-small:  CG10 52* (bent 50*) and 56 (bent 55*)

:mizuno-small:   MpTseries 60* Raw Haze

:ping-small:   Faith Wack-E 32"

:taylormade-small:TP5 ball

:titelist-small: Stand bag

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/25/2020 at 8:48 AM, MALyons31 said:

@jkpigott oh man. I can absolutely speak on this topic, being that just a few weeks ago I got a new driver with a shorter shaft. Let me tell you, it made all the difference in the world.

Recently, for the first time I went for my first ever club fitting. When it was time to pull out my driver, the fitter asked me “How are you hitting the driver, how does it perform for you?” I told him, I leave it out to the right a lot and I don’t seem to get much distance with it and this is a Taylor Made M2 Dtype driver with a stock shaft. I was hitting my driver about 240 yards total and that was a good shot. So he pulls my driver out of the bag and does some measurements and immediately says, Man, this driver is way to long for you measuring at 45.75 inches. 
Long story short, he fitted me for a Taylor Made Sim Max Dtype with a 45 inch VA Vylyn Shaft and now I am absolutely smoking the ball off the tee. Once I got it home and got used to it, I’ve been carrying around 265. I’ve hit some 275-285 yard total shots. I couldn’t believe it. What a difference. 
For me, shortening the shaft helped me gain distance because as you said, I’m finding the center of the club face more because it’s easier to control. After doing so research about it, I found that I’m STILL above the tour average in driver length being 44.75” inches. 

That's great to hear. In looking back on the topic, most of the struggles seem to be with shaft cut-downs which messes up a lot of the engineering.  Been there, done that.

Getting a driver with correct length when built seems much more likely to offer success.  So your big gains came in distance.  What happened to dispersion? Better? Worse? Same?

:cobra-small: F9 9* Atmos Tour Spec Black 6s 45"

:nickent-small:  17* and 20* Hybrids Aldila NVS

:macgregor-small:  VIP V-foil 1025c 4-P True Temper 120g ProPel Lite 2* flat, 1* strong

:cleveland-small:  CG10 52* (bent 50*) and 56 (bent 55*)

:mizuno-small:   MpTseries 60* Raw Haze

:ping-small:   Faith Wack-E 32"

:taylormade-small:TP5 ball

:titelist-small: Stand bag

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, jkpigott said:

That's great to hear. In looking back on the topic, most of the struggles seem to be with shaft cut-downs which messes up a lot of the engineering.  Been there, done that.

Getting a driver with correct length when built seems much more likely to offer success.  So your big gains came in distance.  What happened to dispersion? Better? Worse? Same?

Definitely better. Night and day. With my old driver, If I got a good hit on it, I still wasn’t exactly sure where it was going and my misses were horrible. New driver, ball flight is way more consistent, usually mid to high launching draw. When I put a good hit on it, I can expect that almost every time. I don’t know the exact yards of dispersion with it, but I went out to the fairway behind my house last night and hit 5 balls. 3 of the 5 were within 15 yards of each other, all in the 265-275 range. Other 2 wernt exactly ideal strikes. Left them a little shorter, probably about 250 but also on the left side in the rough but still very playable. 

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Right Handed

Handicap: 18

Driver: Taylor Made Sim MAX D-type 9.5 / VA composites Vylyn Shaft 65G Stiff

Irons: Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metals / KBS C-Taper Shafts Regular

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/25/2020 at 9:00 AM, B.Boston said:

that's awesome!  25 yards gained from finding the right combo.. I have to imagine with the VA Vylyn you've seen improvements over the stock shaft too as far as accuracy goes?  I feel like those old TM stock shafts were pretty whippy.

Not familiar with VA Vylyn shafts. Who is a good candidate for them? Thx.

:cobra-small: F9 9* Atmos Tour Spec Black 6s 45"

:nickent-small:  17* and 20* Hybrids Aldila NVS

:macgregor-small:  VIP V-foil 1025c 4-P True Temper 120g ProPel Lite 2* flat, 1* strong

:cleveland-small:  CG10 52* (bent 50*) and 56 (bent 55*)

:mizuno-small:   MpTseries 60* Raw Haze

:ping-small:   Faith Wack-E 32"

:taylormade-small:TP5 ball

:titelist-small: Stand bag

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, jkpigott said:

Not familiar with VA Vylyn shafts. Who is a good candidate for them? Thx.

TXG can explain it better than me.  Here's a video they did that included it:

 

:callaway-small: Epic Max LS 10.5 - Motore X F3 6X | :cobra-small: Speedzone 5-wood - Ventus Blue 8S | :titelist-small: TSi3 20* Hybrid - KBS Proto 85S

:edel-golf-1: SMS Pro 4-PW - Steelfiber i110S | :taylormade-small: MG3 Raw Black 50.09, 54.11, 58.11 - DG TI S200

:EVNROLL: ER2B | :titelist-small: Pro V1x | :918457628_PrecisionPro: NX9 Slope | Jones Trouper R | :CaddyTek: CaddyLite EZ v8

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve been mulling over cutting my honma 747 driver down. It’s currently 45.75” long and I’m all over the place with it. I also have the shorter big Bertha fusion driver at 44”. There is a night and day difference in my dispersion. 
the honma when hit well is 15-20 yards further than the fusion but the missing of fairways just isnt worth using it. So I would love to cut the honma down but worried of messing the swing weight up

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve Played 46.5 all the way down to a 43 Two things to consider. Strike being 1 and your lie angle will change significantly. I say get some foot spray and see if you’re hitting the middle and what the flight looks like. You may get a few mph club head speed out of a longer shaft but if you aren’t hitting it in the middle you’re losing it in ball speed.44.+ seems to be my happy place for both strike and having something that doesn't sit too upright.

Driver       FE55134C-CD73-48E1-AFB5-CC8200F2CB0A.jpeg.0933e8544d5eb3422e959577493f0fef.jpeg Epic sub zero 10.5 Fuji Speer 661 TS xstiff

3 wood   1F17BF28-C0F1-4E8F-8755-ECC09DF97C8C.jpeg.c53f142f688fa9ba960db8bafc55e1e6.jpegR11s 14* Aldila 80g RIP phenom stiff

Hybrid    1F17BF28-C0F1-4E8F-8755-ECC09DF97C8C.jpeg.c53f142f688fa9ba960db8bafc55e1e6.jpeg 2016 M1 19* Fuji pro80 stiff

Irons       D859CF9F-92A7-48A0-A0E6-FD20DF5F7895.jpeg.918a5008145383da3021eff2b9a73b64.jpeg  pro black CB2 3-pw kbs tour 90 stiff

Wedges 7BC1FAAE-D235-40D3-B8B1-129FCE75002D.jpeg.bd104b40d1d6dd996c1a8917eb397626.jpegOil can 50.08  nickel 54.08 58.04

Putter       87484C23-73C2-4A8F-8F7F-536D909C9D00.jpeg.149dc29f28d951d24c3f7e29f69bd596.jpeg  Er.7  37”

Tracking.  B76CF1E2-77CA-421F-96BE-8E04E4B2B861.jpeg.998ffe83005e42b761646e30b0120512.jpeg Arccos 360 

Ball            2D586292-4648-465E-A9F6-8648DB25AEB1.jpeg  Prov1

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am only 5’9 and I  was so pumped to go with a shorter driver length.  I  even had the driver swing weighted properly.   I tried it for about 5 rounds but just could not get the feel for it.   My drives were shorter and no more accurate.  I switched back to 45.5 playing length and I was both straighter and longer.  I also felt like I could feel the shaft bend more.    I know I am probably not in the majority here,  but 45.25 or 45.5 works great for me.

Driver: Taylormade SIM Max d 9 with graphite design tour ad xc 6s

Fairway Wood:Taylormade Sim 15 with Graphite design Tour ad iz 6s
Hybrid:  Pxg gen2 19 with hand crafted hzrdus black 85 6.0 and Adams super ls xtd 22 with Diamana s+  stiff

Irons: 5-pw Miura Mc501 with modus 120s pured

Wedges:  Callaway md2 gold 50 Dg tour issue s400 black onyx, Taylormade MG 54 with DG tour issue s400 black onyx, and Taylormade hi toe 59 with modus 120r

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Hotdocta said:

I am only 5’9 and I  was so pumped to go with a shorter driver length.  I  even had the driver swing weighted properly.   I tried it for about 5 rounds but just could not get the feel for it.   My drives were shorter and no more accurate.  I switched back to 45.5 playing length and I was both straighter and longer.  I also felt like I could feel the shaft bend more.    I know I am probably not in the majority here,  but 45.25 or 45.5 works great for me.

I cut my driver shaft to 44.5 a couple of years ago. I didn't care about ruining the shaft or changing the swing weight. I could still hit it pretty much the same distance, but I found myself needing to tee the ball higher... and still catching it low on the face about half the time. I went back to 45.5 and immediately started hitting more consistent. My new driver (TS3) has a 45.75 shaft. I can hi it really well about 50% of the time.  I am also 5'9". I have lost quite a bit of weight over the Winter. I attribute the weight loss to my inconsistent swing, and not shaft length. 

It isn't just the driver... I'm struggling with all clubs right now. I have to figure out how to play at this weight, because I'm not gaining it back! 😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/18/2020 at 1:42 PM, jkpigott said:

Curious to see how many are looking at driver shafts shorter than stock and what their experience has been.

Looking at the new stuff in 2019 and 2020, shafts are running 45.5 to 45.75.  Pretty tough to get consistent squared up center-face contact for anyone a 10 and up. Suspect mfrs are going this way to improve club head speed, but ball speed will suffer if you're not making good contact. So will accuracy.

From what I read and hear on various pods, most on tour are well shorter than stock - most around 44.25 to 44.5. Rickie leading the way at 43.5.

Retail doesn't make it easy from the demo carts I've seen.  Most shafts that are different from stock are longer not shorter.  Cobra an exception with their Tour Length (44.5").

I started with shorter driver several years back.  peak distance was a little shorter but fairways hit jumped and was usually very close in distance to stock driver.

Thoughts?

I switched to a shorter shaft(44.5) starting this season, and it’s been a transition mostly due to my range being shutdown due to the pandemic. But I’ve had 20+ rounds with it now, and I am enjoying it. I’m now actually longer due to I am stacking my strikes in the center, and I am hitting a lot more fairways. I do have a fair bit of speed, 110+, so maybe that helps me. I also play a heavier head so swing weight, and the mass helps with ball speed. Overall I have never had control like I do now, and my confidence had improved so much. It’s at least worth a try if you can find one.

:taylormade-small: STEALTH 2+ 10.5* FUJIKURA VENTUS TR BLACK 6X

:srixon-small: ZX MKII 3W 15* Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX U.S.A. 8TX

:taylormade-small: Stealth+ 19 Mitsubishi Tensei Pro White 1K 85TX

:srixon-small: ZX7 4-PW KBS $Taper 130 BLACK PVD

:cleveland-small: RTX 6 Zipcore 50/54.10 Full Project X 6.0

:ping-small: GLIDE 4.0 60.10S DYNAMIC GOLD TOUR ISSUE S400

:EVNROLL: ER2v MIDLOCK 40”

:maxfli: TOUR X

 :918457628_PrecisionPro:NX9 with Slope 

:SuperSpeed:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/19/2020 at 10:30 AM, PMookie said:

I would LOVE to try the new Cobra driver at the “Tour Length” they offer. It would be really interesting to compare distance and accuracy vs my driver at 45.25”! I know center-face contact is what will keep it hanging with the longer club, but after watching so many TXG videos, there are a LOT of factors that go into shaft selection so one CAN make center-face contact. It would require a fitting, for sure.

Interestingly, I haven’t heard a PEEP about the “Tour Length”. I need to look through YouTube. So far no one’s mentioning it in there initial testing.

 

... I wrote in every review I have written for drivers that the stock shaft is too long for most players. VP of Engineering at Cobra agreed and several years ago at the PGA Show he smiled when he saw me and the first words out of his mouth were "You are gonna be very happy Sam because we are introducing a Tour Length driver this year!" As an engineer he also liked a shorter stock shaft because his testing showed increased distance e and accuracy with centered contact as opposed to higher swing speed and missing the center. But was always over ruled by Sales. You can't have Callaway and TM testing against a stock Cobra that is 1-1.5" shorter while using a Robot that makes perfect contact and claiming their driver is 18 yds longer than Cobra's. I think it was a stroke of genius for Cobra to offer both. 

... And I have posted this before but I always remember DLIII saying when he absolutely needed a big drive on a par 5 or long par 4 he slowed down his swing just a little to make sure he had perfect contact. Center contact beats higher swing speed on the toe or heel every time. The trick of course is finding the perfect length for your swing. For most it will be 44-45". 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've always liked the idea of a slightly shorter driver length. Like you Sam, I used to play wooden drivers where they were all 43" at the time. My current driver measures ~45.5". However, I grip down about 1"*. I actually do this with all my clubs. So, wouldn't gripping down serve the same function as cutting a shaft to end up with total length of say 44" to 44.5"?

After adjusting my hold on the club I recall immediately finding the center much more and shots feeling more solid. With all clubs.

*Several years ago as I started back down the road to playing well again my instructor asked me to grip down about an inch. I recall him saying, "that's how the pros hold a club." Maybe - maybe not. But I do know that I'd gotten where the butt was concealed mostly and not protruding past my closed grip any.

 

IMG_20200510_122928680.jpg

IMG_20200510_123124495.jpg

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... Yup, the ball has no idea if your shorter driver is cut to that length or you grip down to that length. Works pretty well for Brooke Henderson who would kick both our a$$es. 🤪 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...