Butt Cutting Driver Shaft to fit 5W

[DeBartola_B]

I am sure that this topic has been discussed before but I was unable to find a match on the search bar and wanted to see if I could get some insight from anyone that has done this before.  First I will explain my thought process and what I want to do and if you have done something similar please weigh in with your experiences.

 

So I have an old driver laying around that I typically use as a backup or let someone play if they are visiting without clubs.  I have been tinkering with adding a 5W in my bag for a while and as everyone knows the cost of new clubs these days is really high and not conducive for my experiments.  I currently have the extra shaft, with the adaptor of the manufacturer that I want to get a 5W with and I have the tools to do a butt cut only on a driver shaft I already own.  I am fully aware that the shaft manufactures suggest that you cut both the tip and butt to maintain the shaft's characteristics, but being able to do all of this on my own and order a brand new 5W club head for ~$100 has me considering trying it this way.  The purpose of this post is to see if anyone has done anything similar and how it worked out for them.  If there are horror stories to this process then I would probably avoid but if works essentially the same then I think the cost savings is worth the risk.

 

Let me know if anyone has done anything similar.

[vandyland]

I butt cut my driver shaft about 2.5" when I went down to a 43" driver for a while (granted you are going into a 5W head which will probably be heavier than almost any driver head). Obviously made it play stiffer but it really threw off the swing weight. May not be as much of a problem for you but I found it hard to get used to the significant change in swingweight (which you can try to counteract with lead tape or shaft weights or head weights, etc.). Not a horror story really and I will step aside for more knowledgeable people to respond. Personally, I love to tinker so if an idea like this gets in my head I am generally going to try it out. 

Edited April 11, 2023 by vandyland

[DeBartola_B]

3 hours ago, vandyland said:

I butt cut my driver shaft about 2.5" when I went down to a 43" driver for a while (granted you are going into a 5W head which will probably be heavier than almost any driver head). Obviously made it play stiffer but it really threw off the swing weight. May not be as much of a problem for you but I found it hard to get used to the significant change in swingweight (which you can try to counteract with lead tape or shaft weights or head weights, etc.). Not a horror story really and I will step aside for more knowledgeable people to respond. Personally, I love to tinker so if an idea like this gets in my head I am generally going to try it out. 

Nailed it right here.  

I totally understand about the swing weight on the same club/swing.  But this would be the first 5W that would be in my bag, the weight would be the only experience I would have with this club.  Curious if I would even know the difference, or if it would greatly affect the performance of the club.

Edited April 11, 2023 by DeBartola_B

[cnosil]

19 minutes ago, DeBartola_B said:

Nailed it right here.  

I totally understand about the swing weight on the same club/swing.  But this would be the first 5W that would be in my bag, the weight would be the only experience I would have with this club.  Curious if I would even know the difference, or if it would greatly affect the performance of the club.

It really isn’t just about swing weight.  by not tip trimming a driver shaft and putting it in a 5w you will probably be dropping is a flex or maybe 2 depending on the shaft profile so a Stiff shaft may be a regular or senior in the 5 wood.  

[hckymeyer]

55 minutes ago, cnosil said:

It really isn’t just about swing weight.  by not tip trimming a driver shaft and putting it in a 5w you will probably be dropping is a flex or maybe 2 depending on the shaft profile so a Stiff shaft may be a regular or senior in the 5 wood.  

This 

Shaft is going to play very whippy, I would recommend against your plan.  If you want to use the shaft and save money then it would be worth pulling the adapter and tip trimming it the recommended amount.

Mind if we ask what shaft and club head you are talking about?  You may be better off finding a used 5w for similar cost and trying that out first but the cost is going to depend on what you are looking for.

[DeBartola_B]

17 hours ago, hckymeyer said:

This 

Shaft is going to play very whippy, I would recommend against your plan.  If you want to use the shaft and save money then it would be worth pulling the adapter and tip trimming it the recommended amount.

Mind if we ask what shaft and club head you are talking about?  You may be better off finding a used 5w for similar cost and trying that out first but the cost is going to depend on what you are looking for.

The shaft is a Hzrdus Smoke Yellow 60 XS off of a Cobra Speedzone driver.  A quick eBay search shows I can get a Cobra LTDx 5W head for around $100.  A LTDx 5W is currently selling for ~$200.

 

I am definitely weary of the shaft dropping multiple stiffness categories, it seems like the best bet would be to get someone pull the adapter and trim the tip the correct amount.  Which is still probably cheaper than the new club.

[hckymeyer]

I think pulling the adapter and tip trimming is the way to go. 

2nd option would be to look at used clubs.  Guessing you can find a shafted cobra 5w for not much more than the head only if you are patient, but if you want something right away and are open to other brands I would check out Sub70 for a great product at a lower price.  Also Callaway Preowned has 25-40% off their fairway woods right now.

Best of luck with your search, 5w is one of my favorite clubs

[JDHolmes]

I've done with a 5 wood. It was a bit "whippier" due to extra tip length. If I got on it, it was a big hook. If I swung smoothly, it was great, straight and long...longer than typical 5 wood which is about 210 for me. I was getting 225-230 with it.

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