Driver shaft length- going shorter?

[Brian W.D.]

I’ve been thinking about trying a shorter shaft in my driver. I’m playing a Cobra LTDx at 9 degrees with a Hzrdus Blue in X flex. It plays at 45”. I tend to hit it high on the face. I’m looking for more consistent contact and control. Who’s been playing a shorter driver?

Is anyone playing a driver at 43.5” to 44.5”? 
Did your contact improve?  

Did you lose any distance?

[russtopherb]

Shortest I've gone to is 44", I've found that 44.5"-45" is my sweet spot at 5'11". I really didn't notice any difference in dispersion going down to 44".

I also tried a 3w shaft in my Great Big Bertha head a few years back. Even with some lead tape I couldn't get it to feel right and I was actually spraying it more than I did with the stock shaft in it.

[RickyBobby_PR]

Google diy driver tune up and follow that to find your best playing length/setup

[Brian W.D.]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Google diy driver tune up and follow that to find your best playing length/setup

Great info. Thanks 

[pozzit]

So I have am toying with the idea of going shorter. I have been cooking up an inch or more on my driver through this season and it has kept it in play. I have put tape on the grip to remind me to choke down. Its a good way to experiment without permanently changing the shaft.

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[Brian W.D.]

22 minutes ago, pozzit said:

So I have am toying with the idea of going shorter. I have been cooking up an inch or more on my driver through this season and it has kept it in play. I have put tape on the grip to remind me to choke down. Its a good way to experiment without permanently changing the shaft.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

That’s a good idea. I think I’ll start with taping the grip.

[Brian W.D.]

Ok, I haven’t shortened my driver yet but I’ve been gripping down about one inch. It’s tightened up center of face contact and shot the shape has become more consistent. Still two things I need to look into. First, I haven’t added any weight to the head, so it feels a little lighter. If I do cut it down, I’ll play around with the swing weight. Second, I don’t know if it’s costing me any distance. I’m hoping to get on trackman tonight. So hopefully I’ll have some answers soon.

[revkev]

I was just fit for a shorter shaft in driver. Honestly I’ve been legitimately fit for everything from 453/4 to 441/4 over the past 10 years. When I’ve had the longer shafts I’ve generally ended up gripping down.
 

My most recent fitting was 441/4 so that’s what I got.  My understanding is that you get a better driver if you have the shaft shortened for its build. 
 

I got to hit my new driver today for the first time and really

liked it. Ball speed and launch angle were up, spin rate down, smash factor, carry distance and total distance up too. Trying it out on the course on Saturday. 

[Tsecor]

shortening the club changes the swing weight but i would 100% recommend it.  The drivers of today are way to long for the average amateur......most pros dont play 46" drivers unless they are DJ at 6'3"......  if you are an average size human under 6 feet, a 44" driver is where you should be 1/2" on either side of that # should wrk just fine as well

Rory takes off a 1/2" and gained yardage from better strikes and speed.... i play mine at 44" and stiffened up the profile....shaft is borderline "boardy" in a PX black but its flies far and straight....no ballooning or radical mishits like i had with a 46" (advertised at 45.5""

[NCDuffer]

My driver is 45” long and was fit.  Driving became my strongest part of golf, averaging 241 yards and good fairways hit.  I started spraying the ball and grew frustrated.  For the last two rounds I’ve choked up about an inch.  Those two rounds averaged 251 and great fairways hit.  Just shows you how bad I am hitting near center face with a 45” driver!!! 

[StrokerAce]

all you're trying to do is find the middle of the face on a consistent basis. if that means 43" or 46" or somewhere between you ought to do it.

I've always been fit into 44.5 and for some reason - maybe it's my height, posture, where I grip the club - that seems to work for me.

I'll sacrifice that long out of bounds ball for center face contact and a bit shorter.

[RickyBobby_PR]

The middle of face isn’t the best spot to hit driver on. It’s slight above and slightly towards the toe(see photo 2). Contact should be in a 3/4” circle of ideal spot

Photo one shows the impact on launch and sping for different areas of the face

 

[revkev]

Thanks RickyBobby - I'm guessing the guys that wrote, "Middle of the clubface" actually meant sweet spot but it's helpful to remember that the dead middle is not the sweet spot for driver.

 

I think it's also helpful to remember that just because Rory did it doesn't mean it will work for us. Plus just willy nilly cutting a shaft down doesn't necessarily guarantee that you will arrive at the proper length. It's always best to be fit to find out what the right length is for delivering the sweet spot to the ball.  It's also most helpful to start with the proper fit as changing lengths change swing weights and shaft performances.  For some people that doesn't matter but for others it may matter a lot.  I have always been in the camp that most goflers will benefit from a shorter shaft on their driver but most is not all.  I'd hate to see a guy mess up a 600 dollar club chasing a few yards.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

6 minutes ago, revkev said:

Thanks RickyBobby - I'm guessing the guys that wrote, "Middle of the clubface" actually meant sweet spot but it's helpful to remember that the dead middle is not the sweet spot for driver.

Probably but many think the sweet spot is in the center of the face or the circle around it. That’s not the case and the actual sweet spot on most drivers is where the pic displays it to be. 

 

8 minutes ago, revkev said:

It's always best to be fit to find out what the right length is for delivering the sweet spot to the ball.  It's also most helpful to start with the proper fit as changing lengths change swing weights and shaft performances.  For some people that doesn't matter but for others it may matter a lot

Agree, however there is a way to determine what works for each person on their own with a little bit of work. It’s detailed in the diy driver tuneup thread on wrx where the pics came from.

As for swing weights some are more sensitive to others and don’t need to change on a shorter shaft. The thread also dives into how to test how much weight to add back when cutting down, and it’s not just I cut off X amount which equals Y swing weight points so I need to add Z weight back.

[chisag]

On 4/30/2023 at 7:26 AM, Brian W.D. said:

I’ve been thinking about trying a shorter shaft in my driver. I’m playing a Cobra LTDx at 9 degrees with a Hzrdus Blue in X flex. It plays at 45”. I tend to hit it high on the face. I’m looking for more consistent contact and control. Who’s been playing a shorter driver?

Is anyone playing a driver at 43.5” to 44.5”? 
Did your contact improve?  

Did you lose any distance?

 

... Several nice replies here. I would add an Iron Byron machine can swing a longer driver faster than a shorter driver and hit the sweet spot. The irony is humans more often than not swing a shorter driver faster and hit the sweet spot more often. A slightly faster swing speed with contact closer to the sweet spot increases distance. As with all things golf, finding that perfect length isn't easy and different for everyone. Then there are some seniors and female players with slower swings and a smooth transition, so they can swing a longer driver faster. 

... Before it's time UST introduced their I.T. shaft the stood for Inertial Transfer as a system meant to be played at 44" and D0 with the shaft weight around 100gms but heavily counter balanced using Titanium in the butt end that allowed for more weight in the head ... all combing for a faster swing and more distance. Freddie Couples won with this shaft on tour along with several others. I used the I.T. for several years when I was much younger and still have one. Interesting side note is they sold for around $110 which was unheard of back when you could buy an aftermarket Graphite Design YS6 or YS7 that were both played on Tour for under $50. I had more than a few tell me nobody is ever gonna pay over $100 just for a golf shaft. 

[OdinSnipes414]

So I’ll have a question I hit pretty pure with my 3 wood which is shortened a half inch should I shorten my driver as well!


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[OdinSnipes414]

So I’ll have a question I hit pretty pure with my 3 wood which is shortened a half inch should I shorten my driver as well!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So I’ll have a question I hit pretty pure with my 3 wood which is shortened a half inch should I shorten my driver as well!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RickyBobby_PR]

33 minutes ago, OdinSnipes414 said:

So I’ll have a question I hit pretty pure with my 3 wood which is shortened a half inch should I shorten my driver as well!


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So I’ll have a question I hit pretty pure with my 3 wood which is shortened a half inch should I shorten my driver as well!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You can try, it may or may not work.

Use search engine of choice and search diy driver tuneup. Follow the instructions in there and see what works for you

[Brian W.D.]

Now I’ve tried it at 44”, 44.5”, and 45”. For me the best, by far, is 45” with a swing weight of D-3. Average length, dispersion, and strike location on the face were the best. It was worthwhile to take the time and work through the different options.

[Ruger]

I recently went to 44.5", was fitted for 45.75"..  I know not much difference so we will see how goes at that length as I do tend to find the center of face more and have not lost any distance.

[Brian W.D.]

changing to the 45” from the 45.5” has been a game changer. The driver is a weapon again!

[Brian A]

Years ago I did shortened the driver shaft and I got more accuracy and a little more distance as I was hitting the sweet spot a much more. Went back to the normal length, not sure why. 

[Fred Mitchell]

On 5/1/2023 at 11:17 AM, Brian W.D. said:

That’s a good idea. I think I’ll start with taping the grip.

The plus for GP grips help me with choking down, the shaft doesnt get to thin for the right hand when its lower on the grip.

[Fred Mitchell]

Just a thought, a lot of people who said shorter length didnt help or was worse did not address swing weight, a cheap pack of lead tape until you decide what works then most modern drivers have an interchangeable weight that can be used to make a more permenant fix. Heck if your 3W fits the driver whats a few pieces of lead to try if your losing balls left and right out of bounds with a full length driver, length of drive and pride doesnt show on a score card.

[Londo]

I have been playing around with choking down so far this season and its seems to have tightened dispersion a bit so far. Will be checking out that driver tune up video, going to get some hard numbers soon and will certainly try shorter shafts the next time I get fit.

[ctg44]

I went from being a 300+ yard driver with NO idea where my ball was going (and a 8 or so handicap) down to a 3.9 handicap and consistently hitting the fairway at 275-300 depending on how I'm feeling, the wind, and the rollout.  Add in a little short game improvement after making my wedge raw made them softer, and a putter change last winter to the driving accuracy, and suddenly, my Mizuno Pro 223 irons are the worst part of my game...kind of crazy since putting those in the bag alone dropped my handicap a few points last year.  I know the irons lofts / lies / lengths are right because I just spent almost 2 hours on checking them with a fitter at Club Champion on the Trackman.  The 3 Trackman sessions and free loft / lie adjustments you get to keep your clubs are just a couple of the reasons a CC fitting isn't a bad deal after all, especially if you can get them to offer you a military discount on buying the clubs themselves!  It is obviously harder to shave a lot of strokes off your handicap when you're in the 3-8 range, but shortening the driver and cutting out the 1-2 OB penalties I was getting every round has really helped me with that.  I took a full 1" off my 45.5" driver, and even being 6'4", that has been the sweet spot.

[Josh Parker]

I have my driver at 44in and my 3 wood shortened 1/2in.  I feel more controlled on my shots.  I also just switched to one length irons and cut them down to 8 iron length instead of 7 iron. 1/2in.

It's all what feels the best for the player.  

[Bang60]

On 6/22/2023 at 6:53 AM, Fred Mitchell said:

The plus for GP grips help me with choking down, the shaft doesnt get to thin for the right hand when its lower on the grip.

I add 2 extra tapes for my bottom hand under the grip, feels much better for me