How long is your shaft?

[Kwalks18]

Talking driver shafts today.

I personally play a HZRDUS Silver gen 4 that’s cut to 44”. I really like the control it gives me and I get good distance. Average 265 which for me is great. I can swing harder but the ball is anywhere but straight. 

I’ve heard from a lot of people that my shafts “too short” and I’m “loosing distance” I was fitted for a 45” shaft but I found I couldn’t find the fairway.I read online that if I wanted control to try a shorter shaft. That’s when I seen the Hzrdus silver and gave it a shot.

Now my swing has definitely improved so I’m wondering if a longer shaft will actually do anything for me. 
 

Being realistic 265 average is good for me. I'm not a professional but I would like to see 280 more frequently.

So the question is how long is your shaft? Have you trialled different lengths? Is this something I should try?Does 1 inch really make a difference when it comes to performance?

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

It may or may not. There is nobody here that can say yes it will or no it will not.

Only way to know is to test it yourself 

if you want some helpful info on how to figure it out, use search engine of choice and search diy driver tuneup and follow that to find what works for you 

[Kwalks18]

29 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

It may or may not. There is nobody here that can say yes it will or no it will not.

Only way to know is to test it yourself 

if you want some helpful info on how to figure it out, use search engine of choice and search diy driver tuneup and follow that to find what works for you 

I’m definitely a guy that needs to feel the driver not just see numbers on a launch monitor.  I’m not really wanting to spend a couple hundred dollars on a new shaft just for it to not perform. I’ll definitely do some research hopefully it helps!

[RickyBobby_PR]

6 minutes ago, Kwalks18 said:

I’m definitely a guy that needs to feel the driver not just see numbers on a launch monitor.  I’m not really wanting to spend a couple hundred dollars on a new shaft just for it to not perform. I’ll definitely do some research hopefully it helps!

Unfortunately unless you do a fitting it’s going to cost money to test what works.

There are plenty of the shafts you currently play for around $100 on eBay.

48 minutes ago, Kwalks18 said:

So the question is how long is your shaft? Have you trialled different lengths? Is this something I should try?Does 1 inch really make a difference when it comes to performance?

Let’s dive into this a bit more.

1” can help some people gain speed and not lose any consistency and for others they may can speed but start hitting it all over the face. For others there’s no benefit as they don’t gain speed and lose control.

1” probably isn’t going to get you the extra 15 yards you would like to see at least not in carry distance. If the length causes you to hit lower trajectory balls you may lose out on carry distance but if the fairways are firm you could gain some rollout and increase total distance. 
 

Total distance isn’t something I look at because it varies from course to course, what the weather is like, how firm or soft the course is that day. Carry is king and travels

[cnosil]

10 minutes ago, Kwalks18 said:

I’m definitely a guy that needs to feel the driver not just see numbers on a launch monitor.  I’m not really wanting to spend a couple hundred dollars on a new shaft just for it to not perform. I’ll definitely do some research hopefully it helps!

I don’t understand the feel the driver versus just see numbers on a launch monitor comment.  You have to swing and feel the driver and to get launch monitor numbers.  The advantage of a launch monitor is that is gives you actual performance versus guessing what you see.   We can’t evaluate if the 265 number is good or not since we don’t know if that is carry or total, where you make contact on the face, or  your swing speed. 
 

To answer your question my driver is 44.5”.  I have compared it to longer length drivers and I don’t lose any swing speed.   I Do get better face contact which is what is expected from shorter.     
 

iMO, shorter won’t fix the control you are looking for which is you describe as left to right dispersion since you said missing fairways.  Fairway counts are over rated; better to evaluate if you can advance you next shot to the green and not have to punch out.  What is you left to right dispersion distance?  
 

Shorter fixes face contact location.  If you aren’t hitting the right spot on the driver or you are inconsistent you are losing distance because you are losing ball speed from miss hits.  Fixing misshits often results in more distance because it maximizes ball speed.   
 

 

[Kwalks18]

2 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I don’t understand the feel the driver versus just see numbers on a launch monitor comment.  You have to swing and feel the driver and to get launch monitor numbers.  The advantage of a launch monitor is that is gives you actual performance versus guessing what you see.   We can’t evaluate if the 265 number is good or not since we don’t know if that is carry or total, where you make contact on the face, or  your swing speed. 
 

To answer your question my driver is 44.5”.  I have compared it to longer length drivers and I don’t lose any swing speed.   I Do get better face contact which is what is expected from shorter.     
 

iMO, shorter won’t fix the control you are looking for which is you describe as left to right dispersion since you said missing fairways.  Fairway counts are over rated; better to evaluate if you can advance you next shot to the green and not have to punch out.  What is you left to right dispersion distance?  
 

Shorter fixes face contact location.  If you aren’t hitting the right spot on the driver or you are inconsistent you are losing distance because you are losing ball speed from miss hits.  Fixing misshits often results in more distance because it maximizes ball speed.   
 

 

Thanks for the informative reply. Unfortunately I don’t have regular access to a launch monitor, when I do it’s at a big box store where I find I don’t swing naturally (I feel rushed etc).  I’m more looking for if anyone else finds that 1 inch really makes a huge difference. I’m not a professional I golf for fun but I like seeing if I can maximize my performance. If only picking up 3-5 yards is the difference I’ll save some money and keep my current shaft.

Swigging as hard as I can without any consequences is different then when I’m on the course and thinking about shot shape, hazards etc. 

[cnosil]

18 minutes ago, Kwalks18 said:

Thanks for the informative reply. Unfortunately I don’t have regular access to a launch monitor, when I do it’s at a big box store where I find I don’t swing naturally (I feel rushed etc).  I’m more looking for if anyone else finds that 1 inch really makes a huge difference. I’m not a professional I golf for fun but I like seeing if I can maximize my performance. If only picking up 3-5 yards is the difference I’ll save some money and keep my current shaft.

Swigging as hard as I can without any consequences is different than when I’m on the course and thinking about shot shape, hazards etc. 

IMO, if you want to pick up distance, swing hard, do speed training, and don’t think about shot shape (only have one with the driver).  Your dispersion will be about 40 yards wide no matter what you do and your ball could land in anywhere in between. 

[cnosil]

29 minutes ago, Kwalks18 said:

Swigging as hard as I can without any consequences is different then when I’m on the course and thinking about shot shape, hazards etc. 

Adding on to my last comment,  did an MGS test where we swing with fairway finder speed, normal speed, and as fast as we could swing and I gained about 30 yards swinging all out with no worse dispersion.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

48 minutes ago, Kwalks18 said:

Thanks for the informative reply. Unfortunately I don’t have regular access to a launch monitor, when I do it’s at a big box store where I find I don’t swing naturally (I feel rushed etc).  I’m more looking for if anyone else finds that 1 inch really makes a huge difference. I’m not a professional I golf for fun but I like seeing if I can maximize my performance. If only picking up 3-5 yards is the difference I’ll save some money and keep my current shaft.

Swigging as hard as I can without any consequences is different then when I’m on the course and thinking about shot shape, hazards etc. 

testing anything when you don’t swing the same as your course swing provides zero benefit and any comparison of data is almost pointless. It will show you what happens when you swing that way but that doesn’t translate to your normal game.

it’s a common issue in fittings where golfers aren’t comfortable hitting indoors and make a different swing and then say their results don’t carry to the course rom their fitting.

Or the ones that go to a fitting and swing out of their shoes to see how much they can get out of a new club while on the course they don’t swing like that.

As to the bold part there’s no definitive answer to it helps or doesn’t help. As I said earlier some people are going to benefit from It in distance and not lose any accuracy. Some are going to gain speed and lose accuracy. Some are going to gain nothing and some are going to lose speed, distance and accuracy.

it all varies on how the length, the weight, the feel and balance affect the golfer.

You have to test for yourself to see if there is any benefit or not. You will get a mix of responses because there is no yes or no that 1” makes a difference.

I can 46” the same as 45” with no change in accurate or speed. I don’t like going shorter than 45”

[RI_Redneck]

My gamer is 46". I have several other 44.75" drivers that I hit well also. The one thing I find extremely important regardless of the length is the proper weighting and balance of the club. It HAS to be right for your swing. Otherwise you will lose distance and/or accuracy period.

BT

[brivard]

On 5/9/2023 at 12:38 PM, Kwalks18 said:

Thanks for the informative reply. Unfortunately I don’t have regular access to a launch monitor, when I do it’s at a big box store where I find I don’t swing naturally (I feel rushed etc).  I’m more looking for if anyone else finds that 1 inch really makes a huge difference. I’m not a professional I golf for fun but I like seeing if I can maximize my performance. If only picking up 3-5 yards is the difference I’ll save some money and keep my current shaft.

Swigging as hard as I can without any consequences is different then when I’m on the course and thinking about shot shape, hazards etc. 

I played a 45” Hzrdus yellow 6.5 and had the same shaft 6.0 on hand from a past driver. I cut that down to 44.5 so I went 1/2” shorter and down a flex and I love it. Driving the ball best I ever have and distance is there as well. It might be a little spinny at like 2800 but it’s not bad. I love the feel that 1/2” shorter shaft gives me. I feel more in control. I’m 5’9” and swing 110 +/- 1-2 mph on average. Playing a TSi3 

 

[ChazBlack12]

This thread is really interesting to me. My driver is cut down to like 42.5/43 (i'm 5'11). I've lost zero distance or ball speed. I like to hit a draw and the regular shaft length made it feel very difficult to come inside. I'm much more accurate on my mishits cause i'm getting the club in a better position. It definitely takes some getting used to but i feel like i can take a similar swing with my hybrid, 3w and driver.. similar ball flights, distance control and expectation.. I also like the added stiffnext (X-Stiff shaft already). Sometimes I wish I had a few more adjustable weights in my Cobra LTDx LS to find a better feel as the club does get lighter

[BMart519]

I am experimenting with 2 drivers, one at 45.25" with a low spin head for max distance and another on a 3 wood shaft around 43" with a "forgiving" model head. (Same shaft model, heads are lead taped for same overall club weight and similar head weight) Face contact does seem to be closer to sweet spot with shorter shaft and in general - dispersion side to side is reduced. The shorter driver is 10-20 yards shorter on good strikes which is a combination of lower speed and higher spin. Poor swings still get into trouble with the short driver which led me to take the extra distance to start the season as I was hitting driver well. But I am about to start using the short driver again as I my fade is turning into a slice recently with the fade biased, low speed head. This type of comparison would need a good sample size to accurately determine which route is best and it can be course specific as well. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

1 hour ago, BMart519 said:

I am experimenting with 2 drivers, one at 45.25" with a low spin head for max distance and another on a 3 wood shaft around 43" with a "forgiving" model head. (Same shaft model, heads are lead taped for same overall club weight and similar head weight) Face contact does seem to be closer to sweet spot with shorter shaft and in general - dispersion side to side is reduced. The shorter driver is 10-20 yards shorter on good strikes which is a combination of lower speed and higher spin. Poor swings still get into trouble with the short driver which led me to take the extra distance to start the season as I was hitting driver well. But I am about to start using the short driver again as I my fade is turning into a slice recently with the fade biased, low speed head. This type of comparison would need a good sample size to accurately determine which route is best and it can be course specific as well. 

You ever try the low spin head on shorter shaft to max distance and forgiving head on long shaft ?

[BMart519]

2 hours ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

You ever try the low spin head on shorter shaft to max distance and forgiving head on long shaft ?

Not yet. I do want to compare both heads on the short shaft to see the difference in distance between those 2 setups and see how much distance I actually gain from a standard driver length at 2" longer. 

[Fred Mitchell]

20 hours ago, BMart519 said:

Not yet. I do want to compare both heads on the short shaft to see the difference in distance between those 2 setups and see how much distance I actually gain from a standard driver length at 2" longer. 

Sir you are morally obligated to try both heads on both shafts and report those findings. 

[PhilM75072]

I just got fit for a driver -1/2" from standard, so 45".

[Jmatczak87]

44” I feel like it gives me a lot more control and definitely makes my driver more consistent 

[Sinjin Todd]

I use a 45” shaft and it’s been good for me! Anything longer and I feel I start to lose control of it


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[tehuti]

44.5” for me, and most of the time I am in or near my fairway as opposed to the one next door.


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[DrDaveYT]

Recently cut my driver shaft by 0.5" and added a few grams to the head, and I love it. I'm a bit on the shorter side around 5'8-9", so I find having the shaft a touch shorter helps my control a ton.