Shorter Driver Shaft

[Brianfleury]

Hey all, I was reading the other day that having a shorter driver shaft could help you have more control with your driver and potentially increase the length. I have the exact same shaft in my 5 wood as my driver, but the driver shaft is roughly 3-4 inches longer. I have made the switch to try it and seems like I have more control off the tee hitting it straight and distance is the same or very close. Do you think Im nuts for trying this?

[JAYER38]

Just now, Brianfleury said:

Hey all, I was reading the other day that having a shorter driver shaft could help you have more control with your driver and potentially increase the length. I have the exact same shaft in my 5 wood as my driver, but the driver shaft is roughly 3-4 inches longer. I have made the switch to try it and seems like I have more control off the tee hitting it straight and distance is the same or very close. Do you think Im nuts for trying this?

NOT AT ALL!

More people should try a shorter driver and not base it on there height or wrist to floor(charts). I'm 6'2" and play a 44.5" driver. Once I made the switch I gained so much more control even though I did lose 15-20ish yards but mostly always playable now off the tee. In my honest opinion a 45-45.5" driver should be standard or what more people go to

[Claek]

Personally I'm a little jealous you were brave enough to try it out. I have tried just choking down as I feel my driver is just too long of a club for me to really feel as if I have full control. I always felt like a shorter shaft would help but just figured it was an issue with my swing speed or grip. I think I'll give a shorter shaft a try in the near future.

Edited July 24 by Claek

[jbern]

29 minutes ago, Brianfleury said:

Hey all, I was reading the other day that having a shorter driver shaft could help you have more control with your driver and potentially increase the length. I have the exact same shaft in my 5 wood as my driver, but the driver shaft is roughly 3-4 inches longer. I have made the switch to try it and seems like I have more control off the tee hitting it straight and distance is the same or very close. Do you think Im nuts for trying this?

Not nuts at all! I cut my driver shaft down from 45.5 to 44.5 in an effort to do the same thing. I have found that my misses aren't as severe and I haven't lost any noticeable distance. I'm also finding the center of the face more often.

There are probably differences in how a shaft is cut between a 5W and a Dr (e.g. a 5W might have more cut off the tip than a Dr shaft). So depending on how things work out for you, it might be better to cut down the butt end of the Dr shaft than just swap them. I'm not an expert on shaft trimming/tipping though. @azstu324, @Josh Parker, @GolfSpy_APH, @JRDuck40, @McGolf or @TSauer might have better advice on that.

[Josh Parker]

4 minutes ago, jbern said:

Not nuts at all! I cut my driver shaft down from 45.5 to 44.5 in an effort to do the same thing. I have found that my misses aren't as severe and I haven't lost any noticeable distance. I'm also finding the center of the face more often.

There are probably differences in how a shaft is cut between a 5W and a Dr (e.g. a 5W might have more cut off the tip than a Dr shaft). So depending on how things work out for you, it might be better to cut down the butt end of the Dr shaft than just swap them. I'm not an expert on shaft trimming/tipping though. @azstu324, @Josh Parker, @GolfSpy_APH, @JRDuck40, @McGolf or @TSauer might have better advice on that.

The 5w shaft is probably tipped.  I play a shorter length driver shaft at 44.75.  I haven't gone down to a 5w shaft length but if you have tried it and it works, cut the butt end of your current driver shaft .5in at a time and see how it does.  Tip cutting typically stiffens the profile and torque.  You can always look up that particular shaft and see what the manufacturer suggests on trimming.

[TSauer]

50 minutes ago, Brianfleury said:

Hey all, I was reading the other day that having a shorter driver shaft could help you have more control with your driver and potentially increase the length. I have the exact same shaft in my 5 wood as my driver, but the driver shaft is roughly 3-4 inches longer. I have made the switch to try it and seems like I have more control off the tee hitting it straight and distance is the same or very close. Do you think Im nuts for trying this?

Not nuts at all, golf is all about tinkering.

14 minutes ago, jbern said:

Not nuts at all! I cut my driver shaft down from 45.5 to 44.5 in an effort to do the same thing. I have found that my misses aren't as severe and I haven't lost any noticeable distance. I'm also finding the center of the face more often.

There are probably differences in how a shaft is cut between a 5W and a Dr (e.g. a 5W might have more cut off the tip than a Dr shaft). So depending on how things work out for you, it might be better to cut down the butt end of the Dr shaft than just swap them. I'm not an expert on shaft trimming/tipping though. @azstu324, @Josh Parker, @GolfSpy_APH, @JRDuck40, @McGolf or @TSauer might have better advice on that.

@Josh Parker nailed it. Butt trimming will make it softer, tip trimming will make it stiffer. You typically don't want to tip trim more than 1.5".

[Brianfleury]

Thanks everyone, Im playing 18 tomorrow and then have a tournament on Saturday and if all goes good hopefully I make it into the horserace! Appreciate the feed back and comments - on the flip side though I feel like my 5 wood has more distance and control with the longer shaft - but definitely will look at switching them back and then cutting down driver shaft if need be! Thanks again 

[TSauer]

Just now, Brianfleury said:

Thanks everyone, Im playing 18 tomorrow and then have a tournament on Saturday and if all goes good hopefully I make it into the horserace! Appreciate the feed back and comments - on the flip side though I feel like my 5 wood has more distance and control with the longer shaft - but definitely will look at switching them back and then cutting down driver shaft if need be! Thanks again 

Be sure to let us know how things go!

[Brianfleury]

Shall do!

[TJ Hall]

 Not at all, play a shorter shaft and have found the center of the club face more than with longer shaft.

Have also found a shorter swing works better for me as well.

Finding center results in better results than swinging harder…but a hard thing to remember…

[Erin B]

19 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

 Not at all, play a shorter shaft and have found the center of the club face more than with longer shaft.

Have also found a shorter swing works better for me as well.

Finding center results in better results than swinging harder…but a hard thing to remember…

I’m on the same idea.

[buckpillar]

2 hours ago, TJ Hall said:

 Not at all, play a shorter shaft and have found the center of the club face more than with longer shaft.

Have also found a shorter swing works better for me as well.

Finding center results in better results than swinging harder…but a hard thing to remember…

Accuracy improves also , I cut my Taylormade Sim2 driver down by 1 1/4 inches

[revkev]

You aren't nuts but if you really want to get the best results you should go get fit (if you know a quality fitter) to see what the ideal shaft length and weight are for your swing and also what recommendations the fitter has to adjust the swing weight of your driver accordingly.  The ideal is always to order a driver direct from the OEM with the shorter shaft, if that's what fits you best, because then it is properly tipped and weighted.  

 

Also, there are some people - I don't know the percentage, who won't benefit from shortening the shaft - the number who will though is greater than the number who won't.  My driver is 44.25" - its what I was fit for - I picked up 6 or 7 yards of distance and am much more consistent (well not right now but normally  )

[KC Golf]

Driver shaft length can definitely make a difference.  Even some PGA Tour Pros use shorter shafts, so it makes sense to try it out.  Get fit is the mantra!

[Shrek74]

The guys at TXG just did this exact video yesterday.

I'm playing a mini since I've had a really tough time finding the center on a regular length driver. I will be playing around with the length of my new STMax to see if I can find a particular length where I can find the middle more often and possibly squeak out more yards while still staying in the fairway.

I think this is a topic that most of us struggle with as driver can be such a fickle club due to it's length.

[Josh Parker]

18 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

The guys at TXG just did this exact video yesterday.

I'm playing a mini since I've had a really tough time finding the center on a regular length driver. I will be playing around with the length of my new STMax to see if I can find a particular length where I can find the middle more often and possibly squeak out more yards while still staying in the fairway.

I think this is a topic that most of us struggle with as driver can be such a fickle club due to it's length.

This was a great video.  I saw that earlier today and thought about this thread.

[Erin B]

25 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

The guys at TXG just did this exact video yesterday.

I'm playing a mini since I've had a really tough time finding the center on a regular length driver. I will be playing around with the length of my new STMax to see if I can find a particular length where I can find the middle more often and possibly squeak out more yards while still staying in the fairway.

I think this is a topic that most of us struggle with as driver can be such a fickle club due to it's length.

Playing the Callaway mini almost exclusively yesterday I did have some misses on the face because the shaft is an inch longer than stock, which is solidifying my thoughts of taking that inch off the top to make it 43 1/2". My TaylorMade mini is 43 1/2 and I'm hitting it very well as a strong 3 wood.

[funkyjudge]

19 minutes ago, Erin B said:

Playing the Callaway mini almost exclusively yesterday I did have some misses on the face because the shaft is an inch longer than stock, which is solidifying my thoughts of taking that inch off the top to make it 43 1/2". My TaylorMade mini is 43 1/2 and I'm hitting it very well as a strong 3 wood.

I am still confused regarding why you would want to play a “mini” driver at 44.5” or 44.75” long. That just seems to be counterintuitive in every respect. The smaller face, coupled with the longer shaft, would almost certainly result in more erratic and/or inefficient shots.

I have personally owned several mini driver models, beginning with the SLDR (which I still have), to the TaylorMade 300 Ti mini driver, which I occasionally play to this day. I am personally more efficient with a mini driver at 43” playing length, and I have never encountered a single golfer, including my PGA Tour clubfitting customers, who can consistently hit a mini driver well when it is more than 43.5” to 43.75” long.

[funkyjudge]

By the way, I did a little experiment a few weeks ago. I took an older Maltby PV (Peak Velocity) 82 driver, which has a 300cc clubhead, and cut it down to 43.5” long. Once my eyes fully heal and adjust to the surgery that I recently had done on both of them, I will be taking this homemade “mini driver” to the range. If it performs well, I will put it in my bag for the 3 remaining 9-hole golf league matches that I have (we are already eliminated from the playoffs and the course has a handful of tight, 310 to 330 yard par-4 holes).

Edited July 25 by funkyjudge

[Shrek74]

6 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

I am still confused regarding why you would want to play a “mini” driver at 44.5” or 44.75” long. That just seems to be counterintuitive in every respect. The smaller face, coupled with the longer shaft, would almost certainly result in more erratic and/or inefficient shots.

I have personally owned several mini driver models, beginning with the SLDR (which I still have), to the TaylorMade 300 Ti mini driver, which I occasionally play to this day. I am personally more efficient with a mini driver at 43” playing length, and I have never encountered a single golfer, including my PGA Tour clubfitting customers, who can consistently hit a mini driver well when it is more than 43.5” to 43.75” long.

I have my Ti 340 mini cut to 43 3/4" and then gripped to play about 43 7/8" long. My BRNR mini is about 43 7/8" playing length as well with the replacement shaft. I found they play well at that length, but I won't go any more than that. As you said, if I was to go longer I might as well play a driver. I'm going to be testing my new STMax for this exact length discussion, starting at standard 45 3/4" and cutting it down little by little (although I will probably start with choking down first). The TXG video pretty much proved that the shorter driver is a better option, at least on the surface. We're all different and swing differently, so a proper test is in order.

[Erin B]

15 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

I am still confused regarding why you would want to play a “mini” driver at 44.5” or 44.75” long. That just seems to be counterintuitive in every respect. The smaller face, coupled with the longer shaft, would almost certainly result in more erratic and/or inefficient shots.

I have personally owned several mini driver models, beginning with the SLDR (which I still have), to the TaylorMade 300 Ti mini driver, which I occasionally play to this day. I am personally more efficient with a mini driver at 43” playing length, and I have never encountered a single golfer, including my PGA Tour clubfitting customers, who can consistently hit a mini driver well when it is more than 43.5” to 43.75” long.

I agree, the TaylorMade came with the 43 1/2", I bought the Callaway on here, it came with 44 1/2". Figured I'd try it and I did. Now I am going to take an inch off. Didn't hurt to try it though. 

[Erin B]

2 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

I have my Ti 340 mini cut to 43 3/4" and then gripped to play about 43 7/8" long. My BRNR mini is about 43 7/8" playing length as well with the replacement shaft. I found they play well at that length, but I won't go any more than that. As you said, if I was to go longer I might as well play a driver. I'm going to be testing my new STMax for this exact length discussion, starting at standard 45 3/4" and cutting it down little by little (although I will probably start with choking down first). The TXG video pretty much proved that the shorter driver is a better option, at least on the surface. We're all different and swing differently, so a proper test is in order.

It's fun to try different things. Isn't that why we are on here in the first place?

[Josh Parker]

20 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

I am still confused regarding why you would want to play a “mini” driver at 44.5” or 44.75” long. That just seems to be counterintuitive in every respect. The smaller face, coupled with the longer shaft, would almost certainly result in more erratic and/or inefficient shots.

I have personally owned several mini driver models, beginning with the SLDR (which I still have), to the TaylorMade 300 Ti mini driver, which I occasionally play to this day. I am personally more efficient with a mini driver at 43” playing length, and I have never encountered a single golfer, including my PGA Tour clubfitting customers, who can consistently hit a mini driver well when it is more than 43.5” to 43.75” long.

I would be one of those odd characters that seem to hit it much better than my driver at driver length (44.75)

I 110% know it is a mental block but my SS is slightly slower with the mini (1-2mph) but my contact is middle of the face almost every single time.  I am hitting my 250-255 carry and launch angles are good.  

I don't know why and can't explain it and neither can my coach......  

[Erin B]

16 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

By the way, I did a little experiment a few weeks ago. I took an older Maltby PV (Peak Velocity) 82 driver, which has a 300cc clubhead, and cut it down to 43.5” long. Once my eyes fully heal and adjust to the surgery that I recently had done on both of them, I will be taking this homemade “mini driver” to the range. If it performs well, I will put it in my bag for the 3 remaining 9-hole golf league matches that I have (we are already eliminated from the playoffs and the course has a handful of tight, 310 to 330 yard par-4 holes).

Will be interesting to hear how it performs.

[funkyjudge]

Just now, Josh Parker said:

I would be one of those odd characters that seem to hit it much better than my driver at driver length (44.75)

I 110% know it is a mental block but my SS is slightly slower with the mini (1-2mph) but my contact is middle of the face almost every single time.  I am hitting my 250-255 carry and launch angles are good.  

I don't know why and can't explain it and neither can my coach......  

I am hoping that I can get results like that with the PV82 driver that I cut down to 43.5” and added about 8 to 10 grams of lead tape on the back.

[JRDuck40]

21 hours ago, jbern said:

Not nuts at all! I cut my driver shaft down from 45.5 to 44.5 in an effort to do the same thing. I have found that my misses aren't as severe and I haven't lost any noticeable distance. I'm also finding the center of the face more often.

There are probably differences in how a shaft is cut between a 5W and a Dr (e.g. a 5W might have more cut off the tip than a Dr shaft). So depending on how things work out for you, it might be better to cut down the butt end of the Dr shaft than just swap them. I'm not an expert on shaft trimming/tipping though. @azstu324, @Josh Parker, @GolfSpy_APH, @JRDuck40, @McGolf or @TSauer might have better advice on that.

YES. There are different cuts (butt cut and tip cut) that will need to happen depending on the shaft manufacture. The Golf Works has a shaft trimming guide, so does the shaft manufacture. They typically include a paper copy with the shipment. If not, here's a link. 

https://www.golfworks.com/content/description/shaft_trim_inst.pdf

JRD 

[Erin B]

43 minutes ago, JRDuck40 said:

YES. There are different cuts (butt cut and tip cut) that will need to happen depending on the shaft manufacture. The Golf Works has a shaft trimming guide, so does the shaft manufacture. They typically include a paper copy with the shipment. If not, here's a link. 

https://www.golfworks.com/content/description/shaft_trim_inst.pdf

JRD 

Thanks! Good to know for us novices!

[Erin B]

1 hour ago, Josh Parker said:

I would be one of those odd characters that seem to hit it much better than my driver at driver length (44.75)

I 110% know it is a mental block but my SS is slightly slower with the mini (1-2mph) but my contact is middle of the face almost every single time.  I am hitting my 250-255 carry and launch angles are good.  

I don't know why and can't explain it and neither can my coach......  

We’re all different mi amigo! For instance, I like Steadfast shafts.  

[KC Golf]

Just thought I would ask. All things being equal if you cut the butt end by an inch does the butt end and the whole club get stiffer across the board or does it get softer overall?  Or is it shaft dependent?

[Josh Parker]

2 minutes ago, KC Golf said:

Just thought I would ask. All things being equal if you cut the butt end by an inch does the butt end and the whole club get stiffer across the board or does it get softer overall?  Or is it shaft dependent?

Typically no. If you trim the tip end it will typically change the stiffness profile.