Advice for shorthouse

[Stub]

I'm about 5' 8" on a hot day when expanded to my maximum height and have a TM Burner 2.0 driver which seems to have a longer shaft than most when I've compared it to the drivers of fellow players.

My query is this. Would shortening the shaft give me more control without losing distance? Would shortening the shaft affect the other characteristics of the club?

My driving is OK but not spectacularly long and there are times when at address I feel the club is too long.

 

[mouth]

Shortening the shaft will make it stiffer and also move the flex point. Best to get to a club builder and see about a custom fit - this will find the correct shaft length and flex point for you. Might be better off cutting your losses and selling the current driver based on results from the fit.

 

[In_The_Rough]

Shortening the shaft will increase accuracy usually but reduce distance. But like has been said probably best to get checked out.

 

[shewy]

dump it,i had that driver and its awfull,shaft is to long and utter garbage.now playing a 45" driver and hitting more fairways which means more distance,chances are you'll connect better with a shorter shaft.btw same height as you

 

[HomerJSimpson]

To get the best results I think you'd need to look at a C/F fit as cutting the normal one down will have a big impact on the performance.

 

[ash01]

Dont clip your shaft. Will make it all out of sync.

TM clubs typically have longer shafts and the newer rocket bollocks stuff is getting a bit weird with the length of shaft.

The new Ping i20 comes with a shorter shaft as standard and its a great club.

Ash!!

 

[Foxholer]

I'm going to buck the trend of those above and say it's likely to help both your accuracy AND your distance!

Pretty sure that Burner 2s are 45.5 or maybe even 46". So a reduction to 44.5 (maybe even 44) would quite likely help. A club fitter would be the best to check with. A Pro might also have a view, but that's out of many Pro's field of expertise these days.

You may have to adjust the Swing weight slightly - there's a scale of change per inch - with some lead tape and that will also counter much of any change in stiffness. Oh, make sure it's the butt end you cut (if you cut the tip end you make it seriously stiffer) and you are likely to need a new grip.

If in doubt, do it in half inch increments, taping the cut grip on until it feels better.

Good Luck

PS: Height isn't all important. Rory McIlroy is 5'9 or a tad over and he doesn't lack for length!

 

[Pants]

I'm also one of these vertically challenged golfers who's shaft was too long and has had it shortened a bit (butt end). Hmmm. That didn't come out quite as intended.

So, if you have the shaft shortened, you need extra weight at the head end?

How much, where do you get the lead tape from, and how and where do you fit it?

 

[JustOne]

I'm with Foxholer and say that you can gain a better strike (hit the sweetspot more often) and thus gain more distance. I think in actual tests the shorter shaft lost exactly 1 yard overall (big deal) compared to longer shafts, but was more accurate, as well as being equally as long, if not longer when hit out of the center.

Yes it might change the flex of the shaft but hell.. that might suit you better. You can still sell it when it's cut down. I think Bubba Watson who is about 15ft tall (hmmmm.....) plays with a 44" shaft... less than most club golfers!

 

[Foxholer]

I'm with Foxholer

Scary stuff!

Specially as I was with a Pro yesterday who, apart from having a lightly flexed right leg, was remarkedly 'centred'! Hit it relatively poorly, but to be expected for second time out this year (and that 2 times more than this time last year)!

WRT shortening and weight adjustment. I think the scale is about 6 grams for each inch removed but it depends where you place it. Around hosel you will need a bit more (say 7) than on bottom of club (say 5). I used to place any tape around the back of the head or underneath back so it didn't look too bad.

Adjusting swing weight back to the original value after cutting will actually soften the flex of the club (maybe up to half a flex per inch). That is why you shouldn't be too dramatic in your cutting - unless you actually 'tip' the shaft as part of the process. Personally, I'd compromise - just butt-trim, adjust SW slightly and have slightly softer feel. My irons are all a point or more off a 'normal' value, with tape on several, and not on the 'standard' line for their specified flex, but I have no idea which ones are light/heavy or soft/stiff - and don't want to know either!

Here's a vid that explains quite a bit about the process.

http://swingsurgeon.com/DailyVideos...ortening-Your-Driver-Is-A-Weighty-Matter.aspx

 

[Smiffy]

Can you not just grip down on the shaft a bit further and give it a try???

 

[BeachGolfer]

A reasonably successful shorthouse called Gary Player has played overlength clubs his entire career. Better economics to drop 30 notes on a swing analysis than slicing up and then having to replace the driver shaft.

 

[Stub]

Thanks for all the advice, much of which confirms my thoughts. I'm going to book a driver fitting and compare my Burner 2 to other drivers and shafts and see what that tells me.

Have tried gripping down the shaft to shorten but can't seem to get away with that.