Driver Length Vs Swing Weight Help

[NoIdea247]

Hi guys,

I have been looking to lower my spin and ball flight without changing my swing too much. I like a left to right ball flight (right handed) and have a pretty repeatable swing which hits fairways but spins at c3000 meaning my c95-100mph swing speed is only carrying around 210 yards with my high cut/fade producing minimal roll out.

I currently play a Ping G with Tour 65 Stiff Shaft which plays about 44.25" - i'm 5'6" so the standard lengths feel crazy to me and the shorter shaft helps me find the middle more often than not. I tried to get fitted for a new driver but struggled with the length of shafts and also told I need to change my swing path to a draw to get more out of it.. I don't want a draw.

As a medium term solution I have just ordered a Project X Hzrdus Yellow 6.0 75g which has been butt trimmed by .75" to play 44.5" but a friend has suggested that this and my current shaft could have swing weight issues and I need to change the weight in the driver head.

I'm finding conflicting advice on this point - has anyone also played shorter shafts in their drivers and have you altered weight in the head/grip to counter? Could this weight issue be the reason I'm not getting much out of the driver?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bobmac]

There are lots of questions I'd ask but if you are hitting it high right with left to right spin, you must be swinging out to in with an open clubface.
I'm not convinced your swing speed is fast enough to get the best out of the new shaft, in fact it could make your fade/slice worse. Keep your receipt.

 

[Foxholer]

Thank your friend for his suggestion...but ignore him! He might be right - or wrong - but the difference is so slight (with only 0.5" trimmed) that it would hardly be noticeable! However, the 'modern' trend is to add more weight to the butt, generally via use of'counterbalanced' shafts. These work well for some folk, not so well for others. And the difference is often marginal!

However, your carry distance does seem to be a touch less than would be expected from an'optimised' swing speed of 95-100. 3k spin is a touch high, but not overly so either, so that may not be the only issue. A Trackman/Flightscope or equivalent session with a trained/qualified operaor is likely to show the real cause!

Btw. Is that a G25? If so (that shaft description rings a bell), the loft isn't adjustable, otherwise I'd suggest you lower it, which normally lowers spin/flight.

 

[duncan mackie]

My normal driver shaft is only slightly longer than my 3 wood (I've a couple of standard length ones as well).

There is no discernable distance differential between the shaft lengths. Far more important to the clubhead speed is the swing, and timing.

Overall distance is always a function of course conditions v launch conditions. If you are hitting a high cut/fade you are going to be on a looser distance wise anyway - both in terms of carry (a high cut fade suggests that you will be looking some ball speed for the clubhead speed anyway) and any roll out.

 

[clubchamp98]

Have you tried a 3 wood shaft ?
Usually heavier than driver shaft but if you find one at 65g it might help..
If your 3 wood has the same adapter as driver you could try that.

 

[Robin Hood]

I am truly amazed at the technical knowledge that is shown on the forum.

 

[Wolf]

Interesting article as when I had my fitting it was found my Driver spin was over 3300, also I prefer a left to right shape as well for control. I'm also a massive 5foot 6 as well and used to think my driver felt to long and dabbled with shorter shafts but made no difference whatsoever.

I've noticed it mentioned that lower the loft will lower the flight/spin... This is not necessarily the case, my old driver I used to set at 9° and still got this high level of spin.

What I found through the correct fitting was once the right shaft was found which happens to be slightly heavier and stiffer in conjuction with the correct head set up the spin went down by 1000rpm and my loft was then set at 10.5° by the fitter to optimise my now correct spin numbers and Dynamic loft, as well as teeing in a little higher giving me a better AoA, what I got was optimum numbers for me. Ball speed massively increased, ball flight improved, hang time got a lot more and distance was well up and I still got to keep the preferred shot of a little soft fade. I even found at my really tall stature that the length of shaft being standard length was no problem because with the right club set up it didn't feel long at all it felt more natural

Guess what I'm saying is Don't listen to mates who think they know best unless they're qualified in all this, they'll just fill your head with ideas that have no bearing on what your doing. Get proper professional advice from someone independent and get the club to fit you instead of wasting money on trying things for sake of it.

 

[Foxholer]

Interesting article as when I had my fitting it was found my Driver spin was over 3300, also I prefer a left to right shape as well for control. I'm also a massive 5foot 6 as well and used to think my driver felt to long and dabbled with shorter shafts but made no difference whatsoever.

I've noticed it mentioned that lower the loft will lower the flight/spin... This is not necessarily the case, my old driver I used to set at 9° and still got this high level of spin.

What I found through the correct fitting was once the right shaft was found which happens to be slightly heavier and stiffer in conjuction with the correct head set up the spin went down by 1000rpm and my loft was then set at 10.5° by the fitter to optimise my now correct spin numbers and Dynamic loft, as well as teeing in a little higher giving me a better AoA, what I got was optimum numbers for me. Ball speed massively increased, ball flight improved, hang time got a lot more and distance was well up and I still got to keep the preferred shot of a little soft fade. I even found at my really tall stature that the length of shaft being standard length was no problem because with the right club set up it didn't feel long at all it felt more natural

Guess what I'm saying is Don't listen to mates who think they know best unless they're qualified in all this, they'll just fill your head with ideas that have no bearing on what your doing. Get proper professional advice from someone independent and get the club to fit you instead of wasting money on trying things for sake of it.

While I agree that very few suggestions are 100% guaranteed, it's mathematically provable that all other variables staying the same, a lower loft WILL reduce spin! That is, after all, how non-tracking launch monitors are able to predict flight - by using 'clubface angle (compared to path) at impact' as part of the calculation!

In your case, by changing the shaft, you fitter altered impact attributes, so loft needed to be re-assessed. So while I agree that (what your case actually shows) when changing either shaft or head, it's not a simple case of saying 'I always need a <whatever> degree setting', an 'iron byron' type swing with a lower loft setting WILL produce less spin than an identical swing with a higher loft one.

FWIW, I believe that your fitter very likely did his work the correct way - discuss; assess; adjust; confirm; final adjustment; final assesment. Setting the 'final' loft is part of the 'final adjustment'.

 

[NoIdea247]

Just thought I’d update this post as I finally got my new driver set up on range this week and course today after long break due to holidays/family time 😒

My drives are carrying longer, rolling out further and going straighter! The driver feels so much more powerful at impact and I’m getting a much more penetrating flight. Feeling like I can really go after it off the tee with confidence.

Shot my second lowest score (after 4-5 weeks out). Hit 50%+ fairways, but my misses were still in play. Biggest difference though is that I was hitting short irons and wedges in to greens. So even if I missed, I was generally on the fringes for some good up and downs - only 30 putts.

JOB DONE 👍🏻