Getting correct driver shaft length

[turkish]

So my driver has been on naughty step for a while now. I have been practicing with it and can't get along with it.

After speaking to someone they reckon my driver is probably too long for me to control.... when I went into American golf I explained I was looking to be fitted for a driver- I was basically taken out and the guy looked at my current swing speed then decided on a stiff shaft.

He then gave me about 4 different drivers- I liked the Titleist 915 but when I asked about shortening the shaft he said he wouldn't recommend as I would lose distance....

Now I am 5 7" so a bit on the short side- at the start of the season I could go rounds where I hit it ok but a lot of the time it was very wayward(hence why it's now on the naughty step).

I have been playing my 3 wood as I Carry it about 210-215 to roll out about 230... my driver on a good strike was about 230 carry and would roll out about 250-260. It can be the difference of making GIR on longer holes but weighing it up vs my 3 wood it was just costing me too many shots on a bad day whereas my 3 wood is a lot more dependable.

BUT I paid £300 for it and want to get along with the big dawg so much- When I grip down I do feel a bit more control but don't always remember to do this. I think I would like to shorten it but wan't to know the correct length- how can I work this out?

Obviously don't want to shorten it too much

 

[Piece]

So my driver has been on naughty step for a while now. I have been practicing with it and can't get along with it.

After speaking to someone they reckon my driver is probably too long for me to control.... when I went into American golf I explained I was looking to be fitted for a driver- I was basically taken out and the guy looked at my current swing speed then decided on a stiff shaft.

He then gave me about 4 different drivers- I liked the Titleist 915 but when I asked about shortening the shaft he said he wouldn't recommend as I would lose distance....

Now I am 5 7" so a bit on the short side- at the start of the season I could go rounds where I hit it ok but a lot of the time it was very wayward(hence why it's now on the naughty step).

I have been playing my 3 wood as I Carry it about 210-215 to roll out about 230... my driver on a good strike was about 230 carry and would roll out about 250-260. It can be the difference of making GIR on longer holes but weighing it up vs my 3 wood it was just costing me too many shots on a bad day whereas my 3 wood is a lot more dependable.

BUT I paid £300 for it and want to get along with the big dawg so much- When I grip down I do feel a bit more control but don't always remember to do this. I think I would like to shorten it but wan't to know the correct length- how can I work this out?

Obviously don't want to shorten it too much

Maximising what you get from a driver is about how and where you hit it on the face. If it's found that you are not hitting the centre or sweetspot regularly, cutting the length may assist, depending on the shaft in question. Some tour pros use short shaft lengths so they can hit it better and consequently longer.

I would advise going to a decent fitting place that has ideally GC2 HMT to show you where on the driver you're hitting it. The fitter will advise from the data what your options are regarding shaft length. You don't what to be cutting the shaft if you're not sure what's really going on!

 

[Keeno]

Does your 3w shaft fit into your driver head? If so I would give that a bash.

As you have said yourself, 30yards shorter is a lot better than 3 off the Tee.

Stick with the 3 wood, less penalty shots, lower scores, more confidence and your'll enjoy yourself better.

 

[MrO]

I had the same issue. Bought a new G30 driver with stock shaft and it felt like a broom handle. Felt very uncomfortable with standing that far away from the ball during rounds. I was then subconsciously standing at a more comfortable distance away but was way too near for what the shaft would allow so I was getting big outside to in cuts and the majority of tee shots would slice.

I then then switched to the shorter tour shaft and can now stand close enough to feel comfortable with out taking the club on a big inside to out cutting line.

Bubba reportedly uses a 44.5 inch driver shaft. No doubt he would use a longer Shaft if he could increase distance whilst maintaining control. The fact he does not means it's ludicrous ping sell weekend golfers stock shafts at 45.75 inches.

I also read Luke Donald and Sergio both use drivers with shorter length shafts more in line with their height.

 

[MendieGK]

Mine is 1.5inches shorter than standard. I'm 6ft 4. I don't need the extra distance so it made sense.

Have you tried gripping down the driver and giving that a go? Would save butt trimming it for the time being....

 

[BTatHome]

So much variance with driver lengths and swing weights from the factory though. Changing length 'could' change the swing weight for better or the worse depending on each club your testing.

Callaway XR - 46"
Cobra King - 45"
Taylormade M1 - 45.5"
Ping g30 - 45.75"
Titleist 915 - 45"

Changing shafts can also have a huge change in how well you can hit the ball, I remember tying the standard Aeroburner and finding it too light, but a 5g heavier shaft and it felt much much better!

It's a minefield

 

[Jimaroid]

Bubba's shaft is 44.5 inches (fnarr, etc.) and I've been led to believe that most tour pros have shorter driver shafts than you'd get off the shelf. I cut mine down to 44.25 from 45.5 and it made a noticeable difference. More control and better strike = more fairways and more length.

Someone will no doubt be along to talk about swingweight changes but I ignored all that guff because I can hit the ball much better than before so don't care.

 

[Stuey01]

He then gave me about 4 different drivers- I liked the Titleist 915 but when I asked about shortening the shaft he said he wouldn't recommend as I would lose distance....

That theoretical extra distance isn't much use if the driver never comes out the bag because you can't trust it...

 

[IanG]

Gripping down the shaft an inch or so works for me with little or no loss of average distance. As others have said above hitting the middle of the face is key. I don;t feel the need to chop the shaft down - tho' it would make it easier to get in the car boot!

 

[One Planer]

My Titleist 910D2 plays to 44.5" and I've not noticed much drop in distance.

Saying that. Stock playing length on the D2 was only 45"

 

[shewy]

I did an experiment a while back, bought a Cobra LD and cut it down to 43", the same as a 3 wood, I'd say probably 10 yards shorter than than my best drives.
Something to be said for shorter shaft and better strike, it did feel super light though.

 

[daverollo]

You absolutely have the wrong length driver for your circumstances:

I can't take credit for this, cut and paste from Tom Wishons' site

Myth #7
The Longer the Length of a Driver,the Farther You’ll hit the Ball!

This topic really is a sore point with me because so many golfers cannot hit their driver to the best of their ability because of it. If you wander into any golf retail store, you’ll notice that the men’s drivers from all the golf club companies are between 45 1/2 and 46 1/2 inches in length. Yet, in every year from 2005 through 2012, the average driver length among all players on the PGA Tour was 44.5 inches. Now, does that not strike you as being slightly odd?

I mean, here are the best players on the planet—players for whom distance off the tee is absolutely critical to their chances for success—and they are routinely using drivers that are shorter than the ones that are being peddled off the rack to you!

Let me tell you another story. For almost the entire 20th century leading up to the 1980s, the standard driver length for men was 43”, for women 42”. Did humans all of a sudden get 3” taller starting in 1980? Nope. What happened was simply a result of competition to sell more golf clubs in an overcrowded golf equipment industry, and to do so at the expense of the vast majority of golfers’ potential for playing proficiency. Every golfer on the planet thinks that a longer driver length means a higher clubhead speed, which in turn means more distance. The fact is, the only golfers who actually do experience a higher clubhead speed from a longer length when they hit the ball are golfers with a later to very late unhinging of their wrist-cock angle on the downswing. That’s maybe 25% of all golfers, if that.

The next problem also deals with percentages, but this one’s far more certain. Among 100% of all golfers, the longer the length of the driver, the more chance they have of hitting a higher number of off-center shots. That fact right there is why the average driver length on the PGA Tour has been 1 to 2 inches shorter than the length of the drivers being sold off the rack to you and your friends. Even the pros, as good as they are, know they cannot hit a longer length driver as consistently solid and on-center and as accurate as one a little shorter. In my estimation from over 30 years of Clubfitting research, the drivers presently sold off the rack in shops are too long for 90% of the men and 98% of the women golfers who buy them. Let me tell you precisely who can successfully use one of the 45 ½” to 46 ½” drivers that populate every golf store on the planet.

If you are a golfer with a smooth tempo, if you swing with an inside/out to square swing path, have a late release of your wrist-cock angle, and a good sense of swing timing and rhythm, then you are in luck. Go right ahead with my blessing and use that pole. If that’s not your swing, then go get a new driver fitted and built from scratch; only this time get it not only built to the right length for your swing; but also get the shaft, loft, face angle, grip size and swingweight that’s also best for your swing.

The pros on tour know they can’t hit the length of the driver you bought off-the-rack as consistently on center or as straight as they can one that is shorter. Believe me, they’ve all tried because they all know how valuable another 10-15 yards off the tee could be to their bank account. They also know how tough it can be to grow their bank account when they’re hitting their second shot with the ball sitting in four inches of rough. The irony is that here you are hitting most of your drives on the toe or heel, watching the ball slice into the trees, praying you can make that one good swing out of ten with your driver that is 2” longer than the average tour player’s driver and thinking the whole time that it’s your fault. So, how do you know what is the right length for you?

The way a good clubmaker determines proper length is by first measuring the distance from your wrist to the floor and referencing that dimension to a chart to obtain a starting point only for what will be your driver length recommendation. After that, the clubmaker looks at your swing path, tempo, release and your golf athletic ability to determine if your best length is a little longer, the same or maybe even a little shorter than what the chart starts out saying.

WRIST TO FLOOR MEASUREMENT FOR INITIAL CLUB LENGTHS
Wrist to Floor Driver Length 5-iron Length
27" to 29" 42" 36 1/2"
29+" to 32" 42 3/4 37
32+" to 34" 43 1/2 37 1/2
34+" to 36" 44 38
36+" to 37" 44 1/4 38 1/4
37+" to 38" 44 1/2 38 1/2
38+" to 39" 44 3/4 38 3/4
39+" to 40" 45 39
40+" to 41" 45 1/4" 39 1/4
41+" to 42" 45 1/2" 39 1/2
over 42" 46 and up 39 3/4 and up

Note: the wrist-to-floor measurement is used as the starting point only for determining club lengths for the golfer. Final length determination includes adjustments based on the golfer’s swing path, swing plane, downswing tempo, point of release and overall golf athletic ability. To obtain the measurement, wear flat sole shoes, stand comfortably erect, shoulders perfectly level, arms hanging relaxed at the sides. The measurement is made from the major wrist crease at the base of the palm of the upper hand in the grip on the club. Notice that these are all decisions that are best made by an experienced custom club fitter working face to face with YOU—not by the marketing and sales departments at some club company 1000 or more miles away

 

[turkish]

Thanks for that; I've sent my club pro a message asking for his input and charge for consultation and doing it.

Quick Question the 3 wood I have is also the 915- the shaft in that is 43".... with it being adjustable pretty sure you can just take off and screw back in is this the case?

Also I imagine 3 wood shafts and drivers shafts to be a good bit different; with the 3 wood being thinner and lighter- would it be a worthwhile experiment trying the 3 wood shaft in it? Don't wanna end up breaking the thing right enough

 

[swasterix]

Been through exactly the same mate.

Im also 5' 7", and was struggling for consistency with the big dog. On the advice of my pro, I chopped 1.5" off the end of my driver (SLDR, stock stiff shaft). Result was more consistency, and longer drives, due partly to the better control, but also I would suspect more confidence.

Do it!

Edit: I did experiment with gripping down on it for a few weeks prior to biting the bullet so I would recommend doing this first. If it works, it's a pretty straightforward DIY job.

 

[Region3]

Also I imagine 3 wood shafts and drivers shafts to be a good bit different; with the 3 wood being thinner and lighter- would it be a worthwhile experiment trying the 3 wood shaft in it? Don't wanna end up breaking the thing right enough

A 3 wood shaft will be heavier than a driver shaft in the same model.

 

[turkish]

A 3 wood shaft will be heavier than a driver shaft in the same model.

Ok- do you think it would be worthwhile to try it?

 

[Keeno]

Ok- do you think it would be worthwhile to try it?

Yes, it'll be well worth while. Especially over the winter months

 

[Region3]

Ok- do you think it would be worthwhile to try it?

Who knows?

If it doesn't work you've lost nothing so no reason not to try.

 

[Foxholer]

Bubba's shaft is 44.5 inches (fnarr, etc.) and I've been led to believe that most tour pros have shorter driver shafts than you'd get off the shelf. I cut mine down to 44.25 from 45.5 and it made a noticeable difference. More control and better strike = more fairways and more length.

Someone will no doubt be along to talk about swingweight changes but I ignored all that guff because I can hit the ball much better than before so don't care.

Indeed, Swing Weight is likely to change.

But it only takes a couple of swings to get used to the 'new' feel, even if you don't bother adjusting.

Tha additional length was really only a marketing gimmick - for Robot measurement of the 'additional' length!

 

[UlyssesSky]

Indeed, Swing Weight is likely to change.

But it only takes a couple of swings to get used to the 'new' feel, even if you don't bother adjusting.

What also will change is the shaft flex, since a shorter shaft is relatively stiffer than a longer one. So depending on the flex of the un-cut shaft, this may play a role as well. If e.g. the shaft is almost too stiff before it gets cut, it may well be too stiff once it is shortened.

Tha additional length was really only a marketing gimmick - for Robot measurement of the 'additional' length!

And for the rare occasion when someone manages to hit the sweet spot and absolutely rips one. Which then serves as proof that the driver is actually longer and he just needs to practice more to get the best out of it.