Old Driver

[Jates12]

Gone back to my old driver for the past couple of comps and i cant begin to explain how much easier its made my game. I now feel as though it can be a go to club rather that a worry all the time i am faced with a lengthy par 4.

The only difference i can think of is the length of the shaft, my Callaway XR has about 46" shaft and my 913 has 44.5" its not a massive difference but for me its making such a difference, on saturday i hit all 5 fairways that I used the driver on, long and laser straight. Its been a revelation.

Anyone else fared the same or got a love for an old club they keep going back to?

 

[Slab]

Shaft length not the only difference

Clearly a mental difference between them too or you wouldn't have even considered going back

 

[Orikoru]

Shorter drivers are all the rage right now, it's really caught and it seems like nobody is using a full length one anymore. It's like a secret that's got out or something.

 

[Face breaker]

Got both 3-wood and driver in the 'XR' and struggled to hit either particularly well until I realised why, the driver was 46" and the 3-wood was 43.5" I tried shortening the 3-wood to 42.5" and it felt horrendous so I extended it again to 43" and all is well, I haven't touched the driver but that's neither here nor there as I don't use a driver anyway...

Still can't get away from my 'Tour Edge XCG3' 3-wood though, a stiff shaft, 43" and 'deeper face' seem to be my preference... :thup:

 

[williamalex1]

Can you remember why you stopped using it first time round ?

 

[Jates12]

Can you remember why you stopped using it first time round ?

I got sucked in by the marketing and came into some money from an accumulator and bought this driver. It went well for a while and can still go really well but with the 913 its just so much more consistent, my misses arent as bad and the distance difference is minimal as im in the short stuff more times than i would be with the other driver.

 

[Rlburnside]

Your not the first to be sucked in by the marketing, my driver and 3 wood is shorter than standard, not a bit surprised that your getting on better with your older shorter length driver.

Its been said that the majority of players are playing with the wrong length of shafts in their drivers, if the pros use shorter length drivers than the ones we can buy is it any wonder players have problems with accuracy.

 

[Robster59]

I have the Callaway XR16 and one of the big things for me is how straight it is. In fact it's probably the straightest drivers I've hit for a long time.
It just goes to show how these things vary from player to player.

 

[OnTour]

Bit like my thread a few weeks back but my old driver is an inch longer and the new driver inch shorter. I'm hitting it straighter than the inch shorter R15 whatever works for 6 months stick with it. agreed on the marketing they need to sell piles of the stuff so your old driver is like your nokia 3310 - oh wait they have that back in stock from the 90s

Flextwist is new for 2019 and relaunch the tour silver 2020.

keep hitting it straight and long

 

[bodyjohn]

Can you remember why you stopped using it first time round ?

yes please the share the details about first time.

 

[jim8flog]

The way to really compare the two is to mark the grip on the longer club as to where it would be if shorter and then grip it in this position.

 

[Wolf]

I'm contemplating a shorter shaft in the driver, always loved hitting 3 wood but the driver just feels that little to long in the shaft

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

How old is old. I enjoy playing my circa 2003 Callaway Big Bertha Steelhead III - it's a lovely club - and my current driver (bought to replace the Steelhead) is a circa 2009 Ping G10 - again - I love it. Great driver. Not sure why I'd want to change it.

 

[Grant85]

Pros tend to use shorter shaft drivers for control and accuracy.

Clearly they have clubhead speed through technique and conditioning - but principal should remain the same. Hitting the target is important.

Especially as amateurs won't be playing too many 7,200 yard courses.

 

[Mel Smooth]

I'm upgrading my driver to my 5 iron. I swear it will improve my scores.

 

[dronfield]

Hi
If the pros are now playing shorter shafted drivers due to increased accuracy results, you would think that the manufacturers would also market this to amateurs - didnt Callaway make a BB last year with the option of 44.5" shaft?
My TM Aeroburner mini driver has 43.5" shaft and certainly feels far more comfortable than a 46" one.
i sort of get the idea of the longer shaft helping amateurs inc distance, but surely accuracey should be the priority.

Rich

 

[howbow88]

I’m guessing they feel that accuracy doesn’t sell as well as distance. I would disagree with that.

I’m using a 917 which came with a 45” shaft as opposed to the now more standard 46”. It doesn’t go quite as far as my R1 used to, but it’s so much straighter. I think shorter shafts make a big difference in terms of dispersion, but I’m not a pro.