Shortening driver shaft length - good or bad idea?

[Berger]

I've been reading the forum for a while and finally decided to register to post and ask for some advice.

My driver is a TM Burner (2009) which i bought off the shelf two years ago when i took up the game seriously. My driving has been fairly erratic and i've been considering getting fitted for a new driver. but it looks like the earliest i'll be able to do that is next spring.

I've been reading different articles and reviews about drivers and my own specific driver and came to realise that the shaft is 46 inches long which seems to be longer than standard. The consensus seems to be that the longer the shaft, the harder it is to control the direction the ball goes. However, it should equate to longer distance.

Recently i've decided to grip down the club by about 2 inches which means my right hand is at the bottom of the grip. I have to admit i've noticed a big difference in the direction of my drives and it seems to give me more control. I'm hitting it a lot straighter and to be honest i don't think i've lost any distance at all.

Gripping down seems to be working but i'm just wondering if its best to continue like this or should i look at shortening the length of the shaft by a couple of inches? I've read and heard mixed reports about shortening the shaft with swingweights coming into effect. I haven't a clue how that works so i'm hoping some of you guys can give me a bit of advice and guidance on that.

 

[TheClaw]

Welcome! A shorter driver has certainly worked for me but I ordered it that way (44.5").

I read that taking 2 inches off shouldn't make any difference to the flex but I'm not sure about the weight. I'm sure an expert will be along shortly.

 

[One Planer]

You could cut it down, but it would have an effect on the swing weight of the club.

You could offset the loss by adding a thicker grip or a little lead tape but in all fairness, you probably wouldn't notice the difference anyway.

If it's working now and you're happy to grip down, leave it alone would be my answer

 

[Val]

Shortening it will affect the swing weight but whether its enough to notice is another matter

 

[Stuey01]

In practical terms gripping it down affects the SW you perceive. So you should have an idea on whether it will affect you or not.
You can add lead tape to the head to get the SW back where it was if it bothers you.

 

[Berger]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm fairly happy with how i'm hitting the ball since i've started gripping down, although it does feel a bit strange with the top of the club sticking out if you know what i mean.

the reason i'm asking about the shortening is, if i thought i could drive the ball this well while gripping the club normally i wouldn't need to go out and spend a couple of hundred quid on getting fitted for a new driver. I'd keep this one for the foreseeable future.

 

[Keeno]

I got mine shortened earlier in the season, I found it helped my control and didn't have any adverse affect in terms off distance.

I did add some tape to the head as it felt slightly lighter. I do still tend to grip down at times for some added control.

I'd recommend it.

 

[dotty001]

i do the same , especially on danger holes .....however if i see a nice open fairway where i want to give it everything then i revert back to gripping normally at the top of the shaft

 

[One Planer]

In practical terms gripping it down affects the SW you perceive. So you should have an idea on whether it will affect you or not.
You can add lead tape to the head to get the SW back where it was if it bothers you.

I got mine shortened earlier in the season, I found it helped my control and didn't have any adverse affect in terms off distance.

I did add some tape to the head as it felt slightly lighter.

Ask a silly question, but if you are shortening the shaft, should the weight be counterbalanced at the end you're altering? I.E lead tape at the grip end?

 

[Ethan]

butt trimming won't have much, if any, effect on flex. Tip trimming will affect flex for sure.

 

[Stuey01]

Ask a silly question, but if you are shortening the shaft, should the weight be counterbalanced at the end you're altering? I.E lead tape at the grip end?

Nope. Club is shorter so the head feels lighter, you add weight to the head to get back to the same feel.

 

[Keeno]

Nope. Club is shorter so the head feels lighter, you add weight to the head to get back to the same feel.

Yes agreed. Although SW points mean nowt to me. D5, D3 etc

Felt too long, shortened it
Felt too light stuck some lead tape at the back of the head.

 

[Berger]

In practical terms gripping it down affects the SW you perceive. So you should have an idea on whether it will affect you or not.
You can add lead tape to the head to get the SW back where it was if it bothers you.

Do you mean the SW feel of gripping down and shortening the club will be similar? Therefore if I'm hitting it well gripping down without any adjustments to the SW I should be able to shorten the shaft and have the same effect?

 

[Hacker Khan]

I am sure I read somewhere that the average driver shaft length on the PGA tour is shorter than the average off the shelf length that most amateurs buy. Not sure if that is still true nowadays as a lot of manufacturers seem to be lenghtening shafts as a way to claim their clubs hit it 8/14/47/a million yards further.

I understood that a shorten length increases the control you have, but of course reduces the club head speed. But if you can sacrifice 5 yards for a lot more accuracy then do it.

 

[Foxholer]

The fact that you are gripping down on the club already means that you have altered the effective swing weight already. Physically shortening the shaft and gripping back up the shaft will have a marginal effect on current feeling imo. Shortening the shaft 2 inches will probably remove a few gms of counter-balancing (about 1.5-2gms per inch of the thick end of a 45" 65gm shaft and a bit for the grip).

I don't believe you will notice any significant difference in balance!

Do it either immediately or whenever you decide to re-grip it.

 

[Stuey01]

Do you mean the SW feel of gripping down and shortening the club will be similar? Therefore if I'm hitting it well gripping down without any adjustments to the SW I should be able to shorten the shaft and have the same effect?

Pretty much yep. Per foxholer's post above this one

 

[Hacker Khan]

In Crossfield we trust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs7F6bErzwA&feature=youtu.be

Listed to what he says about this

 

[duncan mackie]

The fact that you are gripping down on the club already means that you have altered the effective swing weight already. Physically shortening the shaft and gripping back up the shaft will have a marginal effect on current feeling imo. Shortening the shaft 2 inches will probably remove a few gms of counter-balancing (about 1.5-2gms per inch of the thick end of a 45" 65gm shaft and a bit for the grip).

I don't believe you will notice any significant difference in balance!

Do it either immediately or whenever you decide to re-grip it.

whilst I agree what you say I think you, and others, are missing a potentially huge practical factor - gripping that far down the grip the OP is also using a significantly thinner part of the grip; this impacts most peoples swings a fair bit!

definitely worth exploring if it's a (the) factor before shortening the shaft!

the answer may be a shorted shaft with a thinner grip - or it may not.....

 

[Stuey01]

I am sure I read somewhere that the average driver shaft length on the PGA tour is shorter than the average off the shelf length that most amateurs buy. Not sure if that is still true nowadays as a lot of manufacturers seem to be lenghtening shafts as a way to claim their clubs hit it 8/14/47/a million yards further.

I understood that a shorten length increases the control you have, but of course reduces the club head speed. But if you can sacrifice 5 yards for a lot more accuracy then do it.

Average driver length on tour is < 45"
Most frequent you see in pro "what's in the bag" features is around 44.5".

Off the shelf drivers vary but many are at 45.75" (my nike covert tour and ping g20 are both this length) and some even longer. There are a few shorter, titleist 910 range was 45" off the rack, not sure about the 913.

 

[Region3]

I've had my 910D2 shortened to 44.5"

I don't know if it's helped or not, but it certainly hasn't hurt.