In the march hotlinks, club expert tom wishon wrote that one key to real improvement with the driver comes from a shorter length. The perfect driver lets you play golf the way it was intended to be playedfrom the fairway. Nov 07, 20 this may seem short to you but with their amazing club head speed and sweet spot accuracy the pros are still able to crush the ball a country mile, even with the shorter shaft. The longer shaft promises more speed but possibly less control while the shorter shaft promises more consi.
The harrison shotmaker is a usgaapproved removable insert which goes into your driver shaft to improve accuracy. Ping has developed state of the art shafts specifically designed for the g30 driver line to achieve the greatest results for all skill levels. One thing i came across that i am going to explore in this article was playing with a significantly shorter shaft. I found a few studies that showed promising results. I had my driver shaft professionally shortened to either 44 or 43. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. This is the primary reason they, on average, use driver lengths that are much shorter than what the golf companies make to sell to regular golfers. Many people would actually hit longer drives with shorter drivers as they would get better center club face contanct. Jan 31, 2017 the stock driver length of most manufacturers taylormade, callaway ping, cobra these days is 45.
Hybrids have shorter shafts than fairway woods, making them easier to control. The perfect driver lets you play golf the way it was intended. Shorter driver shaft can a shorter driver shafts say from 44 to 42 help or aid in driving the ball more consistent as opposed to longer shafts. Driver shaft length japanese golf clubs japanese golf. If the goal in making the clubs shorter in length is a desire to gain an improvement in accuracy, the reduction in length should be made from the grip end only, wishon said. Its designed to hit the ball long distances from the tee, usually on par4 and par5 holes requiring multiple shots to reach the green. According to s jonathan wall, fowler cut his driver down to 43. When you tiptrim a shaft, youre making it play stiffer if all other aspects are the same.
Its probably a good idea for the vast majority of amateurs, but cutting the driver shaft down is not the final word. Were trying to rewrite the rules about what length means to golfers. Schedule an appointment with a clubfitting expert for a driver fitting and have them check driver length for you. Offline drives with the shorter driver werent as far off. A number of drives with the shorter driver were very long. Whats the average driver shaft length on the pga tour. Distance was a little shorter, but i think that was more the club and the gd tourad ysq just not matching my swing more than the 1 inch shorter shaft. When fitting a driver, its important to get loft, lie, shaft, and grip sorted, but better driving may be hiding in a shorter shaft. I have been trying different drivers mostly to gain some distance, but this year i. What effect does trimming the shaft have on a golf club.
A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. As the swing changes so do the clubs part 1 the heavier and stiffer club setup update part 2 the dreaded driver many of us dream of hitting our driver long and straight consistently but the truth is that for many of us, hitting a driver is our worst nightmare. The general golfing public has been conditioned and educated that shaft flex is the endallbeall when it comes to shafts and that simply is not true. I think youll notice a big difference in distance and accuracy and consistency by going with a shorter shaft and more loft. This raises the immediate question, why is a relatively tall, obviously highly skilled player using a shorter than standard driver. The weight of the shaft is going to help keep the players swing on plane. Senior flex shafts are appropriate for golfers who swing between 75 and 90 mph and carry a driver about 180 to 200 yards.
And when we look at their drivers, we typically see one commonality, their driver shaft length. You might be surprised that most pros have an average driver shaft length of 44. Can i shorten my driver shaft or should i just reshaft. For example, just because a heavier shaft is recommended does not mean the club built will have the desired swing weight and feel if it is built too long or too short. If anything, im hitting it the same distance, sometimes longer. Did you also change the loft and swingweight for shorter shaft. Mar 28, 2016 the quest for a more accurate driver everyone wants to find out how to have a more accurate driver including me. Driver lie angle is the measurement between the shaft and the center of sole on a driver. This may have you tempted to grab the nearest hacksaw and start going after your driver but before cutting down your club, try using a shorter shaft club or just choke. Oct 30, 2012 shaft weight and torque make a bigger difference than shaft flex. Harrison shotmaker shaft insert improve driver accuracy. Driveshaft definition of driveshaft by merriamwebster. The distance the players hit the ball was also negligible between the two shaft lengths, with an average of less than 1.
Aug 20, 2015 using trackman my idea was to test the same golfer, clubhead and golf ball, but change the shaft length. Shorter shaft means easier to control which means hitting the center of the face more often and hitting it straighter. I have a decent swing speed 105 mph and dont have much of a problem hitting the shorter driver a good distance with good accuracy. I have always hit my driver better with a shorter length shaft driver. The stock shaft in both g30 and g30 sft is pings tfc 419 high balance point shaft. I tried a 44 shaft today, diamana blue and was quite surprised how much shorter. Get the best deals on cleveland golf club shafts when you shop the largest online selection at ebay. Most three wood shafts are the old driver standard 43. Also does a shorter shafts allow more consistent control. Sft has turbulators and the t9s face to help make it the longest and straightest driver ever. My question is if i was to take my older driver the older cobra f speed and take off the grip and take it down, oh say 1. Cutting driver shaft the 19th hole mygolfspy forum. Driveshaft definition is a shaft that transmits mechanical power.
Is it ok to cut down a 46 inch driver shaft to 43 inches. Can a shorter driver shafts say from 44 to 42 help or aid in driving the. The quest for a more accurate driver practical golf. Read some of tom wishons work on driver length vs distance and accuracy, it is very insightful.
The tip section of a golf shaft is the most flexible area of the shaft and as such it tends to deform and vibrate upon impact, and this inconsistency affects driver accuracy. No matter how good they are, tour players know that the longer the length of the driver, the more difficult it will be to hit on center and to hit with accuracy. I took my current driver, which is the titleist d3 8. Yes it feels light, but only when i try someone elses driver. This edition of golf tips relates to driver accuracy.
I have no idea why, as the research definitely shows that you should be a lot more accurate if you shorten your driver, but for me, it did exactly the opposite. We had 10 players from around the shop ranging in swing speed from 78. For the past few months, ive knowingly been flouting the 14club rule by carrying two drivers. The most popular hybrids are meant to replace a players long irons. As for your lack of distance, you must work on increasing your swing speed. Modern balls with multiple layers can produce different spin rates on each type of shot. D j trahan is 6 3 and, according to his father, plays a 44 12 inch driver and he wants him to cut it down to 44. The driver lie angle will either be in the standard, flat or upright position. Our results showed that shorter shafts are not an automatic means for producing consistent distance. Im 56 tall and seem to really for well with those two clubs lengths, and considering trying a shorter shaft to see if it helps with clean hits on the driver head. A recent golf test i dont remember where, showed amateurs hitting the longer shafts 45. Even my playing partners couldnt believe how much straighter i was hitting my driver. The driver lie angle can make a whole lot of difference in a game. Shorter driver length means better and more consistent contact which leads to better and more consistent distance.
I have a tm 320 regular version with a prolite stiff. A shorter driver, he said, encourages center contact on the clubface, which leads to longer, straighter drives. Sep 21, 2011 its possible that the shorter club will send you ball higher with less roll and you might beed to address the ball a bit farther back. But if longer shafts compromise your accuracy, youre driving for show instead of for. In fact, testing shows an inch of extra shaft length equals roughly 10 yards in distance. Now i am wondering if the mini driver and 5 wood shorter shafts are playing any part in this. Trying a longer shaft is a popular suggestion these days, but most players should, if anything, try a shaft half an inch shorter than whats in their driver.
The more often a golfer hits the center of the drivers face, the more consistency they will see in their driving accuracy and distance. Find the right driver shaft length for your game golficity. Thats not scientific by any means but just by noting i hit the fairway on my scorecard. Regular flex shafts are designed for golfers who swing 90 to 100 mph and carry a driver about 200 to 240 yards. Changes in shaft length changes a bit more than might be obvious and it does not equate to greater accuracy regardless of what frank thomas writes. The perfect club driver is shorter than a conventional driver. If i shorten my driver shaft will it help with accuracy of.
May 20, 2015 why you probably need a shorter driver shaft. Jan 12, 2012 and from time to time, i still go back to golf lab and they will put a shorter shaft club in my hand to see if i can get better accuracy and not loosing much distance, and time and time again, my current long shaft driver out perform the shorter version. Im 61 and the number of flush strikes are better and my distance has not suffered whatsoever. Standard drivers for women are an 1 inch shorter than standard mens drivers. I excerpt here, for while robert recommends against length in. Sounds counterintuitive, and probably is, as i expect most people will experience some increase in accuracy by going down 12 to 1 inch. After a comprehensive overview of my stats last year i came to the conclusion that if i want to get to the next level as a golfer, i am going to have to hit more greens, and that all starts with how i position myself off the tee. Driver shaft length are you shorting yourself using a 46. Would a shorter driver help my distance and accuracy. I am definitely more accurate with the shorter driver. With the shorter 44 shaft you have greater confidence and can cut loose with your swing. Four of our five testers produced their highest total distance average with the 46. Jul 24, 2008 if you shorten your driver it will fit in the dusbin easier.
Anyone ever shorten their driver shaft for more control. Golfers sometimes try to optimize their equipment for maximum distance and control. Definition of shaft flex shaft flex has a very pronounced effect on the power and accuracy of a driver. The flex of a shaft allows it to store energy from a players downswing, and release it as the head makes contact for increased club speed at impact.
How does low spin with your driver affect the trajectory of a. Woods are mainly used for longdistance fairway or tee shots. More importantly that test showed a 28% increase in accuracy with the shorter shaft. Shorten shaft for better driving accuracy golf channel. Have you ever wondered what the average driver shaft length is on. You always hear people say that a shorter shaft means giving up distance for accuracy but that has not been the case for me. Taking a look at the driver shaft length used by the tour leaders in strokes gained. The idea that a longer shaft will create more clubhead speed or that youll sacrifice distance by shortening your driver shaft isnt necessarily true. Many manufacturers provide custom fitting not only for the correct driver loft, shaft type and stiffness, but for the best type of golf ball to use as well. I have pretty good results, but am not as accurate as i would like.
Driver length and composition this is the loop golf digest. Shots from the shorter driver were more accurate, and usually as long or almost as long as from the longer driver. Jun 21, 2018 driver shaft length is longer or shorter better. A shorter driver could be beneficial because it is typically easier to hit. How the final club is built with the shaft will have a major factor on whether the golfer can obtain the optimum distance, accuracy and consistency. While some of these gains were not substantial, player 5 gained over 7 yards by switching from 45.