Driver Length

I cannot be alone in my belief that modern driver length has gotten totally out of hand? With standard driver length of 45.75" (Ping G10/15)or 46" (Cobra ZL) it is nearly impossible to get a driver built with my preferred shaft (Graffalloy PL Red-64 G) which has a standard SW of D4 or close to it in my preferred length of 44.5".

I am currently hitting a Ping G10 in 45", but it is a bit to long and when I am not "on" I will lose one drive/round and it kills me. I have been choking down, but this is less than ideal as even at 45" my G10's SW is light and I have had to add lead tape to compensate. I would like to go Ping G15, but they can't get close to standard SW in 44.5". Cobra can get me close at 45" in ZL. I have not considered Titleist as I prefer a square clubface, as opposed to 0.5 open.

My objective with Driver is to maximize the quality of contact and ballflight (slight draw preferred) while keeping my Drives consistently down the middle (keep the extra 10-12 yards from added shaft length). I am currently looking at a Nakashima HTEC or HTEC 460 built to 44.5 in PL Red as the solution, as a few clubmakers have told me that with the Hosel & Plug weights they can get me to D4 in 44.5.

I have considered going to a slightly heavier shaft that has my desired characteristics (high kick point, mid-low launch, low spin) such as the UST Axiv Core Red in 68G. BTW, I thought the TM R9 TP with weights might be the answer but I did not like the club as I found it considerably shorter than my G10.

I am interested in how others who prefer a "shorter" Driver have addressed the issue? Feedback on Nakashima HTEC/HTEC 460 and/or UST Axiv Core Red is also appreciated.

Thx!

Rob

Yankee -

Couldn't agree with you more. I recently bought a 2009 Burner based off my experience in the simulator, real world experience has been quite different though due to the length of shaft - way too long to control.

I am going back to 44.5". Burner head weight is WAY too light to get even close to D-2 with 65-g shaft - what I'm used to. So, after some research, I have found the following options:

1) Custom order from Titleist or other manufacturer with stock length close to 45";
2) Buy "tour" head weighing greater than 200-g's (Taylor, Titleist, etc);
3) Buy retail head (lighter) and put heavier shaft in and lead tape, hot melt, etc; or
4) Buy TM driver with MWT.

First three are too much $/time for this guy so I will be going with option #4. Specifically, the R7 Limited. Hit it and all the newest and latest and greatest two days ago for two hours and it was clearly heads and shoulders above the rest for me (even at 45.5" stock length). Head size/shape just seems right to my eye and the stock Ozik 5.5 S shaft is just PERFECT for my 100 mph smooth tempo. It is longer than any other MWT driver I have hit in the past and the R9. R9 460 was very close but something about the Limited gave me better results. Have read where some on this forum have cut this driver down one inch and added weights to get to desired sw with great results, will likely do the same. Not sure of your ss, etc. but if like mine, you owe to yourself to at least try this driver, can be had for dirt cheap right now.

Hope this helps.

Jasper,

Great information, I appreciate your insights.

My issue has been finding a high performing 45" stock driver that is square. Titleist 909D2/D3 are both open, and I prefer a square face. A few questions about your experience with the R7 Limited:

1- Do you recommend the TP or Normal version? It looks like the TP has better shafts (Diamana Whiteboard) but sometimes this means an open face?
2- Is the face square or Open?
3- Is it a low spin head?

BTW, my SS is 98mph with a quick tempo and I tend to generate a good deal of spin thus need for low spin head & shaft.

Thx!

Rob

Yankee -

Can't comment on the TP version as I have only hit the non-TP with Ozik 5.5 shaft. I believe the only difference between the two is the shaft offerings but could be wrong (someone feel free to chime in). In any event, to me, the non-TP head sits dead square. Some on this forum think it appears closed, I have read where the TM website says it's open (haven't gone to the website to confirm).

As far as spin is concerned, I am a natural high launch/high spin player and had no issue with excessive spin with this setup. Not sure how the head is technically classified but I have given up on all the technical stuff and have just moved to what works for me best real-world-experience-wise. Even with your high spin, I would suggest you at least try it, would be interested in your results. Search the forum, plenty of positive feedback out there on this club.

I don't know why the Nakashima name hasn't become more popular. It has been a few years since it came out, but I used to hit that thing (belonged to my bro-in-law) every chance I got and couldn't believe the results, and his wasn't even set up to my specs. He had a golf business in Jersey (the name of which I will leave out) which had the TM MATT system and I used to try everything and the Nak beat all. He had the H-TEC, which had the screw-in/screw-out shaft similar to TM, so I got to try whatever shaft he had in the shop. He could play anything he wanted for free and chose the Nak because it was hands down the best. Matter of fact, he still playes the Nak to this day. Probably hard to find a place to demo the Nak, but if you find place, give it a whirl.

Hey guys, I also play my drivers at 44.5" and D4. I just hot melt the heads to get them where I want them. Will be happy do do this for anyone, just send a msg through my site www.tourtechgolf.net, or pm me. Current driver lengths are absolutely out of hand...agree 100%.

cheers,

twiggyrob