Rickie to a shorter driver

John L. · February 26, 2017

I see a lot of hack saws coming out of tool boxes around the country tonight if Ricky wins......lol

3woodvt · February 26, 2017

Great Discussion. Howard Jones in here did an excellent write up on this very subject and had influence on me personally, to shorten shaft to increase better percentage of strike. Went from 45.5 to 44 3/4 on driver and 43 to 42.5 on 3 wood and now both clubs have center impact markings instead more toward the toe. In the process, scoring has dropped dramatically in the last 3 months from a 2.2 GHIN to a 0.5. I'm a believer. I also went from 60g class of shafts to heavier 70g class.

Found the thread: http://www.golfwrx.c...haft-less-spin/

http://www.golfwrx.c...up-diy-fitting/

George1174 · February 26, 2017

Shortened my shaft to 44.5". First I taped a coin (7gr) to the bottom of the head but kept losing the coins, so then lead tape. Ended up changing my 7g weight screw to an 11gr screw and kept it like that since then. Plays to D2 now. Basically I just made the head 4gr heavier even though conventional wisdom would have required 6SW points * 1.9gr.

If I put a stock shaft in it at 45.5" it's back to D8. I tried gripping down an inch, but it's not the same.

Soloman1 · February 26, 2017

And in other news, millennials are the first generation to discover that putting one foot in front of the other promotes walking. See our Twitter feed for more...

Jagpilotohio · February 26, 2017

I see a lot of hack saws coming out of tool boxes around the country tonight if Ricky wins......lol

Very true. Unfortunately if they don't belong to a forum like this or do a bit of research on their own, they don't realize how very different the club will feel if they don't add weight back to the head. In other cases, if they take off an inch or more and add back the weight without any tipping, they don't understand they will be softening the shaft flex enough that he club may not fit them very well any more.

NBC did a great little 2 minute segment in the Cobra tour trailer yesterday talking about finding the right head and getting the weight correct for Rickie, but I wonder how many people actually saw that? I posted earlier that the tour tech said they tried about a dozen different heads before they found the "right" one for him.

A lot of "experiments" end badly because people don't have the full picture of what they need to do to actually have a shorter club work for them.

Stonebridge · February 26, 2017

Tipped shaft an additional inch and played shaft 1.5 inches shorter. Added 6 grams of lead tape to head. Result was 3-4 mph in club head speed and more control.

3woodvt · February 26, 2017

And in other news, millennials are the first generation to discover that putting one foot in front of the other promotes walking. See our Twitter feed for more...

yada yada yada, it was the baby boomers 50 years ago, then generation X, then the Y's, and now millennials....be original. " I use to walk to school in 3 feet of snow" story is probably next.

Medic · February 26, 2017

One of the most awesome things about adjustable drivers is the fact that you can change out shafts so easily. Since I have a really nice spare shaft that has literally been gathering dust for two years in my closet my plan is to take it in and have it cut down an inch. I will have it tipped 1/2 inch to help a little. The only other modification it will need to put it into play is the Srixon tip installation. Easily for under $25 I can experiment and have some fun with it. If it works - it stays on and in play. If not I will have invested very little to have a little fun on the range. (And will also actually play a round or two with it)

Going to be fun!

John L. · February 26, 2017

And in other news, millennials are the first generation to discover that putting one foot in front of the other promotes walking. See our Twitter feed for more...
yada yada yada, it was the baby boomers 50 years ago, then generation X, then the Y's, and now millennials....be original. " I use to walk to school in 3 feet of snow" story is probably next.

Yeah, but was it up hill both ways like it was for me?

Medic · February 26, 2017

And in other news, millennials are the first generation to discover that putting one foot in front of the other promotes walking. See our Twitter feed for more...
yada yada yada, it was the baby boomers 50 years ago, then generation X, then the Y's, and now millennials....be original. " I use to walk to school in 3 feet of snow" story is probably next.

Yeah, but was it up hill both ways like it was for me?

Often barefooted.

And I was glad to do it.

tannyhoban · February 26, 2017

I see a lot of hack saws coming out of tool boxes around the country tonight if Ricky wins......lol

Very true. Unfortunately if they don't belong to a forum like this or do a bit of research on their own, they don't realize how very different the club will feel if they don't add weight back to the head. In other cases, if they take off an inch or more and add back the weight without any tipping, they don't understand they will be softening the shaft flex enough that he club may not fit them very well any more.

NBC did a great little 2 minute segment in the Cobra tour trailer yesterday talking about finding the right head and getting the weight correct for Rickie, but I wonder how many people actually saw that? I posted earlier that the tour tech said they tried about a dozen different heads before they found the "right" one for him.

A lot of "experiments" end badly because people don't have the full picture of what they need to do to actually have a shorter club work for them.

Well yeah, that. Or, they don't have acess to the tour van or the resources to test dozens of heads at a time.

whr · February 26, 2017

I see a lot of hack saws coming out of tool boxes around the country tonight if Ricky wins......lol

Very true. Unfortunately if they don't belong to a forum like this or do a bit of research on their own, they don't realize how very different the club will feel if they don't add weight back to the head. In other cases, if they take off an inch or more and add back the weight without any tipping, they don't understand they will be softening the shaft flex enough that he club may not fit them very well any more.

NBC did a great little 2 minute segment in the Cobra tour trailer yesterday talking about finding the right head and getting the weight correct for Rickie, but I wonder how many people actually saw that? I posted earlier that the tour tech said they tried about a dozen different heads before they found the "right" one for him.

A lot of "experiments" end badly because people don't have the full picture of what they need to do to actually have a shorter club work for them.

I saw that too and it was great! It would be sweet if GOLFWRX could get a Q&A with that tour van guy, or someone similar. So many questions!

3woodvt · February 26, 2017

And in other news, millennials are the first generation to discover that putting one foot in front of the other promotes walking. See our Twitter feed for more...
yada yada yada, it was the baby boomers 50 years ago, then generation X, then the Y's, and now millennials....be original. " I use to walk to school in 3 feet of snow" story is probably next.

Yeah, but was it up hill both ways like it was for me?

Often barefooted.

And I was glad to do it.

Yep, I guess I can't stand it when youngsters don't say yes sir and ma'm and hold the door open for seniors and the like but I have 3 millinneals and have taught them the right way. Plenty out their that show respect and when the old school sets the example of disrespecting the youngsters....well I guess the door swings both ways. The kids have enough on their plate right now without the grandpa's telling them they don't know s*** about anything. Gets kinda old as I see the good...just call me an optimist. Every generation has its greatness and weaknesses I suppose.

What was it that fella said about casting the first stone?

PJ72 · February 26, 2017

This can only be good news. The more pros that go shorter, the more the talking heads on the coverage tell us about it, the more awareness there is from consumers about the benefits. Which at the end, should hopefully result in more options for us as consumers.

I think it's silly that I can't demo a driver in store at 44.5". I know it can be ordered that way from some OEMs, but you should be able to demo different lengths like you demo different shafts and lofts. Fitting carts should carry 3 different head weights that can be played at ~45,~44 and ~43".

Yeah, and how can they call it a fitting when they don't bother (nor have the capability) to adjust the length and head weights? Glorified demos.

I think Ping and Wishon are the only 2 major brands offering different lengths and head weights. Pretty poor really.

I went for a 'fitting' last week and the best the fitter could do was put a 3 wood shaft into a driver for me! Funny thing was that the club head speed was the same with 3 wood shaft AND driver shaft. But I wasn't going to buy a driver with a 43" total length without being able to try, say, 44" or 44.5".

llewol007 · February 26, 2017

I recently shorten my Ticonderoga #2 that I bring to the golf course. The results are amazing. I shot 59 the other day and that was with 2 hole in one's, a couple of eagles and an albatross.Never in my wildest dreams did I think I have the capability of scoring an Albatross!!!! Yes sir I did. I'm thinking of gaming my Ticonderoga #2 to show my friends in our next Scramble tournament where I believe there are other groups with the same setup. Remember that when shortening your Ticonderoga #2, use slow heat as not to damage the housing for the pink eraser head. Not held on by much other than a thin piece of metal with 3 little crimps. Looks to be custom work on all Ticonderogas and the color yellow seems to be a distinct canary yellow that obviously was chosen for its bright feature that gets all the looks from the gallery. Never thought that bringing the eraser closer in towards the lead tip makes that much of a difference. I don't recommend it to everybody. Just those golfers who seem to be struggling and can't figure out what to do. I recommend a 1/4 inch but if you feel the need and are daring go a full inch to inch and 1/2. Good luck to you gents. I will be working on a 2 part youtube video because God knows somebody will be looking for one. Go Rickie!!! And most importantly, GO TICONDEROGA #2!!!!!!!

WidespreadPanic · February 26, 2017

So if cutting driver shafts down this short, does it need to be tipped?

PJ72 · February 26, 2017

So if cutting driver shafts down this short, does it need to be tipped?

Debatable whether it makes the shaft noticeably softer after adding weight. Depends how much weight is added.

I would imagine that it is a very difficult and time consuming process to get right by trial and error. I think machinery to measure the flex would be necessary for a professional fit. Most on here have experimented in their 'sheds' and got it near enough just by adding lead tape incrementally until it performs well.

WidespreadPanic · February 26, 2017

I normally just add lead tape, but last week I cut one down to 43.75, and had the thought of tipping it because it is so close in length to my 3 wood.

skyking · February 26, 2017

After a 3 month layoff got to use my PING Stretch 3 set at 12° that's 43" as my driver. Played 27 holes so far, same ball, not a single OMG off the planet slice. Mostly straight, few draws, couple baby fades and a couple "pop ups" because the tee was a little too high but I'm lovin' it.

J13 · February 26, 2017

So if cutting driver shafts down this short, does it need to be tipped?

Debatable whether it makes the shaft noticeably softer after adding weight. Depends how much weight is added.

I would imagine that it is a very difficult and time consuming process to get right by trial and error. I think machinery to measure the flex would be necessary for a professional fit. Most on here have experimented in their 'sheds' and got it near enough just by adding lead tape incrementally until it performs well.

If someone cuts 1" or more off their driver they are going to have to add back 12g + to keep the same swing weight which means the flex of the shaft will absolutely change. There's no scientific rule of how much but a conservative estimate is tip the shaft another 1/2" for every 1" 10-12g's.

If anyone is planning on cutting drivers down please make sure to add the right weight back to thee head otherwise you will HATE it. If anyone needs real deal Hotmelt work LMK I do it in my small shop.

kevin2 · February 26, 2017

Back in the late 80s early 90s, I made up a driver with a 42" shaft and a head that was heavier. Got it all from Golf Smith catalog, pretty sure they designed it all together. I could sometimes really smoke the ball with a smooth swing. Went 20-30 yards farther, which at the time was an enormous amount of yards to gain. Other times it was hard to keep the ball in control, as that extra weight was confusing for my fragile swing back then!

This new shorter drivers thing will spawn an entire new line of drivers in the near future I'd think...OR not!

starsail85 · February 26, 2017

Swing weight is a measurement that doesn't make a lot of sense from the point of view of building a set of clubs

Such a huge difference in MOI between irons and woods , and that's a bigger factor to club performance in my opinion

The shorter and lighter you can get the driver and lower its swing weight the closer the MOI will get to the irons . Rather than being chalk and cheese it might be butter and cheese

Jagpilotohio · February 26, 2017

So if cutting driver shafts down this short, does it need to be tipped?

Debatable whether it makes the shaft noticeably softer after adding weight. Depends how much weight is added.

I would imagine that it is a very difficult and time consuming process to get right by trial and error. I think machinery to measure the flex would be necessary for a professional fit. Most on here have experimented in their 'sheds' and got it near enough just by adding lead tape incrementally until it performs well.

If someone cuts 1" or more off their driver they are going to have to add back 12g + to keep the same swing weight which means the flex of the shaft will absolutely change. There's no scientific rule of how much but a conservative estimate is tip the shaft another 1/2" for every 1" 10-12g's.

If anyone is planning on cutting drivers down please make sure to add the right weight back to thee head otherwise you will HATE it. If anyone needs real deal Hotmelt work LMK I do it in my small shop.

Nice that you're offering that hot melt work. Many people don't know where to get it done and have a big hang up on lead tape.

I've just used tape so long That i don't really care that it looks a little sloppy. I also don't want to deal with explaining hot melt to a potential buyer if I want to sell the club head down the road and it's unusually heavy.

I use the general formula you mention. If I go from 45 to 43.5, I tip trim a half inch and butt trim the rest. I add about 12 grams as well, but I like my SW at D-1. If I wanted it back to the original D-4 I'd do about 15 grams for 1.5 inch.

hankmoody · February 26, 2017

Maybe a dumb question, but if at a OEM demo day, say Callaway for example, I were to order a driver with a 44 (or 43.5 what have you) inch shaft, Callaway would custom cut it for me, and take care of the swing weight and flex issues?

finleysg · February 26, 2017

I went to both 2nd Swing stores here in the Twin Cities in search of a shorter driver I could try. They have thousands, but I only found 3 at 44" or less with an S shaft. The results of about 30 swings have me sold - I'm going shorter.

None of the spin numbers on the drivers I tried were ideal, but with dispersion pattern of the 43 and 43.25 drivers I hit were remarkably consistent. One was an M1 with a speeder 65 shaft, and despite my hatred for that ugly head, I almost walked out with it for $209. The other was a Ping G10 head, which I've never hit well. This one had a Ozik xcon shaft. The ball seemed glued to the center line on 7 out of 8 shots (the other being long and left - a miss that gets me into all sorts of trouble). I may talk myself into going back to get that one.

My current XR Pro is great when I hit it well, but that is 2 shots out of 5. So what are the chances I could take 1.25" off that club and get the weight and balance right?

J13 · February 26, 2017

So if cutting driver shafts down this short, does it need to be tipped?

Debatable whether it makes the shaft noticeably softer after adding weight. Depends how much weight is added.

I would imagine that it is a very difficult and time consuming process to get right by trial and error. I think machinery to measure the flex would be necessary for a professional fit. Most on here have experimented in their 'sheds' and got it near enough just by adding lead tape incrementally until it performs well.

If someone cuts 1" or more off their driver they are going to have to add back 12g + to keep the same swing weight which means the flex of the shaft will absolutely change. There's no scientific rule of how much but a conservative estimate is tip the shaft another 1/2" for every 1" 10-12g's.

If anyone is planning on cutting drivers down please make sure to add the right weight back to thee head otherwise you will HATE it. If anyone needs real deal Hotmelt work LMK I do it in my small shop.

Nice that you're offering that hot melt work. Many people don't know where to get it done and have a big hang up on lead tape.

I've just used tape so long That i don't really care that it looks a little sloppy. I also don't want to deal with explaining hot melt to a potential buyer if I want to sell the club head down the road and it's unusually heavy.

I use the general formula you mention. If I go from 45 to 43.5, I tip trim a half inch and butt trim the rest. I add about 12 grams as well, but I like my SW at D-1. If I wanted it back to the original D-4 I'd do about 15 grams for 1.5 inch.

For sure. I know how hard it can be to find someone that does REAL Hotmelt work. I have a tour van setup and do a lot of local AM's and even mini tour guys and obviously my own stuff. Lead tape is the worst IMO unless your talking irons and even then I avoid it at all cost.

If you take a driver from 45 to 43.5 with the same shaft you would have to add 18g's to the head to keep the same SW. In that situation I would recommend starting with tipping a shaft at least 1" more then butt trim 1/2". Or option 2 (and what I would do) is get the same shaft except in the next weight range so if I played a 70g I would grab an 80g.

Cwebb · February 26, 2017

Swing weight is a measurement that doesn't make a lot of sense from the point of view of building a set of clubs

Such a huge difference in MOI between irons and woods , and that's a bigger factor to club performance in my opinion

The shorter and lighter you can get the driver and lower its swing weight the closer the MOI will get to the irons . Rather than being chalk and cheese it might be butter and cheese

Great point. Never assume that a shorter length driver at a lower swingweight, needs a lot of extra head weight. Test with impact stickers/spray on the face as a point of starting reference

Cwebb · February 26, 2017

My current XR Pro is great when I hit it well, but that is 2 shots out of 5. So what are the chances I could take 1.25" off that club and get the weight and balance right?

Pretty good odds, but even so, it seems like a reasonable "risk" based on your testing

mackepa · February 26, 2017

I've used a driver that is 44.75" for years and to honor Rickie's win and the shear fact that it's February and I'm bored I decided to take an extra shaft I had and trim it an extra -1/2".

The shaft I ended up trimming was a diamana ahina 60x that I originally tipped 1" and it played too firm so it went in the closet. The Ahina playing too stiff should work out really well as I put it in my epic SubZero driver and I replaced the 2g weight with an extra 10g weight I have and now I have a pretty heavy head to make the shaft softer.

Here she is! Epic SubZero 9* with a Diamana Ahina 60x tipped 1" homemade animal style with two 10g weights and 2g of lead tape at 44.25". If she fails the test I'll go back to my AD TP and switch back to beck to the 2g weight.