Rickie to a shorter driver

[bscinstnct]

Thatll never work.

[Holy Moses]

How did Rickie's stats this week (driver distance, % of fairways hit, strokes gained off the tee) compare to last year's stats and career averages?

[Jagpilotohio]

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.

Sorry. I didn't want to get too detailed. It can be very confusing to people that haven't done this before.

 

I was just outlining what I did with my 917 recently. i deliberately chose to only tip trim a half inch because I actually wanted it a touch softer than the stock X flex. This is usually how I like to do it. It's just preference. I also added 12 grams because that's all it needed to get back to D-1.

 

I don't care for a super firm X flex. Sometimes I don't tip trim at all when I shorten. Depends on the shaft. The graffalloy blue I played for nearly 10 years needed no extra tipping at all when it went shorter, It was very firm.

[toddnt]

Looking at the Wrx/TPI fitting, it seems like they all were fitted into shorter drivers.. Trends continuing!

[Jagpilotohio]

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.

 

 

Ahhh. Come on man....go for it! Take her down to 43.5"!!! Got to do "the full Rickie" if you're going to do it. 1/2 inch is nothing. Get that saw back out and start chopping!! ??

[pappaf2]

How did Rickie's stats this week (driver distance, % of fairways hit, strokes gained off the tee) compare to last year's stats and career averages?

For this event:

14 yards longer than the field @ 304 yards

~ 6% better fairways hit than field @ 67.86%

.081 strokes gained off the tee

[mosesgolf]

It would appear shaft length (playing it at 45inches or longer) is overrated. Ask Ricky, Sergio, Jimmy Walker and they'll tell ya 43.5 inches or less is the way to go.

[gsrjc]

If I have a steep swing already would shortening the driver make it more steep?

[masegolf1978]

I decided to play nine today after it was pretty clear rickie would win. Put my 910f whiteboard 83 3 wood shaft in my 915d3. Definitely didn't lose much distance, if any. I still hate the way the 915 sounds, so I might look at other options for my bio cell pro. Shaft today was 43 in, which was a tad too short. But I will definitely get shorter shafts going forward.

[bscinstnct]

If I have a steep swing already would shortening the driver make it more steep?

 

No,

 

youll just miss the ball.

[Jagpilotohio]

If I have a steep swing already would shortening the driver make it more steep?

 

Yes. A bit. No steeper than you are with your 3 wood. Are you ok with your 3 wood off the tee?

 

It's Essentially the same feel.

[redandwhiteandblue]

How's it working for Walker since going 42"?

 

He went to 42???

[Jagpilotohio]

How's it working for Walker since going 42"?

 

He went to 42???

 

Yeah. A bit severe. At the TOC in Maui. I'm Not sure if he bumped it back up a bit or not since then. I'd guess he did.

[mackepa]

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.

 

 

Ahhh. Come on man....go for it! Take her down to 43.5"!!! Got to do "the full Rickie" if you're going to do it. 1/2 inch is nothing. Get that saw back out and start chopping!! ??

 

I thought about doing that but I'm 6'2" and it just seems too short for me. Also, I'd have to add too much weight to the head to make it playable. I hit 10 balls at the range with the new set up and just hammered it on all 10 balls at 44.25". We'll see how it translates to the course.

[BForrester]

If he's fighting getting stuck, I'll bet the shorter length will help get the club out in front of him. One of Tiger's biggest mistakes was probably going away from a 43.5" driver. Not a coincidence that he started fighting that right miss way more when he went to 45".

 

I've been hitting a lot of blocks lately, myself. What does the stock M1 play at, 45.5"? I might have to make a visit to my local fitter...

 

I'm curious what effect simply adding more of the sliding weights, to adjust the swing weight, will have on ball flight

[PureStrikes54]

Does anyone know if these shafts have a specific length they are designed to be played at. Say you get an off the rack shaft what the tipping/butt trimming instructions are?

 

I've cut down some shafts from 45.5 to 44.5 and had them feel MUCH stouter. Especially the stuff in tour spec x. Would it be better to go a half or full flex weaker when going short?

[J13]

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.

 

 

Ahhh. Come on man....go for it! Take her down to 43.5"!!! Got to do "the full Rickie" if you're going to do it. 1/2 inch is nothing. Get that saw back out and start chopping!!

 

I thought about doing that but I'm 6'2" and it just seems too short for me. Also, I'd have to add too much weight to the head to make it playable. I hit 10 balls at the range with the new set up and just hammered it on all 10 balls at 44.25". We'll see how it translates to the course.

 

The real problem becomes weight in the head and lie angle. You play with a whole bag of clubs under 43.5" so length is not the issue ;)

[WidespreadPanic]

If he's fighting getting stuck, I'll bet the shorter length will help get the club out in front of him. One of Tiger's biggest mistakes was probably going away from a 43.5" driver. Not a coincidence that he started fighting that right miss way more when he went to 45".

 

I've been hitting a lot of blocks lately, myself. What does the stock M1 play at, 45.5"? I might have to make a visit to my local fitter...

 

I'm curious what effect simply adding more of the sliding weights, to adjust the swing weight, will have on ball flight

If you put a heavy enough one in the back, the flight will definitely go up. I currently have both of the weights in the back with none in the front, heaviest in the back, and it definitely brought the flight up. I play it at 44" so I added some tape to both ends of the front track, as well as other spots on the head.

[BForrester]

If he's fighting getting stuck, I'll bet the shorter length will help get the club out in front of him. One of Tiger's biggest mistakes was probably going away from a 43.5" driver. Not a coincidence that he started fighting that right miss way more when he went to 45".

 

I've been hitting a lot of blocks lately, myself. What does the stock M1 play at, 45.5"? I might have to make a visit to my local fitter...

 

I'm curious what effect simply adding more of the sliding weights, to adjust the swing weight, will have on ball flight

If you put a heavy enough one in the back, the flight will definitely go up. I currently have both of the weights in the back with none in the front, heaviest in the back, and it definitely brought the flight up. I play it at 44" so I added some tape to both ends of the front track, as well as other spots on the head.

 

I've been thinking about playing with the positioning lately. I play with the back weight all of the way forward, but might try the back position for a while once the season starts. I imagine if I do cut down to a shorter shaft, I'll probably add weight to the front track

[Jagpilotohio]

I just uploaded a utube video of the interview with the Cobra Tech that actually worked on Rickies driver. The golf channel showed it on Friday and just replayed it. It's shot in the tour van. Talks about tipping, weights, hot melt, etc. Pretty cool stuff for us gearheads.

 

[Jagpilotohio]

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.

 

 

Ahhh. Come on man....go for it! Take her down to 43.5"!!! Got to do "the full Rickie" if you're going to do it. 1/2 inch is nothing. Get that saw back out and start chopping!! ??

 

I thought about doing that but I'm 6'2" and it just seems too short for me. Also, I'd have to add too much weight to the head to make it playable. I hit 10 balls at the range with the new set up and just hammered it on all 10 balls at 44.25". We'll see how it translates to the course.

 

I was just kidding with you. Completely understand. At your height maybe sub 44 wouldn't make sense.

 

I'm "vertically challenged" myself. That's why I've always played mine at 43.5". I get waaaay too flat and laid off with longer drivers. I Just start slapping at it. No power and it's a lot harder to find he center of the club for me. Yuck.

[LeftHandLeads]

Ok, stupid queston. When you say you are "tipping" the shaft, does that mean you are trimming a certain amount of length off the tip versus the butt end? So if you take 1.5" off, you might take 1" off the tip and the .5" off the butt end. Am I understanding that correctly? What would be the reason for doing it that way? Thanks!

[knock it close]

Ok, stupid queston. When you say you are "tipping" the shaft, does that mean you are trimming a certain amount of length off the tip versus the butt end? So if you take 1.5" off, you might take 1" off the tip and the .5" off the butt end. Am I understanding that correctly? What would be the reason for doing it that way? Thanks!

Yes, because when you add weight back to the head to get the swingweight back up the shaft will become more flexible. Tipping will counteract that

[Jagpilotohio]

Ok, stupid queston. When you say you are "tipping" the shaft, does that mean you are trimming a certain amount of length off the tip versus the butt end? So if you take 1.5" off, you might take 1" off the tip and the .5" off the butt end. Am I understanding that correctly? What would be the reason for doing it that way? Thanks!

 

Yep. Think about it like building a 3 wood. Tip trimming instructions are generally to take a "driver" shaft, and trim 1/2 inch to 1.5 inches off the tip, depending on the particular shaft, the manufacturer, and how stiff you want it. More tip trimming = stiffer.

 

The 3 wood head is significantly heavier than a driver head because it is meant to be played shorter. Similarly, a 5 wood head is heavier than a 3 wood head, again, because it is meant to be played a even bit shorter than a 3 wood.

 

If you take a driver head and a driver shaft and want to cut it to nearly a 3 wood length and you ONLY butt cut it and add weight to the head, it will end up playing significantly softer. If you want to maintain the flex, you need to tip trim AND butt trim.....just like you would making a 3 wood from scratch.

 

If you happen to have a driver shaft laying around that you've always felt is a bit too stiff, use that one and DONT tip trim it. It may soften it enough that you end up liking it.

 

Similarly, if you have an outdated 3 wood that you don't use but you like the shaft, try putting the 3 wood shaft in the driver head, and add some weight to the head. If it's a bit too short you can put a small extension on it.

[mackepa]

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.

 

 

Ahhh. Come on man....go for it! Take her down to 43.5"!!! Got to do "the full Rickie" if you're going to do it. 1/2 inch is nothing. Get that saw back out and start chopping!! ����

 

I thought about doing that but I'm 6'2" and it just seems too short for me. Also, I'd have to add too much weight to the head to make it playable. I hit 10 balls at the range with the new set up and just hammered it on all 10 balls at 44.25". We'll see how it translates to the course.

 

The real problem becomes weight in the head and lie angle. You play with a whole bag of clubs under 43.5" so length is not the issue ;)

 

you're right with head weight being the #1 issue but my concern is if I go any shorter than 44.25" is that my swing will get too steep and I'll lose my positive AoA and end up sacrificing distance AND accuracy

[Vonex586]

does anyone have pictures of his current shortened driver? is he using a lot of lead tape?

[finleysg]

does anyone have pictures of his current shortened driver? is he using a lot of lead tape?

 

Take a look at that vid Jagpilotohio posted just above. You'll get a good idea of what they did.

[micha]

Hopefully this trend will make OEM's stop making driver and 3 woods longer in length every few years. Silly to be making 43.5 3 woods for the masses to be hit off the deck.

[Justapitchandaputt]

I just uploaded a utube video of the interview with the Cobra Tech that actually worked on Rickies driver. The golf channel showed it on Friday and just replayed it. It's shot in the tour van. Talks about tipping, weights, hot melt, etc. Pretty cool stuff for us gearheads.

 

 

Much appreciated. Thanks

[L_L]

Shorter is not right for everyone, I don't hit it straighter with a shorter shaft