1 Inch Longer Shaft Results In Much Higher Ball Flight?

[squirrel211]

I have a Callaway Rogue SZ in 9 degrees, with a Project X Hazardous 6.5 in 45.5" PLUS the exact same shaft in 44.5." I've been playing the shorter shaft since I got it, until today on the range on my lunch break. I hit a few with the shorter shaft in, with the typical medium-ish ball flight. Then, for giggles, I put the longer shaft in, and the ball flight rose dramatically; easily another 50% higher. It felt a tiny bit heavier, and my timing seemed a touch better with the longer shaft. I didn't notice it being any harder to hit the center of the clubface than the shorter shaft, if anything, it got rid of my standard low-on-the-face miss.

[noodle3872]

I’m not an expert however I am going to say this extra height has to do with the longer shaft giving you a shallower angle of attack which can result in higher launch. The extra inch of shaft may give a hair more CHS and BS which will keep the ball climbing.

[arbeck]

If you're hitting higher on the face (and you seem to imply it by stating your low on the face miss went away), that will increase the launch of the ball. It's quite possible you are also swinging it faster due to the extra length. You might be generating as much as 4 MPH of extra ball speed which in turn would most likely raise the peak height.

 

I doubt you are really hitting it 50% higher though. That would be going from a 100ft peak height to a 150ft peak height. Most likely you're peak height is a little higher and your launch angle is also higher making it appear to you that it is going much higher in the air.

[squirrel211]

> @arbeck said:

> If you're hitting higher on the face (and you seem to imply it by stating your low on the face miss went away), that will increase the launch of the ball. It's quite possible you are also swinging it faster due to the extra length. You might be generating as much as 4 MPH of extra ball speed which in turn would most likely raise the peak height.

>

> I doubt you are really hitting it 50% higher though. **That would be going from a 100ft peak height to a 150ft peak height**. Most likely you're peak height is a little higher and your launch angle is also higher making it appear to you that it is going much higher in the air.

 

I think my original ball flight was probably less than 100', it was more "penetrating" than anything. The new ball flight is rain-inducing. Maybe 40% higher? Honestly it's shockingly different. One of my best friends who was Big South Player of the Year in 1998 at Coastal Carolina, and played on the Canadian Tour, immediately asked, "bro, what was THAT?!"

 

I'm seriously shocked at the difference an inch made. Kept the ball from going left, too...

[Valtiel]

Your swingweight will have jumped substantially making that switch with no compensation, so you may have learned that heavier is just as impactful as longer. It may be worth adding the equivalent amount of weight to the head with the shorter shaft to see if the results are similar. You'll want to add about 10g to the head to achieve the same swingweight with the shorter shaft.

 

Howard Jones' driver tuneup thread covers the process of getting to the best driver setup for your swing which you have accidentally stumbled into starting.

 

https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/909991-diy-driver-tune-up-diy-fitting/

[cardoustie]

You discovered my secret

All my stuff is longer and heavier (and flatter), including the blueprints that arrived an hour or two ago

Longer could be helping your posture and heavier swingweights could be helping your timing

Measure the swingweights of your current irons, add 1" of lead tape and try, then add another 1", rinse and repeat and see what works

[Cpr3584]

I recommend playing golf clubs as heavy as you handle. Increasing MOI and head weight will almost always increase ball speed and dispersion. That being said, I love playing drivers at 45.5, D5. At times the club feels like its swinging itself. As for the higher ball flight, it could be because you increased shaft length therefore softened the shaft a bit, producing higher flight

[Howard_Jones]

Its a combination of many things at once here.

Like already mentioned, a higher impact on the face itself will raise launch, and we have seen up to 4 as different to launch angle alone depending on impact, so a launch of 10 to 14 is 40% on launch angle as one example. The longer shaft bends a tad more, and 6 SWP higher SW will add at leas 2 yards to the apex with the same launch, but this will be added on top of whats got out of a higher impact position. A flatter swing plane might also occur, and that gives a more shallow or more positive angle of attach who adds launch. As a sum 50% higher Apex or launch angle is more than possible, club specs DOES matter...

[squirrel211]

> @"Howard Jones" said:

> Its a combination of many things at once here.

> Like already mentioned, a higher impact on the face itself will raise launch, and we have seen up to 4 as different to launch angle alone depending on impact, so a launch of 10 to 14 is 40% on launch angle as one example. The longer shaft bends a tad more, and 6 SWP higher SW will add at leas 2 yards to the apex with the same launch, but this will be added on top of whats got out of a higher impact position. A flatter swing plane might also occur, and that gives a more shallow or more positive angle of attach who adds launch. As a sum 50% higher Apex or launch angle is more than possible, **club specs DOES matter...**

 

I'm shocked at how much of a difference that 1 little inch made! I can't wait to see what the difference means on the course, if any. And I'll gladly go back to the shorter shaft on a windy day.