Cut down shafts on fairway woods?

[Brenkj]

When I bought my driver (Titleist TS2) the salesman suggested I have it cut down an inch and a half to increase control and accuracy, which we did.   Once I felt comfortable with the driver, I bought TS2 fairway woods with the same shafts to match the driver.   I now have 3, 5 and 7 woods in the TS2.   But it just occurred to me that I never cut down the shafts on those fairway woods at all (my 7 wood is at least 2 inches longer than my 5 iron).   Should I cut down those shafts as well?   If so, how should I determine the right amount to cut off of each?    Thanks.

[sshadow2]

Have you tried putting a higher lofted wood's shaft into a lower lofted one?

 

The difference is 2" i think. I currently play a 5w shaft in my 3w. It's great!

[Brenkj]

That’s a good idea.   I can put the 5 in the 3, and the 7 in the 5.  Dunno what I’ll do about the 7 wood though. 

[Stuart_G]

11 hours ago, Brenkj said:

When I bought my driver (Titleist TS2) the salesman suggested I have it cut down an inch and a half to increase control and accuracy, which we did.   Once I felt comfortable with the driver, I bought TS2 fairway woods with the same shafts to match the driver.   I now have 3, 5 and 7 woods in the TS2.   But it just occurred to me that I never cut down the shafts on those fairway woods at all (my 7 wood is at least 2 inches longer than my 5 iron).   Should I cut down those shafts as well?   If so, how should I determine the right amount to cut off of each?    Thanks.

 

How well do you hit those fairway woods at the current length?   Ideally length should be fit separately for the fairways and driver.   Stock lengths have grown much more in the drivers than they have in the fairway woods so it's not unusual to need to cut down the driver and not cut down the fairways.  But 1.5" is a decent amount and in general the 3w should be between 1" to 2" shorter than the driver (and the 5w 1/2" shorter than the 3w, etc..).   But the bottom line is what ever works the best for you and your swing and club distance gaps.

 

Here's the length to Howard's DIY self fitting guide (for playing length, shaft weight and swing weight).   This can help you decide what the best playing length might be.  The title says 'driver' but it works just as well for fairways and hybrids.

 

 

[Brenkj]

Thanks for the responses.    I hit my fairway woods reasonably well, but I can always use a little more accuracy and consistency.  

 

So, working backwards, if I'm using my 7 wood basically as my 4 iron, should the 7 wood be .5-inch shorter than the 5 iron?   Or does the fact that it's a wood mean it should be a little longer?     

 

I'm sure these are pretty basic questions, but I'm learning as I go.   Thanks.

[Stuart_G]

There's no right or wrong way to do it but I wouldn't use the iron lengths to help find what's best for the fairways.   You see best playing length is going to be a function of shaft weight and swing weight and the irons usually have much heavier shafts than the fairways.  It's usually better to use the tutorial to dial in the 3wd length and then use 1/2" increments down from there for the other woods.   Of course the desired distance gaps can play a small part as well although loft is generally a much bigger factor for distances than playing length.