Anyone experimenting with longer driver lengths?

[Red4282]

So with bryson testing a 48” driver, Ive seen a few others in the golf world start trying longer lengths as well like scott fawcett. I was thinking about giving it a go, especially since im 6’4” and i really think the extra length wouldnt effect me as much. So has anyone tried it? Whats your setup? Im thinking going counterbalanced, like maybe a hzrdus yellow to keep swingweights down, and usually play a 70-75 gram shaft and would go down to the 60-65 range. 

[cardoustie]

I play 46.25” and have for a while, I get worse at 47”

 

In testing at the Golf Lab, I hit the center just as often at this length as I do at 43.5” fwiw

 

I am 6’2” with a bad back and play my irons and all clubs at 1” over as a reference

 

The only proviso is heavy swing weights but I love that, driver at E3 right now

[Red4282]

29 minutes ago, cardoustie said:

I play 46.25” and have for a while, I get worse at 47”

 

In testing at the Golf Lab, I hit the center just as often at this length as I do at 43.5” fwiw

 

I am 6’2” with a bad back and play my irons and all clubs at 1” over as a reference

 

The only proviso is heavy swing weights but I love that, driver at E3 right now

Nice, id like to set mine up to play as normal swingweights as possible, and then add a strong 3 wood as a second option off the tee. Same here as far as finding center, i dont have alot of concern, once i wake the golf muscles up, i usually dont have an issue finding center regardless of length. About how much distance or ball speed has the longer setup provided you?

Edited October 29, 2020 by Red4282

[cardoustie]

If I had to guess 4mph.  It could also be a comfort and posture thing like more longer short irons, I just don't feel hunched over like I'm playing kids length clubs

 

When I go to fittings and get low 160's with my driver, generally I get stuck at high 150's with newer 45" drivers

That could also be I have gone thru a zillion shafts and have learned Mitsu brands in 55x to 65x generally suit me very well.   Blueboard 53x, 63x, Fubuki K 60x .. AND Aldila Rip Phenom 50tx, Rip Phenom NL60x, Oban Revenge 65x .. my top ones from recent years

[Rory4Pres]

I noted on golfwrx several years ago when I "for fun" added an extender to my old Taylormade driver shaft, making it 48".  I originally did it because I was playing a lot of scramble tournaments and thought it would be have to use since most holes, somebody is already in play and 5 yards further than I could hit my normal driver.

 

Wound up loving it and played that driver for a year.  Used a 60g low launch shaft.  My back started to hurt though so went to a newer cobra driver and went down from 48" to 46.875".  Fast forward, my back continued to hurt so finally broke down and got 1/4" over stock length in my new driver.

 

Here's what I can say from my experience....  Typically you'll see your spin go up slightly when you extend your shaft.  You should see a 3-5 mph increase in swing speed.  Days where your driver is struggling, it's much worse than when struggling with a normal length driver.  

 

That being said, it was awesome and if you don't have back issues, definitely try it out.  At 6'4, you'll be hitting bombs.  definitely remember to get a shaft stiff enough to support that swing speed increase.  

[Red4282]

3 hours ago, Rory4Pres said:

I noted on golfwrx several years ago when I "for fun" added an extender to my old Taylormade driver shaft, making it 48".  I originally did it because I was playing a lot of scramble tournaments and thought it would be have to use since most holes, somebody is already in play and 5 yards further than I could hit my normal driver.

 

Wound up loving it and played that driver for a year.  Used a 60g low launch shaft.  My back started to hurt though so went to a newer cobra driver and went down from 48" to 46.875".  Fast forward, my back continued to hurt so finally broke down and got 1/4" over stock length in my new driver.

 

Here's what I can say from my experience....  Typically you'll see your spin go up slightly when you extend your shaft.  You should see a 3-5 mph increase in swing speed.  Days where your driver is struggling, it's much worse than when struggling with a normal length driver.  

 

That being said, it was awesome and if you don't have back issues, definitely try it out.  At 6'4, you'll be hitting bombs.  definitely remember to get a shaft stiff enough to support that swing speed increase.  

Interesting, i wonder why the longer length gave you back issues? I think the biggest challenge is managing the balance and swingweight of the club, to make it much more viable long term. Using counterbalanced shafts with heads with interchangeable weights should help. 

[Rory4Pres]

10 minutes ago, Red4282 said:

Interesting, i wonder why the longer length gave you back issues? I think the biggest challenge is managing the balance and swingweight of the club, to make it much more viable long term. Using counterbalanced shafts with heads with interchangeable weights should help. 

 

I never had a problem with the swing weight honestly.  The extender was steel, so it was heavier than the shaft, so in a sense, it was already counterbalanced.  

 

Just tinker with alternative weights or lead tape in the head and maybe a normal grip versus a slightly heavier one.  Cheap, easy, simple.  

[vadersfather]

I'm hitting and loving a 48 inch driver! If you go longer, definitely go lighter, I'm using the 49 gram shaft from my jetspeed driver and had a 2 inch extension put in. Also I removed both weights from my m1 head, which put head weight at 173, and thus swingweight at d0/ d1!!! It's a bomber man, I love the feel and for me, ( I'm only 5"9) it has improved my center strike contact, which is weird, but as I experimented with going shorter, all the way down to 43.5" my contact drifted all the way out to the toe! IDK🙃 with your height, 48" makes sense to me! So my advice, start light and work up based on your strength and contact per swingweight.✌️

[liveagua]

Not unless you are going to get significantly stronger. 

A 48 inch driver will usually create so much force that it will cause your swing to breakdown biomechanically...

[Red4282]

1 hour ago, liveagua said:

Not unless you are going to get significantly stronger. 

A 48 inch driver will usually create so much force that it will cause your swing to breakdown biomechanically...

Not worried about strength, but thanks.

[liveagua]

1 hour ago, Red4282 said:

Not worried about strength, but thanks.

Well, Bryson is and I am sure he is stronger than you are. 

 

Also, you don't fit length for woods the same way you fit irons. 

[Red4282]

46 minutes ago, liveagua said:

Well, Bryson is and I am sure he is stronger than you are. 

 

Also, you don't fit length for woods the same way you fit irons. 

Sorry but thats a bit ridiculous. Several women play longer lengths in their drivers. Strength isnt really “required”. And im Not trying to be bryson, but im 6’4 1/2” 250 lbs. ill be ok. But it also speaks to why i want to make the build the right way, little bit lighter and counterbalanced shaft. I probably wouldnt go full 48 either, maybe 46.5-47”. 

Edited October 31, 2020 by Red4282

[Colej]

On 10/29/2020 at 7:06 AM, Red4282 said:

So with bryson testing a 48” driver, Ive seen a few others in the golf world start trying longer lengths as well like scott fawcett. I was thinking about giving it a go, especially since im 6’4” and i really think the extra length wouldnt effect me as much. So has anyone tried it? Whats your setup? Im thinking going counterbalanced, like maybe a hzrdus yellow to keep swingweights down, and usually play a 70-75 gram shaft and would go down to the 60-65 range. 

I’m 5’ 7” and play a 45.5” driver with no issues at all. I can also go to 46” but my accuracy goes down a bit. You at 6’ 4” would probably be fine at 47”-48” based on my experience lol

 

[Therty]

Im building a 47” callaway rogue for giggles. I swing ~110 but I’m bad at golf, so this is going to be very interesting.  
Waiting for the epoxy to dry on the adaptor at the moment. Uncut 44g Graffaloy ProLaunch blue - stiff.

[ptjn1201]

I've been carrying two drivers most of this year.  A long driver, in the 47.5"-48" range, and a thriver type at 43.5"-44".  Good drives tend to be about 10-15 yards further  with the long driver and I'm not significantly more crooked.  I've always preferred shallower faced drivers, but for a long driver, I think deeper is better.  Good luck -- it's a fun experiment.

[Alan Pllu]

I have just ordered another shaft to try going longer with, didn't want to mess about with the shaft in my driver just now in case it doesn't work. Would also be good to be able to compare back to back. 

 

I'm using a ts3 driver so going to play about with the weight cartridge to keep swingweight sensible. Is putting a counterbalance weight in the extension a bad idea? 

 

Also stock length of my driver according to titleist site is 45.5, most of the extensions I have seen say don't extend more than 2 inches but are clearly longer than 2 inches and need cut down. Is it a bad idea to squeeze the extra 0.5 inch out of the extender to get the driver to 48 inches?

 

My plan is go to legal limit and see how it goes then work back from there to find a length that works. 

[Red4282]

3 hours ago, Alan Pllu said:

I have just ordered another shaft to try going longer with, didn't want to mess about with the shaft in my driver just now in case it doesn't work. Would also be good to be able to compare back to back. 

 

I'm using a ts3 driver so going to play about with the weight cartridge to keep swingweight sensible. Is putting a counterbalance weight in the extension a bad idea? 

 

Also stock length of my driver according to titleist site is 45.5, most of the extensions I have seen say don't extend more than 2 inches but are clearly longer than 2 inches and need cut down. Is it a bad idea to squeeze the extra 0.5 inch out of the extender to get the driver to 48 inches?

 

My plan is go to legal limit and see how it goes then work back from there to find a length that works. 

I wouldnt put the counterbalanced weight in the butt, it doesnt have the same effect as counterbalanced shafts. Counterbalanced shafts will actually have material (weight) removed from the lower half (tip). A weight in the butt will fool the swingweight scales but it increases static weight, and will be more hefty to swing. Using the weight cartridges in the ts3 is a good idea though. Let us know how it goes!

[Alan Pllu]

1 hour ago, Red4282 said:

I wouldnt put the counterbalanced weight in the butt, it doesnt have the same effect as counterbalanced shafts. Counterbalanced shafts will actually have material (weight) removed from the lower half (tip). A weight in the butt will fool the swingweight scales but it increases static weight, and will be more hefty to swing. Using the weight cartridges in the ts3 is a good idea though. Let us know how it goes!

Ah ok I thought it might help with a counterbalance weight in it but that's good to know. I'll play about with the cartridge and see how I get on. 

 

Any idea if it would be OK to play it with the weight removed completely? Thinking if I extend it 2-2.5 inches its going to be quite heavy on the swingweight scale. Will need a fair amount of weight removed to get it back into a reasonable range? 

[liveagua]

On 10/31/2020 at 2:29 PM, Red4282 said:

Sorry but thats a bit ridiculous. Several women play longer lengths in their drivers. Strength isnt really “required”. And im Not trying to be bryson, but im 6’4 1/2” 250 lbs. ill be ok. But it also speaks to why i want to make the build the right way, little bit lighter and counterbalanced shaft. I probably wouldnt go full 48 either, maybe 46.5-47”. 

You can think it is ridiculous, but it's accurate. Wanna make a wager that I am right and you are wrong? 

[Red4282]

25 minutes ago, liveagua said:

You can think it is ridiculous, but it's accurate. Wanna make a wager that I am right and you are wrong? 

Well brooke henderson has made quite a nice career on the LPGA playing a 48” driver, i would say her swing isnt mechanically “breaking down”. Im also willing to wager Im “stonger” than her. Like I said many times, the build would have to be done right. Its not like Im suggesting playing a driver at E7. 

[BREWMASTER95060]

 

 

[Ri_Redneck]

I tried this a little over a year ago using a Cobra F7 head and Aldila Copper Mamba 75 TX. I started out at 47.5 with light weights in the head. I could hit it okay, but it always felt a bit too cumbersome. CHS was only marginally higher than what I get with my stnadred 44.5" length. I decided to do it again in 2021 using a Cobra Speedzone head and a HZRDUS Yellow 63g 6.5 Handcrafted. I started thinking that a slightly lower total weight may make it feel better. Will post results once I get back out playing.

 

Curious to see Bryson at Augusta. It'll either be AWESOME or AWFUL!?!?!? LOL

 

BT

[pgatw]

Currently using a driver at 46.5. May not seem long but I am short, old and a lightweight. Use a Project X Pxv 39 in a G410.

Did not adjust the head weight. Actually hitting more fairways than with my normal 44.5 driver.

[raggal62]

2 minutes ago, pgatw said:

Currently using a driver at 46.5. May not seem long but I am short, old and a lightweight. Use a Project X Pxv 39 in a G410.

Did not adjust the head weight. Actually hitting more fairways than with my normal 44.5 driver.

The PXV 39 is a great shaft for longer driver builds. It tends to be susceptible to breakage with aggressive swingers however. Hard shaft to find too as it has been out of production for 6 years. I have the 6.0 flex in a KZG head weighting 183 grams. At 46.5" it has a total weight of around 275 grams. Love it. BTW I'm old too.

[venturagolfer87]

Not purposely, but I had been playing my previous driver at 44.75" for the entire 3-4 I had it before purchasing the Sim.  The stock Diamana felt great and seemed to work well with my swing, so I didn't go custom, and am now playing at the SIM's stock 45.75".  Was surprised at how quickly I was able to adjust to it, in fact, I recently picked up a driver that was at my old playing length and it felt tiny.  Not sure if it's new tech/improved swing/longer shaft, or a combo of all three, but I am noticeably longer than I previously was, and not really any more crooked.  I have a theory that the longer shaft/smoother feeling profile of the Diamana is making me really be conscious of my tempo and transition.

[Red4282]

Im currently in this setup:

SIM head at 196g (10g trackweight)

atmos ts black 7x- 75g (cut to 70g)

Length-45.25”

swingweight- D4-D5

 

thinking about this setup:

46.75”

shaft- 60-65g either pro 2.0ts, t1100, or tensei PO.

drop the 10g sliding weight to 4g

 

this *should* put the swingweight around d6-d7 while dropping total static weight by 15 grams or so. Could go 46.5 and essentially come out with the same swingweight.

[liveagua]

On 11/2/2020 at 3:07 PM, Red4282 said:

Well brooke henderson has made quite a nice career on the LPGA playing a 48” driver, i would say her swing isnt mechanically “breaking down”. Im also willing to wager Im “stonger” than her. Like I said many times, the build would have to be done right. Its not like Im suggesting playing a driver at E7. 

Henderson is in the Top 10 in driving distance at 267 average. She is currently 54th in driving accuracy. 

 

If you are looking for a counterbalanced shaft for this project, I would suggest the VA Nemesys. Smooth and the most counterbalanced shaft on the market. 

[Alan Pllu]

Got my shaft i am going to try at 48 inches and the extension on order now I have measured for what diameter I need. 

 

My question is without having access to a club measuring ruler what point on the sole of the golf club do I measure the length from in order to keep myself legal? 

 

I want to start at 48 inches then if it doesn't work I will trim and retest till I find a length I like. Don't want to measure the wrong point and end up being illegal by 0.25 of an inch or something silly like that. 

[BREWMASTER95060]

On 10/31/2020 at 5:08 PM, ptjn1201 said:

I've been carrying two drivers most of this year.  A long driver, in the 47.5"-48" range, and a thriver type at 43.5"-44".  Good drives tend to be about 10-15 yards further  with the long driver and I'm not significantly more crooked.  I've always preferred shallower faced drivers, but for a long driver, I think deeper is better.  Good luck -- it's a fun experiment.

"Adams 9015D 10.5* Aldila Longwood 47.5"" i like that shaft

[sadclevelandsports]

Quick and random question, sorry didn't know where to ask and this thread seemed marginally on topic.

 

When people sell shafts on the classifieds and they say shaft is "cut to 43" does that mean that the driver is playing at 43"? So it's 2 inches shorter than "standard"? Or do you add the height of the driver head?