Considering reshaft to shorter driver

[BobAllen122]

Hey all,

 

I'm 45yo, w/ ~100-105 mph driver swing speed. I play a G30 LST w/ PING's stock Tour 60 XS shaft. When I bought the club new, I was swinging more like 110 ss. I'm considering reshafting my driver for a couple of reasons. I think that I need a softer shaft, or at least one that fits the smoother/less violent move I have adapted. I also am thinking that I might go from the 45.5" down to 44.5" (possibly all the way down to 44.0") I want to hit the center of the club face more and in the past, I used a shorter driver with terrific results. 

 

I'm looking for shaft recommendations. I'd like to stay under the cost of a new driver because I love the G30 LST head which is why I'm just looking to reshaft rather than replace.

 

Specifically, I'm looking for a smooth feel, slightly heavier weight, and low spin shaft. I'm a spinny driver of the golf ball, so anything that can take the edge off off that while maintaining smoothness would really appeal to me. 

 

For historical record, I was an early adopter of the Diamana Blue 83x in a R7TP back in the day. But I've also played a GD Purple Ice 83x and a UST V2 75x. I'm just not man enough to play the X anymore. I'd love something on the order to the Diamana or the Purple Ice, but I have no idea what tech is up to these days.

 

Suggestions please?

Edited April 12, 2021 by BobAllen122

[RogerinNewZealand]

Only cut say One Third or Half an Inch then try...so 45.5 to 45,add lead etc,play a few rounds...then 44.5 the one inch less should make a Big difference.Not many need to go too 44..tho this can help those at say 5ft8inch in height.PurpleI ce were great.Suggest get lead tape too keep things at D2.5 too D3..just my opinion here..

[Nixhex524]

I like 45", but I have been playing a G410 at 44.5 and actually think it may be a better length for me as far as accuracy goes.  No loss of distance maybe even gained a little as I'm hitting the center more.  At 105 you're still borderline X shafts, not all, but many will still work for you so it could be worth butt trimming what you have and trying it out.  If not, feel free to pm me, I may have something you could use.

[sm_watts]

Keep in mind that Ping driver heads are typically a little heavier than other OEM's (I've read anywhere from 4-8 grams, but have never measured them myself), so just switching to a non-counterbalanced shaft at the same length will already make it feel a little heavier.  Although, now that I think about it, I don't know for sure that Ping's Tour shafts are counterbalanced... either way, you'll want to take this into consideration.  In general, it's what makes Ping heads ideal for building shorter drivers since you don't have to add as much weight to the head even if you cut it down an inch.

[BobAllen122]

2 hours ago, sm_watts said:

Keep in mind that Ping driver heads are typically a little heavier than other OEM's (I've read anywhere from 4-8 grams, but have never measured them myself), so just switching to a non-counterbalanced shaft at the same length will already make it feel a little heavier.  Although, now that I think about it, I don't know for sure that Ping's Tour shafts are counterbalanced... either way, you'll want to take this into consideration.  In general, it's what makes Ping heads ideal for building shorter drivers since you don't have to add as much weight to the head even if you cut it down an inch.

 

I really think that the shorter length driver will be a net positive for me. I don't actually think I'll loose clubbed speed because I think the timing on my driver will be better and my swing will be more efficient. 

 

I've not really read much about the counter-balanced thing. If the head is heavier, I'd need a heavier shaft (which I'm looking at anyway for tempo purposes) to balance that out for swing weight purposes, right?

 

I used to know this kind of thing, but it's been long enough since I've done any real fitting/golf equipment searching that I'm back at nearly square one on my knowledge of tech.

[TonyDAnnunzio]

Did you catch the interview with Cameron Champ this weekend?  I swear I heard him say he was playing his driver at 43.25".  I researched all of the WITB articles for him and couldn't find one that said he was playing his driver that short...  so maybe I am mistaken.

[sm_watts]

1 hour ago, BobAllen122 said:

I've not really read much about the counter-balanced thing. If the head is heavier, I'd need a heavier shaft (which I'm looking at anyway for tempo purposes) to balance that out for swing weight purposes, right?

 

Should actually go the opposite way- a normal 65 gram shaft will make the head feel heavier than a 65 gram counterbalanced shaft.  However, keep in mind the static overall weight of the club will still be the same.  You really need Stuart or Howard or someone like that to chime in and give more informed answers 🙂

[granata10]

Read this post from @Howard_Jones  it will guide you through everything you will want to know about lengthening / shortening your driver.  You may have to go to page 1 but it’s a ton of info

[wgpinc]

Play the driver choked down an inch and see what the result is. This should give you a baseline. Then put in a stiff shafted driver ar 44.5 if your results are what you want and expect. Adjust the swing weight to taste.

 

[phizzy30]

If you like the blue board profile, then the Diamana BF or ZF are good choices.  I just recently got a 5 metal w/TB 80x and it's money and is right in line with the blue board profile.  Ventus Blue is also a terrific shaft but launches a little lower than any of the other shafts I mentioned. 

[GeauxGolfLSU]

15 hours ago, TonyDAnnunzio said:

Did you catch the interview with Cameron Champ this weekend?  I swear I heard him say he was playing his driver at 43.25".  I researched all of the WITB articles for him and couldn't find one that said he was playing his driver that short...  so maybe I am mistaken.

 

PING confirmed that he's playing a 44.25" shaft, not 43.25". Either way, he hits the ball a LONG ways with a shorter than typical shaft.

[BobAllen122]

 

1 hour ago, EatDrinkRunLSU said:

 

PING confirmed that he's playing a 44.25" shaft, not 43.25". Either way, he hits the ball a LONG ways with a shorter than typical shaft.

 

I'd be lying if this wasn't a bit of what I was thinking. I drill my 3wd much more consistently and I think that has to do mostly with shaft length and hitting the center of the clubbed much more often. My thought is that I would hit the middle of the face more consistently with a shorter shaft which would make my driving more efficient. If I hit the center 70-75% of the time (which is probably what happens when I'm swinging it well) with my current setup and can get to 85-90% of the time, that's worth looking into for me and SHOULD make my launch numbers more consistent. 

 

I'll be honest, when I'm swinging it well, the shaft performs pretty well. When I'm not though, it's cringey.

[JohnKHawk]

Went with a shorter driver last year & actually gained distance & accuracy. I have always struggled with driver & since I have shortened the length to around 44 5/8 inches It has been much better. I did change the weight in head to bring back some swing weight. Don't see myself going back to 45 or longer.

[BobAllen122]

16 hours ago, granata10 said:

Read this post from @Howard_Jones  it will guide you through everything you will want to know about lengthening / shortening your driver.  You may have to go to page 1 but it’s a ton of info..

 

This was enlightening and gave some good information for help. Thanks for pointing me to a thread about process.

[jplroper]

17 hours ago, TonyDAnnunzio said:

Did you catch the interview with Cameron Champ this weekend?  I swear I heard him say he was playing his driver at 43.25".  I researched all of the WITB articles for him and couldn't find one that said he was playing his driver that short...  so maybe I am mistaken.

  I could have swore I heard the same thing, but no mention of it that I could find.

[randshoe]

I recently went from a 44.75 to a 44.25 inch shaft and have to say it has been great thus far I feel I have better face control/ accuracy with the big stick and more overall confidence.

[JermWRX]

On 4/12/2021 at 3:14 PM, BobAllen122 said:

Hey all,

 

I'm 45yo, w/ ~100-105 mph driver swing speed. I play a G30 LST w/ PING's stock Tour 60 XS shaft. When I bought the club new, I was swinging more like 110 ss. I'm considering reshafting my driver for a couple of reasons. I think that I need a softer shaft, or at least one that fits the smoother/less violent move I have adapted. I also am thinking that I might go from the 45.5" down to 44.5" (possibly all the way down to 44.0") I want to hit the center of the club face more and in the past, I used a shorter driver with terrific results. 

 

I'm looking for shaft recommendations. I'd like to stay under the cost of a new driver because I love the G30 LST head which is why I'm just looking to reshaft rather than replace.

 

Specifically, I'm looking for a smooth feel, slightly heavier weight, and low spin shaft. I'm a spinny driver of the golf ball, so anything that can take the edge off off that while maintaining smoothness would really appeal to me. 

 

For historical record, I was an early adopter of the Diamana Blue 83x in a R7TP back in the day. But I've also played a GD Purple Ice 83x and a UST V2 75x. I'm just not man enough to play the X anymore. I'd love something on the order to the Diamana or the Purple Ice, but I have no idea what tech is up to these days.

 

Suggestions please?

You sound very similar to me. Swing speed, tendencies, etc. For a smooth shaft that’s not crazy cost wise I would go with Project X EvenFlow Black 75G 6.5 flex. It’s smooth with a nice kick, but still stout enough not to twist and it’s low spinning. Super easy shaft to swing. If you wanna go into the next cost level, you can’t go wrong with Ventus. I prefer the black after using both the Black and Blue during a fitting, but I easily could’ve gamed either. The shaft doesn’t torque. It’s insanely stable. I middle my driver constantly now. Good luck!!

[TonyDAnnunzio]

3 hours ago, jplroper said:

  I could have swore I heard the same thing, but no mention of it that I could find.

I did find a WITB here on golfwrx for Cameron relating to what he was using at The Masters...  someone in the thread confirmed he was in fact using a 43.25" driver...  I wonder if he will continue with the shorter driver...

[ctmason_98]

39 minutes ago, TonyDAnnunzio said:

I did find a WITB here on golfwrx for Cameron relating to what he was using at The Masters...  someone in the thread confirmed he was in fact using a 43.25" driver...  I wonder if he will continue with the shorter driver...

Guys, like five posts up someone wrote PING confirmed he was playing a 44.25” driver. 
 

Why are so many having trouble with this???

[TonyDAnnunzio]

2 hours ago, ctmason_98 said:

Guys, like five posts up someone wrote PING confirmed he was playing a 44.25” driver. 
 

Why are so many having trouble with this???

 

I don't know...  are people having trouble with this???

 

Seems if a guy is in an interview and he says he is not worried about keeping up with Bryson and plays a 43.25" driver there should not be any "trouble" with it...  

[gulpeg]

I think you're spot on with going a little shorter. Been playing 44.5" for years with the driver. It's all about impact. Obviously you can change the "arrow" too much that could make some things inefficient, however hitting it on the face gives the best results, and as long as the change isn't too radical, you should keep (or increase) ball speed due to better contact.

 

Most manufacturers now are having the stock drivers at a little over 45". Presumably this is to increase clubhead speed with the longer arc etc. however, imo what good is increasing your clubhead speed if you miss the ball? A 20+mph speed increase doesn't go very far if it's a wiff.

[ctmason_98]

3 hours ago, TonyDAnnunzio said:

 

I don't know...  are people having trouble with this???

 

Seems if a guy is in an interview and he says he is not worried about keeping up with Bryson and plays a 43.25" driver there should not be any "trouble" with it...  

My point is that after someone in this thread said PING recently confirmed his driver length is 44.25. 
 

He didn’t say in an interview he was playing a 43.25” driver. He didn’t say that. And whomever said he was in the other thread is mistaken. That appears to be the case. 
 

The “trouble” I was referring to was LSU above posted what PING said. Then several of you continued on about how he was gaming the 43.25” driver. 
 

I do sincerely apologize for the nitpicking, but this significant fact seems to be completely going over people’s heads. 

[Russ757]

12 hours ago, randshoe said:

I recently went from a 44.75 to a 44.25 inch shaft and have to say it has been great thus far I feel I have better face control/ accuracy with the big stick and more overall confidence.

 

Yep. 44-44.25 for me. Then 42" 4w 40" hybrid

[TonyDAnnunzio]

20 hours ago, ctmason_98 said:

My point is that after someone in this thread said PING recently confirmed his driver length is 44.25. 
 

He didn’t say in an interview he was playing a 43.25” driver. He didn’t say that. And whomever said he was in the other thread is mistaken. That appears to be the case. 
 

The “trouble” I was referring to was LSU above posted what PING said. Then several of you continued on about how he was gaming the 43.25” driver. 
 

I do sincerely apologize for the nitpicking, but this significant fact seems to be completely going over people’s heads. 

 

Actually, he did say he was playing a 43.25" driver...

 

Do you believe the PING website is "up to the minute" correct?

 

Cameron Champ WITB Masters - Tour and Pre-Release Equipment - GolfWRX  go to this thread and pay attention to post #11 and post #18.

 

It's okay to be wrong...  why do you think this is "going over people's heads?"  

[JungleJimbo]

50 minutes ago, TonyDAnnunzio said:

Actually, he did say he was playing a 43.25" driver...

 

Do you believe the PING website is "up to the minute" correct?

 

Cameron Champ WITB Masters - Tour and Pre-Release Equipment - GolfWRX  go to this thread and pay attention to post #11 and post #18

To save other folks from needing to scroll/count indv postings ,
here are the Links to "Post #11" ( @jblough99 ?)and "Post #18" (DNice26 ?) mentioned above 🙂 

(my browser doesn't show post #s...

Is there a setting that's automatically shows the post count #?)
 

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by JungleJimbo

[BobAllen122]

So...I hit everything under the sun at my local club fitter, including new club heads--TSi2, 3, and 4, RadX, G425 LST and Max, Mizuno STZ and X...nothing performed for me like my g30 LST with my tour X on spin rates. Swung Tensi Orange, Blue, White, Evenflow, Alta CB, Hazrdus RDX Smoke. Admittedly, they didn't have some of the more exotic shaft options (read: Ventus Blue). The only club that performed even close to my gamer was the RadX with a Motore and it was still some 300-400 RPM higher. 

 

Here's the take-away from my fitting experience:

1) My local club fitter is not fully stocked and it is possible that I might still be able to find something more suitable.

2) Even though my SS is down and average of 2-4mph a bit from the past, my current setup still gets me my best numbers, which I find to be crazy.

3) I am willing to admit that a better club fitter would likely be able to watch my swing, analyze my numbers, and put the right thing in my hands, but I don't think I've got anyone like that in my area or within two hours of me. Does anyone have recommendations for that kind of fitter in the Quad Cities area (read: Davenport, IA)?