Driver Dilemma for 12y/o daughter

[rspollock]

Hi Everyone, hoping that some of you have some thoughts or experience you can share for junior driver fitting.  My daughter is 12y/o and is currently in the Cobra Junior Driver with 39' shaft.  She is 60' tall with a swing speed of 75-80mph, total driver distance is usually 200 yards.  Ideally needs a finished driver length of 40-42" (is my guess).  I'd like to get her the new Ladies Big Bertha REVA. My dilemma is I could get the 43" stock Ladies flex shaft and cut that down 2+", but given her swing speed she probably needs a senior/amateur flex but those are stock at 46" and now I'm taking off 5", which doesn't seem smart.  Leaning towards ladies shaft and hoping it will stiffen up when I cut it down? Thanks for everyone's help/thoughts!

[mogc60]

If that’s the driver you are set on I would stay with the ladies flex shaft. Then have it pulled and tip it 1”-1 1/2” and take the remainder off the butt end.  This will essentially make it a full flex stiffer or more if you go 1 1/2”. If this doesn’t fit perfect then you can find an A/S flex or even R for very cheap and reshaft it. You can find very good new high end shafts that are a few years old for $40 or less. 

Edited May 11, 2021 by mogc60

[cglynn]

If you are trimming the shaft for length, you are trimming from the butt end.  I don't think butt trimming a shaft has much, if any effect on flex.  If you are trimming from the tip, that's a different story.  

 

The only issues you may run into are swingweight, though butt trimming will decrease SW points, which might not be bad for a 12 yr old, and depending on the taper and diameter of the shortened shaft, maybe how the grip fits.  A little build up tape would solve any issue there.

 

 

[mgoblue83]

You won't have any issues cutting down a driver shaft 4-5in. Make sure the head has enough loft and she should be good to go. 

[MFBach]

Generally, butt trimming a shaft won’t have much effect on playability, but 5” is a LOT of trimming. I can’t imagine that wouldn’t affect the shafts stiffness, kick point, etc. given the amount of material you’re removing. 
 

If you do decide to cut down the 46” shaft, I would at least consider tip trimming some of it to maintain the pro goal shaft profile or at least something close to it. 
 

Personally, I would lean towards the 43” ladies shaft and see how it goes. Butt trim it 2” and go from there. If you’re worried about stiffness, she’s 12 and should develop some additional SS over the next year or two anyway. 
 

If it didn’t work out, you can buy a raw (46”)  ladies flex shaft on Golfworks for about $50-60 and try it out the other way. 

[MFBach]

Generally, butt trimming a shaft won’t have much effect on playability, but 5” is a LOT of trimming. I can’t imagine that wouldn’t affect the shafts stiffness, kick point, etc. given the amount of material you’re removing. 
 

If you do decide to cut down the 46” shaft, I would at least consider tip trimming some of it to maintain the original shaft profile or at least something close to it. 
 

Personally, I would lean towards the 43” ladies shaft and see how it goes. Butt trim it 2” and go from there. If you’re worried about stiffness, she’s 12 and should develop some additional SS over the next year or two anyway. 
 

If it didn’t work out, you can buy a raw (46”)  ladies flex shaft on Golfworks for about $50-60 and try it out the other way.