Decreasing driver length

[Bentron]

If I switch out my driver shaft from 45.5 to 45 do I need to increase the head weight as well? 

[Stuart_G]

21 minutes ago, Bentron said:

If I switch out my driver shaft from 45.5 to 45 do I need to increase the head weight as well? 

 

Maybe, maybe not.   Were you ever properly fit for swing weight with the club at the longer length?  if not, then there is nothing really special about the swing weight value before cutting down.   And if you were, just changing the length can mean that value is no longer really valid at the new length.

 

Either way the swing weight "rules" people tend to throw out as answers to questions like this are really pretty useless.  The best route is to get some lead tape and bring it to the range.  Test the club out by hitting balls as you add the weight incrementally 1-2 gm at a time.   Find the best amount based on the feel, and the ball flight results, and the quality of the face impact consistency (so bring some foot powder spray as well).   That may happen with no weight added, a little weight added, or a lot.

 

Then after you find the best head weight, you can just keep the lead tape in place or replace the lead tape with something else depending on the head model.

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Stuart_G

[Valtiel]

You don't need to, but you will likely find that the driver feels lighter so it will be up to you whether that is a good thing or not. If not then the 1/2" you removed will reduce your swingweight by 3 points, and each point = roughly 1.6 grams at driver length, so a little over 5g. 

It's never a bad idea to experiment with weight though, more might be better. Lead tape and time at the driving range is your friend. 👍

[me05501]

I highly recommend buying impact stickers or a liquid chalk pen so you can track your impact on the driver face. You want to use the length of shaft that helps you find center impact most often. That may be shorter, or maybe not. You can experiment by choking down on your existing driver. Again, let the impact pattern guide you. If a shorter shaft doesn't help you find the center of the face more often it's probably a bad trade off. 

[uglande]

Great advice above from @Stuart_G @Valtiel and @me05501. Swing weight is a temperamental thing that is not only player dependent but also club dependent and even club version dependent. A certain head/shaft/grip combination might work better for you in your current driver than in the rest of your clubs, or in previous drivers, so I agree you should not necessarily just add weight to get the club back to an original or a stock swing weight.

 

I have always played slightly shorter-length drivers -- usually between 44.50 and 45.00 -- and have found that I do better adding zero weight back to the head, or just a few grams. I am tall (6' 4") so longer drivers and higher swing weights get very heavy and unwieldy for me and actually slow down my swing speed. Anyway, play around with it and see what feels right. It's nice to have more clubs now (esp Ping and Titleist) that have movable weights, which you can usually find as aftermarket products on eBay.