Hit a 43.75" driver (LST 425) today-wow!

[Valtiel]

4 hours ago, Rich Douglas said:

I have a Titleist at 45.5" and a TM Mini (the new one) at 43.5". The difference between the two is stark. I have to choke down an inch on the Titleist just to have some control over it, while the TM is a fairway finder first class. The Titleist is about 15 yds longer (carry), but it just isn't worth it. I'm going to cut down the shaft (while trying to maintain the swing weight) and see what happens. 

That sounds like a perfectly normal case of needing to shorten a driver length that is physically too long for MOST people anyway. I'm 6'3" and I play a 44.25" driver with 45" considered my "long" version. And like Howard said, don't automatically assume you need to dump a bunch of weight into the head, make sure to experiment. You'll probably need to add some, but how much will depend on what actually works the best for you. Lead tape and aftermarket weights are your friend. 

[Pastit]

8 hours ago, Valtiel said:

That sounds like a perfectly normal case of needing to shorten a driver length that is physically too long for MOST people anyway. I'm 6'3" and I play a 44.25" driver with 45" considered my "long" version. And like Howard said, don't automatically assume you need to dump a bunch of weight into the head, make sure to experiment. You'll probably need to add some, but how much will depend on what actually works the best for you. Lead tape and aftermarket weights are your friend. 

Interesting. I find it fascinating to look at Driver Length on the LPGA Tour. Many of the top Asian players, or Asian-origin players, are diminutive but drive well but the swing looks odd in terms of the Driver-length and Player height.

 

Is their a table of shaft-fitting v body dims we could use ? 
 

As you advised the other week, after I shortened a Velecore 6R to play 43.75” in a 13D SIM Ti ( where it works well ), I’ve not yet had a chance to try your ideas of this shaft in a SIM Driver, too wet. Thanks.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Pastit

[Valtiel]

4 hours ago, Pastit said:

Interesting. I find it fascinating to look at Driver Length on the LPGA Tour. Many of the top Asian players, or Asian-origin players are diminutive but drive well but the swing looks odd in terms of the Driver-length and Player height.

 

Is their a table of shaft-fitting v body dims we could use ? 
 

As you advised the other week, after I shortened a Velecore 6R to play 43.75” in a 13D SIM Ti ( where it works well ), I’ve not yet had a chance to try your ideas of this shaft in a SIM Driver, too wet. Thanks.

IMO it is all about mechanics. You can exploit the potential speed gains from longer playing lengths if you have consistent fundamentally sound mechanics, which high level players do. For most of the rest of us, longer and longer playing lengths start to exacerbate the flaws in our mechanics to the point of diminishing returns, or just outright failure. 

I have seen some useful charts that factor in height and wrist to floor measurements but i'm not sure where they are here. I learned that because my wingspan is 3" greater than my height that I need to be mindful of longer playing lengths and keeping my arms in front of my body. A 45.75" is very difficult for me to swing. 

[Howard_Jones]

1 hour ago, Valtiel said:

IMO it is all about mechanics. You can exploit the potential speed gains from longer playing lengths if you have consistent fundamentally sound mechanics, which high level players do. For most of the rest of us, longer and longer playing lengths start to exacerbate the flaws in our mechanics to the point of diminishing returns, or just outright failure. 

I have seen some useful charts that factor in height and wrist to floor measurements but i'm not sure where they are here. I learned that because my wingspan is 3" greater than my height that I need to be mindful of longer playing lengths and keeping my arms in front of my body. A 45.75" is very difficult for me to swing. 

Here is the chart ive been using for static fitting and starting point for testing based on WTF.
PS! Head wgt is "expected" standard head wgt, so there is no connection to play lengths.

[jholz]

I've been cutting my drivers down to 44" for many years, and for me at least, experimenting with head weight has always been part of the process.

 

Most have worked fine without additional weight, others needed a bit to get performance where I wanted. I've always just used lead tape.

 

Ultimately, I think everyone is going to be a bit different in this respect. IMHO, it pays to tinker a little bit and find out what works best for you.