44.5 inch driver, why?

[hoganguy]

I'm switching out a couple shafts, in two different drivers. As a result the one I plan to use as my gamer will be 44.5 inches long. The shaft is a Diamana Blue 83x which I want to avoid the lefts. What if any effect will losing a half inch have?

[OrangeBlood]

better accuracy w/o distance loss.........

 

You will lose a few SW points. Shortening is a good move, although 1/2" isn't that much...you could just choke down instead of cutting. If you where taking an 1" or more then cutting would be better than choking down.

[projamie]

A shorter shaft will help improve your control over the club throughout the swing therefore improve accuracy, will make the club lighter so you may need to add lead tape to bring that back up and will make the shaft marginally stiffer... You may loose a few yards in distance but nothing your going to really notice and think "wow that was a bad decision"... If your looking to avoid the left, and providing your launch angle is high enough, try the whiteboard instead of the blueboard, the stiffer mid section will help you keep the ball straight/right...

[hoganguy]

I'd like to try the whiteboard, but the blue was free!

 

I'm switching from a Prolaunch 65x so I'm not really worried about the weight loss.

[rdavis]

I actually gained distance when I shortened my SQ TP. I went down to 44.5 and am noticeably longer. I feel I can go at it harder because I feel more in control and my misses are much more manageable. I think you will like it. Ive read many posts on this subject and the people that disagree are a small minority. Good Luck

[Freddy300]

Great responses. This is what Frank Thomas says and he is the club guru - see www.franklygolf.com.

 

He has wwritten books on clubs, tested clubs for the PGA for setting rules, invented graphite shafts for clubs and on and on. He knows his stuff. 44" or so is usually ideal. 45" or more are designed for club robots. Some of the long ball hitters can use long shafts but a 43.5 to 44.5" shaft is more controllable and you will hit it better so it may actually go father. Frank Thomas also likes higher lofts for the avg player. 11, 12 and even 13 deg. He said 10.5 min for most players. This message board has some good low handicap players who can handle low deg lofts below 10.5 deg.

[3step]

There is a lot of mis-information that floats around on the net, including in this thread.

 

Frank Thomas is a very knowledgeable about golf clubs, and is a testing guru, but he is not knowledgeable about fitting golf clubs. When he says golfers should use shorter lengths, and higher lofts, he is only partially correct, and thus partially wrong. There are golfers who need higher lofts and golfers who need lower lofts- it depends on the swing and how the driver is delivered into the ball.

 

It is not about power or ability, it is about clubhead delivery. Many golfers deliver the clubhead in a de-lofted manner- so guess what? They need to start out with a more lofted club. Other golfers deliver the club and add loft at impact, so they will perform best with a less lofted driver. (and of course all of this depends upon your power and quite a few other lesser factors).

 

Regards, 3

[OrangeBlood]

The fact is ....almost all of us who have shortened our drivers are hitting it with more accuracy and with a minimal loss of distance. To me it's common sense, if a tour pro doesn't play a 46" driver why on earth do I think I would be able to control one when I only play 5-6 rounds a month.

 

I think most of us could give a rats arse about all the naysayers, and their technical talk. It works better at 44-45" and works well.

 

Why do some of you always seem to have a negative comment on the subject? If you disagree with cutting it down fine. Trying to persuade us not to do it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The is no argument with the results.

 

.....just a blanket statement not directed at any one perso

[3step]

King,

 

The length choice should not be based on what Tour players play with, or don't play with. The choice should be based on performance.

 

I support any specification change, (or non-change), that helps any golfer perform better. However, I have been around the fitting world for a long time, and the length of a driver should absolutely be fitted and installed based on the golfer's swing and delivery of the club to achieve that better performance.

 

It just so happens that a majority of golfers have a more downward attack angle at impact, which, for the sake of better contact, a length shorter than 45" will be optimal. But, there are millions of golfers around the world that are ascending with their driver head at impact, and they will have similar, centered contact, whether 44" or 45", and they get the extra speed benefit of the 45" length. (assuming the head weight and shaft weight ratios are reasonable).

 

 

Regards, 3

[haytackm]

Another great source for this topic can be found in Tom Wishons book "The Search for the Perfect Golf Club" (Along w/ 3's words). Long story short, 44.5 is very smart length for driver.

 

Mike

[labillyboy]

I have 3 identical TM's set up with 44 45 and 45.5... the long one goes farther the shortest is most accurate just as you would expect.

 

Not a precise comparison since they all have different shafts but in general over a lot of shots this holds true in my experience.

 

Occasionally, I do catch one perfect with the 44 that gets out there, but if I catch it perfect with the 45.5 it is out there farther... I am a pretty accurate ball striker with the driver but if I had to guess, I do hit maybe 1 drive more per round perfectly on the shorter driver...

 

I carry the long one (45.5") most of the time but don't hesitate to choke up a couple of inches if I want to control one... I would advise everyone to practice this... and the knock down 5 iron to 100 yards... to escape trees for those driver shots where you don't choke down....

 

Watch the pros... not uncommom to see 2-3 inches of the shaft sticking out of their grip.... choking down is good... practice it.

[Planet_Boom]

I have a problem with hitting my driver nearer the hosel. Would shortinging the shaft help increase chances of hitting the sweet spot?

[thewitt]

If you consistently hit your driver near the hosel, you may or may not end up with better center contact with a shorter club.

 

If you are reaching when you swing the club - as many amateurs tend to do with the driver - that flaw will most likely continue at the shorter length as well.

 

There may be other reasons to go shorter, but simply addressing that one swing flaw isn't likely the main reason.

 

Shorter drivers can result in better center face contract, but they are not a panacea.

 

Good clubfitters have been fitting golfers to the proper club length for decades. It's not a new thing.

 

-t

[hogan234]

About a year ago, I played a MP001 400cc w/ a factory DGS300 @ 44". What a great combo! Short shaft added a lot of control and the extra weight kept me in check w/ my tempo. No loss in distance...in fact, more accurate on-center hits lead to more fairways and more solid drives. Wish I had that stick now.

[wildwilly911]

put some impact tape on it and go out and play 18 holes, if your hitting the sweet spot all the time leave it, if not shorten it up

[bigstunnerdude]

I must be one of the few going the other way with the Driver. I've just added 2 1/2 inches to my Titleist Driver today. I notice the Long Drive Boys I was watching yesterday are all using Drivers around 47-50 inches. I figure the more leverage you have with the club the more distance I may be able to get.

 

I've got my 45" Ping G10 in the bag as well as a standby driver, just looking forward to testing the much longer Titleist Now.

[mikpga]

44.75 inches...Diamana Blueboard 83 Stiff...

 

I prefer slightly shorter than today's standard length...

 

Length is going to influence posture and centeredness of contact...

 

It will vary from golfer to golfer...

[Herm33]

I cut my 905R 10.5 down from 45" to 44.5" earlier this year, and feel that I'm hitting it overall better. Maybe not quite as far on flushed hits, but the one thing I've noticed is that I don't seem to have as many wild misses where I give myself no chance to hit the green. Haven't added any lead tape yet but still may do that to bring back the SW.

 

Even only 1/2" feels much better at address to me. Don't see going back to 45" anytime soon.

[titleistpro2]

hoganguy...I don't think shortening the shaft will help you. I think you need to start over left handed. :russian_roulette:

 

When do we play again?....did I talk to you about Cottonwood Hills?

[hoganguy]

I've thought about the left thing.

 

No you have not talked to me about Cottonwood Hills, but I want to go badly.