Driver help

[GTnKY]

I've just started playing golf again after eight years. Back issues kept me away.


I've gone to PING irons that approximated the specs I used previously. I still have my old putter. I picked up a three wood that I liked the look and feel.


Now, the club I'm having issues with is my favorite/worst club historically - my driver. I previously used a driver with a 360cc clubhead, and 44" in length.


Obviously, clubheads are much larger today. I think I can deal with that. What I'm having trouble with are the lengths of most drivers. Out of all I tried, only two were 45". The rest were 45 1/2" to 46".


I'm having consistency issues with these. To be honest, I'm having similar issues with my irons. However, I just want what was familiar - my 44" driver. I'll be flexible on the size of the clubhead.


What does everyone think is the best approach? Custom made driver to the specs I want? Full disclosure here; I've looked at some GolfSmith offerings. If they are representative, I'm not that interested.


Or, a brand name that I have cut to 44"? If I can get the feel right? I would appreciate any advice.


Thanks,
Gary

 

[Aussie Dave]

I have a callaway X Hot that I cut 2" off to make it 44" and it is great.

 

[Jman]

Gary, first, welcome to THP, glad you found us.

As for cutting down, its going to depend really. I take all of mine down to 44.5" myself and have gone as low as 44" before with little issue. The only thing you have to keep an eye on is the swing weight, some people notice it more than others, but shortening too much can lead to the weight feeling off a bit.

 

[Brianbigoats]

Welcome to THP
you should not have a problem cutting any driver down to 44"

 

[Paladin]

From experience, you won't notice a particular difference in swing weight until you start talking less than 44.5". If you do, it's usually fixed by some lead tape on the sole of the driver.

I'm inclined to say cut down slowly until you're comfortable, either by taking it to the shop or by wrapping the end of the club in tape while you cut it down to keep it from splintering (I don't know what tools you have available). From there, if you were fond of the old swing weight, talk to a fitter about adding weighted tape until it's an identical/similar swing weight. Good luck! Personal opinion, I'd say cut it down to what you live and get used to that swing weight.

 

[katman]

From experience, you won't notice a particular difference in swing weight until you start talking less than 44.5". If you do, it's usually fixed by some lead tape on the sole of the driver.

I'm inclined to say cut down slowly until you're comfortable, either by taking it to the shop or by wrapping the end of the club in tape while you cut it down to keep it from splintering (I don't know what tools you have available). From there, if you were fond of the old swing weight, talk to a fitter about adding weighted tape until it's an identical/similar swing weight. Good luck! Personal opinion, I'd say cut it down to what you live and get used to that swing weight.

Wouldn't that change the dynamics of the launch? I'm no physics expert but if you keep the weight of the club about the same by cutting off shaft and replacing it on the head, there's a least a chance you would modify the bend profile or some such...again, I'm not an expert here so maybe I'm wrong. My understanding, though, was that everyone's swing was so different (transition, release, wrist cock, etc.) that small differences in weight distribution equal potentially dramatic differences in results. :confused2:

To GTnKY, welcome to THP. I honestly would consider simply choking down. My X2 Hot driver is 46" (!) but I often choke. On the other hand, I have been working on (at the range) using the full length so that in the future I have a chance to be all I can be without carrying a rifle. Just a thought.

 

[adamw238]

Wouldn't that change the dynamics of the launch? I'm no physics expert but if you keep the weight of the club about the same by cutting off shaft and replacing it on the head, there's a least a chance you would modify the bend profile or some such...again, I'm not an expert here so maybe I'm wrong. My understanding, though, was that everyone's swing was so different (transition, release, wrist cock, etc.) that small differences in weight distribution equal potentially dramatic differences in results. :confused2:

To GTnKY, welcome to THP. I honestly would consider simply choking down. My X2 Hot driver is 46" (!) but I often choke. On the other hand, I have been working on (at the range) using the full length so that in the future I have a chance to be all I can be without carrying a rifle. Just a thought.

It won't change them enough for an amateur to notice. And you're not really not removing weight from the butt and putting it in the tip. If that was the case, a driver shaft would weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 550g (figuring 1" = 6 SW points = 12g). The simplest way to explain it is that you're shortening the arm of a level and therefore changing the perceived weight on the end. People will add weight to the end of the club to maintain the same feel, but you would need to do a lot of cutting from both ends to start changing bend profiles and launch characteristics.

I cut my driver down from 46-45 and put weight down the tip of the shaft and corked it. Ball flight and flex have stayed the same.