Pros Driver Lengths

[Golds]

I don't think you can compare what the pros and what the amateurs game.

The question for me is, how much of an impact does shortening the club have on swing speed? I have a 46" RBZ which I know is too long for me (5' 9"), and have been choking down an inch ever since buying it. My swing speed is 90 mph on avg with me choking down and allowing me to swing my natural swing. If I were to play it at 46" I should theoretically have a faster swing speed? If we are talking 3-5 mph more speed if I played it at 46", I would rather play it at 45" - 45.25" and hit it consistent. Seems like everyone I play with is against me shortening my club because they say "your hitting it so consistent why change it?" and then I show them that I am choking down and they say "oh, well why not choke down and then gradually move the club longer and longer as until you get back up to 46" and increase that swing speed?" To me that's very contradicting, choking down gives me consistent contact and swing speed as well as overall consistency in my swing. If I were to gradually move my hands back up and play the longer length again all my consistency and everything I gained would again be lost.

 

[SKYWARE]

So I've been looking at alot of the WITB lately, mostly just for entertainment but something has stood out to me. Very few pros play a driver over 45" long. I ran across a few this morning and I wanted to post a few to get your thoughts.

Bubba Watson 44 1/2". Bubba is 6'3" and plays his irons 1/2" long and 2 1/4* upright
Harris English 44 3/4". Harris is also 6'3" and plays his irons 1/2" long
Hunter Mahan 45.25". Hunter is 5'11"
Patrick Reed 44.25". He is 6'0"
Pat Perez 44 1/4" Pat is 6'0"
Hideki Matsuyama 44.75" Hideki is 5'11"

Not all list length, but these are just a few from the tournament this weekend I noticed. So my question is, is their anything to gain from this?
I've shortened my driver from it's stock length, but seeing this just makes me wonder if I should shorten it more. If the pros play a shorter driver for accuracy, seems like maybe we should follow their example.
Thoughts?

I think the lenght of the driver shaft is better fitted based on the lenght from the wrist to the ground regardless players height. I'm 5'6" and Ping fitter suggest standard 45". Shorten within an inch probably would outcome a better dispersion & lessen the distance, but not by far.

Anyone remember Killer Bee Driver? Somewhere around 47"... hehe

 

[Golds]

I know this is somewhat of an old thread but I'd like to ask a question. I'm sure the pro's don't lose swing speed with shorter shafts because their swings are so fine tuned, but if an amateur were to cut their shaft from 46" to 45.25, would they see a difference in swing speed? Also, are these pro measurements the shaft or the playing length?

 

[tahoebum]

I know this is somewhat of an old thread but I'd like to ask a question. I'm sure the pro's don't lose swing speed with shorter shafts because their swings are so fine tuned, but if an amateur were to cut their shaft from 46" to 45.25, would they see a difference in swing speed? Also, are these pro measurements the shaft or the playing length?

44.5" is the average playing length on tour. All things being equal a longer shaft would produce more ball speed for pros but they lose accuracy. I've always been longest with a 44.5" driver as I find the sweet spot most of the time at that length. I get shorter and much more crooked with. 45" or longer driver. When I don't have my a swing I often hit my 43.25" 12.5* 2 wood longer than my driver which is why I hit it off the tee 8-10 times per round.

Most amateurs don't find the sweet spot very often and IMO they would hit it farther if they shortened their driver to a length they could handle.

 

[wubears71]

Yeah that's a good point and something to keep in mind, but I still wonder how many people ever actually go in and cut it shorter.

I finally convinced my dad after 2 years to get his RBZ driver cut down at least an inch and now he blames every miss hit on the fact that he cut it down despite the fact that his overall driver has improved tenfold.

I cut my 757 shaft down from 46.5" to 45" and I didn't lose any club head speed since the change helped me increase my lag since I'm no longer doing goofy stuff to adjust for the extra length.

 

[golfisforfun]

There is also a point where added shaft length doesn't give any more club head speed.
i swing my 42.75" 3 wood 95-97mph
the most I ever got from a driver was 102-104 and that was 45.75" but at that length I was wild!

i am now at 44" driver and very accurate.

i am sure someone can find a chart showing how much distance you lose when you miss the sweetsop!

 

[tahoebum]

We had a Taylormade rep at our club yesterday with all of his goodies. I got on the Trackman and my 43.25" 2Deep was averaging 105mph, my 44.5" driver was 109mph, and the 46" Aeroburner was the same at 109mph. The problem was the ball speed was 6mph slower with the Aeroburner because I wasn't getting center face contact. There was another scratch golfer(a 67 year old that still swings a driver 105 mph) getting Trackman numbers right after me and he had an 8mph drop in ball speed with the R15 Demos that were playing an inch longer than his driver. We had a good laugh that his 5 year old Nakashima is still out performing all the new stuff from Callaway, Titleist, etc.

 

[crazygolfnut]

I am 5' 6" and have a G25 driver with stock off the shelf length of 45.75". I would like to take an inch off it but my concern is the change in swing weight. A local golf store employee said that I would not notice any change. Not sure what to do.

 

[wubears71]

I am 5' 6" and have a G25 driver with stock off the shelf length of 45.75". I would like to take an inch off it but my concern is the change in swing weight. A local golf store employee said that I would not notice any change. Not sure what to do.

i took 1.5" off and noticed no difference.

 

[Tee/Ski]

I'm 6'2" and went to a 44.5" driver last summer. I'm hitting center club more often, which has increased distance; my accuracy has also increased to the best percentage it's been since I learned how to golf. Finding fairways more often, turned into finding GIR's more often, which turned into a 3.5 drop in my hcp last season. It is worth the effort to try a shorter driver!

 

[Galen Marek]

I know this is somewhat of an old thread but I'd like to ask a question. I'm sure the pro's don't lose swing speed with shorter shafts because their swings are so fine tuned, but if an amateur were to cut their shaft from 46" to 45.25, would they see a difference in swing speed? Also, are these pro measurements the shaft or the playing length?

I haven't had this checked in recent years but during my "prime" (aka my twenties) I worked at a golf shop so we were always messing around with equipment, fittings, etc and I consistently swung a 44.5" driver about 8 MPH faster than a 45.5" length driver. At that time I guess it just fit my timing better and allowed me to swing at my most efficient. Now at age 38 I'm not sure if that's the case but I'd like to test that theory again.

I have a Razr Fit driver that's 45" I'm going to mess around with in the near future.

 

[Galen Marek]

I am 5' 6" and have a G25 driver with stock off the shelf length of 45.75". I would like to take an inch off it but my concern is the change in swing weight. A local golf store employee said that I would not notice any change. Not sure what to do.

I believe almost any player will notice the swing weight change when removing an inch from their driver. I would measure your current swing weight, have the shaft reduced, then try the club as is. You may find a lighter swing weight useful. If not you can add lead tape until you reach a comfortable or your driver's previous swing weight. I put lead tape on almost all of my clubs as I like that feeling of a slightly heavier head.

 

[Wakit300]

Why not just choke down? No need to cut the shaft and change the dynamics. Ever see Anthony Kim play, he choked way down on every club.

 

[tahoebum]

Why not just choke down? No need to cut the shaft and change the dynamics. Ever see Anthony Kim play, he choked way down on every club.

When your choking down you change the swing weight as well but have the added problem of a smaller grip diameter creating tension and making it more likely that you will hook the ball.

 

[Drogster]

I'll have to revisit this. I am 5'9", with a wrist to floor measurement of 33", so my driver length should be 43".

I got fitted for my X Hot driver with a Prolaunch Red SC, stiff 60g. However I noticed when comparing it to my other drivers that the shaft is 1/2" longer. I was at a recent Callaway demo evening the store pro that was running the demo, watched me hitting a few drives and commented on the length of the shaft. If memory serves me right, I think the fitter was trying you lengthen the shaft to help me get more distance. It worked ok, but I think I started choking down from time to time.

I found this table online a while back. It might help some of you.

 

[golfisforfun]

I think a lot of people get carried away taking about swing weights and "feeling the head" and all this golf tech lingo...
people use these terms and theories and say things won't work without even trying them!
i played off the rack clubs my entire life with no adjustments or anything to them and was a 4 handicap, playing 40 times a year and never going to the range.
now I have a "fitted" set of clubs and my handicap has not changed at all... The reason I had adjustments made was because driver and wood shaft lengths were getting way too long for me.
just chop a driver down and try it!!!

 

[Jman]

I used to say the same thing about swing weights with drivers and woods until I got mine swing weighted, and for me the difference was insane.

Everyone's different in what they can and cannot feel. Do some use stuff to rationalize why it doesn't work for them, sure, but not everyone.

 

[salisboss]

I recently got fit into a 44" driver because my swing speed actually went up as well as ball speed. At 45" my ss was 93 mph whereas at 44" it was 96-97mph because I could swing easy with it plus I was making better contact.

 

[McLovin]

my biggest takeaway from this is that patrick reed is 6' tall. really? that dude looks so short on tv!

 

[Tadashi70]

I know this is somewhat of an old thread but I'd like to ask a question. I'm sure the pro's don't lose swing speed with shorter shafts because their swings are so fine tuned, but if an amateur were to cut their shaft from 46" to 45.25, would they see a difference in swing speed? Also, are these pro measurements the shaft or the playing length?

I think you might pick up more speed and control

 

[Dave Alvarado]

Speaking as a total high-handicap amateur, I see *massive* distance increases the few times I manage to hit the sweet spot with any of my clubs.

Any advantage you can get to hit the sweet spot more often is worth it, IMO. If you've got high clubhead speed but are hitting toward the edges of the club, your ball speed isn't nearly what it could be. It would be worth losing a few mph clubhead speed to get a gain in ball speed.

 

[tahoebum]

I think a lot of people get carried away taking about swing weights and "feeling the head" and all this golf tech lingo...
people use these terms and theories and say things won't work without even trying them!
i played off the rack clubs my entire life with no adjustments or anything to them and was a 4 handicap, playing 40 times a year and never going to the range.
now I have a "fitted" set of clubs and my handicap has not changed at all... The reason I had adjustments made was because driver and wood shaft lengths were getting way too long for me.
just chop a driver down and try it!!!

I'm honestly surprised at a 4 index you can't tell the difference between swing weights, I certainly can wether it's a driver or a putter.

I have been chopping drivers down to 44.25 -44.5" ever since they started lengthening them 20 years ago and can absolutely tell the difference between a stock 45.5" after cutting it down to 44.5". Taking off that inch without adding weight to the head takes it from a D3 swing weight to a C8. A C8 swing weight makes it very difficult for me to feel where the club is during the swing and hit it straight. I actually play my woods and irons at a D5 swing weight, a little heavier than normal.

 

[Wakit300]

When your choking down you change the swing weight as well but have the added problem of a smaller grip diameter creating tension and making it more likely that you will hook the ball.

My grips are midsize and so choking down a couple of inches doesn't really affect me much. What it does do though is provide the same club heft for me. I'll choke down on the driver on a narrower hole or one with water in play where I may want more control but still want to swing away.

 

[blugold]

I'm honestly surprised at a 4 index you can't tell the difference between swing weights, I certainly can wether it's a driver or a putter.

I have been chopping drivers down to 44.25 -44.5" ever since they started lengthening them 20 years ago and can absolutely tell the difference between a stock 45.5" after cutting it down to 44.5". Taking off that inch without adding weight to the head takes it from a D3 swing weight to a C8. A C8 swing weight makes it very difficult for me to feel where the club is during the swing and hit it straight. I actually play my woods and irons at a D5 swing weight, a little heavier than normal.

I'm a 6. I cannot tell a difference between d2 and d4. Now, something like a c0 and d6, sure. But I can't tell a difference between the swing weights in my set.

 

[golfisforfun]

Can I tell a difference in swing weights? Sure, some feel lighter than others... Does it matter to me? Nope
But I have played a lot of rounds with rental sets and my scores never seem to change much at all. But do I "feel the head" in my swing or any of that trendy lingo? Nope.
I pick up the club, line up and hit it.
I played one round with offset cobra fairway woods in SR flex, R flex irons and a stiff shaft driver and hit the ball just fine...

Anyways, I think a lot of people get carried away and focus more on lingo and tech talk than necessary.

I'm honestly surprised at a 4 index you can't tell the difference between swing weights, I certainly can wether it's a driver or a putter.

I have been chopping drivers down to 44.25 -44.5" ever since they started lengthening them 20 years ago and can absolutely tell the difference between a stock 45.5" after cutting it down to 44.5". Taking off that inch without adding weight to the head takes it from a D3 swing weight to a C8. A C8 swing weight makes it very difficult for me to feel where the club is during the swing and hit it straight. I actually play my woods and irons at a D5 swing weight, a little heavier than normal.