In the march hotlinks, club expert tom wishon wrote that one key to real improvement with the driver comes from a shorter length. Jimmy walker on using a 42inch titleist driver at the sbs. Irons master clubmaker ralph maltby says that adding 12 inch length can add about 5 to 7 yards in distance for irons. Nov 23, 2016 on another note, i have been considering a shorter shaft in my driver for the last 10 years but have never done anything about it. Starting in the 1980s, all the golf equipment companies began to increase the standard length of the driver to the point that today, all mens drivers are made to. I thought it felt longer than my old driver, but wow, its 2 inches longer. Given below are some points that can be kept in mind on a driver that has a 43 inch shaft.
Aug 20, 2015 when i tested my old college driver a few weeks ago my interest was piqued by how close my swing speed with the 43. Wed jan 15, 2014 by dave phillips drivers generally come standard at 4546 inches in length, the longer the driver shaft the potential exists for more distance, theoretically your swing arc would be wider and therefore you could create more speed. Is it ok to cut down a 46 inch driver shaft to 43 inches pros do not use 43 inch drivers. Find the right driver shaft length for your game golficity. This raises the immediate question, why is a relatively tall, obviously highly skilled player using a shorter than standard driver. Over the years manufacturers have increased the length of driver shafts considerably. The longer shaft promises more speed but possibly less control while the. If he could hit the ball straight with a 45 inch clubhe would. In fact, testing shows an inch of extra shaft length equals roughly 10 yards in distance. Players can be customfit at a golf shop for the proper length of their club shafts. Besides just getting my new sterling one length irons ive picked up a new shaft va composites slay 65 stiff to put my driver length at 43. For this video, weve used the gc quad launch monitor to gather real world data comparing two identical clubs that only differ in shaft length.
Is it ok to cut down a 46 inch driver shaft to 43 inches. If i play regular flex on a 45 driver, what should the shaft. A shorter driver, he said, encourages center contact on the clubface, which leads to longer, straighter drives. On another note, i have been considering a shorter shaft in my driver for the last 10 years but have never done anything about it. Can anyone tell me what will happen to a the flex of the club. However, the longer the shaft the harder it is to control the club and hit the ball squarely. May 10, 2019 typically most players do pick up speed around 1 mph per inch with a longer driver shaft, and since every 1 mph of additional driver speed generally yields about two yards of extra carry. However, in the 21st century a standard driver is considered to be 45 inches. Check out breeds tip on how to determine whether your driver shaft length is too long or too short. Nov 16, 2018 the lighter weight allows for a longer shaft, but the 3wood shaft is normally cut an inch shorter than the driver to offer more control. Miss it by a full inch and you lose 10% of your potential distance. I am thinking of reshafting this driver with a ust low carb aflex shaft which i was very pleased with in my previous driver a cobra ss350.
The same club head on a 43inch shaft will feel lighter on a 45inch shaft. As most people know, the driver shaft lengths from oems are usually in the range of 4514 to 4612 long. I have heard that altering the shaft length of your driver by an inch canshould alter the club speed by up to 4 mph. The average driver length for all the other pros on the pga tour today is 44. The standard length for a mens driver is in the 43 inch to 45 inch range. The drivers and shafts used by the top10 drivers on the pga tour. It got me to thinking and i realized i havent been hitting my 45 inch driver with the control and accuracy that i once did with a pers. Rickie fowler finds shorterlength driver to his liking. Aug 03, 2012 3jack experiments with shortening the driver shaft one of the questions i get and i often see on message boards is about shortening the length of the driver. Whats the average driver shaft length on the pga tour. Any loss in distance has been minimal, as im making contact with the center of the club face more consistently and i get better roll out in the short grass.
Jimmy walker is using a 42inch titleist 917d2 driver at the 2017 sbs tournament of champions, according to golfweek. Anything longer than 43 resulted in erratic impact all over the face, with erratic ball flight to match. With regards to how the tours average shaft length stacks up against whats commonly found at retail, the driver currently in your bag is likely longer by about one inch. The best length of driver for amateur golfers is 45. Mar 27, 2012 too many people outthink themselves on clubs i like more traditional lengths, but you find no one hitting a driver at 43. With the new trend of shortened driver shafts on tour right now, a question came to my mind. Cobra junior drivers are equipped with the same gamechanging technology used by the pros, like rickie fowler. Golf monthly technical editor joel tadman explores the impact different shaft lengths have. Driver shaft length is shorter better than standard length. I ordered an inexpensive 42 inch driver a couple of weeks ago.
Taking a look at the driver shaft length used by the tour leaders in strokes gained. Using only a 43inch shaft, sergio garcia thrives with his drives. Typically most players do pick up speed around 1 mph per inch with a longer driver shaft, and since every 1 mph of additional driver speed generally yields about two yards of extra carry. When we shorten the length of shaft in our fitting sessions the players will. If you are using a 43 inch driver, just get a degree 3 wood and you are set. The quest for a more accurate driver practical golf. Over the past 2 months, i have purchase 3 drivers and tried different shafts on them. A lot of the research i have done has centered on shaft length. I remember justin leonard using a 46 inch driver several years ago and he is 59. Previously, the standard length for a womans driver was 43 inches. Over the past twenty years, golf club manufacturers have been making clubs stronger meaning they have less loft on the face, and longer so that they can sell hopeful golfers the newest hot weapon that will knock the ball unimaginable distances.
What is the average driver shaft length of tour pros. A decade or two ago, if you swung a 45inch driver, it would probably feel like you were swinging a heavy weight at the end of a whippy shaft. I was reading the latest golf magazine and saw that luke donald had shortened his driver this year to 43. Jimmy walker is using a 42inch titleist driver at the sbs. Have you ever wondered what the average driver shaft length is on the pga tour. Use the fitting chart below to pick your junior driver shaft upgrade based on height and age. Ive written a few articles about the benefits of getting fit for the right golf clubs, and i believe its an. The standard length of a mens driver is roughly 43. But before you march into your pro shop and demand the assistant lops an inch off the shaft in your current driver, remember that when you.
Most pros dont hit anything longer than a 45 inch driver. While longer club length can mean more distance, this makes it harder for you to find. Dec 18, 2019 with regards to how the tours average shaft length stacks up against whats commonly found at retail, the driver currently in your bag is likely longer by about one inch. Thats because longer shafts increase a clubs swing weight, which is the amount of weight you feel at the end of the club. Now, these numbers are not 100% accurate but you see the point. Players who use this driver on the screws sometimes have seen their golf ball traveling a decent distance of 250 yards. My question is, what is a good complementary length for my 3 wood and 5 wood. Hey tom, thanks for your years of helping us mortals figure out this great game.
For everyday golfers a longer shaft isnt necessarily the answer to more distance off the tee. And he knows if he did use a longer driver, hed have even more trouble keeping it in play. Though there isnt a standard length for a driver, most are sold between 45 and 46 inches. As soon as he had a 43 heavy, stiff driver in his hands, the. Jan 12, 2012 a lousy golfer will be equally poor with whatever length driver shaft, so they might as well buy the longest shaft driver and delude over hope. Driver shaft length is shorter better than standard. I would say though that my next driver shaft with fitting will be 43 or so. Most male golfers are wielding drivers that measure 45 to 48 inches, the maximum allowed under the united states golf associations rules of golf.
Remember, the best pros scramble for par about eight times out of 10. For the past few months, ive knowingly been flouting the 14club rule by carrying two drivers. Trahan fits some of his students in 43inch drivers. Yet ive read on some websites like or the makers of the perfect club, that a shorter 42 or 43 inch shaft is best.
Michael breed, host of the golf fix, answers a viewers email question on driver shaft length. Feb 09, 2018 is a shorter driver shaft better for your game. I tried a 44 shaft today, diamana blue and was quite surprised how much shorter just half an inch feels. Justin leonard used to use a nike machspeed at 48 a few years back which is also the usgas legal limit, but i dont know if he stayed at that length when he went to taylormade. But like you said in the old days a driver had a 200 cc head and a 43 inch shaft, still many really good players also hit these around 275300 yds. The marketing is for those who delude with my penis driver is longer than your penis driver even though i slice 30 yards off target with a stiff shaft too. Im a very consistent and straight hitter but can use all the help i can get on distance since my typical drive is about 210 yards. When i tested my old college driver a few weeks ago my interest was piqued by how close my swing speed with the 43. Nowadays, with seemingly never ending race to claim longer drives, driver manufacturers have even been selling standard shafts as long as 45 inches. Too many people outthink themselves on clubs i like more traditional lengths, but you find no one hitting a driver at 43. I have a 2006 ti460 cleveland launcher, with the standard cleveland sliver aflex shaft, and the clubs length is 45. I used to his my 3woodmini driver off the tee for years, never felt 100% confident with the driver2years ago, i had a shop cut 2 inches off my driver shaft jetspeed from 44. I have been chocking up on my driver to meet this length for the. Struggling with accuracy off the tee, rickie fowler shaved an inch off his driver length at the honda classic, using a 43.
If you miss the sweet spot on the face of your driver by only a halfinch, you just gave away some 5% of your potential distance. I know that a longer shaft provides more speed but hell, even tiger woods uses 43. The standard length of a driver for men used to be 43. I think the major difference is that with the modern longshafted 460 cc drivers, even the average hacker can hit 200 yds, missing the sweetspot by a mile.
Feb 25, 2015 reason is that at a shorter length, it takes more headweight to achieve the same swingweight on a longer length club. Driver shaft length are you shorting yourself using a 46. Jan 15, 2014 will a shorter driver give you more distance. Jan 31, 2017 the stock driver length of most manufacturers taylormade, callaway ping, cobra these days is 45.
Roughly speaking, if you hit a 43 inch shaft driver and a 44 in shaft drive exactly the same the ball should travel 20 yards further with the longer shafted club the reasoning behind this is simple physics. And the drop in shaft weight from trimming a driver from say 45. I have found it hard for average joe to get a shorter driver shaft because of the changes in swing weight and flex points and all that stuff. If you choked down so it plays like a 44 inch shaft, would it go further, the same, or shorter than if you had a shaft cut down to 44 inches and didnt choke down at all. Reason is that at a shorter length, it takes more headweight to achieve the same swingweight on a longer length club. The standard length for a mens driver is in the 43inch to 45inch range. The stock driver length of most manufacturers taylormade, callaway ping, cobra these days is 45. I am struggling to find the centre of the clubface consistently but am able to hit my 15 deg 43 inch 3 wood solidly off the middle 90% of the time. A decade or two ago, if you swung a 45 inch driver, it would probably feel like you were swinging a heavy weight at the end of a whippy shaft.
Driver length creep may be why you cant hit your driver. Jimmy walker is using a 42 inch titleist 917d2 driver at the 2017 sbs tournament of champions, according to golfweek. Shorter driver shaft i went from 45 to 43 12 a few years back and have gained more control over my driver. Dec 01, 2019 what is the optimum driver shaft length. Jan 06, 2017 i used to his my 3woodmini driver off the tee for years, never felt 100% confident with the driver2years ago, i had a shop cut 2 inches off my driver shaft jetspeed from 44. If i cut my driver down to 43, would it make sense to cut my woods an inch down also. Starting in the 1980s, all the golf equipment companies began to increase the standard length of the driver to the point that today, all mens drivers are made to a length between 45. The same club head on a 43 inch shaft will feel lighter on a 45 inch shaft. What do half inch long shafts do to your golf shot. In the last 25 years, the average driver shaft length has gradually moved from 43 inches to 45. There is a good chance that your golf clubs are too long.