Driver length and distance, accuracy test

[Lifter]

This is a great thread! I'll just speak for myself. Golfsmith told me my wrist-to-floor measurement is 35.5 inches. I used to play a 45.5-inch ProLaunch Red driver. But I just cut the shaft down to 44.0 inches and I am LOVING it! The difference in feel is enormous. With a 44.0-inch driver, I suddenly feel vastly more confident. And I sense that I can swing as hard and aggressively as I want; the ballflight will still be fairly straight no matter what. As a result, I've reduced the loft on my driver from 10.5 degrees to 9.0 degrees.

When I step up with a 45.5-inch driver, I have a strong sense that the range of potential outcomes is much wider. Much smaller margin for error. Not good for confidence.

 

[Lifter]

If you know your wrist-to-floor measurement, below are Tom Wishon's rules of thumb for proper driver lengths:

*Wrist-to-Floor * *Driver Length *
*27 to 29 * 42.00
*29 to 32 * 42.50
*32 to 34 * 43.00
*34 to 36 * 43.50
*36 to 37 * 44.00
*37 to 38 * 44.25
*38 to 39 * 44.50
*39 to 40 * 44.75
*40 to 41 * 45.00
*41 to 42 * 45.50
**over 42 * *46 and up *

 

[Frans@France]

This is a great thread!..................I've reduced the loft on my driver from 10.5 inches to 9.0 inches.

 

[birly-shirly]

Think of it in terms of not adjusting ball flight via a shaft change, but adjusting how the club is swung via a change in shaft. It's a subtle but important distinction.

When you hand someone a club with a 2" difference in length (either way) you will also be most likely handing them a club with a different weight (even though swing weight can be the same), a different MOI, and a different feel. 99% of golfers will swing the two clubs differently... either with different paths, faces, acceleration profiles, release profiles, etc, etc, or with any combination of these. Changing the club will, with very very few exceptions, change the swing. Whether to the good or the bad is based on the individual.

The changes will most always give you ball flight changes, but not because of a clear cut change in equipment produced by the "same" swings. Although that would make equipment buying much easier.

Got it, and I'm sure that graphite really is a prerequisite for overlength drivers (good or bad) - but really what I was speculating on was what's left for graphite if you buy into the notion of cutting back shaft length to 43"-44" - in other words, you rule out the possibilities of extending shaft length with or without deadweight or swingweight penalty. My first thought is that you remove a large part of the incentive to use very lightweight shafts - and that any measurable performance gain over steel would be pretty slight. Maybe not negligible - but then I haven't been through a proper fitting so I wouldn't really know for sure...

 

[ParHunter]

I am going to try this. As I don't want to cut down my nice Fubuki shaft (only to find out later that I don't like it), I've ordered a cheapish Grafalloy Pro Launch RED (stiff, 64g) with a TaylorMade swing tip fitted already.
So if I cut the shaft to 43.5 in I will change the swing weight (I think my driver has a D4). I can just add heavier swing weights into the head (r9 supertri) but what would happen if I don't change the weights? Would it just feel weird or would I suddenly start closing the clubface more/less, change my swing path etc?
What weights would I need to get the swing weight back to D4? (Current shaft Mitsubishi Fubuki 63, 63g, standard length)

 

[Keefer]

I am going to try this. As I don't want to cut down my nice Fubuki shaft (only to find out later that I don't like it), I've ordered a cheapish Grafalloy Pro Launch RED (stiff, 64g) with a TaylorMade swing tip fitted already.
So if I cut the shaft to 43.5 in I will change the swing weight (I think my driver has a D4). I can just add heavier swing weights into the head (r9 supertri) but what would happen if I don't change the weights? Would it just feel weird or would I suddenly start closing the clubface more/less, change my swing path etc?
What weights would I need to get the swing weight back to D4? (Current shaft Mitsubishi Fubuki 63, 63g, standard length)

Swing weight calculator & estimator

Click the above link.

Here's a calculator where you plug in head weight, playing length, shaft weight, grip weight and raw shaft length.

To get to a D4 at 43.5", you'd need the head to weigh 213 grams with a 63 gram shaft, 50 gram grip. Raw shaft lengths are generally 46".

As an example if you didn't change the head weight and assuming it weighs 200 grams the swing weight would be C6. The head feel would be very light, like a ladies swingweight. Most likely outcome would be control issues with less consistent center face contact. The lighter the head the lower the swing weight. Many heads these days are lighter because of the longer shaft length.

 

[Frans@France]

I think it's lovely that people start to understand golf material better but please stop suggesting that somehow you must always get the swingweight exactly the same when the length changes . And just to reply to some other remarks

- if you grip it shorter yes that can improve impact but you are then gripping it at that part of the grip which is smaller then the part you normally grip it. Depending on your sensitivity for grip size that can create other swing issues

- if you cut a shaft at the grip side it could be that the flex changes, how and how much depends on the design of the shaft. That flex changes could create swing issues, again depending on your sensitivity for that kind of thing.

- if you cut the shaft shorter then yes you could lose speed and yes if you did improve on the impact location (smashfactor) then that lose will be nothing compared to the improved ball speed. But before you do better check your impact position before you start cutting.

- If length changes then yes, the swingweight changes. Is that bad, maybe, again all depends on your sensitivity and please do not forget that swingweight is a static value which in itself already may have no direct relation how you reach impact or swing the club. MOI based measurement is an improvement but in itself also not that much better then swingweight.

 

[ParHunter]

Swing weight calculator & estimator

Click the above link.

Here's a calculator where you plug in head weight, playing length, shaft weight, grip weight and raw shaft length.

To get to a D4 at 43.5", you'd need the head to weigh 213 grams with a 63 gram shaft, 50 gram grip. Raw shaft lengths are generally 46".

As an example if you didn't change the head weight and assuming it weighs 200 grams the swing weight would be C6. The head feel would be very light, like a ladies swingweight. Most likely outcome would be control issues with less consistent center face contact. The lighter the head the lower the swing weight. Many heads these days are lighter because of the longer shaft length.

Thank you for the link. My head weighs 200 g (with 1x16g and 2x1g weights) and my old shaft+grip and tip 122g. So I will need to add 16g to my head to make it a D4 again.

 

[Frans@France]

I am going to try this. As I don't want to cut down my nice Fubuki shaft (only to find out later that I don't like it), I've ordered a cheapish Grafalloy Pro Launch RED (stiff, 64g) with a TaylorMade swing tip fitted already.

mhhh so two different shafts with different flex profiles and then use that to check the consequence of driver length for your swing?

below is the profile of those two shafts.

Fubuki S
175/200/233/284/361/489/768

Grafalloy ProLaunchRed 65 S
184/212/249/303/377/525/855

 

[ej20]

Thank you for the link. My head weighs 200 g (with 1x16g and 2x1g weights) and my old shaft+grip and tip 122g. So I will need to add 16g to my head to make it a D4 again.

The next question would be where do you put that 16g without affecting flight characteristics?

 

[ParHunter]

The next question would be where do you put that 16g without affecting flight characteristics?

I will play around with it. First I will use the old swing weight and see how that works. Currently I've got the 16g in the middle and would probably leave it there.

As far as I understand it the weights move the COG around so you could end up with an 'Offcentre' hit even if you hit it in the centre of the clubface. Then gear effect will take over to 'correct' your swing.

Does anyone know a good article on how the swing weights work?