For the driver test, they hit seven drives each with a 50, 60, and 70 gram shaft, all using the same head. With arms extended, turn as far as you comfortably can while maintaining your address posture and spine. The fw, typically with its heavier weight and with its shorter length and shorter cg will create a more penetrating or stable trajectory. Each player went through two different testing sessions one with a driver, one with an iron. Mar 28, 2016 the quest for a more accurate driver everyone wants to find out how to have a more accurate driver including me. The shorter shaft only resulted in me losing about 1 1. I havent lost any distance and ive gained plenty of accuracy. The swing speed is the main consideration in selecting a driver shaft. The folks at ping built me two identical g30 driversone at their standard length of 4534 inches, the other two inches shorter. The shaft nippon regio formula b and head were the same in each test, and the swing weight was held constant.
If you are playing a shorter driver, say 44 inches instead of the standard 45 inches, you should consider a slightly heavier shaft, say 10 grams heavier. So there has to be a reason why these shorter drivers go farther, right. This week he explores the theory that longer driver shafts equal increased distance, the importance. Check out this article to find out more about this concept. Shaft is too flexible in the butt section andor shaft is too light. In fact, a shorter shaft should help you find the sweet spot more often and may even add distance. A short driver promotes the center of contact on its clubface unlike a long driver resulting in straight and long drives. If anything, im hitting it the same distance, sometimes longer. This has worked ok for now, but just feels funny not to be at the end of the club. Each player hit seven drives with each of three driver shaft lengths. In the previous segment of this blog, we discussed hitting the ball on the sweet spot in order to optimize your smash factor or efficiency. Michael breed give tips for driver length and distance golf. Hold your driver with your right hand on the hosel and your left hand on the grip above.
So if a longer shaft equals more distance, why doesnt everyone use. It will also help you hit the driver on the sweet spot more consistently creating more distance, not less. This will help create a more balanced feel and gain back some of the swing weight lost when cutting down the length of the club. And some of the best drivers on tour use a driver with a 43 inch or even shorter shaft.
Shaft weight and torque make a bigger difference than shaft flex. I have a 2006 ti460 cleveland launcher, with the standard cleveland sliver aflex shaft, and the clubs length is 45. My swing speeddistance off the tee increased when i shortened my titleist driver shaft by one inch. In this video we compare the same driver built first with a 45 shaft and then with a 47 shaft to see the differences in speed, distance, consistency and accuracy. Shorter drivers may be easier to hit, more consistent. A short driver has a lesser static weight and makes it necessary to stand closer to the ball than a long driver. You might have a great club head that is used by some of the best golfers in the world, but if you dont have the right golf club shaft length, it will all.
Over the past decade, there has been a shift to give longer shafts to consumers. I am definitely more accurate with the shorter driver. 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. More control, better feel, hitting the sweet spot every single time. Players with slower swings typically choose shafts with progressively more flex, which. Stronger players with faster swings typically elect to use stiffer shafts, for example. The best thing i ever did, period i am driving it a good 20 yards further than i ever have.
If you want to hit longer drives and send you driver further down the fairway can using a longer shaft help you find those yards. Each player tested the shafts in a different, random order. I had a couple of extra ping shafts from previous drivers and decided to do a little experimenting. Trying a longer shaft is a popular suggestion these days, but most players should, if anything, try a shaft half an inch shorter than whats in their driver.
A shorter driver, he said, encourages center contact on the clubface, which leads to longer, straighter drives. The general golfing public has been conditioned and educated that shaft flex is the endallbeall when it comes to shafts and that simply is not true. Add weight to your driver golf club for more distance pga. Many golfers believe they can add yards to their drive by making their driver golf club longer and lighter. After a comprehensive overview of my stats last year i came to the conclusion that if i want to get to the next level as a golfer, i am going to have to hit more greens, and that all starts with how i position myself off the tee. They do this because a stiff shaft gives them more control over the clubhead throughout the swing. Theres no consistent pattern, and that has a lot do with the shaft being a little too long for that particular.
Additionally drivers are built around stock length so weighting, cg, lie angle, all of that is determined by what stock shaft length is for that model. In reality, the average length of a driver used on tour is 44. A short driver shaft produces more consistent and centered shot patterns than a long driver shaft. Shorter driver shaft callaway community callaway golf. If you would like to add 30 to 40 yards to your drives without changing shafts, and for the cost of less than 12,5% of a new driver, use this tool below to find out how much distance you could get from our unique swing man golf swing speed training. 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. Dec 04, 2014 i know youre a proponent of the shorter drivers just like i am, but i really believe that in addition to straighter and easier to control the shorter driver shaft will also result in more distance for most players, not less. And because of that, i can almost guarantee this golfer struggles with distance. 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. You might have a great club head that is used by some of the best golfers in the world, but if you dont have the right golf club shaft length, it will all be wasted and your drives will fall short of their potential.
More importantly the dispersion of my shots was much tighter than with my callaway that had the 45. Increase your driver distance and start playing better golf. Get the right shaft to hit your driver straight and long. May 10, 2019 this week gear guy explores the theory that a longer driver shaft equals more distance, the importance of face inserts on putters and more. Shorter drivers may be easier to hit, more consistent golf. Tiger woods at his longest used a relatively short 43. Jan 12, 2012 somewhat surprising considering the distance race the big oems are engaged in. All things being equal, a longer driver shaft will allow you to swing the club faster, which could add more distance. Golf club shaft flex and the effect on driving distance.
The average offtherack driver length in 2019 is 45. I know youre a proponent of the shorter drivers just like i am, but i really believe that in addition to straighter and easier to control the shorter driver shaft will also result in more distance for most players, not less. If a player is looking for more accuracy he should swing a 3wood off tee boxes until he grooves a good enough swing to make the longer shafted driver work well. A 1 length increase can, by itself, be expected to add a few yards to.
Shorter driver shaft i went from 45 to 43 12 a few years back and have gained more control over my driver. The hightensile, betatitanium crown, titanium soleplate and variable face technology produce plenty of distance and forgiveness with a high trajectory. In general, this will be a spot that is slightly towards the toe and just above the center of the clubface. Is there an optimum shaft length depending on driver swing characteristics. When we put this golfer into a shorter shaft, to no surprise, his shot. Somewhat surprising considering the distance race the big oems are engaged in.
In much the same way, the golf club shaft in your driver could be considered the engine that drives you down the fairway. The shaft could also have too soft of tip section causing the club face to. This is also one of the reasons why i opted for a ds instead of the lower lofted 11. The more often a golfer hits the center of the drivers face, the more consistency they will see in their driving accuracy and distance. A shorter driver shaft increases the likelihood of a golfer making better contact off the center of the drivers face. My club is lighter also so i can swing it faster but not harder. Oct 29, 2018 in this video we compare the same driver built first with a 45 shaft and then with a 47 shaft to see the differences in speed, distance, consistency and accuracy. The same thing happened on my previous driver several years ago. The golf club shaft length and driving distance relationship. Golf monthly technical editor joel tadman explores the impact.
This week gear guy explores the theory that a longer driver shaft equals more distance, the importance of face inserts on putters and more. I didnt lose any distance, and with some drivers i actually gained distance. Longer shafts dont automatically equate to longer drives. Learn from a 2star pga professional how to increase your distance and smash drives. As long as you dont land in a hazard, a longer drive offers the advantage of a shorter second shot, allowing you to use a more lofted and accurate club for your approach to the green, or your second shot on a par5 hole. Golfers want more distance and the manufacturers are happy to give it to them with longer shafts. Making the driver length shorter gives you more control.
Years ago, i hit my drives 240250 yards with my wooden ping eye 2 driver with a steel shaft. The perfect club driver 370 vft perfect driver golf club. Distance was a little shorter, but i think that was more the club and the gd tourad ysq just not matching my swing more than the 1 inch shorter shaft. Sep 25, 2018 however if you look at the average driver length on the lpga you will find its above 45a and their swings are more efficient with driver than the guys. The quest for a more accurate driver practical golf. In the march hotlinks, club expert tom wishon wrote that one key to real improvement with the driver comes from a shorter length.
How we tested for this test, we brought together five golfers with a range of swing speeds and handicaps. It turns out that shaft length is overrated for what it does for length. Looking at the two pictures to the right, the top image is from a driver with a 45. Longer shaft or shorter in your driver, mark crossfield changes the shaft in his ts3 driver and talks about if there are any more yards to be hard with a longer golf shaft. It will also help you hit the driver on the sweet spot more consistently creating more distance, not. I wonder if ill lose distance and how much, or will it stay the same if the. In contrast the shorter model yielded a maxed out smash factor of 1. To learn more about swing man golf products, click here. Driver shaft length custom fitting for the correct length to help improve your strike pattern and accuracy. Jan 15, 2014 will a shorter driver give you more distance. Personally, i have switched to a shorter driver shaft. The weight of the shaft is going to help keep the players swing on plane.
Would a shorter driver help my distance and accuracy. Michael breed, host of the golf fix, teaches how to find the proper length of your driver shaft and gives a drill to maximize distance. 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. The average driver you buy at the golf shop usually has a 44. Oct 30, 2012 shaft weight and torque make a bigger difference than shaft flex. Get the right shaft to hit your driver straight and long d. 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. Feb 16, 2019 longer shaft or shorter in your driver, mark crossfield changes the shaft in his ts3 driver and talks about if there are any more yards to be hard with a longer golf shaft. Wishon also told me that the average driver length on the pga tour is shorter than the standard lengths equipment companies sell us. Except for short par3 holes, the driver is the club typically used off the tee. Everytime i golf, i need to make a conscious effort to keep my swing speed low and limit myself to about 5060 full swings including practice swings.
Learn the simple tips, tactics, and drills that you can use to increase your driver distance, hit more fairways, and start playing better golf. Shorter drivers may be easier to hit and more consistent. Optimize driver loft for more distance true fit clubs. The average driver used by pga tour pros usually has a 43. For the past few months, ive knowingly been flouting the 14club rule by carrying two drivers. Oct 27, 2010 for now i have moved almost down to the shaft on the grip, which seems to have taken approx. Its just more difficult to hit the ball on the screws as the shaft gets longer, and hitting the ball on the nut should. A shorter shaft was probably suggested to help you with more consistent contact with the sweet spot which will lead to more distance and more consistent drives. Oct 17, 2017 hold your driver with your right hand on the hosel and your left hand on the grip above. For now i have moved almost down to the shaft on the grip, which seems to have taken approx. Marriott golf academy grande vista master club fitter randall doucette explains the importance of shaft length with your driver.