Cut my driver down to 44.25 inches, have never been more accurate. Also added distance, combined with much higher tee. Now tee it up 3 inches, promotes better angle of attack. However had to crank driver loft down to just 8 degrees? Result is am hitting centre or above consistenly, with lower spin. Really enjoy using my driver!!😀 Thanks for sharing
Had a stock Ping shaft at 45.75” (!) but found it to be so inconsistent... and then was fit into a 44.5” Graphite Design. Made a huge difference in dispersion AND gained yardage because I found the Center of the face. This is a great video and recommendation.
Andrew. I was wondering how tall you are? I am heading for a fitting. I am only 5 ft 7 inches. I have a feeling they might be doing mine at 44 inches. We will see.
I would live to see the the same test with a greater variance between length (e.g., 45.5" vs. 43") while maintaining consistent swing weight by adjusting head weight as a function if length! (Although 1" variance may provide some measurable differences, 2.5"-3" would likely provide clearer, more stark differences in club head speed, ball speed, dispersion, etc.) ~Thank you for your work! Excellent content!
I play a Ping 43" G425 Max 12° (play at 13.5°) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD XC-7 (S) - No loss in distance (may hit it farther), but hit 50% more FIR! 👍👍
Interesting! I'm 56 yo, play off 18, have a TM Burner driver (2007) which, according to the spec sheet is 46.25 inches. Clubhead speed is 85 mph. Get about 180 m carry. Have been experimenting with 43.5" and have not lost any distance & dispersion is tighter. My 3 wood is also 43.5 & I find the consistency when using it for my second shot on part 5s helpful.
Exactly what I am working on now - your test is the best I have found because you hit enough shots to get a real reading - playing 60 years gives me some perspective
I'm short and old so I took 1.5 inches off a ladies flex 13 degree GBB and changed to a lighter grip and instantly increased my club speed a couple mph! Swing weight is down to C3.6 but doesn't feel too light. I can't swing the 0.75 inch longer 3W with a swing weight of D3.0 as fast. Callaway now sells ladies hybrids with a swing weight of C2.
I got fitted in the late 90’s and was at 43.5”. Never have gone longer or wanted to. 45”+ feels like a tree branch and I actually lose speed. It’s a shame that most people are being hurt by the really long drivers and don’t know it.
I play mine at 44" D4 and carry the ball approx. 280 yds. on a good strike. It's definitely the way to go for the recreational player and possibly even for professionals.
Scratch player here. Long long time ago when my handicap was even better I cut down a Ping driver to 43.5” and hit absolute bombs with it. Couldn’t hit it offline at all. That was back before I knew anything about swing weight or anything. That driver was probably low C swingweight or lighter and it was the best driver I had. Now I always play 45.5” drivers and 43” 3 woods, and my long game hasn’t been great. After watching this, I’m going to go back to a 41” 5W, 42” 3W, and a 44” Driver for this season!
I went from a 46 to a 44 with driver and transformed my game. Not only am I driving the ball farther but my dispersion is far tighter too. I think half an inch less on my irons would help also.
Great review. Better control and better results. Longer, better dispersion. I play my Ping G 400 Max at 44 inches. Works great for me. :) Great job with this review guys. You helped a lot of golfers with this one! Heck, If I remember correctly Jack Nicklaus played with a very short driver shaft. Something like 42.75 inch or so. Its foolish to always think you are going to hit further with a longer shaft. Many times not the case. Spider Dubiel
great test again. Mentioned it previously but does look to be teeing a fraction low, maybe a little more height would address the low strikes. Would be interesting to see this tested with different tee heights, maybe the orange, pink and white pink castles so we all know the reference point
This is so important I cant tell people enough about this. I chopped 1/2" off my Callaway Epic Flash and it makes a huge difference. Its also important to note that there are so many tour guys that dont use a 45.5" driver.
Quote from this video ‘I’m going to cut my driver down, and it’s going to be good now, it doesn’t make any sense’ . It makes plenty of sense as it’s logically easier to hit the ball with a shorter shafted club. My last three drivers had 45.5 inch shafts, I cut them all to 44 inches. It improved my driving no end. I my have lost just a couple of yards but that would be well worth it.
It's -30 drinking a Timmies and watching TXG video, still think you need to expand west or develop a stay and fit for your existing locations. Great videos.
I cut my t1100 shorter on accident like an idiot. I wanted just under 45. I cut it to 44. I hit it very well. Most consistent I’ve ever been and I was long both ways but definitely easier to hit the center. I would recommend everyone to try this. Glad I messed up.
This video proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, what I personally came to the conclusion years ago having tried different driver shaft lengths, and that is no one that cares about scoring in golf, should even be using a 45" driver - no one. 43.5 to 44" is the perfect driver length for almost all average height male golfers. Strike will always be more consistent - and consistent strike = longer straighter drives 95% of the time - the other 5% is for the long drive competition world and will only hurt you if you care about scoring. Everyone that has played with a modern driver knows that if you hit just above center and very very slightly out to the toe you get that perfect launch and it outweighs everything else you can do - therefore picking a shorter 43.5 - 44" driver and consistently hitting that spot is what counts - 45" drivers are useless if you care about scoring.
Great information, really appreaciate it. I'm playing an older Cleveland XL270 460cc driver with a very lightweight 46,25" 39 grams Miyazaki shaft and can do approx. 300 yard drives in fair conditions; however, it's far from a precise driver to the point that on windy days, everything but perfect hits results in strong fades or soft slices. Add sidewind to the mix it becomes totally unpredicable. I know I can produce decent swing speeds as 300 yard drives doesn't appear out of nothing, but I have just recently become aware of the importance of the length of the shaft. I'm almost convinced a shorter shaft (like you mention around 44") would be a better match for me (even if I'm 6 feet 3 inches tall). Going to a Titleist demo day tomorrow and have booked a slot for driver fitting. Will make sure to bring this up.
@vachief thanks for the tip, can I just ask how does putting it the ball of left for helps with avoiding a slice especially with an out to in swing? Just curious as sometimes I slice it so much it's not even a slice, it's half a cake..
Can you tell me how just gripping the 45" down the grip an inch or so would be different than cutting the shaft down. Could you test that. It might be interesting. Also, do you guys have any opinions on counter weighting a driver.
I was referring to adding weight to the grip above the hands. Jack Nicklaus used and endorses this particular product www.golfdigest.com/story/back-weight-your-golf-clubs-wi
This is from Golf My Way by Jack Nicklaus.----- One experiment I did make a while back was to put a one-ounce plug of lead in the handle of my driver under the grip. The idea was to slow down my hands- improve my tempo by putting more weight in my hands and thus, in effect, less in the clubhead. I believe that this little-known device is helpful when your hands begin to get too fast, either on the takeaway or from the top of the swing. In fact, its effectiveness causes me to question whether the major benefit claimed for aluminum and lightweight steel shafts- that they allow a heavier head without increasing the club’s total weight- is totally valid. You may be able to move the head of such a club faster through the ball, but you’ve still got to be able to control its other end with your hands. To do that, it seems to me you need a certain amount of weight in your hands
I believe that having weight above the hands counterbalances the head of the club, thus making it feel dynamically lighter and will add speed while reducing effort. If the snow ever melts here in Maine, I plan to add some weight to my new Ping G400 to see if this true and helpful. Also, per my first question above, I have been hitting balls indoors into a net and gripping down an inch and a half feels much better than at the end of the grip. I need to see ball flight and distance before drawing any conclusions. Hey, something to look forward to.
Great video guys i used 45 and was shorter but straight than i tried a 46 inch and was alot longer been told because of my swing and didnt lose any accuracy at all with that
Cut my 45.5" Taylor Made Burner down to 43.5". I am 5' 8". Played first round with it yesterday and hit 11 fairways, where I was averaging about 5. No noticable loss of distance, except I wasn't hitting second shots out of the trees as often!
not me. I chocked all the way down and still couldn't consistently hit the center of the club on the ball. Cut it down 2" and hit near the center about 90% of the time.
Gripping down will adjust the swing weight, making it play lighter. I tipped my Taylormade r11 Stiff shaft by 1 inch (cut it at the head end), then proceeded to add weight using the screw in weight ports on the driver head. If you cut at the grip end and then add weight to the head, it will make the shaft play softer.
TXG Tour Experience Golf, I'm actually 6'5" and I'm playing a 44" driver. I have a question though... I have an Tour Edge Exotics EX10 driver... They couldn't quite get the swingweight back to D3 when they cut an inch off the shaft (it was like D1.5ish) I have the heaviest adjustable weight in the club that Tour Edge makes.... I know lead tape will work, but where do I put it and how much? thanks
I cut my driver to 40 inches and I hit it more accurate and further. I cut 3 inches on my other clubs and hit those further, more accurate too. My shot dispersion is dramatically smaller. Ball striking is extremely improved. That’s just what I’ve seen for myself.
strange that nobody answered this question for you. Yes, my experience is that on narrow fairways gripping down helps with accuracy. You will loose some distance. Good luck.
Peter Jaeger Shafts for woods usually come in raw at 46 inches in length. They are available in A, R, S, Tour stiff and so on. You can tip trim or butt trim the shaft to customize the flex, kickpoint, and length. There are no set standards so clubmakers go by measuring the frequency of the finished club when its flexed.
I am curious as to what you guys see in your fittings with short people for these driver shafts. I am 5 feet 7 inches. I tried 44.5 inches . At first it looked good but not quite consistent enough. I ended up going to 43.5 inches and that is very controllable and still hits the ball quite far. I was on the driving range and played today as well and found that I was hitting it consistently well. I hit my 3 wood off the tee quite well. Its shaft is 43 inches. So,,, I figured a driver shaft of 43.5 inches might do well and its working out well.
If you shorten the club by a inch that would lighten the swingweight by 6 weights you would have to have a heavier head or add weight to have any feel. Also for a more normal swing speed of 104 ball speed of 149 to low 150's would that help increase the performance.
1 inch shorter is not going to make any difference. You don't need to add weight. It's the same thing as choking down an inch. People think too technical alot of times. For all you know the shorter the club and now the new current swing weight might be better for you. I use a 43 1/2 inch driver for years and I can tell you from years of experience that you will be more accurate and hit the sweet spot way more often and you won't see that much difference in distance with the longer club.
I'm 5'7 and usually play my driver at 43 to 44 length. However, I've found that even with adding head weights to adjust for swing weight, it's harder to load the shaft and it feels more boardy. Would going for a softer shaft address this?
I’ve played a shorter driver for quite a while, I see little to no difference but n distance and much tighter dispersion. I do though only use “stock” short drivers previously used the Ping G30 with “tour” shaft and now onto the Mizuno ST180
We'll do a video on Matt and get him fully optimized. At his speed I can get him hitting it 330+. Thanks for watching Chad. Keep the feedback coming, it helps us deliver better better content for you guys.
Sorry to reopen this but when putting a 44-inch driver shaft in a TaylorMade head doesn't that make it play to 45in including the length of the head? 45 would make the driver 46in total?
Griffin Hussong when they say 45” they mean total playing length not length of the shaft. Nobody states the length of the shaft alone because not ever driver has the same distance from where the shaft ends to where the bottom of the club is.
@@clubchampionmedia From the butt to the sole of the head, or to the middle of the face, or to the neck where head meets shaft? I am confused as to exactly where they finish the measurement on the club.
Boy do I wish I hadn’t clicked on this video lol. I’m 6’4 and upgrading my 20 year old driver to a new one and going from a 44” to a 45”. I’ll have to see how it works on the course, hopefully my results aren’t like Matt’s
Amazing how far he hit it w/ those old drivers. I looked on TMs website and Tiger said he is currently playing a 44 1/2 inch driver in the M3 440 head.
I wonder *scratches head* if we can get Tiger to go back to around the length that he used to kick everyone's butt with... I think if he went to around 44 or 43.75" He would win the Masters, this year, teach these kids a lesson or two... (that and put the 5-wood back in the bag)
I'm playing a 43.5" shaft on my driver. One thing that I believe is important is swingweight. I had mine hot melted to D3. Without that, the swingweight was C8-C9 and way too light. Relative to this comparison in the video, what were the swingweights? Did you compensate for the lower swingweight on the shorter driver by adding weight?
I know this video is old but I'm hoping you see this. Assuming most of the shafts on your wall are >45" what's the process for fitting a client in something shorter? Do shafts play the same when cut down considering different total and swing weight?
I just went in the other day telling him I wasn't hitting my drive very consistently and we tried a stiffer shaft. I got a regular shaft. I swing it about 95 mph but a shorter shaft I would like to try. Also, I have a question, what if you just choke down a little bit on the handle? Would that be the same as a shorter shaft?
I tried a 5wood shaft in a taylormade r11 driver head and hit it further than ever before i only had it on loan ,should have bought the set.hit it to back of 240yd par 4 I only tried a couple of shots maybe it wouldnt have consistantly have been longer ill try to get a set of r11 woods to test it more completely my normal distance with driver about 220yds im 68 yrs old h/c 14.whats your opinion god bless ,love your videos Eugene Stretton Ireland.
hi Ian, i am a wee Glasgow guy now living in Brisbane Australia. i have a theory on club length / body height proportion. i am 5.5 ft. Matt approx 6 ft . my theory is for me to have the same proportion club length as Matt i would use a 42.25 inch driver length. Matt to feel the same as me using a 46 inch driver would use a 50 inch driver length. or am i being daft?? love your videos and wish i had the cash to see you for a proper fitting.
Any chance of you doing a quick video comparing a 43” driver? Most of the online videos show 44 vs 45.5 with incredible results. I have only seen one going all the way to 43” amd the results were even better! I’m sure most of us viewers are higher-handicapers than we like to believe and would probably benefit from greater smash and accuracy from 43” driver. Thanks!!!
I play a Ping 43" G425 Max 12° (play at 13.5°) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD XC-7 (S) - No loss in distance (may hit it farther), but hit 50% more FIR! *not exaggerating 👍👍
Hi Ian and Matt, Your web site is most impressive! When I hold my driver vertically by my thumb and index finger and bounce it on the floor, there is a point where the shaft makes a high resonating ping sound. Holding the shaft above or below that point produces a dull thud. What is the physics behind this and does this have something to do with Brook Henderson’s long 48" driver shaft and choking up on her driver? Does gripping the shaft in or on that point optimize the performance of the shaft? Thank you,
Hi guys, so if I take off .75 from my driver shaft, how much weight do I need to put in the head to rebalance to original swing weight. It’s a Mavrik with a 60 gram even flow shaft. I guess I need to buy a heavier weight for the head
I have a question for Ian or Matt. For us shorter guys in life. Guys that are about 5 ft 7 inches. What tends to be the most common length of fit for someone of that height ???????????? I know there are variations from person to person but something around 44 inches or so????? I am a senior with a swing speed of only about 75 to 80 mph. I use a soft regular shaft. I am heading in for a fitting but I was curious about what you might say.
I'm 5'8" and find a 43" driver works best for me. My SS averages around 110 and I use Dynamic steel at D2, 270 cpms gripped with a 5" clamp. If you have any modern driver with an adjustable shaft, then a very inexpensive experiment would be to purchase a sleeve for your driver off Ebay (
@@webstermiller7765 I have a Ping G 410 SFT driver at 44.5 inches. Actually ended up going down to 43.5 inches and finally it feels really good and controllable. I hit my 3 wood extremely well off the tee and its shaft is 43 inches. Made sense some how to have my driver at 43.5 inches.
Yes I got that part, but is it 44" or 45", ha-ha. I think it's the later, interesting that you found 44" worked better for you 3months ago, but you went back to 45".
When you list a 44 vs 45 inch driver, are you meaning the shaft length, the shaft length with am adapter, or the shaft length when added to the club head? Club head should add an inch and a quarter.
Thanks for the reply... would be great to hear you're thoughts with some content on driver length for tall golfers pros/cons (Quality content.. thanks)
hi ive cut my standard callaway epic driver shaft down by an inch and a half and put on a midsize mcc+4 grip to allow for weight ive cut off how much would swing weight change shaft is an adila rogue silver 60 x cheers
Great video and well done to you both. When was fitted, asked for oban hashimoto reg shaft to be trimmed to 44.5” to potentially gain more accuracy. However found that with the mid-size grip that I use throughout my set with no issues, I really struggled to feel the clubhead in the swing with inconsistent face striking with no pattern except low on face. Eventually after persevering for 4 months, got shaft extended by 0.5” with regular grip added and center face strikes massively up and better dispersion. Is this a typical result you would find on shaft length? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for making such great and informative videos; I wanted to ask you guys about shaft length: if I cut my driver shaft an inch from 45 to 44” , how much will this affect swing weight and can I use lead tape down on the head to compensate? How much lead tape weight can I /should I use? Cheers
Will depend on the configuration you have with the driver currently Paul, do you have a local club builder you could take it to for the length modification?
I already cut it a year ago out of desperation! Foolish I know. It is a titleist 910-D3, 8.5 degrees with a project x 6.5/76gram shaft. It’s probably time for a new fitting and driver, but I figured if I Lucan fix it a bit I can maybe play it for another season and not feel too rushed in buying a new one
Would be hard to tell you exactly how much lead tape, again best to take it to somewhere with a swingweight scale and have them measure it. It will likely be on the light side, and then you can add lead tape to your desired swingweight.
Great video. My old McGregor VIP persimmon driver from the early 70's was super short and we didn't expect anything else. To ask another question: is it worth worrying about the spine of the shaft with an adjustable loft sleeve? I love the things people are saying about the TPT shafts but I can't imagine having a spare $500. So it's stock shafts for me. Any thoughts? Thanks JJ.
@TXG Tour Experience Golf, gentlemen so if I have 45 inches shaft and do not want to cut it down since it will impact the swing weight and balance point, is it ok to just chock the club down about an inch? Do you think that will have the same or similar result with just use 44 or 44.50 inches shaft. Thank you and keep up the good work. Love all your videos.
Choking up will also impact swing weight the same as cutting it down. But you can always choke up and test it out for a while. If the lighter weight doesn't bother you then it's not a big deal.
I know this is an older video now but would you guys be willing to further examine this topic. Add a couple more lengths..43..42 even 41. I would love to see at what point does Matt's distance start to drop, but at the same time what happens to dispersion. Only comparing 44 and 45 isnt enough.
I'm 5ft4in and just bought a driver off the shelf. I'm working on fixing a slice and inconsistent strikes. Would a shorter shaft be beneficial? Please help so I can improve. Thanks for a great video
Question, when you talk about a 44" shaft vs a 45" shaft, are you referring to the actual shaft length or the total club length. If you are referring to the shaft length, from where on the adapter do you measure?
Matt, having just watched the 2020 May vid on shaft length, would it be fair that you, like me (and most golfers) allow ego to play into the choices we make? Oh, to hit it well all the time. Thanks for the content.
Hi, great video. It's probably been mentioned below, but your tester maybe could have gained even better smash factor (ball speed/clubhead speed) going to a shorter club, maybe even to 43.5" playing length. Or maybe even playing with the tee height to get the contact position higher on the face. Also, have you looked at added a few grams of headweight at the shorter length as well? Although for your test subject, maybe it wouldn't have mattered? Thanks again for your video.
Hi Ian, Matt, Great video. So I've already read what the SWs(D3.5, D0.5) were but I'd also like to know what the total club weight(s) were if you have it. Thanks
I know this probably has been asked, but are you talking 44", 45" shaft length only,not including hosel and head length? I am going to shaft my driver to a total length of44.5"
Sometimes you do stuff that doesn’t make total sense. Going to a shorter driver shaft really should have been tested by a mid to high handicap golfer. We would expect you to hit pretty near the middle with a 45 or 44 shaft. It has the potential to make a much bigger difference to a 23 handicapper like me. I have gone to 44 inch on a Rogue and it has tightened my dispersion by about 12 to 15 yards. Distance is near enough the same, just more often on the fairway
Might not make sense to you Paul, but try getting consistent and usable data from a 23 handicap, not as simple as you might think. We test with someone that is consistent enough to compare two things, if the swing is so variable from shot to shot, how can we tell what is the player and what is the equipment?
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Cut my driver down to 44.25 inches, have never been more accurate. Also added distance, combined with much higher tee. Now tee it up 3 inches, promotes better angle of attack. However had to crank driver loft down to just 8 degrees? Result is am hitting centre or above consistenly, with lower spin. Really enjoy using my driver!!😀 Thanks for sharing
Had a stock Ping shaft at 45.75” (!) but found it to be so inconsistent... and then was fit into a 44.5” Graphite Design. Made a huge difference in dispersion AND gained yardage because I found the Center of the face. This is a great video and recommendation.
Thanks for the comment Andrew!
Was the 44.5 just the shaft or the length of the shaft and clubhead?
@@kfuehne21 That is both shaft and clubhead.
Andrew. I was wondering how tall you are? I am heading for a fitting. I am only 5 ft 7 inches. I have a feeling they might be doing mine at 44 inches. We will see.
I would live to see the the same test with a greater variance between length (e.g., 45.5" vs. 43") while maintaining consistent swing weight by adjusting head weight as a function if length!
(Although 1" variance may provide some measurable differences, 2.5"-3" would likely provide clearer, more stark differences in club head speed, ball speed, dispersion, etc.)
~Thank you for your work! Excellent content!
I play a Ping 43" G425 Max 12° (play at 13.5°) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD XC-7 (S) - No loss in distance (may hit it farther), but hit 50% more FIR! 👍👍
@@RollYourRock That's great feedback! 👍. Thank you!
Interesting! I'm 56 yo, play off 18, have a TM Burner driver (2007) which, according to the spec sheet is 46.25 inches. Clubhead speed is 85 mph. Get about 180 m carry. Have been experimenting with 43.5" and have not lost any distance & dispersion is tighter. My 3 wood is also 43.5 & I find the consistency when using it for my second shot on part 5s helpful.
Exactly what I am working on now - your test is the best I have found because you hit enough shots to get a real reading - playing 60 years gives me some perspective
I'm short and old so I took 1.5 inches off a ladies flex 13 degree GBB and changed to a lighter grip and instantly increased my club speed a couple mph! Swing weight is down to C3.6 but doesn't feel too light. I can't swing the 0.75 inch longer 3W with a swing weight of D3.0 as fast. Callaway now sells ladies hybrids with a swing weight of C2.
God,
Make this pair the most popular, the most happening. What honesty !!
The BEST golf instruction and reviews on RUclips. Totally unbiased.
Thanks for taking the time and help me cheer
I got fitted in the late 90’s and was at 43.5”. Never have gone longer or wanted to. 45”+ feels like a tree branch and I actually lose speed. It’s a shame that most people are being hurt by the really long drivers and don’t know it.
I play mine at 44" D4 and carry the ball approx. 280 yds. on a good strike. It's definitely the way to go for the recreational player and possibly even for professionals.
@@we5xz-1902 How do you have your driver at D4 at that length? Have you added head weight?
@@willadair6178 Yes. Plus the shaft is slightly heavier as well.
It will be interesting to see how other factors like height, arm length, swing speed can affect the driver length change. Thanks for the great video!!
That why I ordered a custom King F9 with a 44" Hzrdus stiff Shaft. Last driver I had 44.5". With 44" I felt like I hade better control over the club.
Scratch player here. Long long time ago when my handicap was even better I cut down a Ping driver to 43.5” and hit absolute bombs with it. Couldn’t hit it offline at all. That was back before I knew anything about swing weight or anything. That driver was probably low C swingweight or lighter and it was the best driver I had. Now I always play 45.5” drivers and 43” 3 woods, and my long game hasn’t been great. After watching this, I’m going to go back to a 41” 5W, 42” 3W, and a 44” Driver for this season!
Curious, how did that work out?
Great video like always. Would love to see a video going more in-depth on swing weight.
WoW 3yr old video popped up and content was great back then too!!
Changed my driver shaft. Hit it more consistent and gain distance. Strike is key !
I went from a 46 to a 44 with driver and transformed my game. Not only am I driving the ball farther but my dispersion is far tighter too. I think half an inch less on my irons would help also.
Great review. Better control and better results. Longer, better dispersion. I play my Ping G 400 Max at 44 inches. Works great for me. :) Great job with this review guys. You helped a lot of golfers with this one! Heck, If I remember correctly Jack Nicklaus played with a very short driver shaft. Something like 42.75 inch or so. Its foolish to always think you are going to hit further with a longer shaft. Many times not the case. Spider Dubiel
great test again. Mentioned it previously but does look to be teeing a fraction low, maybe a little more height would address the low strikes. Would be interesting to see this tested with different tee heights, maybe the orange, pink and white pink castles so we all know the reference point
This is so important I cant tell people enough about this. I chopped 1/2" off my Callaway Epic Flash and it makes a huge difference. Its also important to note that there are so many tour guys that dont use a 45.5" driver.
good camera, good light, good sound, nice background chosen! nice video
Quote from this video ‘I’m going to cut my driver down, and it’s going to be good now, it doesn’t make any sense’ . It makes plenty of sense as it’s logically easier to hit the ball with a shorter shafted club. My last three drivers had 45.5 inch shafts, I cut them all to 44 inches. It improved my driving no end. I my have lost just a couple of yards but that would be well worth it.
I had a fitting ,shaft changed ,reduced to 44 inches ,I love it .
It's -30 drinking a Timmies and watching TXG video, still think you need to expand west or develop a stay and fit for your existing locations. Great videos.
I am 72 ,more distance , I will spend the bucks . Give me the edge. Goin down swinging. Thanks- Charlie
I cut my t1100 shorter on accident like an idiot. I wanted just under 45. I cut it to 44. I hit it very well. Most consistent I’ve ever been and I was long both ways but definitely easier to hit the center. I would recommend everyone to try this. Glad I messed up.
Is for mine. Can’t wait to see if this video confirms my thoughts. Negligible speed loss and increased club control
This video proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, what I personally came to the conclusion years ago having tried different driver shaft lengths, and that is no one that cares about scoring in golf, should even be using a 45" driver - no one. 43.5 to 44" is the perfect driver length for almost all average height male golfers. Strike will always be more consistent - and consistent strike = longer straighter drives 95% of the time - the other 5% is for the long drive competition world and will only hurt you if you care about scoring. Everyone that has played with a modern driver knows that if you hit just above center and very very slightly out to the toe you get that perfect launch and it outweighs everything else you can do - therefore picking a shorter 43.5 - 44" driver and consistently hitting that spot is what counts - 45" drivers are useless if you care about scoring.
Heck they have drivers that are almost 46 inches . But what the heck. Shorter is much better. I use a 44 inch myself. Much better.
Great information, really appreaciate it. I'm playing an older Cleveland XL270 460cc driver with a very lightweight 46,25" 39 grams Miyazaki shaft and can do approx. 300 yard drives in fair conditions; however, it's far from a precise driver to the point that on windy days, everything but perfect hits results in strong fades or soft slices. Add sidewind to the mix it becomes totally unpredicable.
I know I can produce decent swing speeds as 300 yard drives doesn't appear out of nothing, but I have just recently become aware of the importance of the length of the shaft. I'm almost convinced a shorter shaft (like you mention around 44") would be a better match for me (even if I'm 6 feet 3 inches tall). Going to a Titleist demo day tomorrow and have booked a slot for driver fitting. Will make sure to bring this up.
@vachief thanks for the tip, can I just ask how does putting it the ball of left for helps with avoiding a slice especially with an out to in swing? Just curious as sometimes I slice it so much it's not even a slice, it's half a cake..
@vachief cheers from Australia. 👍Wil definitely give it a try next week.
Hard to believe that 1” can make such a difference, very cool video, thanks.
Really like your videos. Absolutely how I like it. Good analyses and I will surely grip down inn my next range session.
Can you tell me how just gripping the 45" down the grip an inch or so would be different than cutting the shaft down. Could you test that. It might be interesting. Also, do you guys have any opinions on counter weighting a driver.
Are you referring to counter weighting like they do for putters?
I was referring to adding weight to the grip above the hands. Jack Nicklaus used and endorses this particular product www.golfdigest.com/story/back-weight-your-golf-clubs-wi
This is from Golf My Way by Jack Nicklaus.----- One experiment I did make a while back was to put a one-ounce plug of lead in the handle of my driver under the grip. The idea was to slow down my hands- improve my tempo by putting more weight in my hands and thus, in effect, less in the clubhead. I believe that this little-known device is helpful when your hands begin to get too fast, either on the takeaway or from the top of the swing. In fact, its effectiveness causes me to question whether the major benefit claimed for aluminum and lightweight steel shafts- that they allow a heavier head without increasing the club’s total weight- is totally valid. You may be able to move the head of such a club faster through the ball, but you’ve still got to be able to control its other end with your hands. To do that, it seems to me you need a certain amount of weight in your hands
I believe that having weight above the hands counterbalances the head of the club, thus making it feel dynamically lighter and will add speed while reducing effort. If the snow ever melts here in Maine, I plan to add some weight to my new Ping G400 to see if this true and helpful. Also, per my first question above, I have been hitting balls indoors into a net and gripping down an inch and a half feels much better than at the end of the grip. I need to see ball flight and distance before drawing any conclusions. Hey, something to look forward to.
When cut the shaft down it will make it lighter
Great video guys i used 45 and was shorter but straight than i tried a 46 inch and was alot longer been told because of my swing and didnt lose any accuracy at all with that
Been hitting 43.5 inch driver for years (I'm 5'10") , way better and most defiantly no shorter.
man do i wish you guys were in NJ LOL. would love to get fit by you guys. Love the content.,
Cut my 45.5" Taylor Made Burner down to 43.5". I am 5' 8". Played first round with it yesterday and hit 11 fairways, where I was averaging about 5. No noticable loss of distance, except I wasn't hitting second shots out of the trees as often!
Good stuff guys. Does choking down on the shaft have the same effect as having a shorter shaft?
not me. I chocked all the way down and still couldn't consistently hit the center of the club on the ball. Cut it down 2" and hit near the center about 90% of the time.
Gripping down will adjust the swing weight, making it play lighter. I tipped my Taylormade r11 Stiff shaft by 1 inch (cut it at the head end), then proceeded to add weight using the screw in weight ports on the driver head. If you cut at the grip end and then add weight to the head, it will make the shaft play softer.
TXG Tour Experience Golf,
I'm actually 6'5" and I'm playing a 44" driver. I have a question though... I have an Tour Edge Exotics EX10 driver... They couldn't quite get the swingweight back to D3 when they cut an inch off the shaft (it was like D1.5ish) I have the heaviest adjustable weight in the club that Tour Edge makes.... I know lead tape will work, but where do I put it and how much? thanks
I cut my driver to 40 inches and I hit it more accurate and further. I cut 3 inches on my other clubs and hit those further, more accurate too. My shot dispersion is dramatically smaller. Ball striking is extremely improved. That’s just what I’ve seen for myself.
This lighting looks so cool
Question: Can gripping down on your driver give you more accuracy without much loss of distance when you need that one drive to stay in the fairway?
strange that nobody answered this question for you. Yes, my experience is that on narrow fairways gripping down helps with accuracy. You will loose some distance. Good luck.
First time with you guys Great job👍
Loving the content as usual. What shaft lengths do Matt play in driver and 3 wood these days?
Is the difference in shafts made just by cutting it down? or are shafts made to length with different characteristics? Does that make sense?
Peter Jaeger Shafts for woods usually come in raw at 46 inches in length. They are available in A, R, S, Tour stiff and so on. You can tip trim or butt trim the shaft to customize the flex, kickpoint, and length. There are no set standards so clubmakers go by measuring the frequency of the finished club when its flexed.
Awesome video ! Would love to have this custom fitting comparing shaft length. Great job, awesome quality.
Dude...never compare shaft length with a custom fitter...those guys are hung like donkeys!!!
I am curious as to what you guys see in your fittings with short people for these driver shafts. I am 5 feet 7 inches. I tried 44.5 inches . At first it looked good but not quite consistent enough. I ended up going to 43.5 inches and that is very controllable and still hits the ball quite far. I was on the driving range and played today as well and found that I was hitting it consistently well. I hit my 3 wood off the tee quite well. Its shaft is 43 inches. So,,, I figured a driver shaft of 43.5 inches might do well and its working out well.
If you shorten the club by a inch that would lighten the swingweight by 6 weights you would have to have a heavier head or add weight to have any feel. Also for a more normal swing speed of 104 ball speed of 149 to low 150's would that help increase the performance.
should have swing weighted back to the same,and tipped the shaft a touch to compensate.then test would be apples to apples
Most good players who go shorter shaft also go to a heavier weight shaft....it offsets most of the difference.
Hi Ed. Swing weight difference was 3pts D3.5 versus D0.5
Exactly Joe, that's why we used Accra 370 M5 in this case.
1 inch shorter is not going to make any difference. You don't need to add weight. It's the same thing as choking down an inch. People think too technical alot of times. For all you know the shorter the club and now the new current swing weight might be better for you. I use a 43 1/2 inch driver for years and I can tell you from years of experience that you will be more accurate and hit the sweet spot way more often and you won't see that much difference in distance with the longer club.
I'm 5'7 and usually play my driver at 43 to 44 length. However, I've found that even with adding head weights to adjust for swing weight, it's harder to load the shaft and it feels more boardy. Would going for a softer shaft address this?
I’ve played a shorter driver for quite a while, I see little to no difference but n distance and much tighter dispersion. I do though only use “stock” short drivers previously used the Ping G30 with “tour” shaft and now onto the Mizuno ST180
So I love the comparison, but can it get better, could we now customize off the 44 and get his launch angle up a 1/2 degree. What is fully optimized?
We'll do a video on Matt and get him fully optimized. At his speed I can get him hitting it 330+. Thanks for watching Chad. Keep the feedback coming, it helps us deliver better better content for you guys.
Was the swing weight on the second club adjusted to match the first? I don't believe that was addressed
Sorry to reopen this but when putting a 44-inch driver shaft in a TaylorMade head doesn't that make it play to 45in including the length of the head? 45 would make the driver 46in total?
Griffin Hussong when they say 45” they mean total playing length not length of the shaft. Nobody states the length of the shaft alone because not ever driver has the same distance from where the shaft ends to where the bottom of the club is.
Hi, could you please clarify....were the 44" and 45" referring to the shaft lengths, or the total lengths when fitted to the clubhead, please.
Total build length. Good question!
@@clubchampionmedia From the butt to the sole of the head, or to the middle of the face, or to the neck where head meets shaft? I am confused as to exactly where they finish the measurement on the club.
Boy do I wish I hadn’t clicked on this video lol. I’m 6’4 and upgrading my 20 year old driver to a new one and going from a 44” to a 45”. I’ll have to see how it works on the course, hopefully my results aren’t like Matt’s
Well it works for tiger, think he plays a 43 3/4 inch and still bombs it as far as the youngsters!
Amazing how far he hit it w/ those old drivers. I looked on TMs website and Tiger said he is currently playing a 44 1/2 inch driver in the M3 440 head.
I wonder *scratches head* if we can get Tiger to go back to around the length that he used to kick everyone's butt with... I think if he went to around 44 or 43.75" He would win the Masters, this year, teach these kids a lesson or two... (that and put the 5-wood back in the bag)
Shane Jones hope you put a bet on when you wrote this haha i won £550 on tiger at augusta 2019
Did you adjust the swing weight with the shorter shaft? Or was the swing weight with the shorter shaft lighter?
I'm playing a 43.5" shaft on my driver. One thing that I believe is important is swingweight. I had mine hot melted to D3. Without that, the swingweight was C8-C9 and way too light. Relative to this comparison in the video, what were the swingweights? Did you compensate for the lower swingweight on the shorter driver by adding weight?
We didn't address swingweight in this particular video, there would have been a difference between the two we tested though.
I know this video is old but I'm hoping you see this. Assuming most of the shafts on your wall are >45" what's the process for fitting a client in something shorter? Do shafts play the same when cut down considering different total and swing weight?
Got mine cut from 45.5 to 44 and it helped 10000000000000000%
josh colbert I’m 6’0 and have a 46’ driver. Thinking about getting it cut to 44’.
Biggest problem is getting a suitable swing weight from cutting down a club. The club head feel can be lost.
I just went in the other day telling him I wasn't hitting my drive very consistently and we tried a stiffer shaft. I got a regular shaft. I swing it about 95 mph but a shorter shaft I would like to try. Also, I have a question, what if you just choke down a little bit on the handle? Would that be the same as a shorter shaft?
Are you measuring the length with the head on the driver or just the shaft?
I tried a 5wood shaft in a taylormade r11 driver head and hit it further than ever before i only had it on loan ,should have bought the set.hit it to back of 240yd par 4
I only tried a couple of shots maybe it wouldnt have consistantly have been longer ill try to get a set of r11 woods to test it more completely my normal distance with driver about 220yds im 68 yrs old h/c 14.whats your opinion god bless ,love your videos Eugene Stretton Ireland.
Did you add weight to the head to counteract the shorter shaft? And if so how much the added weight change the shaft flex?
If I shorten my driver half inch or one inch do I take it off the butt or the tip
hi Ian, i am a wee Glasgow guy now living in Brisbane Australia. i have a theory on club length / body height proportion. i am 5.5 ft. Matt approx 6 ft . my theory is for me to have the same proportion club length as Matt i would use a 42.25 inch driver length. Matt to feel the same as me using a 46 inch driver would use a 50 inch driver length. or am i being daft?? love your videos and wish i had the cash to see you for a proper fitting.
Comfort level is a big factor for sure Thomas. If a shorter driver gets you more comfortable over the ball then it is worth trying!
Thank you. Have you considered having the driver counter balanced? Like a putter.
Any chance of you doing a quick video comparing a 43” driver? Most of the online videos show 44 vs 45.5 with incredible results. I have only seen one going all the way to 43” amd the results were even better! I’m sure most of us viewers are higher-handicapers than we like to believe and would probably benefit from greater smash and accuracy from 43” driver. Thanks!!!
I play a Ping 43" G425 Max 12° (play at 13.5°) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD XC-7 (S) - No loss in distance (may hit it farther), but hit 50% more FIR! *not exaggerating 👍👍
Ive just switched to the Taylor Made Mini,all of a sudden its going dead straight and smash factor of 1.51.
Hi Ian and Matt,
Your web site is most impressive!
When I hold my driver vertically by my thumb and index finger and bounce it on the floor, there is a point where the shaft makes a high resonating ping sound. Holding the shaft above or below that point produces a dull thud. What is the physics behind this and does this have something to do with Brook Henderson’s long 48" driver shaft and choking up on her driver? Does gripping the shaft in or on that point optimize the performance of the shaft?
Thank you,
Hi guys, so if I take off .75 from my driver shaft, how much weight do I need to put in the head to rebalance to original swing weight. It’s a Mavrik with a 60 gram even flow shaft. I guess I need to buy a heavier weight for the head
Did you swing weight match the two variations?, if not he was also swinging a lower swingweight club with the 44"
I have a question for Ian or Matt. For us shorter guys in life. Guys that are about 5 ft 7 inches. What tends to be the most common length of fit for someone of that height ???????????? I know there are variations from person to person but something around 44 inches or so????? I am a senior with a swing speed of only about 75 to 80 mph. I use a soft regular shaft. I am heading in for a fitting but I was curious about what you might say.
I'm 5'8" and find a 43" driver works best for me. My SS averages around 110 and I use Dynamic steel at D2, 270 cpms gripped with a 5" clamp. If you have any modern driver with an adjustable shaft, then a very inexpensive experiment would be to purchase a sleeve for your driver off Ebay (
@@webstermiller7765 I have a Ping G 410 SFT driver at 44.5 inches. Actually ended up going down to 43.5 inches and finally it feels really good and controllable. I hit my 3 wood extremely well off the tee and its shaft is 43 inches. Made sense some how to have my driver at 43.5 inches.
This video was shot about 3 months ago, is Matt still using a 44" driver now that the season is underway and what's he using for shaft / head.
Ping G400 Max, Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XT70 TX shaft
Yes I got that part, but is it 44" or 45", ha-ha. I think it's the later, interesting that you found 44" worked better for you 3months ago, but you went back to 45".
45" for now, but I'll be testing the 44" once I get a few rounds in with the new driver
Measured my driver length, was 46 inches long. Put my 3 wood shaft in it, was 44,5 inches long.
When you list a 44 vs 45 inch driver, are you meaning the shaft length, the shaft length with am adapter, or the shaft length when added to the club head? Club head should add an inch and a quarter.
Total playing length
6:30
Exactly what I was thinking
Would there be any reason to consider going longer length for a taller golfer (+ 6'4") ?
Possibly Martin!
Thanks for the reply... would be great to hear you're thoughts with some content on driver length for tall golfers pros/cons (Quality content.. thanks)
hi ive cut my standard callaway epic driver shaft down by an inch and a half and put on a midsize mcc+4 grip to allow for weight ive cut off how much would swing weight change shaft is an adila rogue silver 60 x cheers
both moves lightened your swingweight
Awesome videos guys thank you
Great video and well done to you both. When was fitted, asked for oban hashimoto reg shaft to be trimmed to 44.5” to potentially gain more accuracy. However found that with the mid-size grip that I use throughout my set with no issues, I really struggled to feel the clubhead in the swing with inconsistent face striking with no pattern except low on face. Eventually after persevering for 4 months, got shaft extended by 0.5” with regular grip added and center face strikes massively up and better dispersion. Is this a typical result you would find on shaft length? Thanks in advance.
Sounds like you needed extra head weight.
Would tip cutting effect swing weight?
Shortening the shaft would make the swingweight lighter.
Can u tell me if ur confidence level play a part with the shorter shaft
100% it did
Thanks for making such great and informative videos; I wanted to ask you guys about shaft length: if I cut my driver shaft an inch from 45 to 44” , how much will this affect swing weight and can I use lead tape down on the head to compensate? How much lead tape weight can I /should I use? Cheers
Will depend on the configuration you have with the driver currently Paul, do you have a local club builder you could take it to for the length modification?
I already cut it a year ago out of desperation! Foolish I know. It is a titleist 910-D3, 8.5 degrees with a project x 6.5/76gram shaft. It’s probably time for a new fitting and driver, but I figured if I Lucan fix it a bit I can maybe play it for another season and not feel too rushed in buying a new one
Would be hard to tell you exactly how much lead tape, again best to take it to somewhere with a swingweight scale and have them measure it. It will likely be on the light side, and then you can add lead tape to your desired swingweight.
Why does shorter move the strike up the head?
Great video. My old McGregor VIP persimmon driver from the early 70's was super short and we didn't expect anything else. To ask another question: is it worth worrying about the spine of the shaft with an adjustable loft sleeve? I love the things people are saying about the TPT shafts but I can't imagine having a spare $500. So it's stock shafts for me. Any thoughts? Thanks JJ.
Curious about the swing weight on each setup?
Great video. Keep them coming!
@TXG Tour Experience Golf, gentlemen so if I have 45 inches shaft and do not want to cut it down since it will impact the swing weight and balance point, is it ok to just chock the club down about an inch? Do you think that will have the same or similar result with just use 44 or 44.50 inches shaft. Thank you and keep up the good work. Love all your videos.
Choking up will also impact swing weight the same as cutting it down. But you can always choke up and test it out for a while. If the lighter weight doesn't bother you then it's not a big deal.
I know this is an older video now but would you guys be willing to further examine this topic. Add a couple more lengths..43..42 even 41. I would love to see at what point does Matt's distance start to drop, but at the same time what happens to dispersion. Only comparing 44 and 45 isnt enough.
I'm 5ft4in and just bought a driver off the shelf. I'm working on fixing a slice and inconsistent strikes. Would a shorter shaft be beneficial? Please help so I can improve. Thanks for a great video
Nicholas Furore you can choke up on the shaft and give that a try before actually modifying the shaft.
Question, when you talk about a 44" shaft vs a 45" shaft, are you referring to the actual shaft length or the total club length. If you are referring to the shaft length, from where on the adapter do you measure?
Michael Kurtas, 44” is the “playing length”, from the sole of the club (just heel side of the centre).
Thanks for the quick reply! So if I understand correctly, the 44" driver is essentially a driver with a standard 3-wood shaft?
Michael Kurtas pretty darn close Michael.
Hello! Are you guys at the toronto or burlington location??
Was the shorter shaft tipped or cut?
Matt, having just watched the 2020 May vid on shaft length, would it be fair that you, like me (and most golfers) allow ego to play into the choices we make? Oh, to hit it well all the time. Thanks for the content.
Is the measurement from the floor, or the actual length of shaft when you refer to 44/45 inch?
johnogolf I’m pretty sure it’s the total length
We now have mine drivers with 42.5 inch shafts can you give them a test ??? 👍
Hi, great video. It's probably been mentioned below, but your tester maybe could have gained even better smash factor (ball speed/clubhead speed) going to a shorter club, maybe even to 43.5" playing length. Or maybe even playing with the tee height to get the contact position higher on the face.
Also, have you looked at added a few grams of headweight at the shorter length as well? Although for your test subject, maybe it wouldn't have mattered?
Thanks again for your video.
Hi Ian, Matt, Great video. So I've already read what the SWs(D3.5, D0.5) were but I'd also like to know what the total club weight(s) were if you have it. Thanks
Didn't measure the total weight, sorry Walter.
I know this probably has been asked, but are you talking 44", 45" shaft length only,not including hosel and head length? I am going to shaft my driver to a total length of44.5"
Saw below, 44" playing length, got it. (Total shaft and club)
Sometimes you do stuff that doesn’t make total sense. Going to a shorter driver shaft really should have been tested by a mid to high handicap golfer. We would expect you to hit pretty near the middle with a 45 or 44 shaft. It has the potential to make a much bigger difference to a 23 handicapper like me. I have gone to 44 inch on a Rogue and it has tightened my dispersion by about 12 to 15 yards. Distance is near enough the same, just more often on the fairway
Might not make sense to you Paul, but try getting consistent and usable data from a 23 handicap, not as simple as you might think. We test with someone that is consistent enough to compare two things, if the swing is so variable from shot to shot, how can we tell what is the player and what is the equipment?
Don’t you have to make the driver more upright as the shaft length decreases as well? You do for irons.