MAKE YOUR DRIVER BETTER / 3 SIMPLE DRIVER ADJUSTMENTS
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- If you struggle with your driver, both in distance and direction, I've got 3 changes you can make to improve your overall driving.
Interested in a fitting, custom build, or repair? Contact me
adam@elitefitgolf.com
(404) 225-2511
Excellent video! I was fit for a Titleist TSR2 at 45" in length, but found I was hitting it all over the face. Experimented at the range by using Dr. Scholls foot powder to determine the strike pattern at 45" and gripping down a half an inch. Found that my center contact was much better at 44 1/2". Subsequently, took a half inch off the driver shaft, changed the back weight to get the swing weight correct, and changed my shaft from a 58 gram to 65 gram shaft. My distance improved slightly, but my dispersion improved significantly. No more high right tee shots!
Great comment, and would think being fitted would’ve addressed these adjustments from the onset.
@@mariad750 There are a lot of factors that go into a fitting, and in particular, the standard length for Titleist drivers is 45.75". While doing the testing this was way too long, and they only had a 45" demo driver shaft that we moved to. I hit it well, and that was what we settled on. However, playing many months with it, I noticed I was getting inconsistent contact. Thus the "real world" testing on the range.
I had an easier fix. Purchased a used , near mint driver and didn’t notice grip was “mid size”. Played a few rounds and leaked a few to the right. Changed grip to standard like the balance of set and boom! No leak so Straight ball!
no need to use foot-powder, just use cheap balls :)
they will happily mark-up your clubface when new
Just remember that whenever you change there will be a counter-change.
As your confidence improves, you will over-play your clubs and your shots, expose excessive power and overconfidence as problems, then ease back on the throttle, return to a cautious approach to play, start hitting your shots again and then fall into a valley where you fail to pay enough attention & try hard enough because you now expect the shot to be easy.
You do know that .5" is just over 1% of 45" right.
whatever you say, princess
not sure how that excuses you missing shots with the driver shaft length that you have but I guess it's a good excuse in the clubhouse likewise increasing shaft weight by 10% and changing the back weight in some random fashion
I cut down a second driver, same model as my main driver. I love it! Cut down 1 inch and lofted up 3 degrees. Upped my shaft weight 10g and got a counter balanced shaft. Had to add 13g of extra weight. Money! Fairways for days
😑
And just like that everyone proceeds to eBay for a new shaft. Great video.
Haha nailed it with this comment.
What a nice instructor and good honest info
Many years ago Ralph Maltby of the Golfworks had specs for a "hero driver". He suggested to make a driver 1/2" shorter than standard and at least 2-4 swing weight points heavier than usual. This shorter, heavier club would help someone who felt they could not hit a standard driver. I currently play a 44" Ping G425 with a D2 swing weight and 10.5 degrees of loft. Works for me
!!
D2 is really light though right ?
@@johnathanwetherill456 D2 is pretty much middle of the road, with C8 being very light, and D6 through D8 on the heavier side. When I got my Titleist TSR2 @ 45" it came from Titleist at D5. Since I'm 73 years old, I prefer a driver in the D2-D3 swing weight range, as I can feel the head and hit the middle pretty consistently. My driver now plays at 44 1/2" and D2. In most cases, driver swing weight is a personal preference.
My wife’s driver is E2 and she hits a mile. Her driver is a lot heavier than my Ping driver 🤷♂️
I’m playing my 9° rogue triple diamond all the way down to 42.75” (half tip trimmed half butt trimmed) and hot melt added to get the CG forward and weight up to D6. After that it feels hard to miss the center and it hits nearly the exact same shot shape unless you make an awful swing.
@@johnathanwetherill456 D2 for a driver is sorta light.
Good video. I adopted the shorter and heavier shaft 3 years ago and it made a world of difference! I went from hitting the fairway 40% of the time to 80% and I gained 5 yards on average. I currently play a Callaway Rogue ST Max with a Ventus Red Velacore at 44”.
I had pretty much the same improvement just practising my swing without making any silly adjustments.
Thanks for sharing your tips with us. I'm always tinkering with clubs to get the most out of them. Keeps the game fun for me. I'll give this a try
I have a three wood shaft on my driver. Definitely helps. I still hit a lot of bad drives, but that has everything to do with me being bad at golf.
I have tried my G425 3 wood shaft in my G430 LST and it is quite pleasant. I shortened the driver shaft 1/2" before trying it just afraid to pull the trigger and permanently swap the driver to 3 wood length
Hey AJ! Spoke to you yesterday about a re-shaft and a lie adjustment. Things have changed now I'm thinking about sending you a whole set so I need to give you a call again. Great video! Keep em coming!
I struggle to hit my driver high custom fitting I was minus 4 at impact. I saw your test with Mr short game playing around with butt weights. I got a callaway 13.5 epic driver off eBay. Fitted an 85g small jumbo max grip brought the swingweight down to C6 and it’s now perfect really helps me to control the face and the loft/thicker grip combo gives me a great height. I’d never have thought it would work but it really does for me.
Excellent video! My friend and I refer to lead tape as "magic" tape. It can do wonders for your club adjusting and be easily removed if it doesn't work.
What a helpful video, shows the importance of having a proper fitting by an expert, fascinating.
One modification you didn’t mention that is pretty easy and pretty inexpensive, although not free. I spent years getting rid of my slice, but after playing very little for a couple of years, I came back to the game with a draw that would turn into a hook far too frequently. I switched out my grips from standard to mid-sized which has greatly helped straighten my ball flight. I have always had trouble with hooking my hybrids, so I started there with good results so I regripped the rest of my bag.
Hey AJ, great video. I have been modifying my drivers like this for years. Lose maybe 10 yards but really pick up accuracy. I call mine my "safety driver".
Did u need to add weight to ?
@@leblunt27 Mine is an old 12* TaylorMade 200 steel headed driver. Used a 5.0 steel rifle shaft, I had laying around. Play it at 43.5", like an old school driver. News for you... the latest 45" drivers with 460CC heads made of carbon and titanium are 10-20 yards longer when hit on the screws - BUT how often do you do that? I hit this one 230 very regularly, while my modern PXG driver goes 240 on a great hit.
I got my driver at 3 wood length and it's been so much better. I like to play a light shaft with a heavy head. My irons are the same. I put 3 pieces of lead tape the length of my p790 heads. On each head
Had a Tsr2 with standard length shaft, sometimes worked and sometimes not. Lost confidence and sold for good money and bought sim max 2. Then ordered shaft which comes up 1.5 inches shorter and it is absolute beast. 280/290 on my really good hits centre fairway, 250/260 on not so good hits but still playable. I’ve been fitted so many times and never had a shorter shaft been suggested
Good video! Food for thought! The choke up works for me, so does turning the face down on the way back!
Cutting and counterbalancing driver by wrapping the shaft under the grip 7 1/2 inches with lead tape, has been a game changer for my game. Love the videos AJ!!!
I play a Taylormade sldr 14degree driver with a 3wood shaft, love it
I can attest to this. I was all over the place with my driver. Went and got a fitting. My driver was 2.25 inches too long, shaft was too stiff and too light. I bought a fitted Paradym AI smoke, im hitting 76% of my fairways now, and misses are about 10 to 15 yds off fairway at most, according to my Arccos. Next was my irons (i have the jpx 923 tours, so a step behind blades), had them fitted and cut down, got smaller grips. I went from carrying my 7 iron 135 to 150 with tons of spin and a beautiful flight. So much easier to shape shots too. GET FITTED!!!
Absolutely love your videos they cover such a wide range of topics. One thing you might help explain is how putting weight on the heel of a driver makes the toe close faster. If i drop 2 weights and one was slightly heavier the heavier one would hit the floor first.
Cut my 44,5" shaft down to 43" on my Cleveland Launcher XL. Didn't need to adjust the swingweight as the new weight just worked for me and I couldn't notice a difference anyway. Drives are the same distance, sometimes longer, and hitting way more fairways now.
I do this with my Driver's and it makes them a lot easier to hit - I replace the weights with heavier ones rather than using tape - the only thing is I find the shorter Driver with more weight back gives me much higher launch, so I actually lower the loft.
Next time I’m out in ATL, need to get a proper fitting for the top and bottom end of the bag
I took the shaft out my Titleist 910 driver and put it in my 910 3 wood, i now hit 3 wood 270-275 hardly miss a fairway and have an extra wedge instead of a driver. I also seem to hit the 3wood better off the deck now.
The 910 3 wood has a solid feeling at impact. I changed my wood shafts to Tensi orange counter balanced shafts and added 10 grams of head weight. This combination really suits me. I've tried all the modern drivers. But the reshafted woods and weight has brought them into the modern world at a fraction of the price.
Just got my 230 Max in. Great all around performance.
Thanks for the video - this was great! I would love for my ping g30 to feel like my Callaway rogue 3 wood… I just move way better thru it! This may just be my fix! I’m ok with my driver but I’d like to get more distances.. 3 wood off the tee (260 avg carry) driver off tee(250 avg carry)
Great Video AJ! I'm 6' 3" and play a 45g R flex shaft at 44.75", D3 SW, and a low spin tour head at 8°. My cruising SS is 110 mph and this setup has me hitting absolute bombs on a rope! Low spin head + higher launch lighter but stable shaft, and a head that i can feel through the swing, is the key.
Love to know your setup what head what shaft like the idea very much!
@@tjostrom5530 so I guess technically it's not a "tour" head but it's a low spin, lower lofted head. It's a PXG Gen 6 with a Maltby MPF Pro UL (ultra light) R flex shaft $40. The shaft is 47g before it's cut. The head is lofted down to 7.5°. I also have a Garafalloy Pro Launch Blue 45g A flex that I've been using for the past 2 years $60. There's a big group of us on MGS who have been playing these with huge success. Look up Shaft Hack - the Otto Phlex Journey.
@@tjostrom5530 so I guess technically it's not a "tour" head but it's a low spin, lower lofted head. It's a PXG Gen 6 with a Maltby MPF Pro UL (ultra light) R flex shaft $40. The shaft is 47g before it's cut. The head is lofted down to 7.5°. I also have a Garafalloy Pro Launch Blue 45g A flex that I've been using for the past 2 years $60. There's a big group of us on MGS who have been playing these with huge success. We call it the Otto Phlex
Thanks so much!
I went down to a ladies length and weight shaft in my driver (use a 12 degree loft) found it much better..
Nice vid, love tinkering like this. If you don't like the lead tape route, often you can just add an additional weight. For instance, in my TSI3, i just added a lighter than standard weight in addition to the weight it came with. I can usually find lighter weights for less $, so it's cheaper too than buying a whole new heavier weight.
I must be an exception to the rules. Chocking never seems to work for me on any club no matter how I go about it but the putter. With my driver I found out decreasing the loft actually helped my driving tremendously in dispersion and distance.
If choking up doesn't seem to be working, it is most likely you either don't like the lighter head feel that results from it (which is where the lead tape or weights come in) or you don't like the smaller grip diameter you get from the lower hand position. That is harder to remedy short term in testing although you could use some anti slip tape to build it up.
Great lesson! Good job!
thanks im going to try it!
Nice recommendations, AJ! Will try it out, thanks.
I needed to see this video. Thank you!
Lovely video once again! For us nerds can you give full specs on each driver? Like what is playing length of both? Swing Weight of both? What shaft? Anything else you can think of, thanks!
Gamer is a Mizuno ST230X 9.5 at 45 inches. D2-3 SW.
Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6S, Lamkin ST+2 Hybrid 360
Shortie is a Srixon ZX7 MkII 10.5 at 44 inches. D2 SW.
Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7S tipped 1/2 inch. Same grip
Can you do a video of tipping vs cutting the butt end?
I have been to a fitting session with a pro for my tsi3 driver. Then on the range use lead tape to make the weight feel as I want it. My driving went from my worst category to my best. There is no huge secret. Just practice harder and get help from professionals
Great video very helpful and practical!
Love this video. I currently use a callaway ai smoke D driver. Need to shorten it. Having this issue with inaccuracy and dispersion all over. Want to try the 42.75 shaft length, I have a diamana I can use that is 10g heavier than current. How much weight should I try on the head if I’m already adding 10g to the shaft? Thanks!
It's all guess work without testing it. I would get some lead tape or tungsten stickers and go hit the range. Add weight until if feels right and gives consistent results.
Proof! that weighting matters based on where it’s located on the head.
Great video and love the data. Why go heavier on the head. Couldn’t you swing the lighter head faster. Thanks
Yes, but you might lose control with it.
Excellent video. Interesting you didn’t mention grip thickness can make a difference also
Good work, thank you.
Pulling out the lead tape and giving it a try.
I’ll give you what I believe is better, for me anyway. Get a high end counter balanced shaft and play it at 46 inches. Use a heavier head as in Ping or adjust accordingly. Choke down 1 inch or more or where comfortable, then blast away. When I have my weight calibrated properly at set up it, seems easy. No more secrets. Finally found the grail.
This is really funny you just sent this. Check out my new video release on Monday.
Great content bro
Very cool!! Time to play with lead tape, thanks!!!
I’ll subscribe thankyou
Great video. I've been cutting driver shafts to Mini Driver length. I ordered a 16g slide weight for the AI Smoke to bring the swing weight up to a ~D4. I have lead tape as well. Did you calculate how much lead tape to add using your preferred swing weight?
I ballparked it but always go back and see if I actually prefer that weight for that length.
@@EFGMC Thank you for taking the time to explain this stuff to the golf community. From one teacher to another. Your passion carries through.
Love your videos. Subscriber
Thanks AJ
Great video
I try that AJ great vid thanks
New subscriber here and am very impressed with your knowledge and presentation. A golf store fitter cut a driver 45-gram shaft below 44" after seeing my inconsistency with the standard 45.75" standard length that's in my SIM. I hit it more consistently in the store but on the course it was shorter in distance. I checked the swing weight and its C6. He did not suggest I do anything to the head or get another shaft. I have another track weight but that might add too much in the front lowering launch more. Your suggestions in the video seem to make your setup work quite well. Mine is a 9 degree, set upright. What suggestions would you recommend I try? What length is too short? Thanks .
First I would try the extra track weight since you have it and it's an easy test on the range. After that, some lead tape on the back lower portion of the sole.
I'd start there.
Thank you. I am watching your videos and learning a lot.
Good info. What about grip size?
I wouldn't change grip size just to improve your driving unless you were going to change grip size through the bag. Not saying don't try it, but I like all the grips to be the same driver to wedges.
Looking at adding head weight to a Callaway ai smoke max. Do you know if a second sliding back weight can be added? I ask because I want to cut the shaft down to 43.5” playing length, and the heaviest front weight won’t be enough, and the sliding weight comes stock with the heaviest at 14g. I know a tip weight might be an option, but I’m just trying to figure out if it’s physically possible. Do you know by chance?
That was great!
I usuallynplay a 60g stiff shaft but I'm thinking about getting a 50g regular shaft and tipping it, as well as playing it an inch shorters.
How much weight would I need to add (approximately), to get a similar though slightly lighter swing weight?
10g
Kind of cracks me up to be honest. When I started playing golf in the early eighties, the standard driver length was 43". My old TaylorMade Bubble Super Steel driver is "standard" length for the day, has a swing weight of D1 and has 10.5° of loft. It does, however, have a much smaller head. Since, today's heads are larger and more forgiving, I can see the advantage. But still, my next TaylorMade driver was 44", D2 and also 10.5° with a 360cc head. What would be the difference between that and a shortie driver?
Great Video! Thanks! Just wondering for the shorten option (which I did) how much weight / lead tape would you add per inch reduced?
I would use between 5-10g. Test it to see how much works for you.
Great vid from my newest subscription! How much does an inch of lead tape weigh?
Depends on the density. They make a few versions but the thicker one is probably about 2g per inch.
Gracias!@@EFGMC
You should make a butt trim vs tipped shaft video
Coincidence that this video came out as im having kinda this problem. And ordered lead tape2 days ago to hopefully remedy the problem.
My gamer driver was a 2021 PXG 0211 with a 70g stiff diamana S+Limited shaft at 45.75. I hit it great but its not great in the distance department so i upgraded to a Cobra Aerojet driver with a stiff 60g Kai'li shaft 45.5. Its like night and day. Its so light i cant feel the clubhead. Shots spraying all over the place. Should i start with putting the tape on the clubhead or experiment with placing 10 grams on the shaft?
The tape will obviously be faster unless you already have another shaft tipped up for that head, so I would start there.
Would adding loft with a high swing speed work? I thought that was not ideal
If you've got significant curve, the loft can help. It's and easy thing to test out on the range so really no down side.
I'm not sure how you could use the loft sleeve to add loft - which in most cases both closes the face angle, and makes the lie a little more upright....and then miss it to the right???🤷♂🤣Great tips though....all of those tips are a great way to self correct if one doesn't have the time or budget for a club fitting.
The change in adapter setting can be viewed in one of two ways. If you square the face to the target or more specifically if you have the same face angle every time, you do change the loft. If you just lay the club down and let it sit as it does, then you are more likely to see the face angle change. You can't make any blanket statements about lie angle because different brands have different starting hosel positions so the same loft change can have different lie changes. That said, even if you change the lie angle more upright on the driver, the actual change in the ball starting more left will be extremely small and honestly not worth worrying about.
@@EFGMC Definitely true about correcting the face angle off the ground and taking your grip with a neutral face!! It was kind of tongue in cheek....🤣 Those 3 tips are all great to help people reduce the dispersion, and hit more fairways!!
I am trying to build the cheaper version of Autoflex shaft so I went from a stiff shaft to a senior flex and lite weight, going into the TSR2 head. Should I shorten the length of the shaft and add weight to the head or short the length and play with the standard head weight or just play everything standard?
Start standard. You can always shorten later.
I played a 44” Cobra SZ400 with a Royal Precision Saber Tour Vector shaft, Geek DCT with a Enzo Zone 70 at 44.5” and now a Cobra F8 Tour Length at 44.25” with an Attas Cool. I can’t hit a longer driver. I’m 5’11…
Comprehensavily said🤝
How do you determine where to put the lead tape on the head?
How about changing ball position?
In one show you put weight in shaft, counter balance
Is that not a good thing to do, have you tried counter balance with more weight in the head
Love watching the show
Counter balance is something you just need to try and see if it gives you the results desired. I had it in my wedges and mini driver for a while. Not currently though.
I have an old driver head that I want to add weight to and wondered if it's possible to drill small holes and put self tapping screws in , like a pxg look.
I've never tried. Not sure if that is legal or not according to rules of golf, if that matters to you.
What’s the difference after shortening the shaft to add weight back with a heavier shaft vs lead tape to the head itself? Also, if I prefer a lighter swing weight can I just shorten and not add back any weight??
Adding head weight is 5x more influential in increasing swing weight than shaft weight. That's why I recommended focusing on that first.
If you like the feel of the club after shortening without changing any weights, then by all means go with that.
What's crazy is that your "shorty driver" was standard length and weight 15+ years ago. It was only when golf equipment companies noticed they could sell snake oil to consumers in the form of longer drivers by simply increasing the shaft length.
I have a standard Sim 2 Max Taylormade 12 degree Driver, have a push or strong slice. Is it possible to get a heavier weight put in near the heel as I don’t want to go up to the 14 degree. Or is the only option to put lead tape near heel.Thanks. Mick
Might be aftermarkets available but lead tape will be easier and cheaper.
AJ thanks again for your advice, never before realised how important it is to get fitted for clubs. Really enjoy your series. Once again thanks for your help. Wish you well. Mick
Playing ping g410 R with 1/2” shorter LA shaft. Thinking about new ping G430 max 10, will this shaft still “work” in new ping driver in terms of fit?
Shaft is the shaft. If it works for your swing, it doesn't matter what's on the end of it.
AJ tried this with TaylorMade Driver, lead keeps eventually coming of, any suggestions or can I get a better quality strip.
Sorry of
I play Aldila quantra senior shaft at 45 inches would cutting down or gripping down change the flex
Flex and feel of flex can get complicated. Best advise I can give is try gripping down and see if you like the feel of the shaft better or worse.
I play a TS2 with an x-stiff tensei AV blue shaft, I struggle with hitting the ball too high and feel I'm losing distance with the ball spinning up. The loft is turned down to 8.75 degrees, would applying lead tape near the face lower the ball flight and possibly spin?
Yes, right at the front of the sole, close to the face. Usually won't make a huge difference but it can help. I would also keep track of your impact location as that can make a big difference in launch.
Have you used a launch monitor to see attack angle. It may be that you are hitting down, causing more height and spin.
with the cleveland xl driver i understand they have a counterweight in the grip end of the shaft, so my question is do i need to take shaft out from head or can i cut grip end of shaft ?
I have not seen the specific counter weight in a Cleveland, but every other brand can be easily removed before you cut the shaft. After you can decide whether you want to reinstall the weight or not.
Thanks for your reply ,i enjoy your videos@@EFGMC
I cut 3 inches off of my g25 driver. How much weight to I need to add to retain the correct swing weight.
I love it being 3 inches shorter
That puts it at around 5 wood length so we would want to aim for that kind of head weight if we want a "standard" swing weight feel. 25g as a starting point but you may find less or more than that feels better to you.
ok increase or decrease the lie angle, move the CG around in the clubhead, and open or close the face.
Got it.
Oh, you didn't realize that you can't change just one thing at a time?
No seriously these are actually good tips, just pointing-out that there are intended and uintended effects.
but the point is to get the club to work for you instead of against you.
Tried AJ, nothing works, I don’t really want to keep pulling in case shaft breaks.
what is the length of both the standard driver and the "shorter" driver?
45" and 44".
Where can I buy lead tape?
Golfworks, Amazon, most golf retailers.
How long should one practice with these changes before you reevaluate
Multiple sessions. Couple range, and at least 1 on course would be best before deciding on permanent adjustments.
So does the shorter go in the bag????
Will find out.
Is it within the rules to add weight?
Completely
Thanks.
You don’t have enough weight on your left side through out your entire swing….then you won’t need to change so many things ! Try Stack and Tilt method !
Stack and tilt is OK for the short irons, but Hogan/Nicklaus/Sneed are best for long irons and woods, IMHO. Best for distance.
how the hell do you hit it so long with that lazy swing?!?!?
It’s not lazy. It’s tempo that makes it look that way.
Know a few guys that put 3wood shafts in theirs and are way more accurate.
My driver is 45.75", my 3wood is 42.5". That would be a huge swing weight (SW) adjustment for me (D2 Driver, D0 3wood). You might try it with a used club. 3 fundamentals of golf:
Contact, Dispersion, and Distance. Have to find a balance there. Driver shorter? Less distance. I tried my driver (by accident after shaft change) at 47" - put a ball in a backyard two houses up from previous long backyard shot . BTW, my provisional went just as far, middle of the fairway, 6i to 2.5', par! First time in my life getting a par after going OB.
30 yards offline is not playable where I play
Except you cannot change it's location in a tournament. You have to leave the club as you started the day.
Or just go get fit for a driver. While few people need a 45.5” shaft for a driver, most everyone should be able to swing 44.5” to 45”. The problem for most people is the lack of spin. People are playing low spin balls, low spin heads, and low spin shafts and they wonder why they can’t hit it straight. Spin is your friend.
Custom fittings are a shitshow. I guarantee if you went to 5 different fitters they would all be completely different specs.
just watching your first swing on your first tip, I have a great tip for you.
Don't lock your elbows and tense-up your forearms.
AJ, can you explain what tipping a driver shaft 1" does... I hear it mentioned a bit.
It makes it play stiffer to flex.
None of that matters. Maybe at the pro level but our level we need to know the fundamentals
you are hanging back on your right side . Why
Aren't you just chasing your tail by choking up and adding weight?? Just back to what you had?
or you could just learn how to hit draws and fades