Shorten Your Driver Like The Pros Do!!
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- If you’ve ever considered shortening your driver, or maybe you’ve tried and didn’t like how it turned out, then this is your video. I’ll cover all the steps to build a custom club to your specs.
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Please comment below with any questions or concerns and I will do my best to follow up with each of you. Hit em long and straight!!
At age 70 (7.8 hcp) I have developed arthritis in my hands. I have a typical Titleist driver with a stock shaft. I might hit it pretty good starting the round but as I get fatigued I begin to struggle. I got the TaylorMade mini driver, 13.5, and it has been good for me. I hit it as far or farther on most holes and finish the round stronger. I like this video because I have been considering shortening the shaft on the Titleist and I want to get off to good start if I try it. Thanks Nerd!
My pleasure!! I recently experimented with the mini driver as well!!
I am a lifelong Golf Pro. My trusty old clubs felt like I was at a disadvantage recently. With this encouragement I updated all of my clubs in groups.
One group consisted of Driver, 1 iron, 2 iron, 3 iron.
Following some research I replaced them with Ping 425.
However I had the standard 3 wood shaft put in the Driver.
I had a matching 3 wood shaft put into a new 7 wood.
In the new 3 wood, I put a standard Driver shaft.
I also added a 17* Hybrid.
Results :
Driver: I saw no measurable distance change. But my fairway percentage boosted from 69% to 78%.
3 wood : I hit the crap out of this club and its distance is nearly the same as the Driver. It's longer than the 1 iron it replaced, although it lacks the versatility.
7 wood : Another amazing performer, one that hits a high soft landing draw.
Hybrid : This was the biggest surprise. This club is long and hits a low draw, bringing back some of the loss of versatility of the 1 iron.
Overall Im thrilled with the changes. The G425 series are super easy to hit.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I have been doing what you describe for the past 10 years. Definitely helped. However, you have missed a couple key points. Re shaft flex: for every 1 swing weight (2 grams) added to the head you soften the shaft flex 1/10. It would take 20g of additional head weight to change a stiff shaft to a regular, or change a regular shaft to a senior. If only adding 10 grams additional weight you will change the shaft flex only half way (which works for me). The other key point overlooked is lie angle - for every 1/2 inch of shaft length removed the lie angle will flatten 1 degree. Probably ideal for a shorter person but not for a taller person.
Great point about the lie angle. I hadn’t heard this idea of each swing weight point being equal to 1/10, but I like the idea as it provides a framework for different adjustment amounts. Big difference between shortening from 45.75 to 45.25 vs 45.75 to 44. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!
You should add insulation/sound board in the floor joist above your head - if there's going to be anyone upstairs while you hit.
That’s my old set up, but I could still use some sound insulation!
Thanks for the thorough explanations. Very helpful.
Thanks for the feedback Ben!!!
Nicklaus played about 43.5 in length and hes the best to do it and ive tried this also and it really helps and you dont notice a loss in distance and because you may be more accurate your going to be longer so try it just get the right driver shaft for you and cut it to length and go practice and you will see a big change, you welcome
Preach brother!
Could you just grip the driver further down the grip
You can but this will affect the swing weight and you’ll also have a smaller grip diameter, which some players don’t prefer. But this is a good way to get a feel for how much you’d like to shorten. Thanks for the question!!
i like my 48 inch driver it's so good.
i can go further ... now i have 44.5
good enough
Instead of adding weight to head , think of removing weight from grip .. a dritac lite grip is around 23grams the golfpride cp2 wrap is around 64grams ... a cheap swing weight scale can help you adjust ... or just running to a golf store to check.. informative vid thank you
This is a great point. I’ve not tried this, and I have heard some folks say that it “tricks” a swing weight scale, but I can’t say whether or not this is accurate. It would certainly be worth exploring more, because as you say the scale would certainly agree with a lighter grip increasing swing weight. Great comment, thanks for raising this!!
First off, great video. Second, can you add lead tape to the shaft instead of buying a new shaft?
I wouldn’t say you can’t maybe to just fit something, but if you are trying to save a few bucks, you can find some good inexpensive shafts in eBay to use. Check out Tensei and Evenflow models for good and affordable shafts. Thanks for the comment!!
Im about 5,6” shortened my driver by around 4” I didnt add any weight and its the best thing i did. Swing weight for average golfers is pretty pointless
Good on ya!! I think a lot of golfers would struggle with something that swings as light as what you’re referring to, but I’m glad to hear it’s working out for you! Thanks for the comment!
I'm 5,6" as well. What did you notice most doing this? I'm thinking of doing the same.
@@jonnicolette4519 I highly recommend setting the swing weight according to the steps I outlined. Good luck!!
Great info! I’m going to cut my driver down 1 inch to 44.75. Already have a shaft its 12 grams heavier. I’m skeptical about butt trimming weakening the shaft. That’s my only reservation!
@@fredgarvin4252 so not all extra stiffs/stiffs/regular shafts are the same. If you can find a “lighter” version of the next stiffness, you may find that would work. I think more importantly is finding a shaft that you like the feel of, and typically the next stiffness feels similar.
In practice, I think most people can adjust to a 1” shaft length change without even messing with the swingweight. Swingweight is best used for matching an iron set with itself. I’ve never been able to feel the difference between a heavy grip and light grip for instance. The heavier a club is, the harder it is to swing fast so I’m skeptical that adding weight would add distance for most players. There is also a trend towards playing the lightest shaft you can to increase speed. Lighter, whippier shafts cut down a bit is worth experimenting with.
The only thing I think we can say is universal for golfers is that nothing works universally for all golfers!! However, I honestly believe that the advice given here will suit most players, but I completely understand that it doesn’t suit ALL golfers. I appreciate the thoughtful comment. Thanks for watching!!
@@TheGolfNerd Ultimately you have to hit them to see what happens. With launch monitors we have a really good way to test at least! I suspect individual results will vary quite a bit.
I had trouble finding the the center of the face with a normal swing speed… shortened the shaft a little… added 8 grams to the head and slowed down my swing… so I traded swing speed for mass/ inertia and can now find the center of the club face witch gives me longer, straighter drives with a slower swing speed.
@@markbaespflug7555 and that’s what it’s all about!! Thanks for sharing your experience!!!
I found my swetspot is 44.75 inches long with the shaft in the 65 gram range.
Like it!
Bruh, this video is awesome. Thx for the info!! My question is, I'm thinking about turning my Cobra 5 wood into the same specs as an Callaway Apex Utility Wood, so the loft will be adjusted to 19° and i'm going to buy a shaft that's an inch shorter at 41.5 inches. So I'm wondering if i buy a shaft that's already premade at 41.5" (like a Callaway Utility Wood shaft), would i have to alter any weighing on the head of my 5 wood? Or would the weight of the shaft be sufficient, since I'm not physically cutting off any weight
I’m glad you got some value out of it!! If the new shaft is a different length than the current shaft, you’ll have to adjust the weight in order to maintain the same swingweight. Sounds like a fun project, good luck!!
Why not just remove length from the tip and then use a lighter grip so you can use the same shaft? Tipping fixes the decrease in stiffness that occurs and the grip addresses the swing weight change. Should eliminate all the other compensation you mentioned 🤓🤔
This is certainly one way to go. I’m not sold lighter grips really accomplish the same but I know theoretically they should. Just seems like results are mixed when you talk to golfers about lighter grips.
Great video. Does shortening a driver shaft change the lie angle? Will a shorter driver shaft make the club sit more upright thus making the ball want to go right?
Shortening a shaft will make the club play more flat which can influence the ball to go more right. However, I would suggest that if a shorter driver works well for you, then you actually may gain more control regardless of the lie angle considerations.
Rory McIlroy plays at 44" The Longest hitter on Tour ...Enough Said.......
i think, professional's get personalized fittings and aren't doing this as weekend project in their garage. some have every club the same length, based on their height. then, what distance is gained by matching every club in the bag to the driver, except the putter?
I’m not familiar with any pro that does this.
Choke up on the club. Nothing new. Thanks.
As others in the comments have pointed out this is an option, but there are some tradeoffs. Namely, grip diameter, swingweight, repeatability to name a few, but sure folks can go that route as well. In fact, one of the LPGA pros always gets standard lengths and chokes down an inch. Not for everyone, but it works for some! Thanks for the comment!!
Question for you. If cutting the shaft down at the butt end looses weight at the butt end, and adding weight at the head is advised to counteract this lose in weight, aren't you just shifting the fulcrum point even closer to the head? Both these alterations would make the head feel heavier, no?
if you were to only cut the butt end of the shaft and not add weight, you are still shifting the fulcrum point closer to the head, right?
No this is inaccurate. If you grab a broom in your house and hold it from the extreme end and try to lift it you’ll notice it’s damn heavy. If you then reach halfway down and do the same thing, you’ll notice it feels drastically lighter. From a physics standpoint, you are shortening the moment arm and it takes less force to lift it as a function of the lever arm length.
But when you add weight to the head, it makes it feel heavy as it did originally, similar to the broom example.
@@TheGolfNerd ha that makes perfect sense. Thank you. I got one more... I currently game a driver with a 70g stiff shaft that is 45.75" long. I want to cut it an inch and NOT add weight to the head. My overall goal is to make it feel lighter as well as shorter (it is just too heavy). Am I correct with this thinking or would head weight still be needed?
@@imejandiskate it depends how much you shorten the club and what the current swing weight is. For example, let’s say it’s playing really heavy at D6. If you shorten it by 1/2”, that’ll lower it from D6 to D3, approximately. If you shorten by an inch, around D0, which for most will begin to feel too lite. More than an inch would necessitate adding weight in my opinion. Good luck!!
I cut a driver down to 3W length around 5 years ago and has been my go-to since. I have been trying to find the best way about going about packaging a shaft and head. I was wondering if I could just buy a 3W shaft for driver head instead of cutting down. You mentioned in your video that the G weight is higher in a 3W shaft and if you are going through all of the calculations to mimic that CG and gram weight, it seems like this would be the best route to go. If not, why would this combination not be the best option or why wouldn't it work?
It’ll work, but the 3 wood shaft might be shorter than I’d like to go. Typical 3 wood are 43 to 43.5” and I setup the driver I discussed in this video to 44.25”, so my concern is that the 3 wood shaft won’t give me the length club I wanted. Hope that makes sense! Thanks for watching!!
Wouldn’t the lie angle of the Club change if you shorten the shaft? In this case, it would be flatter, and there for tend to fade the ball slightly more. Maybe it’s insignificant, but just curious.
That’s a great point. The rule of thumb is 1° flatter for every half inch shorter. Now this assumes that everything else about the address position is constant, which may be a bad assumption as some golfers may override the change due to their own feelings when addressing the ball. Flatter lies can be used to calm a hook pattern, but I don’t think it’ll make a player go from straight to slice. I believe a lot of golfers slice their driver due to the length of the club vs lie of the club, but that’s speculation on my part as I don’t have data to back it up. Thanks for bringing this up!!
so if you are replacing a shaft for its weight can't you just order it in a shorter version?
For sure you can, although I’ve noticed that they don’t seem to increase the weight of the shaft as much as I would recommend. But I have swing weight tested a custom shortened Callaway previously, and it swing weight tested just fine, so perhaps they add hot melt?? Hope fully this addresses your question.
Say your fitted for a stiff flex at 67 grams 45.5” D3 swing weight. Would you go up to X flex 74g and butt trim to 44”? My plan is to get as close to the swing weight with the shaft and tune the rest with swing weights. Am I going down the right path?
That’s what I would suggest. Another option as that’s a pretty heavy shaft to begin with is tip it 1” and butt trim 1/2” to get to your desired length. Before deciding, you may want to look what weight is currently in the head and then use the generic rules of thumb I lay out to see whether you could add enough weight to the head with option 2. If you can’t, based on estimates, then stick with option 1 plan. Thanks for the question and good luck!!
At 4:25 you say that when you shorten the shaft it gets softer. From a physical point of view that is not correct. Even if you remove the stiffest part of a rod, the remaining part is actually stiffer. Do the thought experiment in your head on other objects like plumbing tubes, drinking straws etc
I appreciate the thought. I learned this lesson by speaking with Ian Fraser, formerly TXG and now Club Champion world renown club fitter. He specifically makes the point that cutting the handle end of a shaft softens the overall EI curve of the shaft. The examples you share make sense, but all those examples are constant wall thickness and stiffness devices. Golf shafts are not this way, the wall thickness and OD of the shaft change constantly from grip end to tip, that’s why they don’t operate in the same manner as a constant wall thickness / OD shaft,tube,straw, etc…. Thanks for the comment!!
When measuring where exactly do you measure to and from?
If you mean when determining the balance point, measure from the end of the grip to the balance point. Hope this helped!!
G425 drover has a counterbalanced shaft. I like the feel but want to shorten. I believe its an 8 gram weight. How wound you calculate for this?
So you can’t really accurately calculate how much weight you’ll need, that’s why I advocate for buying a weight kit. I would recommend determining what your current swing weight is before you shorten it so you can try and target that specific swing weight. Hope that helps. Thanks for the comment!
I’m 5 ft 6.5 inches , with shoes on, I cut 1.5 inches from the butt, added 5 grams of lead to the bottom of driver and I like it , no issues !
Very cool!!
@@TheGolfNerd update I’m now able to swing the club naturally with shorter shaft and I’m getting 200 yards in the air and straight + added loft! I’m so happy I almost cried!!!!!😁
@@surroundedbyjaggoffs sorry I missed this before!! Hope the good times are still rollin’!!
35" is my balance measurement on my driver. I didn't hear player height as being a factor and curious if it should be considered? I have seen charts for the 7 iron length compared to player height but not sure about the driver. Being 5'9" I could benefit from a 3/4" to 1" shorter driver I'm sure.
For sure height can have an impact on finding the right length, but when it comes to shortening the driver to gain control, it’s not really what we are focusing on. As far as 35”, as long as you measure from the grip end like I show, then that’s the number you need to know to understand the swingweight. Thanks for the comment!!
I Cut my M2 Driver from 45.75 down to 44" Played 18 hols 1 hor later and the difference was Amazing !! I was looking forward to every Driving Hole ! It is Awesome ! My son who can Crank it well over 300 in playing a shaft that is 44.5
@@TEBAIL-v6o that is awesome!! Thanks for sharing and Go Sooners!! I lived in Norman as a teenager, and although I don’t root for OU any longer, I still pull for em!
Looking to go from 45.75" (54g) to a 45" (66g) + lighter grip. Would the difference in weight cause the flex to maintain it's stiffness since less weight is needed in the club head? Or would you still recommend going up a stiffness?
I’d be tempted to keep the same stiffness. Worst case scenario, you could tip the shaft a little to gain back some stiffness. Thanks for the question!!
I have shortened quite a few driver and fairway woods and never noticed any difference in the shaft flex. I think taking an inch or so of the grip end doesn't change the flex because a) its a the stiffest part of the shaft. b) it has a thick rubber grip wrapped around it and c) he shaft is being squeezed with both hands.
@@gordonwood1594 it isn’t just the shortening but also the additional weight you add to the head for swing weight. Obviously this is not a hard and fast rule as it will depend on how much shorter the shaft is. Thanks for sharing your experiences!!
Great video. Does this method apply to irons and does the swing weight stay the same for all clubs in the bag? MikeE
This method gets a lot harder with irons since most don’t have adjustable weights. A lot of times folks put tungsten powder on the shaft of the iron shaft to weight it, but that moves the CG more towards the heel of the club which isn’t ideal.
As far as swingweight, it’s pretty normal for different clubs to have various swingweight. Irons are normally D1-D2, drivers range from D1 to D4 and wedges are usually D2 - D4, with lib wedges usually being the highest around D4. So it changes by club and obviously through the custome fitting process.
Thanks for the great questions!!
I just cut my 4/5/6 irons to 7 iron length . No dramas just cut them and I've gained In accuracy immediately. Also fattened the grips a little . No need for rocket science here
@@fritzmuller8246 hope you have a great season!!
I'm half tempted to try my hybrid shaft on my driver. I hit my hybrid extremely consistent. 100g stiff flex. 42 inch. Anyone tried this?
Man I tried so many crazy things before I settled on the method I shared in this video. I for sure tried a 3 wood shaft before, but to do this and make it as good as possible you have to include the swingweight portion of the technique by adding weight. In other words, you won’t hurt anything to try what you mentioned, but I think you’ll find the swing weight way too lite and as a result, difficult to control. Good luck!!
@@TheGolfNerd you think the swing weight would be too light with a 100g shaft?
I was using a 60g at 45 inch, then a 70g at 45. So I wonder if 100g at 42 would help keep it straight. I’m unconsciously accurate and consistent with my hybrid (probably the only club I can say that about). So I’m curious if the same shaft with a driver head would replicate the consistency, but with more distance naturally since it’s a driver head
@@brianbasile5228 if you have an adaptor that fits your driver, than make the change and try it for a round. Only you can decide if it works for you or not. Good luck!!
I dont get the math, you take lets say 2in from a 44in shaft, that is less than 5%, which will mean a 2 to 3.5gram loss (assuming shafts weight between 50-70grams)... That sounds pretty insignificant to worry much about changing the shaft or adding weights, etc, etc...
I can’t argue your logic, but it is much more significant than you are giving it credit for. As an experiment, find a broom and grab it in one hand 12” from the end of the handle and try to lift it, then do the same thing 6” from the end and then with your hand at the end of the grip. The difference you feel is the equivalent to swing weight. Trying to balance that feel when shortening the shaft is the objective. Hope this clears things up.
@@TheGolfNerd I think I understand the dynamics at play, but adding weights on the head since counter productive, since would be way to recover acceleration power lost by the reduction of the shaft. But it is exactly the excessive momentum and its uncontrolable nature that screws up shots and increase dispersion. I think that people cutting shaft are looking for a lighter swing. Anyway, I may be wrong but this is easy enough to test, I will cut mine and see what helps. Fixing it later is not a big deal. Thanks
@@dddmmm21 experimentation is a great way to go, it’s hard to know what you like if you don’t know what you dislike. Good luck with it!!
and for beginners. .
Thanks so much for the video! But couldn't you add some lead tape to the back of the newly shorten shaft to compensate the weight for the cut-off piece, instead of adding more weight to the head?
I would not recommend that. If you want to go lead tape route, add it to the bottom of the head. That will lower cg and not influence the behavior of the shaft like your suggestion would. Glad you enjoyed the video!!
Anytime you shorten a club it gets stiffer not more flex
If it was a constant wall thickness and diameter I would agree, but because you are cutting off the stiffest part of the shaft in the handle and then adding a lot of weight to the head, it behave softer.
Why not tip it?
Great point and that will definitely help. The only issue with going this route, is you’re still going to need to add weight and buying a heavier shaft will help offset some of the weight that you need to add. Otherwise, tipping is a great option. Especially if you were only shortening the shaft by 3/4 of an inch for example. Thanks for the comment!
Rory just went back to full length. Nuff said.
With all due respect, Rory is the best driver of the golf ball in the world or at least top 5. He Should.
Why not just grip down on the club? Cutting the shaft limits your ability to step on one of you want to. Pro’s already swing fast enough to hit it over 300, but most amateurs don’t.
So it does limit club head speed just due to physics, but that assumes good technique. Bad technique isn’t purely linear relative to shaft length. Because of this a lot of players can control a shorter club more easily, and thereby actually often gain a little. A lot of golfers hit a 3 wood better, length is a big part of that equation. Thanks for the feedback, I like to hear others’ viewpoints.
@@TheGolfNerd I agree with that. But again, pretty much the same thing can be achieved by just gripping down on the shaft. That way, you can always grip closer to the butt of the club when you need more distance (assuming good timing), instead of limiting yourself by shortening the shaft entirely.
If a shaft is 60 grams and you take off 2 inches your losing less than 2 grams
That’s a great point, but that’s not really what I’m trying to accomplish. By using a heavier shaft, you can offset some of the weight you have to add back to the head in order to hit swing weight.
i am not touching my driver
That’ll make it harder to hit!! 😂 So, it’s certainly not for everyone!
There are some flawed physics in this video. Unless you are cutting off more than 3 inches. You don’t need to add stiffness or weight. The shorter shaft will be naturally stiffer. For example if you buy -1.5 clubs they DO NOT use a stiffer shaft, heavier shaft or change the head weight. This is all misleading information. Shorter shaft will naturally add torsional rigidity, because the club head is now closer to the leverage point, your grip.
Man you are welcome to do whatever you like but the stiffest part of any shaft is the handle which is where most folks remove material. Once you add weight to the head to reach swing weight, you will definitely change the flex of the shaft. The idea that folks don’t add weight back when they cut off 1.5” is pretty wild. Good luck to ya!!
@@TheGolfNerdI’m aware but the shorter club accounts for this. You don’t need to add head weight. If you just shorten your driver to 43-44” it’s fine as is. It doesn’t make the shaft less stiff. I cut down an old Ping G5 from 45.5 to 43.5 and it’s perfect. It was a 55g SS shaft and I felt no difference. My swing speed is over 120 so if this was a major problem I’m pretty sure I would know.
@@itshadouken man I’m telling you, swinging weight is a very personal decision. I am really glad that’s working for you, but that club is extremely low swinging weight. Probably C0. That does not work for the majority of people swinging a golf club. Have a great season.
@@TheGolfNerd It feels exactly the same as it did before just now it’s shorter 🤷♂️ don’t know what to tell tou
Why not grip down on it a bit?
That is definitely a way to experiment and some players do this, in fact one of the LPGA players does this all the time. However, there are some tradeoffs. By choking down you are holding onto a smaller diameter of the grip, there’s a possibility of gripping in different places and the swing weight is still affected. My personal feelings is that I am more comfortable with something setup the way I want rather than gripping down. But there really aren’t any right or wrong answers, just play what works!!
From the 20’s through the 80’s the club length stayed the same.
I recall in the 80’s and through now the company’s went crazy lengthening the drivers and 5 irons. It was all marketing promising more distance. The golfing public bought into the propaganda, and everyone was saying my driver is longer than your driver . Not to mention the exorbitant prices they charge .
I heard once Lee Trevino would play people for money and beat them using a coke bottle for a putter. Don’t listen to all the hype and sell pitches. Find a club and length that suits you and stick with it.
I think it was Bobby Jones who said, “ Find the club you hit best, and hit it the most”’!!
I hope all has a happy and healthy day. Cheers!!
Great feedback! Thanks for the comment
I’ve found choking down on the grip to the length you want. It will square the club properly the way you want. No messing with all the swing weight headaches.
Didn’t get mentioned but cutting down the shaft stiffens it also, which really changes the feel. I’ve been down the rabbit hole!
It’s dark down there!
That’s why I made the video, to hopefully turn on the lights!
Cutting it from the butt softens the shaft. To make it stiffer you would need to tip it
@@bencovington1121 100%
its so funny because at the range yesterday I started to choke down and was hitting so much better, Felt like i could stabilize the club with my left hand.
I have been playing a shorter 70g shaft this year . I like it . I disagree with the shaft flex though . Shortening the shaft and making it heavier makes it stiffer .
That’s fair. I’m sure you are right that a heavier shaft of the same stiffness is probably naturally stiffer, I’d just rather be conservative to make sure someone doesn’t end up with something too whippy! Thanks for the comment!!
Good video 👍
Only one thing that’s incorrect and that’s the stiffness. I’ve worked in a big brands custom build and repair centre doing all sorts and any time you shorten a shaft you make it stiffer whether it’s from the tip or butt end. It’s due to taking away leverage so the shorter you make it the stiffer it gets and you can test this by having the head in one hand and grip on the other like you did here and as you move the grip hand further down the shaft and try and flex it the stiffer it gets. Once your hand is halfway down you’ll barely be able to flex it at all! Granted like you said adding weight to the head will make the shaft feel softer but because you’re shortening it, it’s just counteracting that so essentially it’ll feel similar to the original flex if not a little bit stiffer still. Hope all that makes sense!
Thanks for the thoughtful write up. I have to respectfully disagree as I am taking what I’ve shared from one of the best fitters in the world, Ian Fraser. As I say in the video, the grip end of the stiffest portion of the shaft if you remove this you decrease the overal stiffness. If you cut from the tip end, the weakest part of the shaft, you increase the stiffness. Hope this clears things up.
@@TheGolfNerd with the greatest of respect it is still wrong and Ian Fraser is wrong! Agreed the butt end is stiffer than the tip so when cutting the same amount off each it will not make it as stiff when butt trimming as opposed to tip trimming but it still makes it stiffer than the original length, that’s basic physics and to do with leverage and deflection. Below is a link to a really interesting video where a club builder has done such a thing with an uncut, butt trimmed and tip trimmed shaft and shows the differing measurements of stiffness…
ua-cam.com/video/Juw6aCNlgDE/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared
I’m not being pig headed it’s just good to know these things especially if you’re someone such as yourself who seems as interested in the technical side of golf as I am. Appreciate your time mate 😉
I wish I found this last year. I just started choking up by 2" to match the mini length. Can't miss the fairway.
That’s awesome! Have a great season season and thanks for the comment!
Love the video and appreciate the information! If I’m already using the stiffest shaft available in the lineup and can’t go up one flex level - Would you recommend tipping the shaft or anything like that to achieve the stiffer flex you mention? Thanks!
I think that’s exactly what I’d do. I believe a 1/2” tip is about 1/2 of a shaft flex different which could be enough. Great question!!
@@TheGolfNerd you’re the man! Thank you
What’s tipping the shaft?
Jack Nicklaus’ driver was 42 1/2”. I figured if it was good enough to him it was good enough to me. I hit it straighter than ever and I didn’t lose any noticeable distance. I just used a jig saw and regripped it. I guess it changed the swing weight but I couldn’t tell.
Glad to hear it’s working out for you! Jack is pretty good company to keep!
been doing that long time ago.. my slogan is control over distance
Like it.
Just bought a Taylormade QI10 driver. I’m 5’10”. I took 1/2” off shaft. Much better control and I really don’t see a loss of distance. This QI driver is awesome!!!
Very cool to hear! Have a great season!!
Why didn’t you just grip the club half an inch lower?
Shorter 1” makes the shaft stiffer approx 1 flex. No?
Not usually. But shortening the shaft at the grip end, you are removing the stiffest part of the shaft. By cutting this, you reduce the overall stiffness.
@@TheGolfNerd
He does a good job butt trimming, CPM recording and Sim hitting.
Shorter = stiffer
If the butt was 6-12” longer, the CPM would be significantly lower = softer
ua-cam.com/video/toIor6BB6P8/v-deo.htmlsi=7FP6armXGFgfGl60
Why not just put in a 3 wood staff
A 3 wood plays around 43.25”, if you put that in a driver, you’re at maybe 44” given head size difference? I think it’s just shorter than most want to go, but there’s certainly no harm in trying it.
@@TheGolfNerd I agree
If I ordered a shorter driver would the company make the adjustments instead of me doing it myself?
Great question! I have personally purchased a Callaway that was shortened and it was swinging awaited properly, but they didn’t take the other elements into consideration that I mentioned. I personally think you can get a better set up if you do it on your own. Of course you could just take a driver and they can shorten it for you.
I want to take my PING G400 SFT head and put it on the PING G400 3 wood shaft. How much weight would I need to put on the back of the head to get it up to specs ?
I touch on this during the video, but predicting the amount of weight you have to add is very difficult. However, if you use the normal rule of thumb, and you are going from a 45 and three-quarter inch to a 43 inch, you would need to add 33 g to the head. This really isn’t feasible. I would suggest you target a 44 to 44 1/2 inch driver. Good luck on your quest.
3 wood shaft in my driver immediately corrected my slice and now I play a 10 yard fade every single time.
That’s great to hear! Have a great season!
Why not just grip down lower?? Less risk that cutting
The concerns are a smaller outside diameter as you choke down on the grip, choking down effects swing weight and It’s a little harder to set your hands in the exact same place every time. Choking is a good way to figure out how much you want to shorten your driver by however. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the explanation. I would ideally like a driver at 43 to 43.5 or so inches. I am more than willing to give up a bit of distance, if at all, and gain accuracy
A stock offering that would accomplish this is Taylormade mini. I believe it’s stock length is 43.5”. You’ll want to double check that!
I put a 76g 3 wood shaft in my TM M2 driver. Adjusted up to 12 Deg. Working well.
Nice!! Enjoy it!!
What if I just choke down instead?
It’ll obviously change the diameter of the grip unless you played non-tapered grips. It will also affect the swing weight. So if you grip down, it’s like shortening the club and you will feel that in the head being lighter.
Great video. Everything I need to know to cut down my driver. Thank you!
My pleasure!! Glad it helped!!!
What if I switched my driver shaft for my 3wood shaft?
That would make a pretty short club. A typical 3 wood is 43”. Using this shaft would probably result in a 43.5-44” driver. As long as you have enough weight to add back to the head it’ll play, but you may have a gapping issue to the 3wood. I mean there won’t be any harm in trying it, just try to get the swingweight right by adding some weight to the head. If you need additional help, let me know and I’ll try to help further. Thanks for the sub!!
One of the clearest explanation of all of the factors that go into shortening a driver.
Thank you very much!!
todays golfers are taller and look more ike vollyball players. . Not all but most. The average build players have longer shafts. Average players cant afford to give up too much length because it destrys the feel and control of the shaft anyway. almost averything that I found mentioned that the average player would end up between 44.5 and 45". in fittings.
Those in the extreme end of stature would then have shorter shafts.
I agree with the average lengths. Thanks for the comment!
Use what works for you and not what the pros use get fitted for all your clubs since i did that my game has gotten better
Thanks for the comment!!
Interesting watch...but knowing i'll need a new stiffer shaft and a weight kit i'd just get fitted for a new shaft that's the right specs for me
That’s fair, but you can get some really nice inexpensive shafts either on eBay or second hand, and sometimes it can represent the better deal. Great point and I appreciate your bringing up an alternative viewpoint!!
So if ordering a new driver then just order a shorter shaft and you won't have to add all that stuff correct?
I’d want to confirm that with the manufacturer. I have ordered a driver that was shortened on Callaway preowned before and it was the proper swingweight, but I wouldn’t assume it’s always the case. Shout to Mizuno, they’ve been selling 45” drivers for quite a while, which is great and more like what most golfers could use. Thanks for the question!!
UA-cam has more golf coaches than there are golfers in the world!!🤣🤣🤣
Just trying to be helpful, certainly am not a golf coach!!
Ok...Dude Respectfully Need some Clarification here. Just to clarify Your Video is helpful but incomplete, let me Clarify with my own conclusions here
A.You must replace the shaft with one that is 10 grams heavier (Equaision 1)
B.You will lose 3 SW points for each 1/2" you cut off (Equaision 2)
C. You need to add back weight to the head 2 grams for evry 1 SW Point (Equaision 3)
In your case you cut off 1.5" from your driver and lost 9 swing weight points so since you cant purchase 18 gram Weights..You purchased a New shaft that was 70 GRAMS or 10 grams Heavier than your existing shaft and then added 8 Gram weight to the head ?
Are my conclusions Correct?
If so, then what do taking a Measurment at the balance point and entering it into SW Calculator have to do with the whole process ?
You could do the whole process without getting a Weight or Measurment if the other points are valid then the Calculator will only reveal to you what is being done by the calculations right ??
These are great questions. First, let me affirm that as you stated the above conditions, I agree 100% with each of the ABC you listed. As far as measuring and not just trusting those equations, it’s because the relationships aren’t linear. Meaning that knowing two unknowns doesn’t allow you to solve for the third, given that the behavior is non linear. That’s why you need a weight kit with multiple options and a scale to determine the swing weight. It’s an iterative process and as such, I don’t know if a way to calculate the exact amount of weight needed, so it’s guess, measure and repeat. Hope this helps!!