If I wanted to go to a shorter driver shaft length, what modifications to club set up should be made to achieve same results as standard length shaft.
azstu324 Posted new comment 2 days ago
If I wanted to go to a shorter driver shaft length, what modifications to club set up should be made to achieve same results as standard length shaft.
Generally speaking, going shorter will provide more accuracy and in theory less distance. Of course that all depends on how much shorter and your ability to hit the ball on center. Most will hit a shorter driver on center more, thus having a more consistent and repeatable distance number, and again be more accurate. So you shouldn’t expect the exact same results that you would with a longer driver. The amount of difference in the performance, again, depends on the length difference and the players ability, club head speed, etc. It is possible that you shorten the club and actually not loose distance. All depends on the club head speed that can be produced and how on center the strike is. Can’t really tell you if yo need more loft, less loft or the same loft with the shorter length. That is something you would have to dial in once the change in length is made and you get a chance to test.
Britt Lindsey
I would say that the 1 main issue most run into when playing a shorter driver is the reduction in swingweight. Swingweight is a general measurement that suggests one’s ability to feel the club head throughout the swing. There’s not really a set standard, but a consensus would say that D1-D2 is preferred by most average folks for a driver. It’s not the actual overall weight of the club but the club head in reference to the balance point. Too high of a SW and you feel like you’re swinging a sledgehammer. Too low and you just struggle to feel the head anywhere in the swing and that can throw of consistency. It’s good to feel some kind of heft as it can play an important part in your timing and efficiency.
Shortening the driver, and depending how much, can easily take it from feeling great to feeling like you’re swinging a piece of yarn.
That said I have my driver playing at 44″ which is quite short for my 6’2″ height. And I’m using a 45g shaft on top of that. I had to add enough weight to get it from a vapor light C2 to a proper D1. That was 18g of weight at the head just to make it feel right. Once I got the SW corrected, my drives have never been better! Better contact, faster swing speed, more efficiency, and even better, more consistent distance. It’s worth it if you do it correctly.