We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Driver Length - How Short is Too Short?

adwillingham

adwillingham

2024 Vokey Experience
Albatross 2024 Club
Joined
Feb 25, 2009
Messages
16,205
Reaction score
3,043
Location
Cleveland, TN
Handicap
18
Callaway offering two stock lengths to the Fusion driver has me thinking about driver length this week. I understand the thought process that a shorter shaft should provide greater accuracy at the cost of some club head speed / distance and that a longer shaft provides the potential for greater club head speed at the risk of worse accuracy. This raises all sorts of questions that a fitting could certainly flesh out, but that's not on the immediate horizon.

How much club head speed do you lose for 1" shorter shaft?
What numbers have people seen (FIR gains / distance losses) by switching to a shorter shaft?
How short can you go and still have a worthwhile gap over the 3W? (Typically at 43")

Anyway, I know a bunch of folks have gone shorter in the search of a better fit or better accuracy, and I haven't seen it discussed in a while. For me personally, I have the same shaft in driver and 3 wood lengths lieing around, and I may see what effects throwing that 3W shaft in the driver head has (maybe around 44" instead of 45.5" total length).
 
For me 46 is to short.
 
In my tinkering its been anything sub 44", for me.
 
Depending on your swing, you might not lose any speed dropping down a bit in length. Back before a few swing changes, I was faster (both swing and ball speed) with a 44.5" driver than I was with a 46".

Agree w. James that 44" would be about the lowest I'd go.
 
I've done the 44.5 thing a few times in recent years. Based on my last couple of fittings, 45 is the sweet spot for me. How short is too short, probably 44-44 1/4 for me.
 
I think 44.5 is as low as Ive gone
 
I am in the process of converting my driver shafts from 45" to 44.5". Based on my first few times out at the new length, I am not losing anything distance wise but am hitting more fairways and seeing a better launch angle. Also added lead tape to the head to keep the swing weight at a comfortable level for me. Think sub 44" would be too short for a driver shaft.
 
I've tried longer and shorter (from 46 to 44) and longer works better for me.
 
44.5" is as short as I would go!
 
43.5" D2.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm playing mine at 43.5 and hitting it longer than ever. Hitting the sweet spot is key. Also since switching from an R to S flex shaft my last 4 rounds I've increased my FIR from 54 to 61%.
 
Anything shorter than 44.5 and I'm awful. I'm sure with time I could make it work but I'm comfortable with 45-46.
 
I got to try this out at the range on Sunday. I still need to measure the GBB head with the 3W cut Speeder 661, but I'm guessing it is in the 44" range. Anyway, I hit the driver shaft and 3W shaft (both 661s) in the same head back to back, and I was seeing as much if not a touch more distance with the shorter shaft (due to better contact, I'm sure), and I was seeing some better dispersion. The shorter shaft isn't going to fix the dreaded pull or anything drastic, but I did see enough promise that I plan to put it in play whenever that next on course opportunity arises.
 
The 44.5 stock shaft is one of many exciting features for me in this release. I have gamed 46" and I'm nowhere near consistent enough with that long of a shaft. I'm playing 45 and lost no distance. I'm guessing I could go as low as 44" and be fine.
 
I am getting good results at 44.25 and rebalancing the club to D2 - so I'd say anything below that. Does not seem to effect clubhead speed as the new driver shaft is 44g, not 54g. I will play between 44.25-44.75 inches depending on the head.

Between the GBB at 10 and 45 in., and the XR16 at 11.5 and 44.25 in, the GBB is more anti-right and more spin for me. Poor shots with the XR16 are caused by a severe in to out path - that's what I'm working on now -- correcting the path.

The GBB was getting 93 mph but not great contact; the XR16 is getting better contact at 91 mph, and thus more consistent results and more yards.
 
Last edited:
I've got a 3w shaft in a BB head. It's kind of hard to measure the club - it might be playing to 44ish inches. It's fine. I definitely lose distance over the full length driver but that's okay, this is more like a driver/3w hybrid type club anyways (i.e., it's longer than the same shaft in a 3w head).
 
adwillingham said:
I got to try this out at the range on Sunday. I still need to measure the GBB head with the 3W cut Speeder 661, but I'm guessing it is in the 44" range. Anyway, I hit the driver shaft and 3W shaft (both 661s) in the same head back to back, and I was seeing as much if not a touch more distance with the shorter shaft (due to better contact, I'm sure), and I was seeing some better dispersion. The shorter shaft isn't going to fix the dreaded pull or anything drastic, but I did see enough promise that I plan to put it in play whenever that next on course opportunity arises.
Click to expand...

Cut 1/2" off my Speeder 661 last night to make it play to 44.5" in my GBB and will be hitting the course with it in a couple of hours. Added back a couple of SW points by putting lead tape on the head. Hoping it lives up to my expectations.
 
adwillingham said:
How much club head speed do you lose for 1" shorter shaft?
Click to expand...
I just read through a study where this was one of the questions he sought to answer (4 handicap brackets with at least 15 golfers per bracket / testing driver lengths of 43, 44, 45, and 46, same head and shaft, weights added/removed to keep SW identical at various lengths). As part of it he provided some maximum theoretical gains in club speed per each inch added. In a perfect world an 85mph swinger could expect to gain 1.98mph per inch, at 95mph best case is 2.22mph/inch, 105 would be 2.45mph, 115 could get 2.68/inch and you 125mph internet golfers could net as much as 2.92mph/inch. In actuality his subjects were only picking up about 65% of the theoretical head speed gains available to them, and under 60% of the added distance that theoretical max head speed gains should yield.
 
44" is too short, I've tried that for a while.

44.5" is perfect, strange how different just a 1/2" is.

Anyone who misses a lot of FW should be trying a shorter shaft.
 
I'm 5'11 and play my driver at 44.5". If I'm losing club head speed it's not much. My shaft/head combo came out to a D2 swing weight. I do think I gain a little accuracy and haven't noticed a loss of distance.

I haven't played shorter so can't say really if there is a lower limit for me.
 
Over the last few years, I have been playing a 2009 Nike driver @ 44". I switched to an M2 and after a lot of shaft & length experimentation, I have settled at 43.5" It's around D1 and I'd like to take it to D2 or possibly D3 but I need to order some weights to do so. I haven't measured but I suspect my swing speed is just as fast, if not faster, at this length as my swing has a lot of lag and I just can't square the clubhead when the shaft gets >= 45"
 
I have mine at 44.5"
 
Daddio said:
I just read through a study where this was one of the questions he sought to answer (4 handicap brackets with at least 15 golfers per bracket / testing driver lengths of 43, 44, 45, and 46, same head and shaft, weights added/removed to keep SW identical at various lengths). As part of it he provided some maximum theoretical gains in club speed per each inch added. In a perfect world an 85mph swinger could expect to gain 1.98mph per inch, at 95mph best case is 2.22mph/inch, 105 would be 2.45mph, 115 could get 2.68/inch and you 125mph internet golfers could net as much as 2.92mph/inch. In actuality his subjects were only picking up about 65% of the theoretical head speed gains available to them, and under 60% of the added distance that theoretical max head speed gains should yield.
Click to expand...

Club Clash 2017?
 
I have been fitted (twice) for 45.0" driver length by two accredited club fitters, so I will stay with 45.0" and not go any shorter.
 
I went with the stock r15 shaft at 44.5 and stiffer flex and it did wonders for my dispersion off the tee. Tells me I could probably benefit from a proper driver fitting (duh). My 46"jet speed always felt awkward (im 5'7") and with a reg flex shaft, it was good for some long bombs, but near zero accuracy...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top