Driver Length | USHandicap Classic

Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
Go to Last Reply 288 Views 15 Replies 4 Likes
After struggling with control of my driver all year long I finally took off an inch on the butt end last week. I cannot begin to describe the difference it has made both in length and control!! By coincidence this was also covered by MGS labs and I strongly suggest anyone interested to read the article. It is for real. MGS Labs â€" Is Longer Really Longer? http://www.mygolfspy.com/mgs-l../ I bought a Callaway RAZR Hawk 9.5 driver last April. It came with the standard Aldila RIP Alpha shaft which is 46" long. While it was straight away longer off the tee control was an issue. I modified my swing a little but even then I wasn't able to rip it like I used to. I managed to get it under control but I was definitely swinging not more than 85% most of the time. Finally, this month, I compared the length with my old driver and decided to take the plunge. I got an inch taken off from the butt end and straight away I was looking at another driver altogether. This morning I absolutely crushed 2 or 3 drives! I am actually hitting it longer and with more control. Longer driver shafts equate to longer shots but definitely an inch off the length and I'm hitting it longer and more accurately.
armygrunt47 Professional Champion
# 1 1/19/2012 6:26:33 AM
You are prolly hitting it longer because you are hitting the sweet spot a lot more. I did the same thing that you did a few months ago. Since then I am averaging 289 off the tee and close to 80% FIR. It has also helped me drop about 2 strokes off of my game so now I am closing in on scratch.
Goynes42 Professional Champion
# 2 1/19/2012 8:25:31 AM
Nikhil, just for grins...if you find an old driver head somewhere for cheap...grab it and get it cut down to 43". That's about the length of a modern 3 wood. It's crazy easy to hit.
Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
# 3 1/19/2012 9:22:03 AM
Nikhil, just for grins...if you find an old driver head somewhere for cheap...grab it and get it cut down to 43". That's about the length of a modern 3 wood. It's crazy easy to hit. I still have my Big Bertha Steelhead driver with steel shaft. I'm pretty damn sure I can still hit from anywhere with that sucker!
Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
# 4 1/19/2012 9:23:55 AM
You are prolly hitting it longer because you are hitting the sweet spot a lot more. I did the same thing that you did a few months ago. Since then I am averaging 289 off the tee and close to 80% FIR. It has also helped me drop about 2 strokes off of my game so now I am closing in on scratch. Yup .. thats exactly whats happening. Amazing how much further the ball travels when you hit it right!
armygrunt47 Professional Champion
# 5 1/19/2012 4:49:46 PM
You might have had the same results by simply "choking up" on the driver, ala Anthony Kim. I have noticed a marked improvement in accuracy on both the irons and woods by doing this. The issue is consistancy in the "choke point". You can adhere a piece of tape to the grip to ensure your placment of your hands is at the exact point each time you grip the club I could be would be wrong but I don't think that you can use the tape on the club during tournaments.
Mark Simmons Legend
# 6 1/19/2012 7:12:00 PM
You are prolly hitting it longer because you are hitting the sweet spot a lot more. I did the same thing that you did a few months ago. Since then I am averaging 289 off the tee and close to 80% FIR. It has also helped me drop about 2 strokes off of my game so now I am closing in on scratch. Yep, consistent contact is way more important than getting that last 5 MPH of swing speeed. I too am curious Nikhil why you didn't try to choke up on the club before going where you can't return and chopping an inch off the shaft?
Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
# 7 1/20/2012 5:34:04 AM
I too am curious Nikhil why you didn't try to choke up on the club before going where you can't return and chopping an inch off the shaft? I did choke up a lot on my driver which led me to my eventual conclusion that my driver shaft was too long. However choking on the club is not the same as getting the shaft to where its just simple: Setup and fire. No need to wonder how much to choke up etc.
Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
# 8 1/20/2012 5:43:14 AM
I have to mention that I am 5' 10" tall and my wrist to floor measurement is 35" so you have to factor that in as well. If you are taller than I am then a then 46" shaft is probably not a problem. If you are about my height or shorter I would highly recommend taking a second look at your shaft length.
armygrunt47 Professional Champion
# 9 1/20/2012 6:34:28 AM
I have to mention that I am 5' 10" tall and my wrist to floor measurement is 35" so you have to factor that in as well. If you are taller than I am then a then 46" shaft is probably not a problem. If you are about my height or shorter I would highly recommend taking a second look at your shaft length. I am 6'3" and my wrist is 38" from the ground. My driver was originally 46.5" stock. When I had it fitted and reshafted 45.5 was perfect for me. I gained club head speed, distance, and accuracy.
Mark Simmons Legend
# 10 1/20/2012 1:11:00 PM
I did choke up a lot on my driver which led me to my eventual conclusion that my driver shaft was too long. However choking on the club is not the same as getting the shaft to where its just simple: Setup and fire. No need to wonder how much to choke up etc. No it isn't the same. But that is the logical way to proceed, cause once you chop it off you can't go back without $$$.
MikeNomgi Professional Champion
# 11 1/20/2012 3:34:03 PM
You might have had the same results by simply "choking up" on the driver, ala Anthony Kim. I have noticed a marked improvement in accuracy on both the irons and woods by doing this. The issue is consistancy in the "choke point". You can adhere a piece of tape to the grip to ensure your placment of your hands is at the exact point each time you grip the club I could be would be wrong but I don't think that you can use the tape on the club during tournaments. I think you can. It's no different than the hash line marking the sweet spot on a driver or the alignment bar on a putter head. But I'm not certain, either.
Nikhil Nayak Professional Champion
# 12 1/20/2012 10:53:36 PM
I did choke up a lot on my driver which led me to my eventual conclusion that my driver shaft was too long. However choking on the club is not the same as getting the shaft to where its just simple: Setup and fire. No need to wonder how much to choke up etc. No it isn't the same. But that is the logical way to proceed, cause once you chop it off you can't go back without $$$. Proof is in the eating as they say: I am more consistently hitting the sweet spot now but in addition I can really swing 100% (if I want to) and still have control of the shot. But control aside I am hitting it longer ... at least 20 - 30 yds in some cases. Due to the shaft being shorter it also "feels" much easier to swing. With a longer shaft there's a heaviness to the driver on the back swing. Just taking off 1" has made the driver feel a little lighter and more compact. Maybe someone who knows more about the Aldila RIP Alpha shaft can comment on this.
armygrunt47 Professional Champion
# 13 1/21/2012 5:56:32 AM
You have to swing that shaft 100% or it won't load the shaft. That will cause pushed shots and weak fades. The Aldila NV and and Diamana Whiteboard are the the exact same way. It has to do with the kick point. All three are high kick shafts( bend closer to the grip) and require a little more speed to make the shaft load because of the larger diameter of the shaft closer to the. I did choke up a lot on my driver which led me to my eventual conclusion that my driver shaft was too long. However choking on the club is not the same as getting the shaft to where its just simple: Setup and fire. No need to wonder how much to choke up etc. No it isn't the same. But that is the logical way to proceed, cause once you chop it off you can't go back without $$$. Proof is in the eating as they say: I am more consistently hitting the sweet spot now but in addition I can really swing 100% (if I want to) and still have control of the shot. But control aside I am hitting it longer ... at least 20 - 30 yds in some cases. Due to the shaft being shorter it also "feels" much easier to swing. With a longer shaft there's a heaviness to the driver on the back swing. Just taking off 1" has made the driver feel a little lighter and more compact. Maybe someone who knows more about the Aldila RIP Alpha shaft can comment on this.
Dandy Professional Champion
# 14 1/21/2012 8:33:42 AM
A close friend of mine ordered a new R-11 last year with a 47" shaft!! He doesn't hit it nearly as well as his old R7 and I can't for the life of me figure out why he won't cut that sucker down. I only play a 45.5" shaft and I'm 6'5"....

Professional Champion

288 Views 15 Replies 4 Likes

After struggling with control of my driver all year long I finally took off an inch on the butt end last week. I cannot begin to describe the difference it has made both in length and control!! By coincidence this was also covered by MGS labs and I strongly suggest anyone interested to read the article. It is for real.

MGS Labs â€" Is Longer Really Longer?
http://www.mygolfspy.com/mgs-l../

I bought a Callaway RAZR Hawk 9.5 driver last April. It came with the standard Aldila RIP Alpha shaft which is 46" long. While it was straight away longer off the tee control was an issue. I modified my swing a little but even then I wasn't able to rip it like I used to. I managed to get it under control but I was definitely swinging not more than 85% most of the time.

Finally, this month, I compared the length with my old driver and decided to take the plunge. I got an inch taken off from the butt end and straight away I was looking at another driver altogether. This morning I absolutely crushed 2 or 3 drives! I am actually hitting it longer and with more control.

Longer driver shafts equate to longer shots but definitely an inch off the length and I'm hitting it longer and more accurately.

armygrunt47

Professional Champion

# 1 1/19/2012 6:26:33 AM

You are prolly hitting it longer because you are hitting the sweet spot a lot more. I did the same thing that you did a few months ago. Since then I am averaging 289 off the tee and close to 80% FIR. It has also helped me drop about 2 strokes off of my game so now I am closing in on scratch.

Goynes42

Professional Champion

# 2 1/19/2012 8:25:31 AM

Nikhil, just for grins...if you find an old driver head somewhere for cheap...grab it and get it cut down to 43". That's about the length of a modern 3 wood. It's crazy easy to hit.

Nikhil Nayak

Professional Champion

# 3 1/19/2012 9:22:03 AM

Nikhil, just for grins...if you find an old driver head somewhere for cheap...grab it and get it cut down to 43". That's about the length of a modern 3 wood. It's crazy easy to hit.

I still have my Big Bertha Steelhead driver with steel shaft. I'm pretty damn sure I can still hit from anywhere with that sucker!

Nikhil Nayak

Professional Champion

# 4 1/19/2012 9:23:55 AM

You are prolly hitting it longer because you are hitting the sweet spot a lot more. I did the same thing that you did a few months ago. Since then I am averaging 289 off the tee and close to 80% FIR. It has also helped me drop about 2 strokes off of my game so now I am closing in on scratch.

Yup .. thats exactly whats happening. Amazing how much further the ball travels when you hit it right!

armygrunt47

Professional Champion

# 5 1/19/2012 4:49:46 PM

You might have had the same results by simply "choking up" on the driver, ala Anthony Kim.
I have noticed a marked improvement in accuracy on both the irons and woods by doing this. The issue is consistancy in the "choke point". You can adhere a piece of tape to the grip to ensure your placment of your hands is at the exact point each time you grip the club

I could be would be wrong but I don't think that you can use the tape on the club during tournaments.

Mark Simmons

Legend

# 6 1/19/2012 7:12:00 PM

You are prolly hitting it longer because you are hitting the sweet spot a lot more. I did the same thing that you did a few months ago. Since then I am averaging 289 off the tee and close to 80% FIR. It has also helped me drop about 2 strokes off of my game so now I am closing in on scratch.

Yep, consistent contact is way more important than getting that last 5 MPH of swing speeed.

I too am curious Nikhil why you didn't try to choke up on the club before going where you can't return and chopping an inch off the shaft?

Nikhil Nayak

Professional Champion

# 7 1/20/2012 5:34:04 AM

I too am curious Nikhil why you didn't try to choke up on the club before going where you can't return and chopping an inch off the shaft?

I did choke up a lot on my driver which led me to my eventual conclusion that my driver shaft was too long. However choking on the club is not the same as getting the shaft to where its just simple: Setup and fire. No need to wonder how much to choke up etc.

Nikhil Nayak

Professional Champion

# 8 1/20/2012 5:43:14 AM

I have to mention that I am 5' 10" tall and my wrist to floor measurement is 35" so you have to factor that in as well. If you are taller than I am then a then 46" shaft is probably not a problem. If you are about my height or shorter I would highly recommend taking a second look at your shaft length.

armygrunt47

Professional Champion

# 9 1/20/2012 6:34:28 AM

I have to mention that I am 5' 10" tall and my wrist to floor measurement is 35" so you have to factor that in as well. If you are taller than I am then a then 46" shaft is probably not a problem. If you are about my height or shorter I would highly recommend taking a second look at your shaft length.

I am 6'3" and my wrist is 38" from the ground. My driver was originally 46.5" stock. When I had it fitted and reshafted 45.5 was perfect for me. I gained club head speed, distance, and accuracy.

Mark Simmons

Legend

# 10 1/20/2012 1:11:00 PM

I did choke up a lot on my driver which led me to my eventual conclusion that my driver shaft was too long. However choking on the club is not the same as getting the shaft to where its just simple: Setup and fire. No need to wonder how much to choke up etc.

No it isn't the same. But that is the logical way to proceed, cause once you chop it off you can't go back without $$$.

MikeNomgi

Professional Champion

# 11 1/20/2012 3:34:03 PM

You might have had the same results by simply "choking up" on the driver, ala Anthony Kim.
I have noticed a marked improvement in accuracy on both the irons and woods by doing this. The issue is consistancy in the "choke point". You can adhere a piece of tape to the grip to ensure your placment of your hands is at the exact point each time you grip the club

I could be would be wrong but I don't think that you can use the tape on the club during tournaments.

I think you can. It's no different than the hash line marking the sweet spot on a driver or the alignment bar on a putter head. But I'm not certain, either.

Nikhil Nayak

Professional Champion

# 12 1/20/2012 10:53:36 PM

I did choke up a lot on my driver which led me to my eventual conclusion that my driver shaft was too long. However choking on the club is not the same as getting the shaft to where its just simple: Setup and fire. No need to wonder how much to choke up etc.

No it isn't the same. But that is the logical way to proceed, cause once you chop it off you can't go back without $$$.

Proof is in the eating as they say: I am more consistently hitting the sweet spot now but in addition I can really swing 100% (if I want to) and still have control of the shot. But control aside I am hitting it longer ... at least 20 - 30 yds in some cases.

Due to the shaft being shorter it also "feels" much easier to swing. With a longer shaft there's a heaviness to the driver on the back swing. Just taking off 1" has made the driver feel a little lighter and more compact. Maybe someone who knows more about the Aldila RIP Alpha shaft can comment on this.

armygrunt47

Professional Champion

# 13 1/21/2012 5:56:32 AM

You have to swing that shaft 100% or it won't load the shaft. That will cause pushed shots and weak fades. The Aldila NV and and Diamana Whiteboard are the the exact same way. It has to do with the kick point. All three are high kick shafts( bend closer to the grip) and require a little more speed to make the shaft load because of the larger diameter of the shaft closer to the.

I did choke up a lot on my driver which led me to my eventual conclusion that my driver shaft was too long. However choking on the club is not the same as getting the shaft to where its just simple: Setup and fire. No need to wonder how much to choke up etc.

No it isn't the same. But that is the logical way to proceed, cause once you chop it off you can't go back without $$$.

Proof is in the eating as they say: I am more consistently hitting the sweet spot now but in addition I can really swing 100% (if I want to) and still have control of the shot. But control aside I am hitting it longer ... at least 20 - 30 yds in some cases.

Due to the shaft being shorter it also "feels" much easier to swing. With a longer shaft there's a heaviness to the driver on the back swing. Just taking off 1" has made the driver feel a little lighter and more compact. Maybe someone who knows more about the Aldila RIP Alpha shaft can comment on this.

Dandy

Professional Champion

# 14 1/21/2012 8:33:42 AM

A close friend of mine ordered a new R-11 last year with a 47" shaft!! He doesn't hit it nearly as well as his old R7 and I can't for the life of me figure out why he won't cut that sucker down. I only play a 45.5" shaft and I'm 6'5"....

COMMUNITY