Shortening the shaft on my Driver

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By Roberto I

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  • 9 Replies
  1. Roberto I

    Roberto I
    Boston, MA

    This has probably been covered before, but I am going to take a look at the new 915D drivers and am curious about shortening the shaft.

    I hit my three wood (913 FD 15 degree, UST V2 86 X shaft) fairly well off the tee, and have stopped using my driver to help keep the ball in play more. A friend suggested, that I head back to the driver but to get a slightly shorter shaft to help with the control.

    Outside of my control issues partly being confidence in my driver, would shortening the shaft have other reprecusions other than shorter distance? How much should the weight drop in grams to balance out say a 1 inch shorter shaft.

    Thanks,
    RJ

  2. Norris

    Norris
    Springfield, MO

    Roberto; I'm sure you will get some very good answers to your question here, but first, my I suggest that before you cut down your shaft, go out and play a few rounds and chock down an inch on your present shaft, and see how that works for you. That will give you a good idea how a shorter shaft will perform.
  3. Burdette N

    Burdette N
    Fremont, OH

    Hi, I shorten my 913d2 driver 1". I added the 14 gram weight. This made a big difference. I hit more fairways and little to no distance lost.
  4. Bob T

    Bob T
    East Otis, MA

    Stock drivers  come with long shafts and I also have had trouble hitting them properly.  I have shortened the shaft and for me, what this has done is that I find the sweet spot totally more consistently!!!!!  I haven't added any weight and am hitting the ball farther than I ever have but I will look into adding some grams of weight as others have mentioned. What works for me now is a driver at 44.5 inches on any of my drivers.  Find your comfort zone length and good luck to you and hit them well!!!!!

  5. FourWiggle

    FourWiggle
    Kingsport, TN

    Roberto I said:

    This has probably been covered before, but I am going to take a look at the new 915D drivers and am curious about shortening the shaft.

    I hit my three wood (913 FD 15 degree, UST V2 86 X shaft) fairly well off the tee, and have stopped using my driver to help keep the ball in play more. A friend suggested, that I head back to the driver but to get a slightly shorter shaft to help with the control.

    Outside of my control issues partly being confidence in my driver, would shortening the shaft have other reprecusions other than shorter distance? How much should the weight drop in grams to balance out say a 1 inch shorter shaft.

    Thanks,
    RJ

    The "standard" rule of thumb (all else being equal) is that each 1/2 inch of shaft length change equates to 3 point swing-weight change, 2 grams of head-weight equates to a 1 point swing-weight change and 5 grams of grip-weight equates to 1 swing-weight point.

    So in your scenario, if your intention is to reduce the shaft length by 1 inch (6 swing-weight points) and keep the swing-weight close to the same as factory then you would need to compensate by increasing the head-weight by 12 grams, reducing the grip-weight by 30 grams or a combination thereof.  If your Titleist head has the RED swing-weight then you can accomplish 5 grams of head-weight by changing that to BLACK and pick-up almost 3 swing-weight points.  Then go with an ultra-light grip which give you another 2 points or so.

    If you haven't gotten your new Titleist as of now, I would suggest custom ordering from a certified fitter and let them communicate the order to Titleist manufacturing and have the club built to your desired specs.  Moving a 1/2 inch less on shaft really isn't that hard to compensate for but when you go to an inch or more the tables start to turn.  Most people cannot tell the difference in 2 points of swing-weight but 6 points (going from D2-3 to C9-10) can hinder performance and feel...

  6. Matt B

    Matt B
    Columbus, OH

    I just custom ordered a 915D3 @ 44.5" length to a D3 swing weight. You should be able to order whatever set-up you want, the Titleist custom department will let you know what they can do. At 44" you may have to include a lighter grip/heavier shaft etc. to help them get to a decent weight as I don't know if they hot melt their heads.
  7. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military

    I do hope that you went to a certified fitter for assistance before having you shaft cut........there are days that most of us just drop drown a half inch for increased accurancy on the driver when we are having an off day.....the new 915s have really increased the accuracy.......but it appears that you have solved you problem and I hope that this is a long term solution....... 

  8. Roberto I

    Roberto I
    Boston, MA

    Thanks to everyone for the replies. I tried chocking up, but it will probably take some getting used to. In the end I think I'll just head to a certified fitter for a session and order from there. 

  9. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military

    Roberto I said:

    Thanks to everyone for the replies. I tried chocking up, but it will probably take some getting used to. In the end I think I'll just head to a certified fitter for a session and order from there. 

      Very good choice.  They are the experts and will take good care of you. 

  10. Matt B

    Matt B
    Columbus, OH

    The one thing I noticed for me, when I choked up a little I get a little extra tension in my hands & arms from the smaller size in grip that cost me speed. About 3 years ago I tested the 44.5" vs 45" driver and noticed that my ball speed increased 3 mph with the shorter club as well as my dispersion getting tighter. Hopefully you can find a fitter with the different shaft lengths & weights to test without gripping down on them to get the true performance difference. Good luck with your fitting!!!

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