Driver @ 44"???

Anyone else try cutting their driver down to this length? I did, and could't be happier. Where I used to have up to over a half dozen bad drives a round, I'm down to maybe 2 or 3 tops. And even those are nowhere near as bad of misses as it used to be at 44.5". And pretty much every tee shot is right in the centre of the club face in the "good spot" to hit it. :)

And like they say, solid contact is best. Doesn't seem like I've really lost any distance. To be honest, my average distance has probably gone up. Ask hoolio, was pretty much right there with him all day on Fri. :thumbsup

Except for my recent experiment at 45" (new shaft) I haven't played a driver longer than 44" in years.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that after playing one round at 45" I cut it back to 44".

I am playing mine at 44.5"

Are you gripping down on the driver too Geoff. If so it would more accurate to say that you are playing at 43.5

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Originally Posted by Chieflongtee

Are you gripping down on the driver too Geoff. If so it would more accurate to say that you are playing at 43.5

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Yeah, a bit. But I'm just talking overall length, not necessarily what length it is when I grip down. I hope most here grip down a bit on every club like they should. :-)

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Originally Posted by Geoff Johnston

Yeah, a bit. But I'm just talking overall length, not necessarily what length it is when I grip down. I hope most here grip down a bit on every club like they should. :-)

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I for one don't grip down but know I should a little. I am looking forward to try the feel grips. Not necessarily for release but mostly because there is a grip cap on the end that forces you to grip down a little.

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Originally Posted by Chieflongtee

I for one don't grip down but know I should a little. I am looking forward to try the feel grips. Not necessarily for release but mostly because there is a grip cap on the end that forces you to grip down a little.

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Every club fitter and teaching pro I've spoken to says you should be gripping down a bit on every club. GP TV grips have two white lines on the cap of their grips. If those two lines can't be seen when the club is gripped, you are not gripping the club properly, or so I've been told.

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Originally Posted by Geoff Johnston

Every club fitter and teaching pro I've spoken to says you should be gripping down a bit on every club. GP TV grips have two white lines on the cap of their grips. If those two lines can't be seen when the club is gripped, you are not gripping the club properly, or so I've been told.

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I heard the same too. Old habits die hard. Gripping down gives you a better hold of the club.

It saves on glove wear as well. :thumbsup :-)

Both of my drivers are at 44 inches. I prefer them that length. Then again, if shorter leads to more fairway hit maybe I should cut mine down to 42-43 inches :lmfao

Two months ago, I cut my previous 44.5" driver down to 43.5". My accuracy has increased tenfold. And I'm bombing just as long if mot occasionally longer than before. This is a result of hitting the center of the clubface more consistently. My wrist to floor is 34", and honestly 43.5" seems just a tad on the short side. I'm building a new driver this weekend, and I'm going to have a go at 44".

When I was fitted by Don at Artisan, he was the first to suggest that I go to a 44" driver and although my current Big Dog is at 45" I am seriuosly thinking of cutting it dwon back to 44. My accuracy was better at that length.

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Originally Posted by leftylucas

When I was fitted by Don at Artisan, he was the first to suggest that I go to a 44" driver and although my current Big Dog is at 45" I am seriuosly thinking of cutting it dwon back to 44. My accuracy was better at that length.

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Be carefull J L, There is a lot more to it than just hacking off an 1" !!

My new driver is 42.5 inches long. It is a 280 cc stainless steel Maltby Logic Lady, 12 degrees loft. My shaft is a True Temper Dynamic R/S, untipped.

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Originally Posted by rhh7

My new driver is 42.5 inches long. It is a 280 cc stainless steel Maltby Logic Lady, 12 degrees loft. My shaft is a True Temper Dynamic R/S, untipped.

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And the results are;
1)same?
2) much better?
3) a little better?

Mine is 44.25 currently and i love it.

I play my thriver at 44", and the big stick at 47.5"

Yes, the thriver is rediculously more forgiving! :-)

Hi Geoff,

HOw long was the Cally X you sold me? I"m using that with great results for me. Apart from my last game I"ve been hitting it long and straight. I tried a shorter one with limited success.

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Originally Posted by dH

Hi Geoff,

HOw long was the Cally X you sold me? I"m using that with great results for me. Apart from my last game I"ve been hitting it long and straight. I tried a shorter one with limited success.

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I don't remember cutting it down, so I'd say it's stock Cally length. Which most likely is around the 45-46" range. It would probably say on their site.

My X-Speed is 45" but I choke down about an inch and the same goes with my Super Quad. I don't really see an issue with cutting a driver down one inch. In my opinion, you won't see much for distance loss if any. I know I didn't notice any from gripping down to not.

If you're going to cut off an inch (or any length for that matter), you have to pay attention to the either the swingweight or the MOI. You're going to grip down at least 0.5" to 1", even after the club has been shortened, so the amount you cut off is absolute. You'll be surprised at how much weight you'll have to add when you cut an inch off the shaft.

Most certainly I agree that the 1" (or whatever amount) reduction will not result in a noticeable distance loss. In fact, depending on your striking ability, you may gain distance on the average since you'll have better control, and therefore hit the center of the clubface on a more consistent basis.

Geoff, I'm down to 303 grams total weight on my driver.
The club is now 46.5 inches and I'm both longer and straighter.
I think total weight is critical for many.
What is the total [dead] weight of your driver?

I'm not really sure Harry, I never got it weighed. It definately feels lighter SW wise, that's for sure.

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Originally Posted by TourIQ

Geoff, I'm down to 303 grams total weight on my driver.

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Wow, that's pretty light. What parts did you use?

Mine is 44", 202 (949MC head) + 60 (shaft) + 48 (grip+tape) + 6 (hosel weight) = 316 gm.

If I changed to a Graffaloy Prolaunch 45 gm shaft and ignore SW (no hosel weight) I could save over 21 gm, and put the driver < 295 gm.

I think my current one is as follows:

202 (525 head) + 55 (59g raw shaft at 40" assembled) + 65 (Grip + tape) + 5 (hosel weight) = 324.

I know I could save on the grip and hosel weight but 303 seemed pretty light.

Grips can also make a difference,
- the Feel release grips I am currently trying are 63g
- my usual GP decade multicompound cord are 47
- I could use the GP dual durometer light at 39g (to get me below 290g)

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Originally Posted by jvincent

Wow, that's pretty light. What parts did you use?

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Hi jvincent

> PureFit DC Tour V.1 HT3 400cc High Loft, Asian Wt. head = 188 grams
[NOTE: This head is discontinued. If you can find stock most are 198 grams]
> Aldila ONE 65-R Mid Launch = 65 grams at full length
> Lamkin Crossline Dual Density [green] = 47 grams
Wt. of 3 components = 300 grams
> Ferrule, grip tape, club 46.5 inches long .............. Total Wt. 303 grams

Next I going to build a driver 47 inches long at 292 grams total weight [11 grams lighter]. Maybe I should cut off the bottom 2 inches of grip and get it down to 290 grams total weight :laughing:. We actually did this once for my son's driver to get the wt. down. He is back using full length Lamkin Dual Density grips :lmfao

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Originally Posted by lms

- I could use the GP dual durometer light at 39g (to get me below 290g)

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Lighter head and shaft weight will make the biggest difference.
Its hard to find real light driver heads. I suspect they make a lot for the Asian market, but not for NA.