Shortening Driver Shaft Qs

[orangeTANG]

I have a stock Tour Burner TP driver that I believe plays at 45.5-46". I've had some control problems with this over the past year and I seem to have much better accuracy choking up an inch on the handle. I need a new grip installed on the club anyways, so I'm debating shortening the shaft at the same time.

A few questions for the club builders out there:

- I love the feel of balance this club has in my hands. By shortening the shaft 1" what effect will that have on the feel of the club, and is there a way to bring it back to the balanced stock feel?

- To shorten it, does the installer simply chop 1" off the grip end of the shaft before he installs a new grip?

- My plans are to get properly fit for a driver later this year, or next so for now this is simply a stop gap measure. If chopping 1" off the end isn't the ideal thing to do, what effects would it have and does the negative effects typically outweigh the ease of the change as an interim solution?

[Chieflongtee]

It will alter the swingweight of the club and stiffen the shaft flex a bit. However the swingweight can be restored using lead tape or a heavier weight in the weight port. However since you have been choking down a bit and gotten used to the feel you might not have to fool around with swingweight at all.
The club is shortened by cutting off 1 inch of the butt end of the club and the procedure is fully reversible that is an extension could be put back in if you don't like it.
Read this article and you will probably never want to go back to a longer driver

http://calgolflab.com/blog/author/leithander/
Clubfitting - the Most Important Factor is Length

Distance comes from Head Speed, not Club Length
I had two appointments this week with players with brand new Taylor Made "RocketBalz" drivers. They are coming in at over 46". Way too long for all but the strongest players.
The length makes it more difficult to store power for a late release. Long clubs promote "hitting from the top" and slicing. They don't go farther either.
If you're wondering about the correct length for your driver, the easiest way to find the right length is to test drivers with different length shafts. Choose the one that yields the highest ball speed. Way more important than shaft flex.
And if you want to know if the RocketBallz driver is for you - you don't have to buy one to find out. We added a RocketBallz driver head to our fitting system. You can know for sure - before you buy.
Test the RocketBallz against your current driver. Make sure it's better before you buy one.

[Mr. Chi]

However since you have been choking down a bit and gotten used to the feel you might not have to fool around with swingweight at all.

Question Chief: are you saying that choking down on a driver makes it basically "play" like it's at lighter swing weight?

[Chieflongtee]

Some say no some say yes but basically by doing so you are altering the flex, the balance point and the lie of the club although total weight remains the same.You will also be standing closer to the ball.

Hold any club horizontally with just one hand starting from the butt end of the club and then move your hand down gradually and the club will definitely feel lighter as you go down the shaft.

[Mr. Chi]

Some say no some say yes but basically by doing so you are altering the flex, the balance point and the lie of the club although total weight remains the same.You will also be standing closer to the ball.

Hold any club horizontally with just one hand starting from the butt end of the club and then move your hand down gradually and the club will definitely feel lighter as you go down the shaft.

Hmmm......interesting! Never thought of it that way, thanks Chief!

[orangeTANG]

Interesting read. Science in golf is never ending is it.

Back to your original post. Are you saying the little silver weight at the back of the head in my Tour Burner driver could be replaced to increase/decrease the weight of the head, offsetting the balance change after cutting the shaft down?

Are you able to do this sort of thing? Let me know and I'll PM you my details and see if we can arrange a time to meet up. If I'm going to do it, I might as well do it right.

[Chieflongtee]

Back to your original post. Are you saying the little silver weight at the
back of the head in my Tour Burner driver could be replaced to increase/decrease
the weight of the head, offsetting the balance change after cutting the shaft
down?

Pretty sure but you got to find the weight.

[downhillslider]

Pretty sure but you got to find the weight.

And the wrench.

[leftylucas]

Then do all that rithmatick

[Chieflongtee]

And the wrench.

Oftentimes a torque bit will do the trick and weight can be added inside the head as well

[downhillslider]

Oftentimes a torque bit will do the trick and weight can be added inside the head as well

Looked at one just the other day and and it had the same pattern as the Golfworks 3 pronged weight but the holes were further apart.

Drill a hole and jam the rat glue to it !

[sneaky]

Here's a Post by Ralph Maltby that answers your Q

“If you are going to shorten a driver keep the following in mind; for every ½” shorter you will lose 3 swingweights. This means that if the swingweight was good for the golfer before shortening that you need to add weight to the clubhead to bring the swingweight back to where it was (this will almost always be the case). Since 3 swingweight points is equal to 6 grams of weight, you will need to add weight to the weight port, or change the installed weight screws or add lead tape depending on the driver model. It will take approximately 14 to 15 inches of ½” wide lead tape to add back the 3 swingweights or 6 grams in this example. Note also that the shaft will feel approximately 1/3 stiffer in flex, but this is usually not a problem to consider with a ½” shorter driver length. Consider it more when you shorten a driver by 1” (2/3rds stiffer shaft flex) or by 1 ½” shorter (1 full shaft flex stiffer). I have often found that many if not most golfers like the stiffer flex at a shorter length because they are now hitting the ball closer to the center of the face (more solid) with less clubhead twisting from previous off-center hits and also straighter because of the stiffer flex. So, the stiffer flex works in their favor instead of against them. Remember, in general, that the stiffer shaft a golfer can handle, the more accurate the directional control. Of course, they still need a good trajectory to maintain good overall distance”.

http://ralphmaltby.com/search?search...ing+the+driver

[Chieflongtee]

True but keep in mind that every club in the bag plays to a different flex i.e your 3 wood is stiffer than your driver and your 5 wood is stiffer than your 3 wood and so forth. The only constant most of the time is swingweight throughout the set.