Cutting Down Length

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Do they do flameproof suits for dogs?

What do you mean?
What is your advice/opinion regarding my question?

Here is an interesting article I found recently:

Thinking of buying a new driver?

In the past 5 years the golf equipment industry has made gigantic strides in helping the world’s best golfers increase their driving distance. But what have they done for the average golfer?
Do you remember the C.O.R. debate that came up a couple of years ago when the USGA decided to reduce the spring like effect of drivers that was supposed to rein in the driving distance on the PGA Tour? Did it work? Well let’s have a quick look at the numbers.

In 2005 the PGA Tour distance leader was Scott Hend and he was able to set a record for driving distance at 318.9 yards up from 312.6 yards in 2004.
Golf’s best known long driver is Tiger Woods. In 2005 he finished second on the PGA Tour in driving distance at 316.1 yards up a whopping 14.2 yards from his numbers in 2004!
So was it just the hot faces that were contributing to the explosion in driving distance?
I believe that the explosion in distance on the PGA Tour is due to a combination of the following factors:
The Golf Ball Agronomy Physical Fitness Driver Fitting
But what about you, the average golfer, how can you put technology on your side, and squeeze a few more yards out of your swing
. It has been shown that a golfer must have a swing speed in excess of 100 MPH before they will derive any benefit from a high COR driver. My evaluation of the average golfer is that new technology can help you increase your driving distance as long as you open your mind and maybe swallow a little bit of pride.

What’s your loft?

It has been shown that for a swing speed of 85 MPH, which is average for most senior golfers that the optimal launch angle is 15 degrees. This means that with a slight upward angle of attack that a golfer with a swing speed of 85 MPH, should use a driver with at least 12 degrees of loft. Most of my students will use a driver of 10 degrees or less. What is the loft on your driver?
Consider a driver with at least 12 degrees of loft.


Driver length
The most important factor that determines driving distance is NOT club head speed. The most important factor is making solid contact
. For every half inch that your strike is off center you will lose 10 yards in distance. While, on the other hand, it takes 1 mile per hour of extra club head speed to gain only 3 yards in distance. In fact, I have recorded several instances where golfers increased their distance by reducing their club head speed!

According to world-renowned club designer Tom Wishon, the average driver length used by PGA Tour players is 44.5 inches. If PGA Tour pros use a shorter driver to make certain that they make dead solid contact why are you using a driver that is more than 45 inches long?
In my experience most golfers make the best contact with a driver that is 43.5 inches long
depending on their physical size.
Consider getting a driver that is 43.5 inches long or shorter.
So what can you do about it?
My recommendation is to look up a PGA professional in your neighborhood that has a launch monitor and a large selection of drivers with different lofts and lengths for you to experiment with and go for a proper driver fitting. (By the way, almost every major company fitting cart that I have ever seen only has one length of driver (45 inches) which is the most critical component of club fitting.)
If you cannot find a launch monitor in your area, try a driver with 12 degrees of loft and a 43.5 inch shaft and I am sure that the results will have you ten yards further down the fairway.

__________________
Best Regards
Brian

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Funny o'l game!

It had nothing to do with your Q - it was in response to my response regarding his statement about a pro and Ping irons.

Woah woahwoahwoah!

Hold it - in my original quote I referenced a pro who'd given me what now seems rubbish advice about Pings. I was IN NO WAY talking about anyone here, and yet it seems both TID and BrianW thought I was referring to someone on the boards. I absolutely wasn't - I just didn't name the 'said' pro as you never know who might be listening, if you see what I mean, but can I again reiterate that I was in no way referring to anyone here, anyone who has contributed to this thread, and was talking about a pro 'external' to this forum.

Apologies for any offence and confusion

__________________
~_~_~_~_~
Personal bests 2007;
Best 18: 78 (+12)
Best 9: 37 (+4)
Best Stableford: 45 pts
Best total putts: 28
Best total length sunk putts (ft): 54

Club tourney history this year: Captain's Day - 1st; Club foursomes - 2nd; Dimex Stableford - 2nd; Club Championship - 13/28 gross, joint 5/28 nett; Ferebee Shield - 2nd; Sept Medal 2nd; Autumn Stableford - 1st

No Bulldog! No, I didn't take your comment that way

My post was just a (poor attempt) at a light hearted remark to some of the reaction starting up.

The longer the shaft is in a driver or any length club does not produce more swing speed.

It can provide you with a longer swing arch in which a shorter and longer shafted club being swung at the same swing speed, in theory the longer club would provide you with more distance.

The longer shafted club is harder to control. Center contact and greater distances may come from a shorter shafted club.

Lie angle, Lie angle:

Lie Angle is much better in controlling club face angle at impact by the shifting of the weight either towards the toe or heel and the way you factor in off-set in the sole of the club.

Lie Angle provides a better workable club then just closing the club face of a club which in closing is only a Band-Aid Fix.

The more upright shaft can take a less flexible person and allow him/her to gain flexibility by having the hands higher at address which forces elbow flexion in much the same way as holding the club off the ground to address the ball and then to proceed into the back swing.

hi Rich
taking an inch of your driver will take about 3 to 5mph off you swing speed but don't take off as much as most people think.
it affects you swing speed as it also changed the swing weight.
if you make the driver even lighter and use a lighter shaft you can add to swing speed but very light weight shafts are very expensive, I'm sure lowpost will be able to tell us more about very light shafts and why they cost so much as he knew a lot more about it than i do.
cheers
bill

__________________
ping zing2 metal driver
ping zing2 metal 3 wood
ping eye2 1 iron
ping zing2 3/9 irons
ping ist 47% wedge
ping zing2 52% s/wedge
ping mb 56% wedge
ping c10 G2I broom handled putter
top flight "T" golf balls

Hi Bill:

Being new on the forum I do not want to rock the boat, but with a shorter swung object the speed is greater when swinging such object.

Baseball bats are not 5 feet long.

Stiffness from cuting down can reduce swing speed and also the shorter arch of the swing.

A shorter iron for an example with a shorter swing may not recover as fast in the downswing and most would tell you to go to a more flexible shaft. Just the opposite of what should be done. Dynacraft Study.

Swing Arch is more of a concern for the upright type swinger in which the right shoulder is lifted in the back swing to allow the left shoulder to replace the right shoulder and the club remains in front of the body and there is more of a direct path to hit the ball.

Depth in the rounded swing provides a greater swing arch by swinging further around the body, the hands drop down from the hip action and then when there is connection you whip around.

You are correct, the player must be fitted for their swings and their results which does not always match what is on paper.

No pipe cutters on graphite shafts please.

hi Rich
if you go and get fitted you will see the the swing speed on all the clubs in the bag changes and the fasted is the driver due to it being the longest and the lightest and when yo get to say a wedge your swing really slows and that down to the extra weight and the shorter shaft. it has been a few years since i did this but my swing speed then was 117 mph with the driver and about 94mph with the wedge.
I'm not saying its all down to length but it does play a part.

please say what you feel thats what the forum is for putting diffrent points of view.
cheers
bill

__________________
ping zing2 metal driver
ping zing2 metal 3 wood
ping eye2 1 iron
ping zing2 3/9 irons
ping ist 47% wedge
ping zing2 52% s/wedge
ping mb 56% wedge
ping c10 G2I broom handled putter
top flight "T" golf balls

hi Rich
just a bit from Tom Wishon book " the search for the perfect golf club" page 151
driver length. swing speed. ball speed. carry distance.
inches mph mph yards
42" .....90 .133.0 .209.7
43" .....90 .133.2 .210.1
44" .....90 .133.5 .210.5
45" .....90 .133.6 .210.7
46" .....90 .133.8 .211.0
you will see that the length make a little difference but not as much as some people think and that was using iron byron the golf robot set to swing at 90 mph.
cheers
bill

Just for informational purposes. I totally agree with what LP-42 has offerd up.

I was recently near a "Golfsmith/Golftec" store. They were offering a free golf fitting service with a purchase of some sort, and I decided to have a look see at my driver swing. I have been using a 43.5" Aldila stock senior shaft on my Adams 460 cc driver. I am still able to get the ball out there around the 220 mark with it. What the launch monitor at Golfsmith showed was I could use a Proforce V-2 "R" flex shaft at 45 inches, with a Killer Bee, B-Long (square) clubhead and gain some clubhead speed. What I received in ball performance was an extra 20 yards due to increased clubhead speed. The extra speed I attribute to the thinner (top to bottom) and lighter, square clubhead. The new shaft is around <3.0 in torgue, which also gave me some more forgiveness, which probably allowed me to swing a little faster. The square clubhead probably offer more forgiveness also.

I purchased the new driver as a personal birthday gift, and the first time I used it, I shot my age on a par 70 course. The next day, being a year older I shot my age again. Perhaps I was just playing, and putting well those two rounds, but I can't help but attribute those scores to a longer driver which kept me in the short stuff, and gave me closer second shots into the green, and/or fairways on par fives.

The belief for me is the longer the club, and the longer the clubhead lag is held, the faster the clubhead has to go to catch up with the hands at impact. JMHO, and I am sure there are many arguments to the contrary.

My point is that a shorter club is not always the answer, but a properly fitted clubhead, and shaft combination will always help a golfer score better. I would also add that you need to understand the "whys", and "what fors" when getting a club fitted to your swing. By that I mean to try the old lawyers trick of knowing the answer before you ask the question. That way you will know if the salesman is trying to just make a sale, or is really trying to help your golf game. GJS

I am glad we're talking about this...again. I recently cut down my sand and lob wedge about 1.5 inches because my table muscle was interfering with my swing. I can't tell much difference now and am pleased with my results.

Now, I am really wanting to cut down the rest of my set but I have paralysis by analysis. I know that I can fit them they same way I fit my wedges but am afraid that I will really mess things up, end up throwing them away (I really love them my PINGs though) and end up buying some PING G5, i5 or even Raptures.

What should I do?

Thanks
not so tenaciousdee

I say follow your instincts. How did you arrive at 1.5"?

Well, It was very scientific and methodical.

I gripped the club at address and then regripped on the club at the most comfortable position.

Then I marked how far down my left palm was.

Measured and cut!

Regripped the club and Voila!

I think that is what I want to do with my set but I might be overthinking it

Awaiting you sage advice, Master.

Tenaciousdee