If you’re struggling off of the tee, the length of your driver might be one factor that’s holding you back
When you’re shopping for cars, I doubt you walk right up to one and say “well, this looks pretty good, I’ll take it.”
If you do, that’s an interesting tactic. But what’s more curious is that’s how a lot of people shop for golf clubs. I know a driver isn’t nearly as expensive as a car, but you’re still making a pretty decent investment when purchasing golf clubs.
Since a lot of amateurs make the mistake of buying before testing anything out, they often end up with ill fit equipment that hinders their game. One of the biggest oversights we see? Driver shaft lengths.
Go shorter for longer?
We compare a lot of things to the pros, from their swings to what they have in their bags. And when we look at their drivers, we typically see one commonality, their driver shaft length.
You might be surprised that most pros have an average driver shaft length of 44.25″, that’s at least an inch shorter than your standard off-the-rack driver shaft. You might be thinking “well wouldn’t a driver with a longer shaft go farther?” For most golfers, it’s the opposite.
Shorter & more consistent
So there has to be a reason why these shorter drivers go farther, right? It all comes down to consistency.
Looking at the two pictures to the right, the top image is from a driver with a 45.25″ shaft. There’s no consistent pattern, and that has a lot do with the shaft being a little too long for that particular golfer. And because of that, I can almost guarantee this golfer struggles with distance.
When we put this golfer into a shorter shaft, to no surprise, his shot pattern became more consistent and centered. Hitting the center of the face not only will help control those shots that hardly ever find the fairway, but you’ll see your distance increase as well.
Now, we’re not saying changing out your shaft will completely overhaul your long game, but it’ll for sure help.
Between the length of the shaft and all the other different factors that make up a shaft’s composition, figuring out what you need on your own is nearly impossible. The only way to pinpoint what’s best for you is to try different shafts with the help of an expert fitter.
For more on why shorter shafts can help you hit longer tee shots, watch GOLFTEC’s Nick Clearwater explain in the below video.
VIDEO: Short vs. Longer Driver Shafts
