The best length of driver for amateur golfers is 45. Ultralite 50 remax world long drive golf shaft technology gain 30 yards in distance 3. This fact led noted golf club designer tom wishon to ask. In order for all these oems to claim their new driver is longer, is to lengthen the shafts each time they increase head size. If the driver shaft is so long that you are not able to make consistent sweet spot contact, all of the potential distance gained from the shaft length goes out the window. Driver shaft length will be reduced by the biggest golf companies in the near future and they will market heavily the far increased accuracy of the shorter shaft. Golf digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as. Golf driver shaft length, options video lesson by pga pro pete styles. This raises the immediate question, why is a relatively tall, obviously highly skilled player using a shorter than standard driver. As a pga pro ive advocated this shorter driver length now for years and have actually built the drivers in my fitting sets with the 3 wood shafts for most average players. There is no question i have been an advocate for driver shaft length to be shorter than the current standard driver shaft lengths as offered by the various golf equipment companies. With the new trend of shortened driver shafts on tour right now, a question came to my mind. In the last 25 years, the average driver shaft length has gradually moved from 43 inches to 45.
The drivers used by the top10 longest hitters on the pga. Here you have a collection of some of the best golfers on the planet, golfers with incredibly good swings, yet on average, they play with drivers which are 2 inches shorter in length than what is being sold to regular golfers. Im also 57 so im not sure if a standard length driver shaft is right for me. He recommends concentrating on stability, rhythm and timing. Trying a longer shaft is a popular suggestion these days, but most players should, if anything, try a shaft half an inch shorter than whats in their driver. The stock shaft of the cobra long tom is 48 inches long.
With an ultalight grafalloy black bird graphite shaft, with a length of. Set up farther from the ball and stand more upright than usual to account for the longer shaft. The two inch challenge here is a simple challenge that is easy to do and doesnt cost you anything. Mar 28, 2016 the quest for a more accurate driver everyone wants to find out how to have a more accurate driver including me. Then what does it do to the swing wt, shaft flex, club wt etc. For ping pros on the pga and european tours, driver lengths range from 44. As the length of the shaft increases, you tend to lose control over the golf club, and will find it. Thats all that matters really if you are shorter height wise than average. Hi tom, ive had your fitting and bought your irons and wedges but held off the driver, being nervous about your suggested loft and shaft length.
Cobra long tom driver discount prices for golf equipment. Driver shaft length too long for most players clubs, grips. In the march hotlinks, club expert tom wishon wrote that one key to real improvement with the driver comes from a shorter length. Golf driver shaft length, options video lesson by pga pro pete. So, for the last 6 mths ive left the driver in the garage and teed off with with a no3 fairway wood.
Top 10 longest hitters in the 20172018 pga tour and their. The problem im finding when ordering these from the oems is if your order the driver at 44. Many golf monthly forum members are increasingly inquisitive over the distance gains we see on readerfitting days, questioning where exactly the. As club equipment guru tom wishon explains, the length, loft, lie of your clubs are critical factors in determining how far and high your shots will fly. Michael breed, host of the golf fix, answers a viewers email question on driver shaft length. Looking at the data on an individual level reveals some interesting details. In actual fact the best driver shafts can add a remarkable number of yards to. Most male golfers are wielding drivers that measure 45 to 48 inches, the maximum allowed under the united states golf associations rules of golf. With a high strength thin titanium 811 alloy face repositions up to 20 grams of weight to move cg extremely low and deep. As most people know, the driver shaft lengths from oems are usually in the range of 4514 to 4612 long. For the past few months, ive knowingly been flouting the 14club rule by carrying two drivers.
Noncommercial to either one of our two years for lost updates and. We immediately set out to fix that and discover whether golfers are helped or harmed by longer driver shafts. Tom wishon, one of the top club designers in the world, said in his book the. Driver length isnt as critical compared to irons since you arent suppose to take a divot with a driver. This is backed up by the fact twotime world long drive champion joe miller uses. Dec 11, 2018 in fact, if your clubs are too short or too long, expect to spend lots of time in the rough, bunkers and water hazards, if not out of bounds. Lights right for many pros, but heavy shafts still work. Jan 07, 2015 not more than 10 percent of all men should ever try to play with a driver length that is longer than 44 inches. The average driver length for all the other pros on the pga tour today is 44. On the off chance that tom wishon, josh chervokas, and basically.
Shot accuracy a simple way to think about accuracy as it relates to shaft length is to compare the way you hit your wedge to the way you hit your driver. Ben alberstadt what drivers do the pga tours longest golfers use to bomb their tee shots. Each player hit seven drives with each of three driver shaft lengths. A shorter length shaft is easier to control, you increase the probability of better contact and therefore, more distance.
They can send the ball over a distance of 275 yards using this golf club. However, in the 21st century a standard driver is considered to be 45 inches. Are the pros shorting themselves distance by playing shorter drivers. With an ultalight grafalloy black bird graphite shaft, with a length of 48, the long tom will help you generate unmatched club head speed. Aug 20, 2015 using trackman my idea was to test the same golfer, clubhead and golf ball, but change the shaft length. After sundays round and reading this article, i may try a driver shaft length of no greater than 6 inches.
Now that the 20172018 pga tour season is behind us, we can do a thorough examination. Aug 22, 2019 how far do average golfers actually hit it. Lights right for many pros, but heavy shafts still work for some. Jan 12, 2012 so the question we wanted to answer for everyone is longer really longer. That being said, the average male would probably be best served with the 44. Thanks for your detailed article of 2009 about are your golf clubs too long. Jun 21, 2018 driver shaft length is longer or shorter better. Most of the standard shafts on the drivers on this site have lengths in the 45 46. Thats the idea behind the 48inch driver, which is the longest club permitted under the rules of golf. Thirdly, you should look at the shaft length of your driver. Cobra is actually releasing a 48 driver called the long tom for 2012. For nongolfers or those just starting to get into the sport it can seem almost impossible that the design of the shaft will have much effect on the overall swing of the user. Cutting down may or may not help the accuracy and distance. Driver shaft length is shorter better than standard length.
Four foot long length, the maximum length allowed by the usga. When i pull the trigger on a new driver, that is something im going to factor in. If i buy a new driver should i get it cut down by an inch or two. Cobra called upon a wwii artillery cannon as its inspiration for a persimmon driver many years ago and again with its newest driver to the market. Find the right driver shaft length for your game golficity. First, heres a tally of what the top 10 in driving distance on tour are using by driver manufacturer. I have plenty of distance, but driver accuracy is an issue for me. Contrary to what some might think, there isnt a run on. Whats the average driver shaft length on the pga tour. The folks at ping built me two identical g30 driversone at their standard length of 4534 inches, the other two inches shorter. The average driver shaft length on tour is roughly 44. Golf drivers shaft flex are categorized into 5 basic grades. Virtually no women golfers should try to use a driver length longer than 43 inches, most women should use a driver length shorter than 43 inches. Take your 48inch driver to a driving range for a test drive first, recommends golf writer james achenbach.
Check out breeds tip on how to determine whether your driver shaft length is too long. Cobra long tom driver cobra is going the distance and letting it fly with the long tom driver, a four foot long, ultra light driver that is the ultimate weapon for jawdropping distance. The advantage of pounding a long drive on a par4 or par5 hole is obvious. Cobras latest driver release, the long tom, weighs a. I will admit that appearance wise the long tom is a bit intimidating, with its 4 foot shaft and shorty grip, that makes it look even longer, but once you start swinging it that look of fear is replaced with a big smile. Cobras latest driver release, the long tom, weighs. The cobra long tom driver is designed to be the ultimate weapon for incredible distance. Dec 01, 2019 what is the optimum driver shaft length. A shorter driver, he said, encourages center contact on the clubface, which leads to longer, straighter drives. Cobra long tom driver the cobra long tom driver is designed to be the ultimate weapon for incredible distance. If he could hit the ball straight with a 45 inch clubhe would. Driver shaft length too long for most players clubs. Most average male golfers should consider a driver length of 43 inches to 43.
Four feet long max allowed by the usga with ultralight shaft and grip delivering maximum distance. And he knows if he did use a longer driver, hed have even more trouble keeping it in play. From the beginning of the 20th century all the way through to the middle 1980s, the standard mens driver length stood at 43. The standard length of a driver for men used to be 43. Driver length creep may be why you cant hit your driver. The stock driver length of most manufacturers taylormade, callaway ping, cobra these days is 45. The first is by tom wishon, who is considered by many to be one of the. I found a 10 degree, r flex long tom on ebay for about 100 bucks. They hit fairways, off the tee and straighter shots more consistently with a 44.
Justin leonard used to use a nike machspeed at 48 a few years back which is also the usgas legal limit, but i dont know if he stayed at that length when he went to taylormade. I am a pga golf pro and have been playing 44 icch shaft for 6 years now. Driver shaft length custom fitting for the correct length to help improve your. Driver shaft length is shorter better than standard. Ive written a few articles about the benefits of getting fit for the right golf clubs, and i. Starting in the 1980s, all the golf equipment companies began to increase the standard length of the driver to the point that today, all mens drivers are made to a length between 45. Sep 15, 2011 measuring four feet in length the usga length limit is 48 for all clubs except putters, the face of each long tom driver is made from a new titanium alloy that is stronger than previous. Its essential that your driver shaft is of the right length. Has he considered an adjustable driver that can be adjusted to 2 degrees flat. But the results were much better than anticipated and it was the longest on test thanks to the extra clubhead speed generated by the long shaft. Jul 08, 2014 if pros are using drivers less than 44.
Wishon also told me that the average driver length on the pga tour is shorter than the standard lengths equipment companies sell us. Driver shaft length are you shorting yourself using a 46. Back in november 2010 we saw cobra had applied for the trademark long tom so we felt they might be coming back out with this. With that said, most male golfers are playing with drivers that measure 45 to 48 inches although incredibly long, 48 inches is the maximum length allowed under the usgas rules of golf. The longer shaft promises more speed but possibly less control while the shorter shaft promises more consistency, but which is best.
When we realized that we had never tested the concept of shorter driver shafts being more accurate. Lets start with a little history behind the long tom name. Initially tgs gear team jon and dave c were sceptical about putting long tom in the test because the 48inch shaft is right on the legal limit and completely different to anything else on the market. What drivers do the pga tours longest golfers use to bomb their tee shots. Many golf monthly forum members are increasingly inquisitive over the distance gains we see on readerfitting days, questioning where exactly the distance. Hey tom, thanks for your years of helping us mortals figure out this great game. Now if tiger and the rest of his pals know they cant control a 45 inch long stick, what are the chances that you can. Im not very good, so i recently signed up for a golf class run by a teaching pro. Find out if you will hit more fairways and gain yards with the long tom. There is an optimum driver shaft length with which golfers will. After a comprehensive overview of my stats last year i came to the conclusion that if i want to get to the next level as a golfer, i am going to have to hit more greens, and that all starts with how i position myself off the tee.
Once the length becomes too long, the golfer starts to hit around the clubface. If youve ever read anything tom wishon has written about driver length, or spoken to your local fitter about the topic, theres a curious statistic that youve probably encountered. A simple way to think about accuracy as it relates to shaft length is to compare the way you hit your wedge to the way you hit your driver. I can kill my 3 wood, and at one point was even considering putting that shaft in my driver just to see what it was. The longer the driver shaft, the higher the clubhead speed, resulting in greater distance. The quest for a more accurate driver practical golf. The long tom is a driver that attempts to tick one box and that is distance. All things being equal, having a longer driver shaft will enable you to swing faster and.
Over the past twenty years, golf club manufacturers have been making clubs stronger meaning they have less loft on the face, and longer so that they can sell hopeful golfers the newest hot weapon that will knock the ball unimaginable distances. That could wreck your golf game tom wishon ricks custom fit. Jan 31, 2017 the stock driver length of most manufacturers taylormade, callaway ping, cobra these days is 45. Should i increase the length and maybe inconsistent as your article indicates or should i stretch more. Pga pro verdict this 48inch beast really did deliver. On how manufacturers have too long shafts in most current drivers. Feb 29, 2016 the driver lengths used on the mens and womens professional tours are worth noting. Since 2005, the average driver length on the pga tour has stood at 44. Perhaps more than anything else, added shaft length has increased driver distances. What is the average driver shaft length of tour pros. The shaft flex regulates to what extent the shaft of your driver should bend whenever your swing it. These threads come out in every forum on a cyclical basis and its true. Using trackman my idea was to test the same golfer, clubhead and golf ball, but change the shaft length. The farther you hit your tee shot, the shorter your next shot will be, giving you the opportunity to use a morelofted club.
Thats why the pros drive the ball, on average, about 294 yards. But most importantly, choose a driver with the most comfortable shaft length for you 46 inches long is better for a senior golfer. Since the mid 2000s, the average driver length on the pga tour has held steady at 44. There is a good chance that your golf clubs are too long. On many web sites i have seen they are all recommending 43 44 driver length yet all the driver companies sell 45,46 and some approaching 47 drivers. Besides just getting my new sterling one length irons ive picked up a new shaft va composites slay 65 stiff to put my driver length at 43.
Measuring four feet in length the usga length limit is 48 for all clubs except putters, the face of each long tom driver is made from a new titanium alloy that is stronger than previous. Check out breeds tip on how to determine whether your driver shaft length is too long or too short. Driving distance in the professional game is longer than it has ever been, but what about the amateur side of things. Aug 03, 2012 3jack experiments with shortening the driver shaft one of the questions i get and i often see on message boards is about shortening the length of the driver. My driver is a players driver, which means that at its 1. Length of shafts according to height in golf sportsrec. There will actually be 2 different versions of the new 2012 cobra long tom driver but both are all about driving for show and letting it fly. The long tom has a blackbird shaft by graffalloy, is packed with technology and has the highest length to weight ratio of any cobra driver, making the long. I took my current driver, which is the titleist d3 8. Wed jan 15, 2014 by dave phillips drivers generally come standard at 4546 inches in length, the longer the driver shaft the potential exists for more distance, theoretically your swing arc would be wider and therefore you could create more speed. Even a standard length club can be too long for the average golfer to achieve. As the driver length got shorter most of the golfers actually gained distance.