Golf digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of. Frank is chief technical advisor to the golf channel and golf digest. I thought i was playing with a shortened driver but when. Every driver golf shaft well every golf shaft has a balance point.
What our customers are looking for is what are the best driver and shaft combinations that we have fit so far in 2019. The lighter weight allows for a longer shaft, but the 3wood shaft is normally cut an inch shorter than the driver to offer more control. Most major manufacturers work with a top shaft company to produce a model to perform with their. You might be surprised that most pros have an average driver shaft length of 44. For men, the standard length of a driver with a steel shaft used to be 43. Jun 04, 2018 every driver golf shaft well every golf shaft has a balance point. This raises the immediate question, why is a relatively tall, obviously highly skilled player using a shorter than standard driver.
However, in 21st century, 45 inches drivers are considered as standard. The gx7 sets up beautifully on the tee and, with a little practice, is actually hittable off the deck. The problem with bombing off the tee and gouging from the rough is that for us average golfers, it only works percent of the time, according to a study done by golf digest and trackman. Or is the measurement taken from the base of the driver head the part touching the ground to the tip of the grip. The swing speed is the main consideration in selecting a driver shaft. Nowadays, with seemingly never ending race to claim longer drives, driver manufacturers have even been selling standard shafts as long as 45 inches. Then, various forums, and ourselves as well publish a list of the best drivers.
This is because you have never been asked it before. Typical shaft weights in 65 grams but some players with fast transitions may like a heavier shaft. Find the right driver shaft length for your game golficity. How to build a long drive driver golf digest videos. This will be one of the best drivers youll every use. The location of the balance point of a shaft will primarily affect the weight feel of a golf club so the club moi or swingweight. The short answer in fitting fairway wood shafts is to choose a shaft that has a little more weight than your driver, and has a slightly softer tip section to get the ball in the air. Irons master clubmaker ralph maltby says that adding 12 inch length can add about 5 to 7 yards in distance for irons. 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. Tiger woods at his longest used a relatively short 43. The athletes competing in the world long drive championship need a special type of driver in order to compete at the highest level. Driver length is important playing the correct length driver will lead to more oncenter shots, and oncenter shots increase driving distance and accuracy. Currently, most male golfers are using 45 to 48 inches drivers, which is the maximum allowed under usga rules of golf.
The longer shaft, which many people assume is an automatic trick to generating more clubhead speed. Tapertip shafts get smaller where the shaft fits into the hosel. Aug 20, 2015 using trackman my idea was to test the same golfer, clubhead and golf ball, but change the shaft length. Get the right shaft to hit your driver straight and long. Watch get more speed with the swish drill golf digest video. For some, a shorter driver shaft might lead to more confidence, more control, and with that, finding the center of the clubface more often. In a recent story for golf digest on his 10 rules for driving, watson offered this thought. But the best golf driver for slow swing speed ought to be lightweight, has longer shaft length perfect for your height, be under the senior shaft drivers flex category, and most importantly, feature the right golf driver loft for seniors.
What you should know before getting a driver fitting this. Rickie fowler just won a tour event using a 43 12inch shaft. 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. The stock driver length of most manufacturers taylormade, callaway ping, cobra these days is 45. Additional test cited by the authors demonstrated that graphite shafts have an advantage over steel regarding distance.
The shaft is always cut to the perfect length, whether you are looking for something standard or would like it customized to suit your playing. Choosing the right shaft length is the most confusing thought to an average golfer. Golf driver length cant be changed when shopping for an off the rack golf driver. We are intrigued every year by the golf digest equipment hot list and which drivers win the gold medals. As golfers continue to seek distance off the tee, many companies have responded by producing drivers with a stock shaft length of 45.
The maximum listed club length is 38 to 39 inches for a youngster who is 5 feet tall. Given that the majority of pga tour players are using driver shaft lengths that are at least halfaninch shorter than the standard length for the. In a test conducted for golf digest by aboutgolf and its 3trak launch monitor, 37 players hit 10 shots with a 44. In actual fact the best driver shafts can add a remarkable number of yards to a shot and can vastly improve the users game. The mitsubishi fubuki jseries is a seriously wellmade and high performing driver for any golfer. Awarded best driver for swing speeds 95 mph 105 mph and for swing speeds 94 mph and below by the golfwrx expert panel featuring topranked club fitters from around the country. Using trackman my idea was to test the same golfer, clubhead and golf ball, but change the shaft length. Drivers increasingly are stretching beyond the standard 45 inches. It may seem surprising but the average driver length on the pga tour is slightly less, at 44. Watch get more speed with the swish drill golf digest. The best drivers of 2020 get specific, meet your needs, address your flaws and enhance your skills. There is no standard, industrywide maximum height for childrens golf clubs, but there is a club length chart for juniors on the website. Dec 01, 2019 when thinking about what length golf clubs to use, specifically the driver, it will depend on if you prioritise distance or accuracy in your long game.
Golf digest has begun their search for the 2021 top 100 club fitters. In reality, the average length of a driver used on tour is 44. This includes recommendations for shaft length, shaft weight, shaft trajectory, shaft spin, and swing weight. Stronger players with faster swings typically elect to use stiffer shafts, for example. Shaft flex is one of those things that you just need to see the golf pro about. Get the right shaft to hit your driver straight and long bombing and gouging. Get the right shaft to hit your driver straight and long d. Golf technical director jeff summitt commented to golf digest equipment editor mike stachura, the juggernaut is strictly for those four out of five people who really dont care about the rules. I excerpt here, for while robert recommends against length in drivers he. Questions on driver spin rate, shaft length, wear out golf.
The average offtherack driver length in 2019 is 45. 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. Have you ever wondered what the average driver shaft length is on the pga tour. The impact of the length of a driver shaft on your game golf digest. But we also know that getting 20 more yards off the tee can drop up to 3 strokes off your game. You can literally create as many profiles as you want for driver woods and ironhybrids. When they say 45 is the standard length for mens drivers is that measurement of the shaft before it goes into the head.
And when we look at their drivers, we typically see one commonality, their driver shaft length. The minimum requirement for this length is usually 2 inches, but some manufacturers incorporate extra parallel tip length on their shafts. From the beginning of the 20th century all the way through to the middle 1980s, the standard mens driver length stood at 43. In the book, materials and science in sports, the authors cite golf digest magazine tests demonstrating that a steel shaft has better directional control than graphite. According to a notice sent to manufacturers in october, golfs ruling bodies are proposing shortening the maximum length of a golf club from 48. The best 2019 driver and shaft combinations dlance golf. Brandspecific adapter sleeves the sleeve that attaches a modern shaft to a modern driver head will be specific to brand and model. Try adding 1 a longer shaft means more width and more swing speed from your driver. When in doubt, err on the side of shorter length for the driver.
Frank is chief technical advisor to the golf channel. Frank frank thomas, inventor of the graphite shaft, is founder of frankly golf, a company dedicated to helping golfers. Counterbalanced driver shafts game improvement golf. Jul 30, 2019 and when we look at their drivers, we typically see one commonality, their driver shaft length. Players with slower swings typically choose shafts with progressively more flex, which. Golfers looking for increased distance can benefit from longer driver lengths 47 to 48 while maintaining a light weight for maximum speed. The impact of the length of a driver shaft on your game. The maximum length of a driver allowed in golfs rules is 48 inches. If you take a shaft and balance it on the tip of your finger, it is the location along the shaft where it balances. Thats the reason equipment companies are rushing to offer drivers with shaft lengths of 46 inches and longer. This is especially useful if you are getting recommendations for family members, or you want to track your fitting recommendations over time.
You can literally create as many profiles as you want for driverwoods and ironhybrids. If driver accuracy is not a problem for you, get a longer shaft. What do half inch long shafts do to your golf shot. They do this because a stiff shaft gives them more control over the clubhead throughout the swing. When thinking about what length golf clubs to use, specifically the driver, it will depend on if you prioritise distance or accuracy in your long game. Apr 02, 2020 subscribe to golf digest on youtube to keep up with all of our latest videos and shows. 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. For men, the majority of drivers that are available in golf stores are lengths of 4512 to 46 inches long. Additional test cited by the authors demonstrated that graphite shafts have an.
Best driver for seniors in 2020 top rated models compared. Ping makes youth sets with drivers as long as 39 inches that are appropriate for 10to11 year olds who are. The average driver length for all the other pros on the pga tour today is 44. Schedule your fitting here to see which driver and shaft combination works best for you swing speed 95105, distance 211250 yards. For everyday golfers a longer shaft isnt necessarily the answer to more distance off the tee. Driver length and composition this is the loop golf digest. The standard length of a mens driver is roughly 43. Subscribe to golf digest on youtube to keep up with all of our latest videos and shows. Dec 21, 2019 the swing speed is the main consideration in selecting a driver shaft. The rogue driver delivers exceptional ball speed from the combination of our new jailbreak technology and xface vft plus increased moi for a breakthrough in driver performance. During a past golf digest hot list summit, we conducted. Find golf shafts from top brands like aldila, golfworks, grafalloy, royal precision, true temper and ust. I took my current driver, which is the titleist d3 8.
However, the average driver length for pga tour players is 4412 inches long. Golf digest senior equipment editor mike stachura answers twitter questions about spin rate, shaft length and more. Oct 12, 2016 the athletes competing in the world long drive championship need a special type of driver in order to compete at the highest level. This weeks fully equipped mailbag takes a closer look.
Rickie fowler finds shorterlength driver to his liking golf digest. Feb 26, 2018 choosing the right shafts for your golf clubs. The maximum length of a driver allowed in golf s rules is 48 inches. Best golf driver for an average golfer bombtech golf. The only driver awarded 20 out of 20 stars in the 2019 golf digest hot list. Ill tell you what, it feels pretty good to step up there with 43. Shaft specifications may vary due to cut length and manufacturer tolerances. Struggling with accuracy off the tee, rickie fowler shaved an inch off his driver length at the honda classic, using a 43. The average driver length on the pga tour is under 45 inches. The longer shaft, which many people assume is an automatic trick to. Rickie fowler shaved an inch off his driver length at the honda. Most average male golfers should consider a driver length of 43 inches to 43. Nov 21, 2015 for some, a shorter driver shaft might lead to more confidence, more control, and with that, finding the center of the clubface more often.
Jan 07, 2015 most average male golfers should consider a driver length of 43 inches to 43. Id only give extra shaft length to those golfers whose typical misses were the edges of the fairway or light. Questions on driver spin rate, shaft length, wear out. Whats the average driver shaft length on the pga tour. Driver shaft length is shorter better than standard length. This could mean the shaft is too long or too heavy.
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