[SHIBUMI]

Driver Equipment has messed up more drives than helped. Yes those 1 in 20 great drives is like gambling. You only remember your wins, but forget all the losses.

I always profess golf lessons, but in this case, change the equipment first then learn how to use it better. The equipment will then not be holding you back from straighter and more consistent drives.

No it's not bigger faces and supposed bigger sweet spots. It's not a new space age metal discovered on the moon trips. It's not a super duper shaft material with various flexes. Standard sold drivers are just too long. And golfers regularly accept the length as not being the problem. This and not the proper grip size have killed more drives than any swing error.

When a driver is too long you give up accuracy for occasional distance. Now if that make you happy enjoy the fantasy. And club makers are banking on you enjoying that 1 in 20 went farther drives year in and year out. Wake up. Hitting the driver should not be like hitting the lottery.

The best players thru out history are the winners of the most events, all drive the ball very very well controlled and long. They had a golf swing. But they changed their equipment to promote accuracy as well.

Evidently, 1/2 to 1 inch shorter driver length did that for them. Nicklaus driver
43-44 inches, Woods 43 1/2 to 44 1/2, Snead 43. Now today's drivers come 45 to 46 inches standard. So why would they give up distance. They did not. They all had a good golf swing and distance was a by product. They wanted accuracy as well. And that small change created better drives. Unbelievable! Yes throw Scottie in there at 1/2 inch shorter as well. They all must know something we don't. They know that the driver is a game of inches also. And the driver sets the tone of play on a hole.

So, you can put tape on your driver face or powder to see where the ball gets struck or you can just watch the ball, my preference. The ball tells all, it goes crooked or straighter. Not that complicated.

And it's not about choking down, that process changes your swing and grip feel.
But it will give you an indicator to get it cut down. And while the pundits will say it changes the swing weight and shaft flex, you wont notice it. They used to say one swing weight is the weight of a dime. If you can feel the weight of a dime or two
we will see you on the tour. Just enjoy the better drives.

It may only take 1/2 inch off to reach your nirvana off the tee. I would recommend not messing your swing up before doing that first. Enjoy the fairways more off the tee.

[Sparky99]

2 foot putt is worth just as much.....

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by Sparky99

2 foot putt is worth just as much.....

Sadly, that's not true.

Statistically, your Drive is approximately twice as important to scoring as your putting.

Mr. Shibumi is correct. Driving is one of the most important skills on the golf golf course for amateurs and there's no reason the average golfer should be using a 45" driver ... or ... any driver for that matter. He's also correct, that the Swingweight won't change dramatically ... although at +/- 1", the shaft flex will (every 1" of length on a driver, is approximately 1/2 flex difference).

I would bet any amount of money, that 10 random golfers in The Villages, using a 42"-43" Driver (or a 3 Wood) off the Tee, would skunk any other team of 10 golfers in TV.

[justjim]

Interesting information. Instead of spending money on a new 43” driver would “choking” a bit on my current driver help any?

[SHIBUMI]

and if it does get 1/2" cutoff and try it. If it works great.probably a 15$ fix.if it's still off get another 1/2" off. Cheaper than driver. Sarasota Pro Shop will do this.

I would not take more than 1" off--- if not working better at that point you need a driver lesson.

Originally Posted by justjim

Interesting information. Instead of spending money on a new 43” driver would “choking” a bit on my current driver help any?

[Michael G.]

I think I'll just go out golfing with my mix bags of clubs, enjoy the game and camaraderie of friends.
Save the $$$$$ on expensive matching set of clubs, and don't get excited when I duff my drive.

Your Welcome

[Hape2Bhr]

Originally Posted by justjim

Interesting information. Instead of spending money on a new 43” driver would “choking” a bit on my current driver help any?

"Gripp down" is better terminology; "choking" with respect to golf is a negative connotation.

[BrianL99]

So I played with a shortened driver today. Shot 71 from the Blues at TDS.

Before you run out & cut down your driver, here's the "why" for me & the results.

I've been hitting my 3 Wood very well & it had a "different feel" than my Driver. It felt "lighter", even though a 3 Wood head is usually heavier than a Driver. I sensed I could swing it better and get it "higher" on the backswing.

I had an extra after-market shaft for my driver, that I didn't love. I was a little too "live" for my tastes. It was already 1/2" shorter than my regular driver shaft. I cut it down another 1/2" and put a new grip on it.

It felt more like my 3 wood (being an inch shorter, the swingweight dropped at least 3-4 points. Also by shortening it, I stiffened the flex about 1/2 a flex, so it was more like a semi-stiff shaft.

I lost about 2 mph in clubhead speed (I had my launch monitor with me at the course today). I gained about 2 mph in "ball speed", which equates to about a 4 yard gain. My Smash Factor increased from a typical 1.45 to 1.49. I didn't miss a fairway.

So under the right circumstances, shortening your driver can certainly be beneficial.

[SHIBUMI]

Nice round------- now where would you get an idea like that....lol

keep it up........great to find the center of the club face .sweet....very sweet......... no bogeying the par 5's anymore!

Originally Posted by BrianL99

So I played with a shortened driver today. Shot 71 from the Blues at TDS.

Before you run out & cut down your driver, here's the "why" for me & the results.

I've been hitting my 3 Wood very well & it had a "different feel" than my Driver. It felt "lighter", even though a 3 Wood head is usually heavier than a Driver. I sensed I could swing it better and get it "higher" on the backswing.

I had an extra after-market shaft for my driver, that I didn't love. I was a little too "live" for my tastes. It was already 1/2" shorter than my regular driver shaft. I cut it down another 1/2" and put a new grip on it.

It felt more like my 3 wood (being an inch shorter, the swingweight dropped at least 3-4 points. Also by shortening it, I stiffened the flex about 1/2 a flex, so it was more like a semi-stiff shaft.

I lost about 2 mph in clubhead speed (I had my launch monitor with me at the course today). I gained about 2 mph in "ball speed", which equates to about a 4 yard gain. My Smash Factor increased from a typical 1.45 to 1.49. I didn't miss a fairway.

So under the right circumstances, shortening your driver can certainly be beneficial.

[Sparky99]

1. Master Your Setup

• Ball Position: Place the golf ball inside your lead heel (left heel for right-handed golfers) to catch it on the upswing.
• Spine Tilt: Tilt your upper body slightly away from the target so your head and sternum are behind the ball. Push your lead hip toward the target slightly and let your trail shoulder drop lower than your lead shoulder.
• Stance Width: Adopt a wide stance (wider than your shoulders) with your weight balanced comfortably.
• Arm Alignment: Rest your trail arm loosely against your body with your elbow pointing down toward your hip, keeping your shoulders square rather than twisting open. For additional setup adjustments, check out tips from GOLF.com.

2. Check Your Backswing

• Turn Behind the Ball: Rotate your lead shoulder under your chin so that it gets over your trail leg, winding up your upper body while keeping a stable head position.
• Maintain the Power Line: Form a balanced line from your lead foot up through your lead knee and lead shoulder at the top of the backswing, avoiding excessive head drift or a too-vertical posture.

3. Transition and Upward Strike

• Sweep Upwards: Unlike irons—where you strike down into the turf—the driver requires you to sweep the ball cleanly off the tee on a slightly positive (ascending) angle of attack.

[SHIBUMI]

Lead shoulder over trail leg is nice if you can do it. Most long drivers pick up their left heel on the backswing to do that. Then push it down into the ground on the downswing so the ground acts like a trampoline. The harder they push the harder the ball gets hit.

Ball position can be changed if you want to draw or fade the ball.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by SHIBUMI

Lead shoulder over trail leg is nice if you can do it.

A sure way to introduce a sway and screw up the weight shift for Seniors or those who are weight challenged.

[bobmarc]

This video is short and will help u understand the swing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQVFhqAKcMg

[SHIBUMI]

Sounds like he is or was a student of Homer Kelly and the Golfing Machine book.
Yes thats what happens in a golf swing

But, there is no thinking in the golf swing. Its all feels. Two or three feels unleashes all of that. And thats why you take golf lessons to get those feels and not think about what they create. Thinking will drive you into a straight jacket or as we say a Trip with Alice down the rabbit hole.

Find your feels and all that science will happen....... nice video

What do you think about in the golf swing...nothing..you repeat your feels

Originally Posted by bobmarc

This video is short and will help u understand the swing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQVFhqAKcMg