Is a Shorter Length Driver Better for Your Game? // Driver Length Distance & Accuracy Test 

I am 6' 2" and switched to a 44" driver about a month ago and couldn't be happier. At first, I lost about 5 yards of distance on average but my number of fairways went up by 25% right away. As I have built more and more confidence with the club, my distance has also increased to the point where I am hitting it about 10 yards further.

These tests always seem to be done with decent quality players. I'd love to see this with a mid-handicapper. I anticipate these results would be stronger in favour of shorter drivers.

I LOVE THIS because everyone that has a high handicap are not bad iron players often it's the driver. I went to a shorter driver and my handicap dropped, so THANK YOU for this video

Tried a shorter driver, 44.75 no weight added. Hit my handicap of 7. Straighter drives off the tee. No loss of distance..Happy days. Great vid, thanks guys.

this has to be one of the best golf channels for explaining tech and how it works.

Love it when TXG demonstrates a concept. It's one thing to talk about it, but to show it helps me learn it.

Fantastic info!....I dropped to a 44.25" shaft after watching your video a couple years ago, game changer in terms of accuracy & distance.👍

Hi Lads, video perfectly backs me up on the 'nonsense' i have been saying to my playing partners. Got a Taylormade M5 at 8.5* that i changed the shaft to a 43.25" Tensei Red S (50g) instead of 45.75" Tensei Orange S (60g). Jump in Efficiency from 1.25 to 1.44 average and very similar swing speed (within 109 instead of 110) End result is 12.9* launch angle, 2300rpm spin, about 160mph ball speed and hitting nearly every fairway i try for. Thanks for the backup :)

I love the way Matt says he would "consider it"...What's to consider? Longer and more consistent. The ego is a strange thing. I would imagine 44" and no more would be the deal.

When I got fitted for my PingG400 the Ping fitter put me in a 1” shorter shaft (44 3/4) it made a huge difference in my strike and dispersion...I’m hitting more fairways and no lose of distance!

This is so spot on. I just made a switch in length in my driver. I switched from a 68g 45" shaft to a 77g 44-1/4" length to maintain my D3 swingweight. The heavier shaft allowed me to not have to add so much weight to the head and balance the club better. Otherwise it felt like I was swinging a 25lb sledge hammer. Anyway, I have seen on the average a 40% increase in fwy's hit and have not lost any distance. Maybe increased it because of efficiency. This has changed my game. I recommend everybody trying this for themselves. I believe they will be surprised and probably would game it. Thanks for the great videos.!

You guys.... keep doing what you're doing, so much good information!!

Great content as usual! Guilty as charged as someone who has cut down a shaft without taking the proper steps afterward to adjust the swingweight.

Great test....I got fitted into a 44.5, from 45.75, I've had similar results, more center of face contact = better efficiency. Also, I think side spin control is vastly improved, even on slight heel/toe strikes, due to the stiffer shaft result of shortening. It would have been nice to see, a 46.5 inch setup in this test to help the "off the shelf" buyers realize the importance of a quality fitting. Thanks for all the great work Ian and Matt!! Chris Rogge - Minneapolis

I am glad I found this. I lopped off 1 inch and changed the grip (removed the arccoss sensor) from my Cobra King F9 (D3) totalling nearly 2 full inches and substantial weight off of the grip end of the shaft. Per Ians assessment that's nearly 12 swing weight points, my driver has been pretty terrible since - makes sense because its about C1. I thought it was me, some lead tape seemed to fix it!

Gents--you both have great swings. As an older player, I admire your swings and lengths. I've lost distance but can still put it out there. I would love to see more vids that show players with slower club head speeds than Matt. Maybe someone in the 100-105 mph. Thanks for considering.

I got fitted for a Titleist TS3 at the Titleist Performance Institue in California... We tested all sorts of combinations. I am 6'4" with long arms and generate pretty good clubhead/ball speed. The final two tweaks he tried were the first of the day where he didn't tell me what changes he was making. He gave me a 44.5 and a 45 and compared the results to the (standard) 45.5 ... He swapped back and forth a few times and it turned out the 45" absolutely gave me not only the tightest dispersion but actually slightly longer distance than the shaft 0.5" longer. Was not surprised by more control but was surprised not to lose distance. The differences weren't enormous, but they were consistent. Ordered it, and am *so* happy with it a year later. Didn't imagine a shorter shaft would be part of my solution.

Hi guys, one more great video. I got the F9 tour version last year, with more weight put in the head. Whent from 102-104 ss to 100-102 but in average gained 8 mtr. And im finding way more fairway/first cut. So works great for me. Big thx from Denmark, keep up the exillent work. Hope you are getting out in the open and play some, now CA is open again. Be safe both of you. Best regards from Per S - DK

Went down to 44" on my driver and I found it more controlable for me. SS went down from 115 mph to about 113 mph but ball speed and length actually went up as my smash factor went up to 1.44 from 1.39. So far its working well for me. Maybe when I get a little better I will try to go back up to the 45" range but for the foreseeable future I am liking the fairway to much!

Great video, guys. I've been a proponent of the shorter shaft length for a long time. I think I first learned about it from Tom Wishon. It really does work. And thanks for mentioning the corrections with weight and flex that happen when the length is shortened. Keep up the good work.

Great stuff fellas! I put my 3 wood shaft into my F9 driver last week and added the 18 gram weight and 10 gram weight. I didn't really lose any distance and hit some straighter drives. Cobra's sleeve can be switched between fairways and drivers unlike some other manufacturers. Awesome stuff!

Strike is still king! Long driver shafts are still stupid for most golfers. Also under the stress of competition every factor magnifies. Been playing at 43.75 D2 for years but my golfing buddies are unwilling to change their point of view from the rough.

Can you do a follow up video on the build of the shorter club. And show how all the weight got put in it.

Would love to see a similar video on iron shaft length! Keep up the great work guys - TXG is easily on the most interesting and educational golf channels on RU-vid 👍🏻

Hi, great vid. Went for a fitting for a driver at Golf Principles in the UK about 5 years ago, shortened my driver by an inch to 44.5" and added another 10 grams in head to compensate...absolute game changer. Recently changed to the Mavrik head and was 'lockdown bored' so tried with the standard 5g weight, was all over the place, amazing what difference 10g makes...so important you get a fitter who knows what he's doing to help. Cheers guys keep the great content coming

Excellent video, I have been advocating this forever and no one believes me. I personally only play at 44.5" Well done , absolutely convinced now. Thank you

I'm gaming a PG400 LST driver, With a rouge silver 60 at 43 3⁄4 playing length, head weight is 212 grams That brought it up to D3 swing weight, Its the best thing I've ever done, hitting more fairways Any distance loss is negligible. Best RU-vid channel out there !!!!!!

I have a Sim Max that was built to their standard length (Hzrdus Smoke Green 70x). A few weeks ago I was experimenting choking up a couple inches which puts it a shade under 44”. I love it, I think I am actually hitting it farther and this video went a long way in explaining why. I also feel like I have more confidence to go after it a little more and still be hitting the center of the club face. Great video.

Love the results, just what you'd expect. Even though the longer driver seemed to have the ability to get out there a little further, variability in strike point brings down the overall average. Seems like Matt could maybe be a 44"-44.5" guy. I've always loved the ability to add head weight as well, not only to compensate for the shorter length but to move CG around even more.

I've got a Cobra F8 playing at 44" right now. Has improved my strike massively.

I've noticed with the 44.5" driver I'm playing now I seem to be less over the top which has helped me straighten my slice. Purchased additional heavier weight to bring swing weight back to D2. So far so good.

I played a 43.5 inch driver for several years now. I noticed the first few months my speed was slightly slower with the shorter length, but what I noticed was as the years went on and I kept hitting the middle time after time with the shorter length, my confidence grew and I was able to swing even faster without worrying about missing the center.

So I’m a 12 handicapper. Been using a TM R11 driver until this July. Switched to the TM SIM. I’ve went from consistently straight, 250 yards to going right, 225 yards. The SIM is 1/2” longer. Really glad to see this video. Confirms what I was thinking

Excellent info Loads of people have shortened shafts without replacing weight and junked it after 1 round...

I got fitted by Club Champion into a 45” Ventus Blue 7x for my TS2. Maintained swing speed at ~115 but gained strike and delivery improved.

Great video. I always get my drivers cut down, ranging from 43"-44.5". I think I've settled on 44", works most optimally balancing between not losing too much distance while finding more fairways. Getting the swingweight back up is always the biggest challenge, but fortunately in Arizona there are a lot of good fitters around.

I have been hitting mostly Cleveland and Taylor Made drivers with regular shafts and gram weights of around 280. I have always thought that the shaft was the most important part of the club in fitting out your feel. The heads were mostly 440 cc or 460 cc and the shafts measured out at around 45 3/4 inches. However, sometimes the weight of the head did not match up with the shaft. I am now experimenting with a 460 cc head and a R 45 inch shaft. These were not fitted clubs, but off the rack or barrel. Now, in watching your video, it is best to match up head, shaft, and length. Excellent video!

I am playing with a Ping G 410 SFT driver at 43.5 inches long. Seems to be perfect for me. My control and quality of strike are by far better than anything longer. Good review. Joe

I had my Oban shaft shortened in order to hit more fairways but never had additional weight added to the head? I certainly found more of the right side of the course.... this was a two year experiment which ultimately led me to a new lighter shafted driver with standard head. It was the M2 + Matrix Ozix white. 50g. A massive difference to me personally. Good review of the issue chaps.👏🏻

How about running this test at the lighter C swing weight? For myself, lighter swing weight didn’t make much difference. I liked it.

Would've been interesting to see him struggling with the club with a cut down shaft in it without the work to make it balanced, and then balance it. Show off how much the build really matters!

Playing the new SZ at 44.5”! Better overall feel. Good strikes too!

I bought a King LTD, put it on a Black-Rie 60-gram standard length shaft, and was working it hard to reduce spin. Shots were just ballooning out no matter where I hit. I switched to a Hzrdus Black 70 gran plus 1, and am hitting longer, and straighter drives than before. Of course, practice and lessons helped tremendously!!!

My old driver was 45 3/4" and I always struggled to get comfortable swinging it. It was mainly a visual thing. Every time I pulled it out of the bag I'd think "there's no way I can swing this VW Beetle-on-a-stick." And invariably, I couldn't. My new driver is 45" and the difference was immediate. The new one no longer 'looks' too big to swing; it doesn't 'feel' cumbersome in my hands. Every time I pull it out of the bag I think "I can really swing this thing." And invariably, I do. :-)

For a senior, especially, who uses a 3-W off the tee…. Instead of going to the new TM 300 mini, is a shorter shaft and driver head a better option? Love your channel

Always great information! Went back to my fitter, having some issues squaring up my sim max. We went 10gms lighter on the shaft and went to the sim max D. Picked up 5 mph ball speed!

I have a Callaway Rogue Sub-Zero with an 18g in the front and 12g in the back with a 6.5 HZRDUS Yellow. Adding the extra weight definitely helped making this a more consistent and predictable club compared to the 2 and 5 I bought it used with

44.5” here and have been down to 44.25” in the past...and I’m 6’4” with over length irons. Not sure I’ll ever go back to anything over 45” and just feels like I’m swinging a fishing rod at that longer length. 😬 Matt, (my fellow lefty)...cut it down and don’t look back!

I wish you guy were in Oz . I recently switch from a M3 to a Mini Drive to gain some accuracy and confidence off the tee. Seems to have worked so I’m now going to try a driver again and see if the strike stays similar and I get a little more distance. May be a short lived experiment

U guys are the real deal!!!

Made this exact change last week to my M3. Easy to add the weight back into the head using the track system. Distance is the same accuracy is far tighter.

Thank you for bringing Tour Van knowledge to us average Joes. Another awesome and eye opening video.

Yet again, fantastic content and a real insight into your vast knowledge, if only every club-fitter was as knowledgeable.

For me personally I've actually seen the opposite of what Matt was saying with regards to more club head speed. When I got fitted originally for my Sim2 I was swinging around 95mph but I had to slow down to 85ish to maintain accuracy. We cut 2 1/4 inches off my driver and now I have so much more control I can comfortably get to 97+ mph with better accuracy (no change in head weight however so that could be a factor)

Great video again, this confirms what happened when I tried out a slightly shorter driver and for the first time in my life, hit every single fairway. I´ve since bought the same club, just waiting for it to arrive :)

I'm 6' 1" and play a 43.5" driver. I do hit way more fairways and have not lost distance. I did add (6) grams to the head as the one I use has changeable weights. I played with the setup at the range between weight and loft and found a good fit and feel for me.

I play the f9 at 44.25 and haven't lost distance because of the change in technology (my last driver was the original m1). It is so easy to hit the centre of the face!

You guys provide some great information for your viewers. I’m learning all sorts of stuff that I never knew since subscribing 👌 love your work

For me, with my swing and a standard Epic, shortening from 45.25" to 44.5" made me more accurate. I have done a lot of work on my swing and when we are able to practice again to get back into the groove I had wondered what would happen if I went back to the longer shaft. Not sure there is much point from this video

Do you guys ever show what you do in the build shop? I would have like to see the process for this video

I think this some what answers the question of should you shorten your club or choke down. From another video i watched, choking down effects the swing weight almost the same as just shortening the shaft. So choking down could actually put your swing weight into a C8 / Undesirable situation. Cutting and reweighting the club like they showed really seems like the proper way to shorten a club for more accurate ball striking.

Have you guys ever discussed MOI fitting rather than swingweight fitting? Would be interesting in this discussion.

I noticed it a couple videos ago and now I can't stop seeing Dyanmic Loft spelled wrong lol Great video as always gents!

That strike pattern was nutty! Great video guys

I'm 6-foot-5 so I have to play longer shaft, I go plus 2 inches. Just picked up my new Mavrik Max today, can't wait to test it out. Of course, you know how it goes, I played in a scramble Monday and hit the crap out of my Rogue that I just traded in. Had a couple bombs including one that was right around 290.

I am 5’7’’ and cut down my Ping driver. Your Vido gives the feel that you don’t like a shorter driver even with good results. You never stated how tall the hitter is, and discuss any ratio between club length and player height. As a short kid playing baseball, I played a shorter bat. At 5’7’’ why would I hit the same length driver as a 6’ tall players? The geometry and timing is completely different.

Wacked a 44inch shaft in a couple months ago was ok when the swing was at the peak of the season but since returning after covid lossing the head, whacked 9grams of lead tape looking forward to playing tomorrow.

When I got back into golf and did some reading about shaft lengths and shorter drivers actually helping my driver at the time was a ping anser and I cut it down to 42.5 and went from slicing to hitting slight fades. Switched from that driver to a Wilson staff c300 and again cut this one down but this time to 43.5 and after fixing my take away because I found I was opening my club face to much in my take away, I basically eliminated missing right because I was drawing everything including my driver now. This year I’ve switched drivers again to a cobra speedzone and before cutting it down I went and hit it and stock length which was 45” and was still drawing it but occasionally had the miss right. Regripped it and cut it down to 44”. With my Wilson that was at 43.5” I still had 260-270 yards of carry with it rolling out to 280-290 which is plenty deep enough for me. Once I read that most tour pros use drivers under 45” to help with dispersion I decided I was going to as well. I don’t feel like I’m losing any distance and now get the ball in the fairway more often which makes the game more fun. Keep up the great videos guys! Love the content.

As a senior golfer (73) who has lost distance over the years, I recently purchased a new shaft for my driver that makes the total length 47.5”. I have found that I can choke down on the driver about 1.5” and hit a lower trajectory shot that produces a straight or slight draw shot. Swinging at full length the shot pattern changes to a slight fade with a higher trajectory. I decide which grip position on each tee box depending on the shape of the fairway and the wind. There is not much difference in distance on either of the shots with the new shaft, but both go longer than my 45.5” shaft. Obviously, I don’t have the swing speed that Matt has.

I really do like this review of "tour" length versus longer... During my fittings (and on course verification), I definitely have better overall results with a driver at 44.5" versus longer. The potential for more distance is there when I do hit it well with the longer club, but it is easily offset by the better "average" drive with the 44.5" driver. I did also have to add a significant amount of weight to keep the SW up. Excellent coverage of this topic, guys.

Ok. it would be great if you did your science showing the effect of different grip weights on the same iron . I would driver, but there are a lot more of those in the bag. If you think about it...it's the cheapest way to "upgrade" your clubs. And, when you buy clubs in a fitting -- you spend all that time and at the end it's "what grips would you like" -- without any indication or thought whatsoever of how it will impact your ball flight. From personal experience I will tell you that when I went from MCCs to Tour Wraps (cause I wanted "softer"), it was a huge change and I lost a ton of control and went from 5 yards left on a 7 iron to 15 yards left.

As always great content. I switched to a tensi orange from a stock alta in my G410 driver. The tensi is a little shorter but i hit it higher a little further and most important straighter!!

One of the things that led me to TXG was using my wife’s Ping i something or other, for 9 holes. It’s lighter and shorter than the driver I was using at the time, a Titleist 925 D, the relic, as Chris Kendall called it. The Rogue driver with a Mitsubishi shaft he fitted me with has been incredible but the one thing I wonder about occasionally is how a shaft

@TXG Tour Experience Golf, with reduced swing weight and a steeper lie from the shorter shaft, will I need more or less loft to produce similar ball flight? I typically play 10 degrees with my 46" shaft, which has been cut down to 44.5". Thank you for what you guys do! Your channel is amazing!

Such a valuable video. I enjoy your videos more than any other golf videos out there. Have to re-ask a question that's been posed several times below. Why the heck don't you change to a 44" or 43.5" driver?! Your answer that "it's only 30 swings / 20 minutes" is honestly a cop out, because 1) the first video with even more conclusive results was from 2 years ago, and 2) you didn't hesitate to say you'd only consider 44.5", not shorter. The reason is ego - no need to hide from that - but you are undermining the credibility of your own fitting process. Still valuable info, for sure, but strange that your own findings are dismissed for your own game.

Matt is an optimal candidate for this, as are many tour players, as they can swing heavy clubs. My guess is 99% of the internet that plays shorter shafts has cut 1"- 1 1/2" off their shaft from the butt and not added weight back - and that is what they are swinging. Jack played a 43.5" driver his entire Major winning life and we know how that turned out - he hit 300 yard high fades at will and was the best driver in history. For me, I play mine at 45.25" and I can repeatedly play a fade in control - it's the long high draw that's the problem with that length of shaft - that's why I carry a 13.5 degree 3 wood if I need to play a draw.

An unbelievable set of ball striking with the 43.5 inch wow. Got most distance 330 as well.

I used to play a Cobra ZL with a circa 3w length shaft as an experiment. Did not go quite as long but it was certainly a fairway finder. Worked great for a spell before going back to 44.5” R9 Supertri

I get extra weights for the Ping 410 on Ebay and dual weight the head. It allows me to achieve any swing weight for any shaft length. I have 3.5x2, 4.0, 4.5. 5.5, 6.5, 8 and a 12.

42 5/8 length driver shaft. Fairway finder no loss of distance at all.

for the last few years I've ordered my drivers with a heavier, stiffer, and 1" shorter shaft. I believe it's helped a ton.

I play my F9 at 43.5" - and the biggest thing for me is how much more upright at address it makes me, and also the plane of my swing. Sooo much better than with the stock shaft in there. Distance is about the same, but I'm definitely more consistent shorter.

I’m 5’0 and use a 43 1/2 inch driver. Im a 24 year old male who never grew past 5’0 lol. When I went to my local golf town to get a new driver because I could not hit mine straight they hooked me up on a launch monitor and the pro quickly picked up on how awkward I swing a standard men’s 45” driver. So he went to the store front and grabbed a women’s driver at 43 1/2 inches and told me to try that instantly I felt a difference and saw a difference. Now he said you can’t swing a women’s driver you’ll break it as I swing about 103mph club head speed. So he cut my driver down to 43 1/2” regripped it and i have never turned back since. I’m still in the market for a new driver but now I have my 5-6 fairway wood and my driver cut to 43 1/2 and I love them both!

AK Anthony Kim One Inch Under Taught me that watch old videos of him see how much he chokes up and still bomed it over 320 all day long!

Did this with a 23* hybrid and it was magic. Built in yo 38.5 inches and it was the perfect 4 iron replacement

is there a video that gives an in-depth explanation of the metrics you guys use? I love your videos, I’d just like to understand the mechanics a bit better. thanks!

I’d love to see this with a mid to high handicap. You could probably give Matty a 42 inch driver and wouldn’t see much difference if it was weighted properly. Need to see this test with someone like us mere mortals. 🤣🤣🤣 cheers boys. Great content. Always.

Been researching this subject as well. Back in the day I used a Probe Driver at 44 and was a 4 hdcp. Now much older but very fit I have a love hate with my current G425Max. I'm going go give this a try soon. Thanks for a very informative video.

5' 8" and had been using a 44 inch shaft in my drivers for the last 10 years, but recently started getting shafts 45 inches. Just picked up a G410 SFT (45 3/4") and think I'll choke down an inch rather than actually having it cut short.

Question: You showed how Tiger's setup of his driver is different from Rory's. Specifically Tiger going accuracy vs Rory's distance. Is there any chance you might be able to show how to setup other drivers like that? Maybe how to setup a TS3 or Ping driver for accuracy or distance. It would be cool to know how to setup one's driver towards either distance or accuracy. Cheers!

I have an M1 440 that has a Rouge Silver that is tipped about 3/4 and it's a control freak. Can you do a video on the difference of cutting on opposite ends?

Love to know what would happen if you were to make a 43.5” 430cc driver with a tad more loft like an older school driver, was interested in trying that with a ts4 😅😅

Fitted Ping G400 Tour AD MT-6s at 44.5” and it’s a fairway finder and decent length, mates always envious when I’m on the tee

Hi guys. I purchased a new full set of Mizunos and hate the driver. It has 10.5 deg loft which means that L create high spin causing it to go steeply up, has a really short shaft 43.5inch and sprays and has no guts when I finally manage to get a ' good ' strike. At the fitting the Mizuno rep and our club pro agreed that I needed 1 inch long and 2 degrees flat for the irons and I expected this to flow into the rest of the Driver, 5 wood and 3 rescue. Haven't been able to get back to the fitting room due to Covid restrictions here in Australia. Each of my old drivers were 45 inches or longer and I was much more consistent and longer. My impression is that the head is really light and just feels as if it flicks through. At the moment I've dialled it down to the lowest setting to try to get some penetration of flight. This video is very interesting if the head should have extra weight. I feel I need a standard Mizuno shaft at 45 or 45.5 inches as listed on their website

I was just fit for a new Taylormade Stealth driver and the fitter is shortening the Aldila Ascent Red shaft to 44.5. The shaft is standard 46 inches so we'll see if it makes a big difference. In the fitting he just had me gripping down on the shaft. I've never been to a fitting before but I was surprised they didn't have something on hand that was shorter. The shaft is stiff flex so from what these guys are saying that should make it more like and extra stiff flex I would think. Either way I'm excited for a new driver. I know technology has come a long way in these driver heads over the 8 years which is how old my current Titleist driver is. BTW, I'm 5'11 and wrist to floor is 35 inches.

Great video... I’ve got a shorter g400 lst that I can’t replace because of how good the efficiency is. I sometimes see ratios above 1.50 on trackman.

Shortened ALL my clubs a couple of years ago - game changer.

Love this video. How can you tell if you need to think about a shorter shaft? Still think Matt would look better with the 410. LOL

Guys at titleist Canada fit me 1 inch shorter, definitely hitting more fairways and honestly haven’t noticed any loss in distance

Playing 44.25 its absolutely incredible. So much more ballspeed and so much better contact. Fairway finder. Will never hit a 45 again