Driver length

[Jb50]

I've cut down a driver by about 1". Did this so I could swing it freely in my garage with low ceiling. I could swing it before but would just barely miss my ceiling. This was an older R7 draw driver and not the one I use on IRL rounds. With the shorter club length, for the most part, I hit it better. I hit more in the center than my longer driver. However, I lose a lot of distance with it. I'm sure the shorter shaft has some to do with that but I would also believe center hits would somewhat even that out. I'm thinking that I changed the swing weight quite a bit. So my question is, does anyone know how much swing weight I would need to add to the head? I also have read that I probably changed the stiffness of the shaft by cutting it down. Again it's an R7 Draw which I cut down to about 44". I believe it came off the shelf with a 45" shaft, 55 g shaft weight, regular shaft with 3.9 shaft torque and a D0 swing weight.

[DirtyGarry24]

I've been using 44" length on driver for several years now. Personally I don't really lose distance. Depending on the setup I have added some lead tape to some if it feels too light. It's a feel thing for me and I can't answer the swing weight questions. If you get the weight right you may find that the shorter length is the best way to go.

[Jb50]

Thanks for the reply Gary. I think I'll try some lead tape. Any thoughts on how much to start with and where to position it on the clubhead?

[DirtyGarry24]

I put a couple 3 inch strips down the center perpendicular to the face. Keep in mind that depending on the sole design it could be hard to do this and keep it neutral. For instance you could also change flight characteristics if you put weight in a certain spot. I tried to keep mine neutral.

[Yrrdead81]

If you are hitting middle (foot spray) and still losing a "lot" of distance than you just aren't swinging as fast. My ball speed and clubhead speed changes from 1-1.5" shaft changes were pretty negligible (assuming good strikes).

[Jb50]

I haven't used foot spray but it does feel like I'm a lot more consistent with my ball strikes. I had been using it strictly for sim use until about two weeks ago. I brought it out to the course and noticed I lost about 20 yards on what I thought were good swings and contact. Another note was I was in play the whole round. Mostly in the fairway as opposed to my longer driver which I tend to spray. Fighting a nasty hook right now is why I'm considering trying the shorter driver again. Probably all mental.

[Jb50]

Never though of putting it perpendicular. I'll take a look at the sole and see if I can do that.

[wbond]

If you're fighting a hook, put it out on the toe side. I pretty much only hit a draw and i put the lead tape a little toe side of my M1 to keep the draw down. It does make a difference for me. If you cutoff 1", that will be about 6 SW points. I think the heavier lead tape is 1"=1gr and it takes 2gr to equal 1 SW pt. So you need 12" of tape. Good thing with the tape, it's easy to try in different positions. Golfworks sells weights for R series as well, probably easier and less obtrusive than that much tape. If you're more hitting the center more consistently, you shouldn't see a big drop in distance and more than likely will actually see your average come up. I think more people would benefit from a shorter driver.

[Jb50]

I'm not sure if my weights can be change on this driver. It wasn't an adjustable R7. It was bought setup as a draw. That's a lot of lead tape.