Yesterday we dealt with the myth that bigger heads have larger sweet spots and are more forgiving than smaller heads. In today's article, we'll take on the club manufacturers position that longer shafts will hit the ball farther.
We've all heard that the longer the driver shaft the more club head speed you'll generate and the further you'll hit the golf ball. This is the second myth that I want to address. You will only create more club head speed if you are able to swing the longer club at the same swing speed. But this rarely happens. Actually, the opposite is true and was proven in a test with 50 players with varying handicap levels. The results were:
Again, remember that miss-hitting the center results in a loss of yardage. It is easy to understand that the shorter club allows for more coordination in making a golf swing and thereby hitting the center of the club face more frequently. The result, more yards, more often. A byproduct of going to the shorter driver shaft is that directionality improves. So, if you want more distance and accuracy, you'd be advised to consider having the length of your driver professionally fit by a certified fitter/builder. The procedure is to start with your wrist to floor measurement and then the fitter will try different lengths to find what length is most advantageous for your particular physical skills. In other words, with what length shaft do you more consistently hit the ball in the center of the club face? A WTF chart is provided below:
Remember, this is a general guide and a good reference point as a starting place to find the ideal shaft length for a player. Another important aspect of the driver fitting and the ability to hit the ball dead center on the face more consistently is to have the correct club MOI (Moment of Inertia). The good professional fitter includes this as part of the driver fitting.
Don't just take what has been 'fed' to us by the OEM (original equipment manufacturers) as the 'gospel' in regards to equipment performance. Get things checked out and find what truly fits you the best.
J. Griffin, Master Fitter/Builder & PPGS Instructor
Comments
How are they measuring the
How are they measuring the club length?
Blair
If you click this link the
If you click this link the replies by myself and T Medley will give you other links that should tell you all about measuring clubs and your wrist to floor measurement.
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...