Shorter Drivers … The Way to Drive

Continuing on with the PPGS golf school at The PGA Teaching and Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida, only one student showed up with a driver shorter than today's standards. He had already cut his driver down to 43 ½ inches as per my suggestions that have been written in these articles. The other seven students all had drivers ranging from 45 inches to 46 inches and the driver was the one club that they just could not hit.

Let's recall a little history about club fitting. The standard driver length, up till the late 1980s was 43 to 43 ½ inches. Today, the standard driver length is 45, 45 ½ and 46 inches. I know over the years the population is getting a little taller with each generation, but I don't think tall enough to really need these extra long increases in the 'standard length.' And, let us not forget all of us who have played years ago with the 43 inch length wooden drivers, and are still the same height today and are trying to hit these longer metal behemoths. I ask all of you to sit back and recall how you hit those baby length, smaller head, wooden drivers compared to today's giants. How mush easier was it to swing with control, how much more solid and straight did you hit it, and how much longer did you hit it? What about your misses? I bet they were also a lot better.

The one student who had already cut down his driver was very pleased with his improved driving, using his now shorter driver. After seeing my 43 ½ driver we had our first amputation on the first day, cutting down a 46 incher to a meager 44 by Art who is well over 6 feet tall. He saw immediate improvement in swinging easier with more balance, swing speed and solid contact. All of these improvements added up to much straighter and longer ball flight. The point he liked best was that his good shots were better and more often, but the real best benefit was that he hit way less bad shots and they were way less bad. His misses were better.

You see, we never seem to think about anything in terms of bad. But I assure you in golf, especially with the driver, less bad is definitely good. There is a saying in golf that deals with good and bad. It goes something like this, 'The player who wins doesn't hit every shot good or perfect. They're the player whose bad shots were the least bad.' Another axiom is, 'He or she who misses it best wins.' It has been rumored that Ben Hogan was fond of saying these things. As we all know, he was known for his ball striking and control.

By the last day of the school we had 3 more drivers reduced in size to 44 inches for a total of 4 players now using a driver 1 ½ to 2 inches shorter. Their handicaps ranged from 3 to 20. They all saw instant improvement in their balance, control and direction, along with big reductions in their misses and bad shots. They had less of them and they were less bad. Not too shabby for shedding a few inches that did not affect the flex and only cost $15.00. And they got a new grip.

A few months ago, in one of these daily articles, I put out a challenge to all golfers over 60 years old, 5feet 10 inches or shorter and who are swinging drivers over 44 inches long, to go and try hitting a ladies driver and report the results. Factoring out the probability that the shaft might be to weak/flexible, I was more interested in them feeling the better balance and control and ease of swinging the shorter driver, as well as likely feeling they could swing it faster with less effort than with their longer driver. The results reported were all positive for better balance, control and ball striking. They hit more good shots, less bad ones and better missed hits. Good to better golf is about hitting good misses, because no one hits them all good.

I would love to believe that I will never see another question stating that the player is hitting the rest of their clubs pretty good but asking me why they can't hit their driver. I answer with the same comment and suggestion. 'It is not you'¦its THE CLUB. It is too long, too upright and likely not the right flex. Go to a certified club fitter and get it checked, and get your self checked for the length and flex you need and have the fitter fix the driver to your standards.' I know this will not happen as long as the club manufacturers keep making the driver andm for that matter, the rest of the woods and irons too long.

I will close with re-stating the key to playing better golf and shooting lower scores. We strive to hit better golf shots, but in the end, 'Golf is a game of misses, he or she who misses best, wins!'

The Surge!

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