Find The Right Driver Shaft Length for Your Game

The driver is the longest club in the bag, often making it the most inconsistent, and the biggest challenge to a struggling golfer.  Additionally, the amount of whip and speed exerted through the ball from your driver is far more than any other club in your bag.

Those two realities are certainly not news to you, however, have you ever thought to yourself, “is this driver the correct length for me?”  Odds are, probably not.

You also may not know that many seasoned golfers bring their drivers into a golf store to have the shaft cut down to control accuracy.   Now, it’s true that a longer shaft will create more club-head momentum and thus send the ball further, but what good is all that distance if the ball doesn’t go towards your target.

Of course there’s always this guy…

So what would you prefer, more consistency or more yards, and with that in mind, what is the right driver shaft length for your game?   Let’s explain…

Men

The standard length of a men’s driver is roughly 43.5 inches with for a steel shaft and 44 inches for a graphite shaft. Nowadays, with seemingly never ending race to claim longer drives, driver manufacturers have even been selling standard shafts as long as 45 inches.

With that said, most male golfers are playing with drivers that measure 45 to 48 inches (although incredibly long, 48 inches is the maximum length allowed under the USGA’s Rules of Golf).

It may seem surprising but the average driver length on the PGA TOUR is slightly less, at 44.5 inches.  This may seem short to you but with their amazing club head speed and sweet spot accuracy the pros are still able to crush the ball a country mile, even with the shorter shaft.

This may have you tempted to grab the nearest hacksaw and start going after your driver but before cutting down your club, try using a shorter shaft club or just choke down on your grip while at the range to test the feel of a shorter shaft.  Additionally, you can try visiting your local Pro Shop for a professional driver fitting.  This will allow you to try multiple shaft lengths before committing to anything (this is even easier with today’s adjustable drivers that allow you to remove and swap out the shaft with a simple tool).

Women

Women’s drivers typically run about an inch shorter than most men’s driver shafts.  Before 2012, the standard length for a woman’s driver was 43 inches and since then it’s moved up to 44 inches. You might see some of the shorter and smaller ladies on the LPGA Tour using much longer (48-inch) drivers that look like they are swinging a broom handle, but that doesn’t mean it’s right or your game.  If you are a female amateur just playing on the weekends, you should look for a 43-44 inch shaft on your driver in order to control the club and the flight path.  Beyond that, the same rules apply as for the men.  Try getting a club fitting to see which length provides you with the most consistant sweet spot contact.

Shot Distance

Roughly speaking, if you hit a 43 inch shaft driver and a 44 in shaft drive exactly the same the ball should travel 20 yards further with the longer shafted club (the reasoning behind this is simple physics).  Now, these numbers are not 100% accurate but you see the point.   The trouble is that as club length goes up, accuracy tends to go down (see the video above for an extreme example).  The idea then is to find a driver shaft length that’s long enough to retain proper distance while at the same time not being so long that it creates difficulty making a connection with the sweet spot.

It’s also important to keep in mind here that we’re saying a longer shaft will allow the ball to travel further, when all else is equal.  Something that is even more important to consider is that making square contact with the club’s sweet spot is the key to gaining distance.  If the driver shaft is so long that you are not able to make consistent sweet spot contact, all of the potential distance gained from the shaft length goes out the window.

Shot Accuracy

A simple way to think about accuracy as it relates to shaft length is to compare the way you hit your wedge to the way you hit your driver.  Most people are pretty deadly with their wedge; it’s short and easy to control with less whip and less margin for error on the down swing.  Contrast that to the lengthy driver and you’ll soon realize why so many golfers struggle getting off the tee box. Again, as mentioned before, the key is finding the driver shaft length that best provides your unique swing and ability with the most distance, and more importantly, consistent accuracy.

Once you determine the proper shaft length a quick tip would be to have a local golf store or pro shop cut your current driver shaft down to the appropriate size (a good time to to this is when you’re getting your clubs re-gripped anyway).  This is a log cheaper than buying a new shaft but once you make the cut, your committed, so make sure it’s the right move for you by testing out different driver lengths at the range and then see which one works best.

Quick tip: Purchase golf impact tape to place on your club head to see which length provides the most consistent sweet spot contact.  For around $20 you can get a 250 pack (125 irons and 125 woods) to examine your accuracy and compression.

Good luck out there and don’t forget to post your comments below to let us know which driver shaft length worked best for you!

(Cover Photo Credit)