Drivers with 3 wood shafts

[3oneday]

I played with a guy Saturday, had his M1 out for the first time.

Had a look at it on the 13th, it had a Diamana 60, and he'd hit I think every fairway to that point.

He said to me he'd been fitted at the Pro Shop and they'd fitted him into a 3 wood shaft. He said they told him that's what everyone is starting to recommend apparently and that the pros had been doing this for a while.
I put it against my SL290, which I've cut to 45" and it was about an inch shorter.

This guy was about my age, maybe a bit older, and apart from the straightness was a bit longer than me all day.

Has anyone heard of the "3 wood shaft in driver" trend or were they just having a lend of him?

[3Puttpete]

Sounds like a good idea

[backintheswing]

Diamana 60 seems like a light 3 wood shaft. Maybe it was a driver shaft cut down to 3 wood length.

[Ferrins]

Lydia Ko seems to choke way down on everything and the control she gets is kicking the competition atm.

[markTHEblake]

They are calling a 44" shaft a 3 wood now?

[wizard_of_oz]

http://www.andrewricegolf.com/andrew-rice-golf/2012/10/which-driver-shaft-length

Seems legit.

[FuzzyJuzzy]

When I gamed my JetSpeed driver, I mostly had in it the stock stiff shaft from my RBZ Stage 2 3W. It was mostly by default, as I didn't have anything else with a TM tip. But it worked pretty well, even with me being a taller bloke.

[3oneday]

They are calling a 44" shaft a 3 wood now?Yeah, not sure if he thought I had no clue. When I said "Oh it's only an inch shorter than my driver" I didn't hear his answer.

And yeah, not many 3 wood shafts are 60 grams either. I was thinking "mate, they're having a crack at you" but he was hitting it so well who am I to say :lol:

[Wenz]

Whatever works

[Captain Nemo]

From memory Luke Donald who goes ok plays a 43 odd inch driver?

[Wenz]

43.5'' for Luke

[live4golf]

For those who do this, what does it do to the swingweight? Do you but trim or tip trim?

[3oneday]

I was wondering this too, but if you play an 80 gram 3 wood shaft, would it matter if you just stuck it straight in?

[Captain Nemo]

I was wondering this too, but if you play an 80 gram 3 wood shaft, would it matter if you just stuck it straight in?
Only one way to find out....

[Captain Nemo]

43.5'' for Luke
Pretty sure there are plenty others under or around 44"?

[wizard_of_oz]

Tiger was using 43.5 for a long time, then he got jealous of everyone blowing it past him and went 44.5, and now can't control the darn thing.

[virge666]

For those who do this, what does it do to the swingweight? Do you but trim or tip trim?


I was wondering this too, but if you play an 80 gram 3 wood shaft, would it matter if you just stuck it straight in?

It makes it much lighter. much much lighter... and MUCH stiffer ... and lighter clubs you can swing faster...

so if you put a 3 wood shaft in - your going up at least an entire flex. UNLESS you are just cutting down a driver shaft - then it is only a bit stiffer.

It all comes down to balance.

I like a driver and 3 wood that SwingWeights around C9-D0. MY legs seem to be able to hold that kind of weight going around my body. D4 and D5 which is STD nowadays feels like the club is swinging me.

Cant hurt to try,... but i would cut down a half inch at a time. 3 SW points per half inch adds up quickly.

[3oneday]

So a 3 wood shaft would need to be Regular flex to play stiff? Would you only butt trim a driver shaft?

[TheNuclearOne]

Pretty sure there are plenty others under or around 44"?

People always assume there is, but there isn't. Sergio's the pin up boy beside Donald, but then it's pretty much non existent. Bubba's 44.5" from memory. Plenty of articles claim 44.5" to be the tour average, but it isn't. Just over 45" would not be far off.

Here's a sample list from the start of 2013 to get an idea. Not much has changed -

Oosthuizen = 44.5"
Mickelson = 45"
Fowler = 45.5"
Donald = 43.5"
Haas = 45"
Scott = 44.75"
Baddeley = 44.5"
Quiros = 45.5"
Furyk = 45"
Wilson = 45"
Westwood = 45.25"
Els = 45.5"
Dustin Johnson = 45"

Rory might be 45.5" i think. 44.5" to 45.5" would have an enormous percentage of the tour covered.

[3oneday]

They all have ability, maybe I should go 43" :)

[mrbluu]

They all have ability, maybe I should go 43" :)
U will still have issues with LOFT [emoji2]

[FuzzyJuzzy]

I was wondering this too, but if you play an 80 gram 3 wood shaft, would it matter if you just stuck it straight in?

The RBZ Stage 2 3W shaft I used in my JetSpeed driver was 80-odd grams. Didn't feel any different to a normal driver shaft for me, just meant I had to stand a little closer to the ball...

[TheNuclearOne]

They all have ability, maybe I should go 43" :)

Which is the argument of Wishon et al toward driver length. The pro's have extremely repeatable swings and middle it all day at those lengths.

[dM.]

People always assume there is, but there isn't. Sergio's the pin up boy beside Donald, but then it's pretty much non existent. Bubba's 44.5" from memory. Plenty of articles claim 44.5" to be the tour average, but it isn't. Just over 45" would not be far off.

Here's a sample list from the start of 2013 to get an idea. Not much has changed -

Oosthuizen = 44.5"
Mickelson = 45"
Fowler = 45.5"
Donald = 43.5"
Haas = 45"
Scott = 44.75"
Baddeley = 44.5"
Quiros = 45.5"
Furyk = 45"
Wilson = 45"
Westwood = 45.25"
Els = 45.5"
Dustin Johnson = 45"

Rory might be 45.5" i think. 44.5" to 45.5" would have an enormous percentage of the tour covered.

Last I read, tour average was 44.25" followed by 44.5". Think it was a GolfWRX article a little while ago.

I find it funny that some of the taller guys are using shorter shafts and the shorter players longer.

[Daves]

The Mini Drivers currently occupy this space. So it isn't surprising that there is a further cross over.

The AeroBurner Mini is 43.5"with a 60 grams shaft, 70g optional.

The SLDR Mini is 43.5" with a slightly lighter shaft.

The Big Bertha Mini is 44" with a mid 60s shaft.

[Hutchy]

Some good reading, thoughts and tried here.

http://www.tourspecgolf.com/forum/topic/35460-3w-shaft-in-to-driver/?hl=%2Bwood+%2Bshaft+%2Bin+%2Bdriver#entry214072

[3oneday]

Your thoughts? :lol:


I take it you don't use it after 2 years?

[Hatchman]

The Mini Drivers currently occupy this space. So it isn't surprising that there is a further cross over.

The AeroBurner Mini is 43.5"with a 60 grams shaft, 70g optional.

The SLDR Mini is 43.5" with a slightly lighter shaft.

The Big Bertha Mini is 44" with a mid 60s shaft.

So the secret with these Mini Drivers is more in the shaft length than any other factor maybe?

I would love to have the $, time and suitable measuring equipment to test the same shaft at various lengths, weight class and flex to put it to the test.

[wizard_of_oz]

So the secret with these Mini Drivers is more in the shaft length than any other factor maybe?it's also because the swing and set up that you use on the driver is different than for a 3 wood/thriver. Driver you want to be hitting up on it and so spine tilt and weight distribution is different and ball position is way in the front. Mini driver, spine neutral, hit slightly down on it or sweep as you normally would with a 3 wood.

[Hutchy]

Your thoughts? :lol:


I take it you don't use it after 2 years?

Haha, you be right.

I sold Eca the shaft and cant remember the head. Was a good experiment though, just about to use a crazy black FW in a UT.

It did work well but I sold for the incoming zero driver that was gona be a keeper....for about a month as it turned out. lol

[Hutchy]

Your thoughts? :lol:


I take it you don't use it after 2 years?

Copy and paste seemed easier ;) Not that I dont like chiming in with my opinion lol. But when it already there why not use it..I

[Hatchman]

it's also because the swing and set up that you use on the driver is different than for a 3 wood/thriver. Driver you want to be hitting up on it and so spine tilt and weight distribution is different and ball position is way in the front. Mini driver, spine neutral, hit slightly down on it or sweep as you normally would with a 3 wood.

Hmm. I swing the same with both and full irons, only the ball position changes a little.
It bemuses me when people say the swing differently with the driver over other clubs.

[wizard_of_oz]

Hmm. I swing the same with both and full irons, only the ball position changes a little. It bemuses me when people say the swing differently with the driver over other clubs.Good read..http://www.andrewricegolf.com/andrew-rice-golf/2011/07/understanding-swing-plane-and-club-path

[Hutchy]

Catchers mitt and up the tree works for me.

[TheNuclearOne]

Last I read, tour average was 44.25" followed by 44.5". Think it was a GolfWRX article a little while ago.

I find it funny that some of the taller guys are using shorter shafts and the shorter players longer.

There's plenty of articles claiming those figures. Trouble is there are ooooooodles of players easily found playing driver at 45 and over yet there's never more than 2 players under 44.5". For me it's total BS. Last truly credible article i read on it was about 2013 when a mob picked a certain tourney and gathered driver length data for all they were worth. Averaged out a smidge over 45", think it was 45.25".

[Grunt]

This was around a few years ago, I remember in my days of regularly going out to Homebush with Trung (another OzGolf lost soul) and being told to get a 3 wood shaft in a driver and it may straighten my drives up.

[live4golf]

I got a Diamana Ahina 72x and took 3/4 inch off the tip and 1/2 inch off the butt, put some cotton wool in my G30 to bring the swingweight up from C7 to D1. The results from my first round were very solid, hit almost every fairway and did not loseded all that much distance. Will see how it goes this weekend.

[3oneday]

You did not lost much? Excellent!

[live4golf]

You did not lost much? Excellent!

Fixeded

[3oneday]

Have a 3 wood shaft in my 910 driver for this weekend, with a 3deep as backup as that went further than my driver last week.