Shorter Driver vs Choking Up

[Clemente80]

A lot of people have posted about the benefits of a shorter driver. I’m a believer, having worked myself down from 46 (10 years ago) to 45 (this year). But I started experimenting with choking up half to one inch (so essentially 44.5 or 44) and it seems to be helpful. But is there any reason why performance would differ from choking up versus cutting the shaft by an inch? If not, why do people say OEMs should offer a shorter shaft length?

[Lagavulin62]

I think it’s more of a SW issue. If you cut a club down you will have to account for the SW difference. It may or may not be a problem for you, depending on how much is cut. Choking down is fine as long as you are not down to the point of the grip being too narrow.

 

If the OEM’s offered shorter clubs then the SW would be adjusted and you could grip in the same position as your other clubs.

[Jagpilotohio]

I think it’s more of a SW issue. If you cut a club down you will have to account for the SW difference. It may or may not be a problem for you, depending on how much is cut. Choking down is fine as long as you are not down to the point of the grip being too narrow.

 

If the OEM’s offered shorter clubs then the SW would be adjusted and you could grip in the same position as your other clubs.

 

Choking down lowers the EFFECTIVE swingweight exactly like shortening it.

 

If you choke down an inch the swingweight will feel 6 points lighter to your brain.

[Lagavulin62]

I think it’s more of a SW issue. If you cut a club down you will have to account for the SW difference. It may or may not be a problem for you, depending on how much is cut. Choking down is fine as long as you are not down to the point of the grip being too narrow.

 

If the OEM’s offered shorter clubs then the SW would be adjusted and you could grip in the same position as your other clubs.

 

Choking down lowers the EFFECTIVE swingweight exactly like shortening it.

 

If you choke down an inch the swingweight will feel 6 points lighter to your brain.

 

 

So if one chokes down an inch and hits a cleaner shot is it because of the lighter sw or the shortened swing arc? Lol. Am I thinking correctly on this?

[Jagpilotohio]

I think it’s more of a SW issue. If you cut a club down you will have to account for the SW difference. It may or may not be a problem for you, depending on how much is cut. Choking down is fine as long as you are not down to the point of the grip being too narrow.

 

If the OEM’s offered shorter clubs then the SW would be adjusted and you could grip in the same position as your other clubs.

 

Choking down lowers the EFFECTIVE swingweight exactly like shortening it.

 

If you choke down an inch the swingweight will feel 6 points lighter to your brain.

 

 

So if one chokes down an inch and hits a cleaner shot is it because of the lighter sw or the shortened swing arc? Lol. Am I thinking correctly on this?

 

Chicken or the egg? Maybe you like a lighter swingweight, maybe you like a smaller arc, maybe you like both.

 

I experimented extensively on launch monitors in the 90’s when drivers started gettting longer. I never cared for them. I found I average longer distances and a better strike with a 43.5” driver at a slightly light swingweight. D-2. I’ve been setting mine up like that since 1996 since I figured it out.

[Howard_Jones]

I think it's more of a SW issue. If you cut a club down you will have to account for the SW difference. It may or may not be a problem for you, depending on how much is cut. Choking down is fine as long as you are not down to the point of the grip being too narrow.

 

If the OEM's offered shorter clubs then the SW would be adjusted and you could grip in the same position as your other clubs.

 

Choking down lowers the EFFECTIVE swingweight exactly like shortening it.

 

If you choke down an inch the swingweight will feel 6 points lighter to your brain.

 

 

So if one chokes down an inch and hits a cleaner shot is it because of the lighter sw or the shortened swing arc? Lol. Am I thinking correctly on this?

 

Since play length is more important than balance, improvement going shorter comes from play length.

Restoring the original SW value is NOT a good idea. Just like standard play length, you was NOT fitted to play that value, and D2 at 45 and D2 at 44 is NOT the same, so use lead tape when gripping down, and add some head wgt to see if that makes impact even better, and keep it up until its to heavy and step back again until you find your ideal.

 

Grip size might be a issue when gripping down, so would getting a constant play length (we will vary up and down without a mark)

A way around this is taking a grip and drill a hole trough the grip cap, so the part of the shaft we plan to chop off sticks out on top of the grip.

 

_This way we can test the club at the new play length without cutting, who gives us full return, and the option to tip trim if adding head wgt made the shaft feel to soft,

 

Here is a full DIY driver tune up, no need for special tools at all

http://www.golfwrx.c...up-diy-fitting/

[aliikane]

Choking down on a driver is pretty much the same. However, the main difference for me is the grip diameter when choking down. You have to get used to the smaller diameter which is an adjustment.

[platgof]

Some grips don't change that much when choking down.

[John T]

I recently shortened my driver (Rogue sub zero) by tip trimming and had a positive result. Swing weight went from D3 to D0. I used lead tape to return to the original swing weight but I still felt like some adjustments were needed. When I got swing weight up to D4.5 it was like a different driver. Longer distance and tighter dispersion. Don’t stop at your original weight keep adding until you hit that perfect point.

[Ri_Redneck]

I play all my drivers at 44.5" I prefer a 70 gm shaft and approx D4 SW. Choking down for me doesn't really show me anything. If your driver is adjustable, trying a shorter shaft is no danger. Give it a try. Weight and grip size mean more than people think too!

 

BT