Rory’s driver length

[phizzy30]

Just now, Phabs said:

Crazy that out of the of the 5 you listed none of them are winning tournaments. 

True, but Rory is one hell of a ball striker and his putting has improved quite a bit the last couple years. 

[Phabs]

Just now, phizzy30 said:

True, but Rory is one hell of a ball striker and his putting has improved quite a bit the last couple years. 

Agreed.  He's the closest to the complete package as we have now

[phizzy30]

I think he's going through his second peak right now.  We may see him win a bunch the next 5 years. 

[Phabs]

1 minute ago, phizzy30 said:

I think he's going through his second peak right now.  We may see him win a bunch the next 5 years. 

No way bro.   His driver is only 44" 

[st1800e]

20 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

a 44 inch driver

44 1/4 to be exact.  I’ll be cutting mine down tomorrow…..

[SollyinGA]

I play my driver at 44.5 and have seen good results as others have stated. I’m 5-8 and shrinking every day, but it works.

 

I think manufacturers do a huge disservice to the gold consumers by making the standard shafts so long.

 

Golf is hard enough, but there are things like this where you have to really know your stuff that gives you an advantage over those that do not have that knowledge, but I guess that the game of life works the same way.

[toastinato]

On 3/23/2023 at 7:46 AM, NPSpar4 said:

I started playing my driver at just over 44” and its been awesome.  Granted, I'm 5’7”, but noticeable improvement from standard 45”ish.   Helps me draw the ball as well.  But again, gotta test everything.   You’d be surprised at what works.  And what doesnt ha

Yup! Couldn't have said it better. Don't be scared to try different things. What works for one may not work for the other. I think if you have distance with driver, it only makes sense to to shorten it for accuracy. I definitely didn't lose 20+ yards. Maybe a couple yards at most. But I'm willing to give that up for more control. 

[CMZ24]

Sooooooo, do we know the answer to this yet? 

[myspinonit]

I thought I heard Azinger say a few minutes ago on the 18th hole that it was now 44 1/4

Edited March 25, 2023 by myspinonit

[JungleJimbo]

 

 

[Anser3]

Shorter drivers  are not uncommon  on Tour.  Bubba Watson is 6'3" and uses a 44.5" driver.  Until May 2022, he was using an 80 gram shaft  (Bimatrix) in that driver.  He switched to a Smoke Black RDX 60 last year at the PGA Championship. He went from an 80 gram shaft to a 60 gram shaft  (The Smoke Black shafts are on the lighter end of their designated weight categories.  The 60 6.5 and TX shafts are listed at 60 grams  and 62 grams)

[ObiwanForAll]

I’ve tinkered with driver lengths from 45.75” down to 44”.

I seem to be best at 45.5” and 44.25”. I’m terrible at 45” so go figure. The shorter the driver the greater tendency I go left. I believe it’s easier to close the face on a shorter club (I’m guessing).

 

I wish there was a basic measurement method to determine the ideal length but I think it’s just trial and error.

 

Couple things I’ve learned for those that want to try shorter. Consider a more flexible shaft. Possibly a heavier shaft. Adjust the lie angle. Make sure you adjust the swingweight.

Edited March 26, 2023 by ObiwanForAll

[Phabs]

Just checking in… still 44”?

[Amarsuperstar]

Faxon said multiple times over the weekend that it is 44.25”, down from 45.25”. 
 

Given their relationship, I trust him to know. 

[golferdude54]

Somewhat related as people have been referring to Rory's carry in the past week from 188 MPH ball speed; when it comes to carry efficiency (carry divided by club speed) which is an official PGA Tour radar stat, Jon Rahm has the all-time record from 2017. His launch angle was 12.6 degrees and 2,227 RPM spin rate as an average that year.

 

When you input those launch conditions into the Flightscope Optimizer on their site and set environment at sea level with no wind on flat ground, 188 MPH ball speed does not even carry 315. So when you see on TV coverage "185 MPH" ball speed and the carry said "330" that's completely inflated from downwind and downhill conditions.

[cw1209]

Been using Cobra drivers for a few years now and they have offered "tour length" 44.5" drivers for awhile due to Ricky. If you order the shorter option from them, they will send the drivers with heavier weights, usually +6 grams. Doesn't sound like much, but cutting a driver down sub 45" and adding weight to get back to D4-D5 makes it feel heavy. Currently trying my driver 44.5" at stock weight (196 gm) without bothering to check SW (my guess is D0-D1). Would be curious to know the head weight on some of these "short" driver setups on tour. 

[cav5]

On 3/22/2023 at 11:31 PM, dwboston said:

Trottie made some interesting comments about club length in a fitting video with former Tour pro Dean Wilson.  He referred to "old ruler" and "new ruler" a couple of times and said there is a 0.75 inch difference between them - it seems like it's just a different way of measuring the same thing?  I don't know about Rory and 44 inches - he's not that tall so it wouldn't shock me.  Sergio played a 43.5 inch driver.

 

It's right at the 5:00 mark of the video below. 

 

 

I brought this up last year in this thread 

 

[Cruisin1966]

According to Ian at TXG, during their live from New York on Sunday, he mentioned that Rory's driver is not any shorter (on good authority), he just went to the TR shaft to help him turn the ball over.  He said it was not feasible to drop an inch in length and add the appropriate amount of weight to the head to make it work.

[Wardonation]

5 minutes ago, Cruisin1966 said:

According to Ian at TXG, during their live from New York on Sunday, he mentioned that Rory's driver is not any shorter (on good authority), he just went to the TR shaft to help him turn the ball over.  He said it was not feasible to drop an inch in length and add the appropriate amount of weight to the head to make it work.

Ya I heard that but not sure it is accurate? I watched Rory closely this weekend and with the driver he was focused on his distance from ball w/ driver more so than I can remember.

[Stuart_G]

23 minutes ago, Cruisin1966 said:

According to Ian at TXG, during their live from New York on Sunday, he mentioned that Rory's driver is not any shorter (on good authority), he just went to the TR shaft to help him turn the ball over.  He said it was not feasible to drop an inch in length and add the appropriate amount of weight to the head to make it work.

 

Rory specifically said he shortened it in one of his interviews.   I personally think that's a better authority but you have to make up your own mind.

 

Second the reports say he shortened it 1/2" not a a full 1,"

 

He also said that the change helped him from dropping down too much in transition and getting too inside out - which is not an uncommon result when one does not add (too much or any) weight and plays a lighter swing weight.   So I wouldn't make any assumptions about what was done to the weight of the head.

 

I can also tell with certainty that it is very possible (and actually quite easy for the tour vans) to add a wide range of weight to that head nor will that weight impede how it works - as long as it really is a good fit for head weight.

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Stuart_G

[Valtiel]

1 hour ago, Stuart_G said:

 

He also said that the change helped him from dropping down too much in transition and getting too inside out - which is not an uncommon result when one does not add (too much or any) weight and plays a lighter swing weight.

 

Agreed, this was something Rory experimented with for a minute when he was working with Pete Cowan to try to neutralize his delivery a bit given that he's long talked about his general tendency of getting a little too under plane and from the inside leading to two way misses when he's off. He tried the Graphite Design XC at a shorter length for like one event and then ditched it, I think it was 44.75" or something like that. 

I also tried to play my FILs driver last year when on a trip that he had shortened an inch without any weight compensation, I couldn't apply any speed without inside-out hook city.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Valtiel

[mkidding]

Conclusion first: I believe he's playing length on his driver is 45 1/8 right now

 

First video shows that he orders his previous Stealth driver at 45 5/8 to end of grip 

Second video confirms that his driver is "1/2 shorter than previously"

 

Now the only question I have is, whether the 45 5/8 to end of grip should be translate into something different if the "playing length" definition is somehow different.

 

Source 1: 

 

 

Source 2: 

 

[Mp14forlife]

He's European, the metric system hasn't even been accounted for. So we've been going about this all wrong and need to start over. Plus no one has asked about the swallows in the background of his interview being African or European. 

[Haleone]

23 minutes ago, mkidding said:

Conclusion first: I believe he's playing length on his driver is 45 1/8 right now

 

I’m also of the mindset that he’s using a 45” Driver. There’s been mention of him possibly saying shaft length by accident instead of total length. If he did take half an inch of his driver length from last year 45” makes perfect sense.

 

However there was an announcer that stated he was already playing a half inch shorter than standard (which for TM means 45.25”) then he took a half inch off that which gets you 44.75” This would also mean at some point since that video he cut a quarter of an inch of his shaft.

 

If he actually is playing a 44” driver based on that video it would mean he would need to add 16g to the head unless he did switch to a lighter swing weight as well. With two weights in the Stealth+ it would be easy enough to keep that swing weight. I feel like swing weights are the last thing pros ever want to change though

[Cwebb]

On 3/22/2023 at 8:31 PM, dwboston said:

Trottie made some interesting comments about club length in a fitting video with former Tour pro Dean Wilson.  He referred to "old ruler" and "new ruler" a couple of times and said there is a 0.75 inch difference between them - it seems like it's just a different way of measuring the same thing?  I don't know about Rory and 44 inches - he's not that tall so it wouldn't shock me.  Sergio played a 43.5 inch driver.

 

It's right at the 5:00 mark of the video below. 

 

 

 

A good example to watch for anyone who might still be under the impression that the adjustable sleeves only change face angle

[Lobby]

So, is cutting down a driver from 46” to 44 1/2” even feasible?

[Haleone]

9 minutes ago, Lobby said:

So, is cutting down a driver from 46” to 44 1/2” even feasible?

yes and no. Ideally you would want to tip the shaft more than you would at 46” length since you would be adding a lot of extra weight to the head. The extra weight could make the shaft feel too whippy or maybe you wouldn’t notice it. Best way to do it is with a fresh shaft. Just cutting the but end of your club could end in mixed results. So if you don’t care much about your shaft cut it and see what happens because experimenting is fun 🙃

[SC-TX 88]

Have been playing the black 6X tipped 1” for awhile (45.5” TSR3 head ~D6.5 sw). Have a TR Blue 6TX untipped I didn’t love so cut it down to play 45” end of grip and went with a NDMC instead of a TV Cord to save 6ish grams in the grip. Strip of lead tape and back up to D6.5 (was D4 before the tape). 

[st1800e]

How long is Rory’s driver? 
 

Well, I tried shorter , but I like 45.5”.  Forgot about the grip cap though….maybe I should trim it another 1/8”…..or is it a 1/4”? And then what do I do if I change grips? 
 

😉
 

[goje22]

Ian from TXG on a live video (I believe the one this Sunday) said he spoke to a source and the club is not significantly shorter than what he has been playing previously. 
 

That makes me feel like he went down to 45 1/8ish cut and 45 1/4 gripped - he felt like 44 was extremely unlikely. Ian is probably able to text trottie if he is curious, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s clued in. 
 

Personally I am waiting for a better look at where the Velocore logo and top Ventus graphics are in relation to grip and head to draw final conclusions. 1.25in will be evident I presume. 

Edited March 28, 2023 by goje22
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