Anyone playing 44inch Driver? Pros and Cons

[ava08]

I just bought an Srixon Driver that came with 3 shafts. 2 of them, when installed the have the club sit at 44 inches.
 

Anyone playing a 44inch driver. How much if any distance are you giving up. What are the pros and cons.

[Kai Slater]

I play a 44 inch driver; it's a Callaway Epic Speed with the Project X Hzrdus shaft, regular flex.  I love it and it's been working well for me, suits my eye also along with my 5'10" height, I probably don't really need anything longer.  I'd be afraid of the driver being more difficult to hit if it were longer.   I'm probably giving up a few yards, but it doesn't bother me at all for this stage of life and the casual way I approach the game.  A nice, smooth, slow takeaway, stay behind the ball with an even-pace swing and most of my drives are very serviceable.

 

Unlike 90% of golfers on this forum, I have a lowly 95-100 mph swing and just need a regular flex shaft. I'm probably in the minority here in that I don't average over 315 off the tee and require a xxx-flex shaft.😀

[Rapatt95]

I play mine at 44.5”

 

Pros: more center face contact, more fairways, fewer balls lost OB

 

Cons: shooing all my playing partner’s wives away after the round in the parking lot when they see how many fairways I hit

 

All in all, mostly all positives. Didn’t lose any distance since I’ve been able to swing more confidently and (knock on wood) I’ve lost far fewer balls

[NoTalentLefty]

I’m at 44.75 and haven’t seen any loss. In the past had 44.25 without any loss of real significance. More fairways means more roll except in the dry days of summer.

[Cellis]

44.25" and way more center of the face strikes. No noticeable distance loss here either. Too many more fairways now to worry about it either.

[chollier986]

44.25 here.  No distance loss.  I’m 5’6” so I get along better with the shorter clubs.  I go 1” short in woods and hybrids, then 1/4” short on irons.

[DLeightonReid]

I play my gamer driver at 44.5 inches and have a second driver at 45 inches.  It is amazing that my back up driver feels a little long so I choke up.  

[bekgolf]

44.25" to 44.5" depending on how it's measured.  No loss of distance, more fairways.  The biggest thing for me was getting the swing weight right, it took 10 grams of lead to get to where I like it.  I play standard length in everything else.

 

It's too bad club manufacturers don't offer a proper sw 44.5" driver.  I'm glad the USGA capped the length at 46" because if they hadn't driver lengths would of been creeping out to 48".

[BigBlue7]

Pros: it could fit you better and yield better results

 

Cons: It could if you worse and yield worse results.

It comes down to fit and there is literally no one-size-fits-all

[Putter Addict]

13 hours ago, Kai Slater said:

I play a 44 inch driver; it's a Callaway Epic Speed with the Project X Hzrdus shaft, regular flex.  I love it and it's been working well for me, suits my eye also along with my 5'10" height, I probably don't really need anything longer.  I'd be afraid of the driver being more difficult to hit if it were longer.   I'm probably giving up a few yards, but it doesn't bother me at all for this stage of life and the casual way I approach the game.  A nice, smooth, slow takeaway, stay behind the ball with an even-pace swing and most of my drives are very serviceable.

 

Unlike 90% of golfers on this forum, I have a lowly 95-100 mph swing and just need a regular flex shaft. I'm probably in the minority here in that I don't average over 315 off the tee and require a xxx-flex shaft.😀

I am in the same shoes, but play a Cobra Fly-Z. Noticed no downside when I went shorter. I bought a heavier weight for the head to bring it back up to the SW I like, but the increase in accuracy makes up for any distance I may have lost.

 

I have tried several newer drivers but always end up selling them and I think a huge part of it comes down to the length. I think off the rack drivers are way too long for most amateurs. 

[Velcade]

I just chopped one of my driver shafts to 44.75" down from 45.75"  (I'm 6'1" for reference)

 

I feel like I have more confidence over the driver now and haven't seen much distance loss.  I do see an increase in accuracy.

Edited July 19, 2023 by Velcade

[kwcsports]

44.5 for at least 25 years. IMHO the off the rack driver lengths are insane. I think the newest Ping is 46 or 45.75. Better face contact for me, more fairways, no loss of distance. I play my 5 wood at 42, 3 hybrid at 40,  irons standard.

[Ri_Redneck]

All of my drivers, except for two, are 44.75" and I hit them quite well. However, when I finally got a 46" driver balanced correctly for me (MOI approx 3050), I have been playing that length. The balance is the key to any length driver and I find all OEM stock setups far too light, regardless of length.

 

BT

[manima1]

45.25" here but I choke down an inch on the majority of drives.  If I have a wide open hole I'll go full length.  Just what I've always done

 

I don't love cutting it to 44" cause you really do have to add a TON of weight to get it to SW properly, feel like this can affect the performance of head/shaft accordingly.  Lowered trajectory a bit for me as well which is not something I need given how forward my hands tend to be at impact even w/ driver

[Righty to Lefty]

I removed an extension on my driver and went back to 44.5 from 46.5 and I rather like it but it took a ton (many grams) of hotmelt to get the swing weight back to where I like it. Gotta do some experimenting to find your preference as that is all that matters.  My strike is definitely more centered and I didn't lose much if any distance because I added so much weight back to the club.  My driver now feels like a baby sledge hammer and I love it! 

[mjo23]

With how forgiving drivers are these days, I don’t really see any major advantage in a shorter length driver if you’re fit into the correct head + shaft. I was fitted for -1/2” on everything except my driver. Being the only standard length club in my set, I was initially nervous it’d be too long, but it (Tsi2) turned out being my most consistent/forgiving club in the bag

 

Of course there’s nothing wrong with playing slightly shorter, but 44” is surprisingly short

Edited July 19, 2023 by mjo23

[realmfg]

Yep, I use two drivers.  One 3 wood length with a very heavy shaft and 12* loft (forgiving fairway finder).  My other driver is around 44.25".  I also found out that I prefer a lighter swing weight.  I have so many callaway weights here and test all the time on a simulator.  I definitely see distance loss, but accuracy is way way up.  

[scott406]

Went to a 44.5 inch driver when I got a new one

Cobra Rad Speed

Added the extra weight in the bottom of the clubhead and never looked back

Much like everyone says earlier

I found no loss of distance and hit more fairways

 

 

Of course recently I have been hitting my driver like crap so I am thinking of going 43.5

I might be at 1.5 if this keeps up

 

 

[boggyman]

1 minute ago, scott406 said:

Went to a 44.5 inch driver when I got a new one

Cobra Rad Speed

Added the extra weight in the bottom of the clubhead and never looked back

Much like everyone says earlier

I found no loss of distance and hit more fairways

 

 

Of course recently I have been hitting my driver like crap so I am thinking of going 43.5

I might be at 1.5 if this keeps up

 

 

I’ve been at 43.5” driver length for years. No loss of distance at all. Much easier for “me” to control. I just kept tinkering till I found what worked. 

[Pepperturbo]

There are diminishing returns on shorter and longer playing length drivers; whether one or both affect you and “how much” depends on your swing mechanics; it has little to do with whether the head is forgiving. 

 

When a person finds the proper Driver playing length, they should have more control.

Some years back, in 1/2” increments, went as short as 43" and long as 46", and about four years ago settled on 44.5” TR Blue 5 series S, and 44.75” original Red 5 series S.

Edited July 19, 2023 by Pepperturbo

[PT1911]

This.....👆

[PlatinumNike]

4 hours ago, manima1 said:

45.25" here but I choke down an inch on the majority of drives.  If I have a wide open hole I'll go full length.  Just what I've always done

 

I don't love cutting it to 44" cause you really do have to add a TON of weight to get it to SW properly, feel like this can affect the performance of head/shaft accordingly.  Lowered trajectory a bit for me as well which is not something I need given how forward my hands tend to be at impact even w/ driver

do the exact same 

[Ger21]

44.5" and I've gained distance, on average.

[willie991]

44" Aldila Rogue "S" in my Epic Speed.  Actually gained distance due to more center-of-face hits. Also seems to be easier to hit the shot I need with the shorter shaft.  Draw.  Slight fade. Have a couple longer shafts in the basement, but they just don't seem to work as well as this 44".  

[Valtiel]

2 hours ago, mjo23 said:

With how forgiving drivers are these days, I don’t really see any major advantage in a shorter length driver if you’re fit into the correct head + shaft. I was fitted for -1/2” on everything except my driver. Being the only standard length club in my set, I was initially nervous it’d be too long, but it (Tsi2) turned out being my most consistent/forgiving club in the bag

 

Of course there’s nothing wrong with playing slightly shorter, but 44” is surprisingly short

It is just as much about face to path control as it is face contact. There is a pretty direct correlation with most common swing faults and club length in that they get worse as the club gets longer. Combine that with the fact that biomechanically speaking a vast majority of people actually don't physically fit into most stock lengths based on arm length/wrist to floor measurements etc and you have a recipe for a large percentage of the golfing public actually GAINING speed and distance by going shorter. Obviously you can learn to utilize longer lengths for more speed, but that requires a level of skill and fundamental technique to do consistently that it isn't practical for most, even pros. 

[mjo23]

7 hours ago, Valtiel said:

It is just as much about face to path control as it is face contact. There is a pretty direct correlation with most common swing faults and club length in that they get worse as the club gets longer. Combine that with the fact that biomechanically speaking a vast majority of people actually don't physically fit into most stock lengths based on arm length/wrist to floor measurements etc and you have a recipe for a large percentage of the golfing public actually GAINING speed and distance by going shorter. Obviously you can learn to utilize longer lengths for more speed, but that requires a level of skill and fundamental technique to do consistently that it isn't practical for most, even pros. 

Very true, it’s all individual. Many can benefit from shorter lengths. I’ll be honest, I’m surprised to find out that 45.25” is on the longer end; however I think the average reported driver length on Tour is longer than most sites say, TXG reported 45.25” back in 2020. And fwiw I’m not tall, at all (hence the shorter irons), so I know the benefits in custom lengths. But I do think there’s a reason the R&A reduced the maximum driver length by 2” last year. Improved shaft/driver tech is allowing many players to take advantage of the longer lengths without sacrificing accuracy

Edited July 20, 2023 by mjo23

[taki27]

21 hours ago, manima1 said:

45.25" here but I choke down an inch on the majority of drives.  If I have a wide open hole I'll go full length.  Just what I've always done

 

I don't love cutting it to 44" cause you really do have to add a TON of weight to get it to SW properly, feel like this can affect the performance of head/shaft accordingly.  Lowered trajectory a bit for me as well which is not something I need given how forward my hands tend to be at impact even w/ driver

Isn’t the effective swingweight of a 45 inch driver choked down an inch essentially the same as a 45 inch driver cut down an inch?

[Boricua Golf]

I too have played 44-44.5" for the past 30 years, I am still fairly long and accurate, current gamer at 44.25", simply put, very accurate striking, spin and dispersion, I carry around 265-280 with roll touching 300s...I also play my fairway woods shorter as well, 3W at 42" and 7W at 41", still don't lose distance, if anything I feel I gained distance and accuracy...only way to be certain is to try it for yourself, good luck.

[manima1]

2 hours ago, taki27 said:

Isn’t the effective swingweight of a 45 inch driver choked down an inch essentially the same as a 45 inch driver cut down an inch?

 

In theory - your logic makes sense and I've thought a lot about this.

 

In reality - the feel is much different.  An unadjusted 44" driver cut down just feels considerably lighter in SW to me than a 45" driver choked down an inch.  I don't know the science of why (possible total club weight??), but when I choke the 45" driver down I don't feel like the balance of the club has been negatively affected where I need to add weight.

 

Just my experience 🤷‍♂️

[NRJyzr]

I've been in the 44" range for years, and went even shorter to 43.5" a few years ago.  Control is the biggest reason, but an additional factor in my favor is that my swingspeed is at its maximum around 43" to 43.5".  Even with steel.  Going longer, I lose a bit of speed.

 

At that point, no reason to go longer.