Ha!!! it works...

Despite all the technical talk about changing swing weights, cutting off the wrong end of the shaft, yadda yadda yadda.....my chopping 1" off the butt end of my driver - and installing the same weight grip - has turned it into a monster fairway finder. Others who try it immediately say it feels way short, but for me it's fantastic. I still sometimes push it up the right side, but I'm getting an average 260yds out of it, right up the middle.

Thanks for putting the idea in my head Mongrel 

You are gladly welcome. If you had taken that driver to a club fitter, he would have told you that taking an inch off the shaft butt would lighten the swingweight by 6 points. Adding weight to the head to compensate would be done at two grams per one swingweight, or, 12 grams for your lopped off butt inch. Now 12 grams is a poo-load of weight to add to a head and is too much for a tip weight or lead tape. So the pro club makers would use rat glue inserted inside the head.

But the Mongrel says "SCREW THE SWINGWEIGHT". If you hit it longer and straighter as-is, that's all that matters. Remember that the greatest golfer who ever lived, Jack, used lead tape under his club grips and his driver was probably swing weighting in the mid C's. It works for some and does not work for others. The driver currently in mt bag is at 43.75" and works so well that I haven't ever bothered to calculate its current swing weight which is probably about D0 or less since I have a bunch of black duct tape wrap under the grip.


The other two current Mongrel driving distance tricks are using a black Bionic Glove which provides the most secure low pressure grip imaginable and the Callaway Hex Chrome golf ball. I proved to myself during today's round that the Hex Chrome is 10-15 yards longer on solid center-face hits that my former favorite ball, the Srixon TriSpeed Tour in yellow. Get yourself some Hex Chromes and those 260 yard drives will be 270-280.

jmtbkr wrote:Despite all the technical talk about changing swing weights, cutting off the wrong end of the shaft, yadda yadda yadda.....my chopping 1" off the butt end of my driver - and installing the same weight grip - has turned it into a monster fairway finder. Others who try it immediately say it feels way short, but for me it's fantastic. I still sometimes push it up the right side, but I'm getting an average 260yds out of it, right up the middle.

Thanks for putting the idea in my head Mongrel 

if I had to take a WILD guess, you now hit it "on the screw" , be it shorter shaft, correct swing wt, etc... My driver is 45" (end of grip to bottom of club head). I think the standard driver's length nowadays is 45.5" . In fact for my 5'.6" height, I probably should play 44.5" max (not sure how Mongrel measures his 43.75" driver's length)

The way to measure a club's playing length is from the top of the butt end of the grip to the bottom of the point where the shaft would end at the sole of the club. With the club head soled, the measuring stick should parallel the shaft with the bottom of the stick resting on the ground at the shaft/hosel angle (lie angle) and the measurement taken at the top of the grip.

Mongrel wrote:The way to measure a club's playing length is from the top of the butt end of the grip to the bottom of the point where the shaft would end at the sole of the club. With the club head soled, the measuring stick should parallel the shaft with the bottom of the stick resting on the ground at the shaft/hosel angle (lie angle) and the measurement taken at the top of the grip.

so, what is your total length from the "top of the butt end of the grip" to the "lowest point of the driver's head" ? we are not talking the same way here, I think.

The lowest point on the sole of the club head where the shaft would intersect that point if it went all the way through to the bottom like a bore-through wood (Think the older Titleist drivers like the 905R you just got) and irons like many Callaways.

Mongrel wrote:The lowest point on the sole of the club head where the shaft would intersect that point if it went all the way through to the bottom like a bore-through wood (Think the older Titleist drivers like the 905R you just got) and irons like many Callaways.

Got it... thanks... and yours is 43.75"?

43.75". I also have a 909D2 9.5* with the factory Titleist Aldila VooDoo shaft in stiff flex that I cut to that length. Now that driver is probably even longer for me than the 9.5* 909 DComp but not quite as predictable. The last time I played that D2, I hit a drive on a 372 yard dogleg left par 4 that left me with about a 55 yard gap wedge to the green. Granted I sort of hit the drive towards the heel just missing the large tree on the left of the dogleg. And the fairways were running fast on that course that day. Still and all, not a bad tee shot for a 67 year old.

Mongrel wrote:43.75". I also have a 909D2 9.5* with the factory Titleist Aldila VooDoo shaft in stiff flex that I cut to that length. Now that driver is probably even longer for me than the 9.5* 909 DComp but not quite as predictable. The last time I played that D2, I hit a drive on a 372 yard dogleg left par 4 that left me with about a 55 yard gap wedge to the green. Granted I sort of hit the drive towards the heel just missing the large tree on the left of the dogleg. And the fairways were running fast on that course that day. Still and all, not a bad tee shot for a 67 year old.

Sh$$$t... that's a long way, Mongrel...

That's what I said when I finally saw my yellow Srixon close to the green. I didn't see it much past 50 yards off the tee and thought that I hit it in the woods or in deep rough. On a couple of later holes, I hit it through doglegs where I have never been before and have been playing that course since around 1979.

It's rainy and boring today, so I took out 3 of my good drivers (Tour Edge Exotic, Cleveland Launcher 460 and Cally GBB) and cut them down to 45" (measured from end of grip butt to bottom of driver's head - lowest point) ,and yes, I reused all fairly new grips without difficulty. Will test them this weekend, if they work better, I would consider chopping my new 905R and Cally diablo edge tour drivers as well... will see

While you are at it, maybe take one of your drivers that you do not use and can't hit well and chop off the butt so it plays at 43.75" or 44". Put a couple of strips of lead tape on the sole of the driver. One inch of high density 1/2" wide lead tape weighs around two grams. Then give it a try. I guarantee you will be able to swing much harder and hit the ball much straighter and find the center of the driver face much more often.

Mongrel wrote:While you are at it, maybe take one of your drivers that you do not use and can't hit well and chop off the butt so it plays at 43.75" or 44". Put a couple of strips of lead tape on the sole of the driver. One inch of high density 1/2" wide lead tape weighs around two grams. Then give it a try. I guarantee you will be able to swing much harder and hit the ball much straighter and find the center of the driver face much more often.

Great advice!!

I'm still messing with the lead tape.

I cut mine to 45" because I'm 6'2".

Your height matters not nearly as much as the length of your arms when the ball is addressed properly for your swing. Fitting clubs for length is more of an art than a science. Whenever you cut off some of a shaft from either the tip or butt, you change the kickpoint and flex however slightly. It seems like every freaking driver shaft has its own unique characteristics and the magic comes when you get it perfectly dialed in so that you can go after every drive without fear of topping, skying, pulling, shanking or blocking it. The two drivers in my inventory that I hit the best are miles apart in shaft specs and overall weight. They are a 905R 11.5* head with a True Temper Dynamic Gold R300 steel shaft that plays 43.5" and weighs 365 grams with a Wynn Hero 23 gram grip. The other is a 909DComp 9.5* head with a Mitsubishi Diamana Red 63 stiff shaft that plays at 43.75". It weighs about 315 grams with a Golf Pride  2G wrap grip that weighs 50 grams and there are about 8 grams of black duct tape built up under the grip. Even though their weight differences are relatively huge, I can rip both of them about as hard as I can while still in balance and hit center face over 50% of the time on the course. The common denominator is their short lengths. Thanks to simple physics, I can probably get 5 mph and more clubhead speed out of the lighter driver which translates into 10-30 yards more distance and the lower loft provides more roll-out. I am 6 feet with a bit longer than average arm length and find that the standard Mizuno club length chart works best for my irons.

Mongrel wrote:While you are at it, maybe take one of your drivers that you do not use and can't hit well and chop off the butt so it plays at 43.75" or 44". Put a couple of strips of lead tape on the sole of the driver. One inch of high density 1/2" wide lead tape weighs around two grams. Then give it a try. I guarantee you will be able to swing much harder and hit the ball much straighter and find the center of the driver face much more often.

Thanks Mongrel... I will keep that in mind   

Mongrel wrote:While you are at it, maybe take one of your drivers that you do not use and can't hit well and chop off the butt so it plays at 43.75" or 44". Put a couple of strips of lead tape on the sole of the driver. One inch of high density 1/2" wide lead tape weighs around two grams. Then give it a try. I guarantee you will be able to swing much harder and hit the ball much straighter and find the center of the driver face much more often.

Mongrel; based on your writing, shorten its shaft would make it FEEL lighter? is it the reason why you recommend lead tape to make it FEEL normal again?

The only feel I care about is when the club is in motion. Sometimes, a couple of extra grams on the head of a shortened shaft seems to soften the shaft up just a bit when I unload it just before impact and the hit feels more solid at and just after impact. The old Newtonian mass thing, I guess. Static weight can be tricked with butt end weight and grip thickness to make a sledgehammer-heavy driver feel like a feather and vice-versa. So adding the weight for me is just a timing tweek. But it can make the difference between the club sitting in a corner of my laundry room or in that exalted spot in my bag.

Took all 45" drivers to driving range. Hit B+, not any longer, and I could FEEL the head is 'lighter' , so I just added (2) 1.5" lead strips to the sole of each club (close my eyes and FEEL)... now they FEEL about the same as the uncut Tit-less 905R... Will test them again... and I could get used to the 45" club length  

I tested the 45" drivers (with lead tape) today... Hit them much much better ... almost as long as the 46" drivers but definitely much better in ball dispersion... I am pretty sure the more I use the more I would be comfortable with the 45" club length and eventually hit longer... I don't think I could go any shorter than that  

Mongrel:  Now I have (3) 1.5" lead strips to the sole of each 45" clubs ... not only that I could FEEL the imaginary swing wt (close my eyes,,,, very scientific, Duh!), I could also tell that I've changed the frequency of the club when I wiggle them (Yes, I could... remember I am a retired stupid scientist). Will test them again this weekend at the range. What do you think?  so basically I've added 9 grs of tape back to the head for the FEEL
I am playing at Pilgrim's Oak on Wed 6/25

Have fun with this info...
http://blog.hirekogolf.com/2007/10/how-is-the-length-of-a-golf-club-measured-part-i-of-ii/

jmtbkr wrote:

Mongrel wrote:While you are at it, maybe take one of your drivers that you do not use and can't hit well and chop off the butt so it plays at 43.75" or 44". Put a couple of strips of lead tape on the sole of the driver. One inch of high density 1/2" wide lead tape weighs around two grams. Then give it a try. I guarantee you will be able to swing much harder and hit the ball much straighter and find the center of the driver face much more often.

Great advice!!

I'm still messing with the lead tape.

I cut mine to 45" because I'm 6'2".

jmt... how is your experiment with the lead tape?
I cut 3 good drivers to 45" (from end of grip butt to bottom of club head's sole, lowest point) --- and yes, I am only 5'6"... I sure can hit them straighter but definitely not longer. I've added (3) 1.5" strips of lead tape to each club to regain the FEEL of swing wt. I will keep the other two driver at 46" at present because I still hit them quite good , longer and with a baby fade which is my normal ball trajectory. ... Someday I may cut them to 45.5" but not any shorter.

Still fooling around with the tape. I'm not sure that it helps very much. I'm stacking it up under the heel, like the adjustable clubs move the weight to help you hit a draw. I've definitely made a huge improvement in my accuracy - used to push/slice before - now I'm finding fairways.

Distance? I'm not really a long hitter, so I don't think I'm getting extra distance. Just being on the fairway with an easy second shot to the green is important to me.

Now that I'm on the right road to driving/approach shots.....my putting has gone in the shitter,   

This game sucks!  

jmtbkr wrote:Still fooling around with the tape. I'm not sure that it helps very much. I'm stacking it up under the heel, like the adjustable clubs move the weight to help you hit a draw. I've definitely made a huge improvement in my accuracy - used to push/slice before - now I'm finding fairways.

Distance? I'm not really a long hitter, so I don't think I'm getting extra distance. Just being on the fairway with an easy second shot to the green is important to me.

Now that I'm on the right road to driving/approach shots.....my putting has gone in the shitter,   

This game sucks!  

buy yourself a RAM ZEBRA putter like Mongrel did   

Ram Zebra no work so good this morning. Had several decent looks at birdies after rare GIR and three-putted all of them. Maybe back to the Rife 2-Bar now that the greens are getting faster and rolling truer. Hate to go spend money on another putter, but throwing strokes away on the green is just about as bad as 'roids, emphysema, or cancer.

On a positive note, the warmer it gets, the more I'm smacking the snot of of remaining Callaway Hex Chrome balls. Again this morning, I blew every drive past my three clubmates except on two holes. The freaking ball even spun back two inches in front of the green after I hit a cut 5 iron around the tree in front of me from about 170. If that ball had released, it would have been right by the hole. Of course that is one of the GIR's I 3-putted. Might have to try some Callaway balls with the Hex dimples but without the urethane cover. They would be cheaper and acceptable so long as they are as long off driver as the Chromes. I will not, however, forego my new-found cruise missiles off the tee.

Mongrel wrote:Ram Zebra no work so good this morning. Had several decent looks at birdies after rare GIR and three-putted all of them. Maybe back to the Rife 2-Bar now that the greens are getting faster and rolling truer. Hate to go spend money on another putter, but throwing strokes away on the green is just about as bad as 'roids, emphysema, or cancer.

On a positive note, the warmer it gets, the more I'm smacking the snot of of remaining Callaway Hex Chrome balls. Again this morning, I blew every drive past my three clubmates except on two holes. The freaking ball even spun back two inches in front of the green after I hit a cut 5 iron around the tree in front of me from about 170. If that ball had released, it would have been right by the hole. Of course that is one of the GIR's I 3-putted. Might have to try some Callaway balls with the Hex dimples but without the urethane cover. They would be cheaper and acceptable so long as they are as long off driver as the Chromes. I will not, however, forego my new-found cruise missiles off the tee.

Golf is a funny game, someday we could putt, others we could not... If M.Wie could putt , she probably had won several big tourneys... She putts better with the 90* bend this yr, but I could not believe it's sustainable as she gets older... impossible
I play Pilgrim's Oak on Wed... will see...

I think that M. Wie lacked the drive to grind it out. She should have been the Tiger Woods of the LPGA. I guess she's getting serious now. That 90* style has to be a last resort. Maybe her eyesight is bad close up with puts. Makes for good arse views, though.

Enjoy Pilgrim Oak. Bet they have the greens shaved and half the holes cut in diabolical positions.

Mongrel wrote:I think that M. Wie lacked the drive to grind it out. She should have been the Tiger Woods of the LPGA. I guess she's getting serious now. That 90* style has to be a last resort. Maybe her eyesight is bad close up with puts. Makes for good arse views, though.

Enjoy Pilgrim Oak. Bet they have the greens shaved and half the holes cut in diabolical positions.

Mongrel... I did enjoyed Pilgrim's Oak, course was in excellent condition... I barely broke 100, the rough was fukkkkkkkking rough, tough to find balls when in there, they let it grow like a tourney, hated that... some of the pin locations were fukkkkkkkking crazy,,,, but I still love Pilgrim's Oak