Wesley,

I too use the 913 D2 and love it.  My suggestion would be to grip down your current driver and see how it goes before you go through the expense of shortening.  I'm 66 yrs old and am 5'8'' so the usual 45" driver is a bit long for me.  I have been gripping down about half an inch and found that my accuracy has improved.  Not perfect, but a lot better.  But since I'm older, distance isn't as important as accuracy, so I can't speak to any loss of distance.  I will say that for my game, my length is just fine.  So again, I would suggest try gripping down the inch you want before you spend money to get it cut down only to find that it didn't work and you have to buy a new shaft.  Another option would be to play with the amount that you grip down.  Try one inch, then half an inch etc..  Maybe you'll find a half-way point that gives you control without losing any distance. Fairways and greens.

  Mark F

Remember that cutting 1" will substantially lighten the swingweight (i.e. how heavy the head is perceived to feel) -- you'd likely want to install a heavier weight screw.

Wesley,

I have found that a shorter shaft has kept me straighter as well. I have given up maybe 5-7 yards but have been hitting more fairways and therefore having a better chance of hitting more greens as well. 

With that said, I am with Mark. Grip down on the club before altering the club. Adding an extension is costly and in my opinion an inferior if a shorter club does not work for you.

Also, think about trying a different shaft in order to get increased accuracy while not giving up distance. I know this is more time intensive (and it would be more costly sadly) but it might allow you to have the "best of both worlds", accuracy and distance. But it is a lot of work to find the exact one but I think it is well worth it.

Was your friend's shorter shaft and clubhead the same as yours? 

I hope this helps. 

I'm 5'-7" with shoes on and bought a 913 D2 about a year ago.  When I bought it the salesman recommended a Diamana Blue shaft.  Hit a dozen or so balls in an indoor range and the club felt pretty good.  Regrettably, at the time I did not know about the Titleist fitting centers.  Off to the course with the new driver and I watched in amazement as I hit wicked slices, not fades, but wild shots to the right.  Instinct told me to choke down and shorten my swing and I did manage to start hitting drives straight.  But my distance was reduced a good bit and I was not getting my slight draw that I had all my life.  A couple hours with my pro and he did get me some more distance and I did get my draw back... when I could actually hit the ball as instructed.  In my mind I kept thinking that the shaft was just too long and I needed to get back to my natural swing with nothing to remember during the swing.

A week ago I hack sawed the driver shaft down to 44" and have had no regrets.  Hitting with my natural swing now with no thoughts, hitting a slight draw once again, hitting longer, hitting a much higher trajectory, and scoring better. With the change, I thought that it would be a good idea to test out different balls again and I found that the NXT Tour gave me a better drive than the Pro V1x.   But... the club just doesn't feel right to me even though we are performing better.

I'm looking at all of this as a short term fix until the 915 comes out and I can go to get a proper fitting.  My plan is to get fitted for driver, fairway wood, and ball. So I'm real anxious for the 915's to come out.  Being short is a curse.

I have choked down an 1" on my driver and irons.  I've played 2 rounds like this and I have actually gained 1  club in distance with irons and have hit my driver straighter and longer than before. Now do I start cutting shafts down or just wait a little bit.

Wesley,

Glad that you were able to find the right combination of distance and control by choking down the 1 inch.  However, my comment would be if you found the extra length and better control by choking down, why not just keep doing that instead of spending the money to cut all of your shafts down.  Also, I'm not a real technical person with clubs, but by cutting the shafts down I would guess that some of the characteristics of the clubs, such as swing weight, would change and maybe that would change the good results that you seem to have found. This is just my opinion, but if it is working, don't change.

Mark F

It shouldn't cost THAT much. Not sure what other places charge but I had my wifes driver and mine cut down and had had four new Lamkin oversize Grips installed ( I brought my own new grips) and he charged me $14.00. I said NO WAY, and gave him $25.00.  He's been regripping my clubs now for three years. 

I wouldn't cut my irons down but just the driver. 

I did and had it cut to 44 inches and it's the Best thing I ever did. If your irons are standard I'd leave them alone.

Just my opinion though.

CW

When you cut down the shaft you will gain more control. You should expect to lose 10 - 15 yards of distance.

Mark F replied to Re: Allen L replied to Re: Thinking about cutting my driver shaft down an inch. in General.

Wesley, Glad that you were able to find the right combination of distance and control by choking down the 1 inch.  However, my comment would be if you found the extra length and better control by choking down, why not just keep doing that instead of spending the money to cut all of your shafts down.  Also, I'm not a real technical person with clubs, but by cutting the shafts down I would guess that some of the characteristics of the clubs, such as swing weight, would change and maybe that would change the good results that you seem to have found. This is just my opinion, but if it is working, don't change. Mark F

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Wesley,

Another alternative to cutting the shaft down to combat the "thin" grip when choking down is to regrip your current shaft with added wrap and/or thicker grip to thicken it up a bit. This option is less permanent than cutting a shaft down, and will be cheaper than cutting a shaft down. 

For what it's worth, I've cut a few shafts down when I first started playing to give me accuracy, but as I got more comfortable with my swing, I began playing stock length (45" in the 913 D2) with success. When I start to get a little wild with my tee shots, or if I'm facing a lengthy, narrow par 4, I will often grip down a bit to prioritize accuracy over distance. Once I find my groove again, I'll go back to gripping normally.

Best of luck.

I am 6' 1" and use a driver 44.5"   (TM Burner - stock length 45.75").   I switched to a Winn Dri Tac Lite grip to restore the swingweight (and I use an oversize grip)

You lose 6 swingweight points by cutting the shaft an inch.   You would need 12 grams of head weight to restore that. 

A standard size rubber grip (such as Golf Pride or Lamkin) is 52g.   Golf Pride 25 is an option if you use a standard grip - the grip weight is 25g and that is a little over 5 swingweight points diff.  Grip weight diff is 1 swingweight point per 5 grams grip weight dff.  

Winn Lite Dri Tac Oversize is 26g. 

If you go with a lighter grip, you restore swingweight but gain a small amount of swing speed because the club is lighter.

Hi, Just had my driver shaft cut down from 45.75 to 44 today and had a new Lamkin Oversize grip put on.

The Best thing I ever did, period!!  I am driving it a good 20 yards further than I ever have. More control, better feel, hitting the sweet spot every single time. My club is lighter also so I can swing it faster but not harder. Damn I now can finally hit the ball like I should. Wish I had done it long ago.  Just proves that they should stop making all drivers longer or at least give you a choice,

Do it, you won't be sorry.

CW

Wesley,

  When I was fit for the 915 series of clubs we cut all of the shafts and the results have been remarkable.  I cut the driver 1", 915F 1/2" and the 915H 1/4."  I have gained distance because I am way more accurate and I have had better control on my shots.  You will notice a positive impact immediately.  

You will find out by shortening the shaft you will hit the sweet spot more consistently thus better accuracy and distance and more confidence with your driver.  Hit them well!!!!!