Should I Consider Extending The Shaft On My Golf Driver To Hit Longer Shots (Video) - by Peter Finch
Should I Consider Extending The Shaft On My Golf Driver To Hit Longer Shots (Video) - by Peter Finch

Should I consider extending the length of my golf driver shaft to hit longer shots? When considering what shaft length to actually have in your driver, you need to weigh up lots of different options. First of all you need to consider that the legal length for a driver from the RNA and the USGA is 48 inches. Now that obviously limits how far you can actually extend the driver. Most driver shafts come in at about 45/46 inches, so there is a couple more degrees that you can actually add on. Now with more length, comes more speed. Because as the club gets longer, the shaft gets longer, you can extend it on a wider arch around the body.

However, with a wider arch, with more speed comes more inaccuracy and more issues that can go on. You can extend the driver up to 48 inches, and you can swing at it very very hard but because of the extra length, it becomes harder to actually square that club face at the point of impact. So you could add an extra five miles an hour club head speed and extra 10-15 hours of distance, but you could also add a lot more inaccuracy hitting it left and hitting it right. The only way you’re going to actually find out if it’s going to be worth extending your shaft is to actually try and compare it to other drivers. The best way of doing this is going through a full custom fit process. So getting lots of drivers that you will either look up, getting them in different shaft lengths, trying them all out at a driving range with a launch monitor if possible and seeing which one suits you the best. Because although lengthening the shaft will add speed, adding the speed is also not an automatic blessing and it can bring in problems of its own. So if you’re thinking about lengthening the shaft make sure you have a go with others first before you take the plunge.
2014-11-20

Should I consider extending the length of my golf driver shaft to hit longer shots? When considering what shaft length to actually have in your driver, you need to weigh up lots of different options. First of all you need to consider that the legal length for a driver from the RNA and the USGA is 48 inches. Now that obviously limits how far you can actually extend the driver. Most driver shafts come in at about 45/46 inches, so there is a couple more degrees that you can actually add on. Now with more length, comes more speed. Because as the club gets longer, the shaft gets longer, you can extend it on a wider arch around the body.

However, with a wider arch, with more speed comes more inaccuracy and more issues that can go on. You can extend the driver up to 48 inches, and you can swing at it very very hard but because of the extra length, it becomes harder to actually square that club face at the point of impact. So you could add an extra five miles an hour club head speed and extra 10-15 hours of distance, but you could also add a lot more inaccuracy hitting it left and hitting it right.

The only way you’re going to actually find out if it’s going to be worth extending your shaft is to actually try and compare it to other drivers. The best way of doing this is going through a full custom fit process. So getting lots of drivers that you will either look up, getting them in different shaft lengths, trying them all out at a driving range with a launch monitor if possible and seeing which one suits you the best. Because although lengthening the shaft will add speed, adding the speed is also not an automatic blessing and it can bring in problems of its own. So if you’re thinking about lengthening the shaft make sure you have a go with others first before you take the plunge.