Best Length for a Driver?

How long should your driver be to get maximum distance from your swing? The answer is: the length that you can control to get consistent impact in the center of the clubface with full swing speed on a repeatable swing plane that will yield accurate ball placement. 

A longer shaft will yield a larger swing arc and will produce a higher clubhead speed and yield faster ball speed. However, greater force will be required to swing a longer club and that makes it more difficult to achieve those higher speeds and still maintain center-face ball contact. Translation: your swing mechanics may change when swinging a longer driver than you can comfortably control.

When the shaft is just long enough to allow a golfer to swing with maximum power and remain on the optimum swing plane for his swing mechanics, the golfer will have the optimum club length shaft for his swing. 

A longer club will force the golfer to swing around his body instead of on the optimum swing plane. It will rob the golfer of the ability to maintain a stable position during the swing and will often result in an outside to inside swing path (over-the-top swing fault).

The correct club length is difficult to determine without launch monitor testing and swing analysis because there is no universal magic length for all golfers. Some golfers can achieve a stable efficient swing position with a 46-inch driver, others will need a 43-inch driver. Individual testing is required, and working with an experienced clubfitter with the right tools will offer the best chance of success. Golfers generally do not do an effective job of fitting themselves when it comes to driver length.

Long drive professionals are typically strong enough physically to swing around their body and still get full power. They can handle a longer shaft. Most amateurs lack that strength. That is why club fitting with different shaft lengths, total weight, swingweight, and clubhead designs is needed to get it right for just about everyone.

The Gap Wedge

What is a gap wedge and when should you consider putting one in your bag? Simply put, a gap wedge fills the gap in loft between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge; and most of us should put a gap wedge in our bag if our set of irons is less than about 10 years old and if we want to have a decent short game. Why is that you ask? Well, let’s consider the distribution of lofts in a standard set of irons to understand the basis for our recommendation.

It is helpful to start near the upper end of the loft spectrum by considering the sand wedge. The loft of the typical sand wedge has been relatively constant at about 56 degrees for decades. Now, consider the pitching wedge. More than 40 years ago the PW may have had a loft in the range of 50 - 52 degrees, 4 - 6 degrees less than the sand wedge. Loft angles in the longer irons of the set decreased progressively by an average of 4 degrees between clubs. A 5 iron may have had a loft as high as 32 degrees, a three iron had a loft of 24 degrees, and a 2 iron rounded out most sets at 20 degrees of loft. Fine, you say, but where was the gap wedge in those old sets?

Well, at some obscure point 40 – 50 years ago, something changed in golf sets. Maybe the change was stimulated by good ol’ fashioned marketing, or maybe golfers of the day just simply demanded that something be done to improve the distance performance of golf clubs. It seems to have taken a couple of decades to solve the problem, and it’s still getting solved, but by the mid 90’s many golfers came to believe that performance gains had really been achieved.

The venerable pitching wedge had gained some muscle and it could hit a ball as far as yesterday’s 9 iron. And the 9 iron also had performance gains – it beat the old 8 iron, and so on down the line. The natural reaction was “I gotta have some of those” and the new model irons were sold. But we ask “How can a PW hit the ball as far as a 9 iron if distance in these irons is determined mainly by loft?

Here is the answer. Lofts had decreased by about 4 degrees per club. The new PW had a loft of 48 degrees and the other clubs in the set also had similarly stronger lofts. That PW was not really a PW at all, it was a 9 iron that had PW carved into the sole. However, most golfers' short game began to deteriorate and the club manufacturers stepped in to do something about it. Because there was an 8-degree gap in lofts between the new PW and our old reliable sand wedge, the solution was to design a new club and call it the gap (G) wedge or advantage (A) wedge. 

But wait, isn’t that 52 degree gap wedge really just an old pitching wedge in disguise? Yes, it sure is. So when you watch reruns of old golf TV shows and the commentator whispers “he’s taking a pitching wedge for that approach shot to the green, Jim…”, those old pros were really hitting a gap wedge but they just didn’t realize it at the time.

The 44-inch Driver

Most amateur golfers would lower their scores by playing drivers that are about 44 inches in length or less instead of the longer behemoths (up to 45.5 inches or more) commonly sold "off-the-rack" at retail outlets. The shorter custom driver allows for a more effective address position, an improved swing path, and greater accuracy off the tee -- it's better to hit the ball into the fairway leaving you a more predictable shot towards the green rather than sending the ball into the rough where creatures with pointy teeth live.

Most professional golfers use drivers that average 44.5 - 45 inches in length. Why do most amateurs play with drivers up to an inch longer than the best professional players? The answer is marketing. When increasing sales every year is the goal, the folks in OEM marketing departments need to invent reasons why you should buy their product. Convincing you to buy a shorter length driver is a more difficult sell than a longer club. 

A driver that's too long for you requires more energy to swing and greater physical control (better technique) to keep on plane. It's also more difficult to contact the ball in the center of the clubface where it needs to happen to get maximum distance from the club's design. An off-center hit of an inch will cost you a significant loss in distance -- and it sure doesn't help with accuracy either. 3D motion capture and video analysis reveal how excessive length in a driver can adversely affect your swing mechanics.

How much distance do you lose hitting the ball with a shorter driver? Surprisingly, some golfers gain distance. Improved contact with the center of the clubface results in greater "spring effect" and sends the ball farther. Accuracy is often better -- less shot dispersion leaves the ball closer to the hole. 

OK, what is the optimum length for a driver? Well, it depends on the individual. Some golfers do best with substantially less than 44 inches. If you hit a 3-wood as far as your driver, that's a clue your driver should be checked. Perhaps a modification in swing technique might improve your efficiency with a longer driver. Swing analysis combined with a launch monitor and using impact tape or the equivalent is the most effective way to get it right.

There are many factors that affect driver distance and accuracy in addition to length including weight, balance (swingweight), and ball spin. The loft of the clubface and the angle of attack of the swing have major effects on ball trajectory. A launch monitor helps to understand how these factors work together. It's best to measure performance instead of guessing the results -- your eyes often tell your brain what it wanted to see, not what really happened.

Custom clubfitting where you can test the effect of length while minimizing the effects of the other variables is the best way to find the longest length club that you can hit accurately and achieve the distance you expect from your swing. You may end up with a driver that's likely to be significantly shorter than the one you have now. Maybe it will be a 44-inch driver like the one I play.

K-Vest 3D Biofeedback

Biofeedback with K-Vest 3D motion capture technology is the most effective strategy we've encountered for learning the golf swing. A lightweight solid-state sensor is placed on the back side of the pelvis at the base of the spine, a second sensor is placed between the shoulder blades, and a third sensor on the back of the lead hand. A wireless signal is sent to a nearby laptop for analysis and 3D imaging.

The computer screen displays a simple mesh model of your upper body and/or your lower body. When you move, the mesh model moves. Any changes in the rotational position of body segments can be displayed on the screen or graphed vs. time to show how you move through the backswing, the downswing, the transition from backswing to downswing, and through impact.

Every move of your swing is quantified and available for analysis and learning using both video and audio feedback. The optimum ranges for your body angles to make an efficient swing can be set and displayed to guide you in your learning. You know where you are now and where you want to be. No guesswork.

Upper body and lower body meshes can be displayed in color. We can set the color to green to indicate when you're in the optimum range, and red for when you're out of the optimum range. Audio feedback can be matched to the color changes. You know immediately when your swing mechanics are at their most efficient. 

The parameters of an efficient swing are based on what works for the best players on the planet -- the men and women of the professional golf tours. The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) has accumulated this real-world swing data to determine what works best for any swing style or technique. However you swing a club, the TPI version of the K-Vest software will guide you to your most efficient pattern of movement. Biofeedback tells you when you are achieving your swing goals and when an adjustment will help you improve.

You advance at a pace that suits your playing goals. The TPI guides can be set to match your current range-of-motion and changed to reflect the progress you get from biofeedback. TPI swing ranges are your assurance that you are learning the most effective swing techniques. 

3D Swing Analysis

The value of 3D swing analysis for understanding the biomechanics of how a golfer swings a golf club is becoming more widely appreciated. The powerful and easy to use K-Vest system is drawing greater attention from golfers and the golf industry. However, like any technology, knowing how to apply it to each individual golfer is the key to its effectiveness. Documented expertise matters.

The complete K-Vest system has software that incorporates the TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) kinematic sequence analysis module, the K-Trainer range-of-motion module, and the K-Health posture/fitness assessment module. Video integration supplements the analytical capabilities. Taken together, it's the most complete system available in an easily portable format for characterizing your swing biomechanics and range of motion. We can set it up just about anywhere for swing analysis under meaningful practice or playing conditions.

The K-Vest TPI software module provides extensive analytical tools for dissecting the performance limitations in any swing. A detailed biomechanics report can be made as a reference for successive sessions to monitor progress towards a realistic game improvement goal. 3D swing analysis is hugely valuable for golfers looking for the next step in their progression to a seriously competitive game. We think all players with visions of a college scholarship, a mini-tour, or the club championship should start their quest with this evaluation.

The K-Trainer, together with the TPI software, have both visual and audible biofeedback functions that allows us to identify specific swing positions for you to feel and understand. Biofeedback breaks the conceptual learning barrier posed by just about every other approach.

We can develop a program of drills and exercises based on the swing you have now and what you target for improvement. The K-Trainer program details a specific roadmap that takes the guesswork out of the typical gym workout or fitness class. You know exactly what needs to be fixed and how to get there at your own pace. Our ACE (American Council on Exercise) personal trainer and TPI golf certifications provide a professional balance for designing any workout plan that's indicated. 

The focus is on what will work best in your golf swing. If you are curious whether a particular swing technique might benefit your game, we can set the software ranges to show you the specific positions that match method to swing. You find out quickly if the swing theory of the moment has something that might work for you. It's especially important for online "instruction" that pushes you into unfamiliar positions with confusing terminology.

K-Vest and K-Trainer biofeedback simplify and accelerate the learning process. Seeing colors on a video animation mesh and hearing a pleasant tone when you are within an optimal swing position is the most effective learning method in golf. Your choice of colors and tone allows you to customize biofeedback to what's best for you. 

We can set up an individual plan for you, or work with your coach or instructor to augment and reinforce their lessons for advanced customized learning. You know your goals. We help you achieve them.