48-inch Driver? Your Help Greatly Appreciated.

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I am a senior looking for more distance and was wondering what you club aficionados thought of a 48" driver? I'm 6'5" so relative to my height my current driver would probably be like a 44" driver for the "average" person. I suppose it would also depend on the shaft as well, which I would have no idea of. My current driver is the 2009 Burner with the stock shaft playing medium flex. I also have an FS3, but I hit the Burner further, probably because of the shaft in the FS3.

Thank you for your responses. :-)

ps: I played with a 5'0" woman recently (very good player) and her driver comes up to her armpit.

[thewitt]

Hitting a long driver can work out - many do it, not just seniors.

The loft needs to be lower - 2 degrees typically - because your swing is much flatter and you will tend to hit up on the ball more.

Shaft flex can be a challenge depending on your swing mechanics.

I've used everything from L flex to XX flex for seniors with a 48" USGA legal driver...

-t

[Avatar]

Hitting a long driver can work out - many do it, not just seniors.

The loft needs to be lower - 2 degrees typically - because your swing is much flatter and you will tend to hit up on the ball more.

Shaft flex can be a challenge depending on your swing mechanics.

I've used everything from L flex to XX flex for seniors with a 48" USGA legal driver...

-t

Thank you for responding T, I appreciate it. How would I determine shaft and flex if I decided to go this route?

[thewitt]

The only real way to determine flex is to try multiple flexes - but you can guess based on your swing mechanics.

If you are relatively smooth with a full turn and transition, you should go up one flex for every 2-3" you add to the length of the club.

If you are choppy, quick and aggressive with a short backswing and explosive downswing, go up 2 flexes...

If you have only a partial turn, release early or both, consider dropping down a flex for more feel.

Unfortunately these rules of thumb don't apply across the board.

-t

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Thanks again for the great info, T. I really appreciate it. :-)

[BigDaddy13440]

I am a senior looking for more distance and was wondering what you club aficionados thought of a 48" driver? I'm 6'5" so relative to my height my current driver would probably be like a 44" driver for the "average" person. I suppose it would also depend on the shaft as well, which I would have no idea of. My current driver is the 2009 Burner with the stock shaft playing medium flex. I also have an FS3, but I hit the Burner further, probably because of the shaft in the FS3.

Thank you for your responses. :-)

ps: I played with a 5'0" woman recently (very good player) and her driver comes up to her armpit.

A - while not yet a senor player (although my body feels like I SHOULD be 60+ years old...), I play drivers of 47-48". At 6'7, anything under 46" feels short, my 3wd is 44 3/4". I feel I make a much more rounded shoulder turn through my swing, and the longer driver keeps my swing plane flatter, too.

I agree with Tim's recommendation, as I've been building longer drivers for a good 6-7 years now, for myself and for friends. If your Burner is 46", I'd probably start with a driver head 1 1/2-2* lower than ACTUAL loft of the Burner head, and use a shaft about a flex stiffer. Since your TM plays at "medium" (firm, between Reg and Stiff?), I'd probably try an X flex shaft of 46" length. Leave it untipped, it'd play about 47 1/2" in a head with a typical BBGM of 1/2". Just a reminder, it WILL be a much heavier swingweight - the stock burner is what? D3, D4? Most of mine are about a E0-E3.

It's just going to take some time to get used to the longer length, timing will be tough for the first few rounds/ range sessions. Don't give up on it, put the time and effort into working with it - there's no reason you can't hit it as well as your Burner, and 20-25 yards longer, too. 

If you want to ask somebody about some of my "toys", ask Todd@OptimalFlight (All4Golf here @ GD).

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A - while not yet a senor player (although my body feels like I SHOULD be 60+ years old...), I play drivers of 47-48". At 6'7, anything under 46" feels short, my 3wd is 44 3/4". I feel I make a much more rounded shoulder turn through my swing, and the longer driver keeps my swing plane flatter, too.

I agree with Tim's recommendation, as I've been building longer drivers for a good 6-7 years now, for myself and for friends. If your Burner is 46", I'd probably start with a driver head 1 1/2-2* lower than ACTUAL loft of the Burner head, and use a shaft about a flex stiffer. Since your TM plays at "medium" (firm, between Reg and Stiff?), I'd probably try an X flex shaft of 46" length. Leave it untipped, it'd play about 47 1/2" in a head with a typical BBGM of 1/2". Just a reminder, it WILL be a much heavier swingweight - the stock burner is what? D3, D4? Most of mine are about a E0-E3.

It's just going to take some time to get used to the longer length, timing will be tough for the first few rounds/ range sessions. Don't give up on it, put the time and effort into working with it - there's no reason you can't hit it as well as your Burner, and 20-25 yards longer, too.  

If you want to ask somebody about some of my "toys", ask Todd@OptimalFlight (All4Golf here @ GD).

Thanks BD. The "medium" flex is what TM calls their senior flex.

My Burner is 46.25", the head is D3, the shaft if 49 grams, and the loft is 10.5º. Just for the heck of it I lengthened it to 48" and installed a 42 gram grip today (it's sub-300 gram total). It's only about 1.5" above my naval. I will try it out on Monday.  If my experiment doesn't work out I was thinking of the following:

Bang-O-Matic 460 9º head
SK Fiber Pure Energy shaft regular flex
Winn Excel 42 gram grip[/li][/list]

That would bring the weight of the club in the sub-300 category. I exchanged a couple of emails with Tim at MyOstrichGolf. He thinks I may need a stiff flex given the tip softness of the shaft, but I would need to get further clarification because I am dropping to 9º and would be going up two flexes. In any event, I'll see what happens with my inexpensive option first.

[Dr.Green]

Recommend you contact Neil (pgw@phoenixgolfworld.com). Besides being a sponsor at Golf Discussions he is very active in the Long Drive community as a participant and club builder.

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Thank you Dr. Green. :-)

[Sillybodkins]

Quick suggestion. First try should be a driver at 47" long.  I'm 5' 10" and find 46" to be quite doable, but at 47" timing becomes tricky.  Also, I have found that shorter guys with really smooth tempo seem to do best with 48".

Another suggestion.  Start out with a SMT indio head.  It is light enough that swing weight being too high should not be a problem - at 47" your swing weight is going to be close to E0 in any event.  The Indio is very forgiving on heel and toe hits, which you are going to have more of as you get farther away from the ball.  If you get solid contact down with the Indio, you can think of going to a more classical head like the Geek DCT or SMT DB+.  These heads, again, made to be able to be used by long driver guys, are lighter than just about everything retail, and should work best at 47" to 48".

The proper shaft becomes very essential  the longer the driver.  If you are R at 45" or 46", you will need stiff at 47" in most shafts.  However, I have moved to the Fuji Motore F1, and I had to go back to R because that shaft is pretty stout - it frequencies the same as a Blueboard in a 63S.  Shaft will be tricky, but the Motore F1 is as good as anything that I have found, for the money.  Another shaft that works well, longer, is a Proforce V2. It has nice kick, and the fact that it has low torque becomes important as shaft length gets longer.  But, the important thing is to know about the shaft that you are using; it's also very important to use a very good aftermarket shaft.

I put an older guy with a good swing in a 10.5* Indio/Proforce V2 (S) combo last winter (46").  Saw him recently and he told me he had his best driving season in years, and his buddies were impressed by the added lenght - not making this up.  So, I handed him a 10* DB+ with a blueboard 63S shaft, 46", and proceeds to gain 12 - 15 yards on the indoor simulator.  He's now ecstatic.  I told him that real world experience may vary; he's going south over the holidays so I'll have better feedback in a few weeks.

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Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Not only am I losing distance, but I am erratic at best. I broke down my HI from last season by the par three courses I have played and the regulation course. On regulation courses my HI is 16.7 on par three courses my HI is 5.8. My biggest problem is off the tee and it is costing me beaucoup strokes.

Lately I have just been playing with my irons. I'm only about 15 yards shorter with my 3-iron than I am with my driver and I don't lose any golf balls.

Thanks again for your reply.

[ShaneNZ]

I am 6'4 and play a 45" driver and can play 46" OK but I have tried 48" and it felt horrible even at my height.

I get extra distance with 46 but not enough accuracy / centre hits for my liking so stick to 45.

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I figure I have nothing left to lose. At this point I'm ready to throw in the towel. 190 yards off the tee just won't cut it, unless I don't play a course longer than 5400 yards LOL!

I've been told I have a decent swing, and my HI on par three courses this past season was 5.8, so I must be doing something right. In addition, I have a good short game, but it is tiresome hitting long irons or woods into par fours and having to scramble to make par.

Sorry for whining. 

[bl8d]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Not only am I losing distance, but I am erratic at best. I broke down my HI from last season by the par three courses I have played and the regulation course. On regulation courses my HI is 16.7 on par three courses my HI is 5.8. My biggest problem is off the tee and it is costing me beaucoup strokes.

Lately I have just been playing with my irons. I'm only about 15 yards shorter with my 3-iron than I am with my driver and I don't lose any golf balls.

Thanks again for your reply.

as noted in another thread you could be a good candidate for counterbalance weights in your shaft.
If you plan to use a longer driver it would see you increase your Swingweight considerably which in turn will slow your SS and offset the potential gain from the extra length.
I would encourage you to give it a try. At the very least it may improve centering the face contact to assist your yardage.

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Thanks!

[accufitgolf]

I suspect the answer is not longer, but high lofted driver (12* or higher) and a lesson or two.

[bogeycentral]

I suspect the answer is not longer, but high lofted driver (12* or higher) and a lesson or two.

Very likely as was thinking the same thing. My father had been using a 10.5* driver for some time and was struggling with distance and accuracy. I finally convinced him to put in a Nike Sasquatch Sumo 16* driver into the bag and now hits it so much longer and straighter than he has in years. I think loft not length is a likely solution to your problems. Good Luck! 

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My current driver is 12º, perhaps I'll try even more loft than that.

[BigDaddy13440]

My current driver is 12º, perhaps I'll try even more loft than that.

If it gets up in the air, flattens out, then hits the ground running, you're dead on the loft you need. If you balloon the ball, you actually need less loft, and/or a lower spin head.

Anything over 7.5*, I balloon almost immediately, regardless of it being a "low-spin" head or not. My 3 that have contention for the bag are a 4.5* BOM, a 6* BOM, and a 6* (4.7* actual) DCT.

[Avatar]

If it gets up in the air, flattens out, then hits the ground running, you're dead on the loft you need. If you balloon the ball, you actually need less loft, and/or a lower spin head.

Anything over 7.5*, I balloon almost immediately, regardless of it being a "low-spin" head or not. My 3 that have contention for the bag are a 4.5* BOM, a 6* BOM, and a 6* (4.7* actual) DCT.

I think my putter has more loft than your drivers. :-)

[Sillybodkins]

Here's one more thought.

Go to a driving range and hit the ball as hard as you can.  Get out of your zone.  Practice hitting the ball hard.

That, some stretching (maybe yoga), and maybe a bit more exercise.  There are some very good golf-specific exercises that can help you hit it longer, again.

[Avatar]

Here's one more thought.

Go to a driving range and hit the ball as hard as you can.  Get out of your zone.  Practice hitting the ball hard.

That, some stretching (maybe yoga), and maybe a bit more exercise.  There are some very good golf-specific exercises that can help you hit it longer, again.

Thanks DB. I usually walk three miles a day, but I am going to augment that with some stretching and light weight lifting.

[Sillybodkins]

One more suggestion for lengthening your drives.

A great drill is to swing like a baseball player when you practice - as you begin your backswing, lift your left foot and swing it to hit your right foot, then move it back to where it was originally to start the downswing.

Getting the synch and balance may take some doing - but added distance and really good sequencing of your swing may be the result.

You can see this drill in the book "Gravity Golf" by David Lee, or "A Swing You Can Trust" by Roberto Borgatti.  You can also watch it on YouTube at "Gravity Golf Swing - Danny Lee".

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Thanks Greg!

I think I finally figured it out: 1) I am swinging to hard, and 2) I am releasing the club to early killing all that energy I stored on the back swing.

[Sillybodkins]

Thanks Greg!

I think I finally figured it out: 1) I am swinging to hard, and 2) I am releasing the club to early killing all that energy I stored on the back swing.

Yup.

As David Lee states, the trouble with a good swing is that it feels like nothing.  The book, "Gravity Golf" has really helped me get all the tension out of my arms and hands, with better results in ball-striking.