48 Driver build

DonM · 2019-06-30T21:41:24+00:00

Today I built a 48" driver out of stuff I had laying around. I used a UST 55 Gold R flex shaft that weighed 51 grams. I did not cut it. I installed a Cob...

fatshot

DonM
Don.....quick question. I've decided to experiment in another direction by building a "Thriver." I have plenty of 12* heads to pick from. MY question is what weight shaft should I use? I have some 55 gram shafts that I've used in my longer-than-standard drivers (I've been building myself 46 inch drivers for the last several years). But if I tip 1/2 inch off the tip end and cut the club down to 44-44.5 inches, that's going to probably make the club too light, isn't it? My 46's all weigh somewhere around D-2 to D-5. What weight shaft would you recommend?? Any others feel free to chime in as well.......

DonM

That would not be too light of a shaft for me. If your swing speed is 90 or less, that shaft weight is most likely very good for you.

fatshot

DonM
All done! I found a 75 gram untrimmed driver shaft that I forgot I had, so I now have a 'Thriver' to experiment with.
Might as well.....this head's been sitting on my workbench several months. It's had 2 or 3 different shafts in it. It hasn't worked at my usual 46 inch length.....maybe it'll be a 'fairway finder' at 44.5 inches! I'll try it when I hit
balls tomorrow.

DonM

Boy, all the poon has evaporated. Completely.

I'll set it aside and try again in a few weeks. I think that playing a long driver is as much a mental challenge as a physical one.

DonM

I found the poon again. 🤓
After I first lost it, I decided to try a 25 gram grip. That made it truly horrible, and that's when I posted above saying it was all gone.

I reinstalled the 51 gram Winn OS grip, and took it to the course today with my buddies. Gripping at 46.5-47 inches. It was very good. I still say 20+ yards gained. Mediocre hits were about as long as the 90th percentile with my 44 incher. I shot a 76 on a par 72 course rated 70.1/132 from the whites. (Cinder Ridge, if any IL guys are reading.) My best ever at that course. 🙃
For me, it makes a huge difference to be hitting 8 or 9 iron instead of 5h or 6i. I still needed my 44 driver and 3 hybrid on a few holes. I cannot see taking the 48 as my only driver.

It was a consistent fade. I have two settings available on the sleeve to close the face, so I'll be trying that to see if I can take some of that away without creating a left miss. I could use some more launch angle as well. Although it is completely playable as is.

If I experiment more, I'd like to try:
-lighter shaft, say 40 grams.
-softer flex, (ladies)
-lighter head like the SoooLong 175.

Overall I think I can control something lighter. But not by reducing the grip weight.

DonM

I just don't know. One good day, one bad day. Rinse and repeat.

One thing I'm sure of is that there is some length greater than my 44 incher that is worth switching to.

fatshot

DonM
Just a word from my personal experience, Don.... I started at 48 or 47.5, IIRC, after Bernie Baymiller's advice (several years ago). My miss was high and right.....a popup, but a long popup. My good drives were definitely longer.....maybe as much as 20 yards. But, as you say, I felt I was too inconsistent with it, so my solution was to shorten it 1/2 inch at the end of every season when I regripped it. I still have the same driver (an Integra 450 Beta Titanium), and it's still in my bag, but I've settled on 46 inches at the length at which I personally get the best
combination of "some" distance and good accuracy. I've experimented with other drivers (in fact just now completed a sale of a Taylormade M2 that didn't suit me), but this old Integra has stayed in the bag for many years now!

You've started me thinking though.....I could put an extension in the end of the shaft and choke down on the shaft when I want normal accuracy, and go up towards the end when I want to TRY to bomb it on a wide open hole.....the best of BOTH worlds!!!

Rickochet

I got my old DTG 175 back into to play yesterday and hit it very well. It has the DTG UL45 shaft in it. I have two of these heads and an offset one. I have a Diamana 40g shaft in an A flex that came with another club and lengthened it to 47.5 I mistakenly put in the offset head. I am going to pull it an install in one of the non offset heads. Yesterday's round was like running into an old friend. The M2 sat in the bag and whimpered. With a bad back and weak knees I have trouble getting through with the driver. The 175 just seems to be easier for me to swing and more consistant than most. The only bad drive I hit yesterday was one pop up. After switching to a shorter tee I started nutting them in the sweet spot. I think the poon has reawakened. 😛

fatshot

I was watching golf yesterday and scrolling through the different component websites online, and for some reason the name Bernie Baymiller popped into my head. So, I looked up this and other old Bernie B. threads, and the wheels
started turning!

Went down into the basement and found a few old components it have in my "discard" drawer, and came up with an old Integra Beta 450 Titanium head and the Aldila NV 55 gram senior shaft that I had in it at one time. Long story short, it's now drying and waiting to be gripped so I can play it tomorrow. It's 47 inches, weighs D-7, so we'll see what happens. I have low expectations, but what the hell.....I can't drive it any SHORTER than I have been so far this year...!

Par4QC

fatshot Just don't give up on it too soon. I think most here have tried it, but gave up to quickly.
Playing at 45 then going to 47 is a big jump, and will be a big diff in your swing. But why give up if it doesn't work at 47.....,if you don't try at 46.5 or 46😉? The face will tell you the story.
I'm only 1/2 as tall as you are and play my drivers at 46/46.5. 203+g heads, 52g shafts, 50g grips. You can do the math for swingweight.😄

azgreg

fatshot I have low expectations

That's usually when I get my best results.

garyt1957

Bernie's formula was keep it under 300 grams total weight. 200 gram head , 50 gram shaft, light weight 40 gram grip and your golden. Worked for me back in the day.

fatshot

Par4QC Just don't give up on it too soon.

Oh I stuck with it for a long time.....5-6 years at least. I started at 48" but figured out in a hurry that I was too wild with it (A high, long push slice was my miss with it, IIRC). So, at the end of each year when I'd regrip it, I cut off 1/2 inch. I've finally settled on 46 inches, but those were with OEM's. If this happens to work, I'll probably build something better.....there's plenty of LIGHT shafts out there these days!

Typhoon

Funny that this came up today. I pm’d Eguller regarding an LD build

scotts33

And I've gone back to 44"s as my golden playing length. For me center impact yields better distance than the spray and pray. I tend to play older courses with harder to hit fairways and I can't hit miraculous recovery shots. It's punch out and there goes a shot.

Par4QC

scotts33 So to pacify you, do we, that use longer drivers, need to start posting pics of driver faces after a round, in order to show you it is not the length that makes the center contact? 😉Nor FWs hit with such.

You'd make a great mini driver salesperson. 😄 And buyers would be disappointed.

scotts33

Par4QC Nope you play what works for you! Fine with that do what you do.

I'll play what works for me and the majority of the mid to high hdcp players that I work with. I have not seen many lower skilled golfers hit fairways of 40 yards wide with 48" playing length drivers. 60+ yard wide possibly. Also play the correct tee for your tee club IF offered. Golf is a still a game of accuracy first then distance. Reason distance matters is marketing. As Harvey Penick said ""The woods are full of long hitters." Penick emphasizes the importance of accuracy over distance in golf.

I used to be good friends with Bernie and his club where he played was wide open fairways. It makes a huge difference in where you play and how you play golf. Many will play too long of a playing length driver just for that one solid long drive and be 25% fairways hit just for that one drive. Majority don't have the skill level of a pro to extricate themselves out of being 20+ yards out of position in the trees.

Rickochet

I followed Bernie's posts from day one and I had very good success with long and light. Bernie started before the really light heads were available or shafts. I think he found a stock head at about 184g and a 50g shaft. I later built a few long and light clubs with the DTG 175g head and 45g A flex shaft at 48" The key to make it playable to start with the light head and back off your normal flex at least one flex or maybe two to allow the light head to be able load the shaft. I think most that tried it never had success because they used pullouts and heavier heads that never met the long and light concept. I chatted with Bernie many times over the years about this subject and the Neufinder projects. He was a super nice guy.

Par4QC

Rickochet
When you are using an A flex shaft, it is hard to drop down a flex😄. Thus the light heads don't work as well.

I had always used 45.5 drivers. When Almo came out with the No Brainer, I had him find me one that was heavy, which those 1st ones were. He sent me a 206g head, open faced, and I got a special HOF shaft (62g) for it in R flex. Wanting to experiment I went with 47", but soon found that was too long.....shaft was uncontrollable with the head weight. I cut it to 46 and it was gold!! I've been at that length, sometimes just a hair longer, ever since. I've dropped to A flex, sometimes a soft R, as the heads are now around 202-204.

ode

Just say no to a 48" driver. In fact much over 45" is asking for trouble 😉.....there should be a survey given.....have you played a 48" driver ___?, it yes, how long did it take for you to abandon it ___? And, what's your current driver length ___? 🙃

ptjn1201

I've been carrying 47.5" drivers for a few years, rotate between an Epic Max LS and LogicalOne Neuro.X. Have an older Epon at that length, too. If you can get used to it, it's not much harder to control. Maybe a little less consistent, but I've been more solid with it so far this year. It can be a pretty cheap experiment, and you have to decide if the better shots are worth the tradeoff.

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