My driving has been erratic lately. I've been hitting it all over the place and rarely hit the sweet spot. I'm using a TM Burner that came with a 45 1/2" stiff flex shaft. 10.5 degree FWIW.

The shaft is a half inch longer than a standard stock shaft, plus I'm only 5'7". Was I correct in thinking that the length of the shaft might be contributing to my inconsistency?

The guy at the golf shop was a little concerned that this might stiffen the shaft too much, but he measured my swing speed and thought it would be okay. I swung 100 mph.

It should help your consistency. Did you cut it from the tip or butt? A butt cut shouldn't effect the flex much at all.

The difference is going to be in the feel. The club should feel much lighter which makes it harder to feel the head during the swing. I don't know the exact conversion, but I think you lost 3 or 4 SW points. You need to add lead tape back to the head to get the same feel as before. I don't know how good you are or your sense of feel. Some players can't tell the difference or don't care so maybe it's not something to bother with.

Personally, I like playing with high SW's as I'm able to feel where the clubhead is at much easier. Also, if you did tip it and it's too stiff, you can add weight back to the head to weaken the flex.

He just cut it from the top of the shaft, not near the club head. I've been told that I stand too far from the ball at address, but when I tried to inch closer the club angle didn't feel natural.

My feel with the driver has been shot for the last few months, so I'm not too concerned about that at the moment. I just want to hit it solidly and put it in play. I'm a 7 handicap atm, and feel like my driving has been holding me back from scoring in the 70's on a consistent basis. My misses have been off the toe and bottom of the club face for the most part. I'm hoping shortening the club doesn't make this worse.

Can you explain SW points?

I wouldn't worry about it right now then. See how it goes and then you can tweak it if need be.

SW=swingweight which is basically how the club feels throughout the swing. Shortening the shaft should definitely make the head feel lighter, but it's not a problem unless you can feel it and it throws your swing off.

http://golf.about.com/cs/componentsc...wingweight.htm

I pulled this move on an old Mizuno T-Zoid driver back when I was about 16. I was having trouble with keeping it in play, and got an inch knocked off the butt to see if it helped. It helped, but it was a temporary fix. The shorter shaft will help to minimize some of the flaws, but I found that once I started slowly deconstructing my swing and finding the flaws that were causing the problem I really wished I hadn't done it. Long story short I ended up ditching the driver 3 months after I cut it, and dropping 4 bills on a new one. Feel was a major factor in this decision.

What specifically was the problem with your tee shots before you shortened the club? Was is just off center hits, or did you have a hook/slice that kept popping in randomly?

My misses have been off the toe and bottom of the club face for the most part. When I make solid contact I don't often hook or slice the ball. Pulls are somewhat common, though. The major problem has been 2 or 3 terribly mis hit shots per round way off the toe or very thin.

I have always played a 44 inch driver and it is the way to go for me. Every time I try a 45 or 46 inch driver i can't keep it on the planet. I think you will have success with the shorter driver.

It drives me crazy that manufacturers keep making clubs longer and longer and taking off more loft off there irons so the average chop can hit it a little bit further.

Wow! I played yesterday and hit the driver better than I have in a long, long time. I think it was a combination of the shorter shaft and the new grip I put on it. I've always had a problem with my hands sweating alot during the summer months (southern Louisiana summers FTL), so I put a very soft Winn grip on it and I love it. I feel like I have so much better control of the club.

I think I gave up about 10 yds on perfect hits, but I'm sure I averaged more yds off the tee since I hit the sweet spot on almost every shot. Shot 77 at a really nice course in New Orleans (Lakewood Country Club).

Yeah, I think you are on the right track. Even taking off a 1/2 inch can make a big difference control wise. Taylor Made drivers are almost always 1/2in. to 1in. longer than most of the other major brand drivers. Every company wants to have the "longest" driver in all the mags, hot lists, etc., so they've really been increasing shaft length in the last few years. This is almost always detrimental to the avg. players ability to control shots.