Playing irons too long

Scrap Iron · Apr 2, 2015

Are there any indications that you irons are too long.
Does the ball flight favor a fade or hook?
Do longer irons promote fat shots?
Is there anything on the sole that could give a clue like seeing wear in the toe or heel?
Does cutting a shaft -1/4 make any difference?

Thanks

h0ss66 · Apr 2, 2015

Indication they are too long would be heel hits and maybe fat shots (but less likely)

Longer clubs also play more upright so you'd tend to have hook/draw bias in your shots. You would notice sole wear toward the heel if this is a problem.

Longer clubs also can cause a shallower swing, furthering the hook/draw bias.

Cutting off 1/4" can make a difference.

Bottom line is these are all possibilities and not definites, so I would recommend getting fitting properly for length and lie.

Hawk · Apr 2, 2015

Any reason that you are wondering this? As in, do you think your body type would indicate the need?

Easy way to check is to put a rubber band around the grip 1/2" shorter and choke down to it. You can obviously do it without the rubber band, but it'll give an idea of where your hands are every time.

Scrap Iron · Apr 2, 2015

Hawk said:
Any reason that you are wondering this? As in, do you think your body type would indicate the need?

Easy way to check is to put a rubber band around the grip 1/2" shorter and choke down to it. You can obviously do it without the rubber band, but it'll give an idea of where your hands are every time.

I started to think about when I was trying some clubs and everything was fading to the right about 10 yards. When I checked out the specs they were 1/4 inch longer than my previous irons and I had little to no left to right movement. Thought I might be compensating for the length and doing something goofy with my swing.

Hawk · Apr 2, 2015

Hard to say man. Would lean towards it not being related though.

I occasionally do get some heel hits at first when I move to longer metalwoods for reviews.

-CRW- · Apr 2, 2015

I'm 5'11 and for some reason the TMPL fitter suggested I go -.25" in my last iron set. I noticed no difference what so ever. I can hit fat, thin, toe, heal shots with my irons or standard length. I can also hit good shots (occasionally) with either length. My next set of shafts will be standard length for the set.

rbarthle17 · Apr 2, 2015

Before doing anything to the club, I strongly recommend choking down on the club and see what that does for you. You may find you like the feel of it and you've just saved yourself some cash.

My clubs are all normal length, but I choke up on every club at least 1/2". It's not unlike what I used to do for baseball. I still get plenty of power, but I feel a lot more in control of the club. I am 6 feet tall but have short legs (32" inseam) and a long torso.

Golf 'N Gator · Apr 2, 2015

-CRW- said:
I'm 5'11 and for some reason the TMPL fitter suggested I go -.25" in my last iron set. I noticed no difference what so ever. I can hit fat, thin, toe, heal shots with my irons or standard length. I can also hit good shots (occasionally) with either length. My next set of shafts will be standard length for the set.

I'm 5'10" and play standard lengths. It is all about maintaining your setup and not dipping or coming in too steep.

ORUTRAVIS · Apr 3, 2015

Scrap Iron said:
Are there any indications that you irons are too long.
Does the ball flight favor a fade or hook?
Do longer irons promote fat shots?
Is there anything on the sole that could give a clue like seeing wear in the toe or heel?
Does cutting a shaft -1/4 make any difference?

Thanks

One of the most important things about length that I have found is being able to make centered contact. Now depending on your ball striking ability I have found that shortening or lengthening has improved center strikes. I think what is more important than length is lie of the club. There is a huge variance among oem's today and lie angles. I would make sure that was a proper fit over the length.

1/4 inch could make a difference but I would be careful in taking a stock set and just starting cutting. Swingweight, balance point, and other factors come in play.

rbarthle17 · Apr 4, 2015

rbarthle17 said:
Before doing anything to the club, I strongly recommend choking down on the club and see what that does for you. You may find you like the feel of it and you've just saved yourself some cash.

My clubs are all normal length, but I choke up on every club at least 1/2". It's not unlike what I used to do for baseball. I still get plenty of power, but I feel a lot more in control of the club. I am 6 feet tall but have short legs (32" inseam) and a long torso.

Upon further review, I choke up more like 1" on every club.

wubears71 · Apr 4, 2015

I use to be 1.5" over standard. Then I hit a club at .5" over standard and it just felt right. Now I play 0.75" over standard. 15 years ago 1.5" felt right. Today 3/4" feels right. The calculated ideal length for me should be 1" over standard. For me it all came down to what worked for my swing using the calculated as a guideline.

CAA_Beat · Apr 4, 2015

wubears71 said:
I use to be 1.5" over standard. Then I hit a club at .5" over standard and it just felt right. Now I play 0.75" over standard. 15 years ago 1.5" felt right. Today 3/4" feels right. The calculated ideal length for me should be 1" over standard. For me it all came down to what worked for my swing using the calculated as a guideline.

Could it also be that over 15 years the "standard" length has snuck up 1/4 or even 1/2 on some or most manufactures?

Over the same period of time I've gone anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inch over. I have two current sets that are 1/4 in different from each other. One was ordered 1" over in length the other was ordered 1/2 inch over. So go figure. Ha.

O'Carroll · Apr 4, 2015

I went from standard length, to -1/4", back to standard, and am now at -1/2". The only difference I ever saw was some additional comfort at address (I'm 5'6"…on roller skates). I can hit equally terrible looking shots with clubs of any length.

wubears71 · Apr 5, 2015

CAA_Beat said:
Could it also be that over 15 years the "standard" length has snuck up 1/4 or even 1/2 on some or most manufactures?

Over the same period of time I've gone anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inch over. I have two current sets that are 1/4 in different from each other. One was ordered 1" over in length the other was ordered 1/2 inch over. So go figure. Ha.

I thought the same thing at first but confirmed that my old irons and my Apex irons were the same length when my Apex Irons were 1.5" over standard. Now I'm playing 3/4" over on my new Apex Pro irons.

Now drivers is a different scenario. I ordered my last 2 drivers 1" over standard since that is what I ordered my last driver in 2001 at 1" over standard, not realizing that back then standard was 44" and standard today was 45.5". Now I actually have my driver 0.5" under standard.

Mayday · Apr 8, 2015

When I had my shafts switched a club repairman said the 4i was too long, it wasn't a big big problem but I would loose distance or it could be cut. Since I'm so short I have to have all my clubs cut. I noticed the biggest change in my driver and the wedges, just felt lighter. Idk, hope it helps.