Club length

[LLIB]

I don’t know if this will end up being a question or just my random thoughts so bear with me.

I’m 5’7” or so with short legs. I’ve always played irons and wedges based off a 37.5” 5 iron. I went through 2 fittings in 2019. One at CC and one at local fitter. Both fit me into standard length clubs. Neither brought up club length. I’m playing standard length now but find myself choking up at least an inch.

I have a set I picked up on the bst that’s an inch shorter than my other irons that I was hitting last night alternating between them and my other irons. I felt much more comfortable with the shorter irons. I felt like I could make a much easier, compact swing. I was hitting into a net so I don’t know what impact, if any, shorter will have on distance.

I guess my question is why didn’t these “expert” fitters address this? They weren’t cheap. The local guy has all these certifications and awards and we all know how CC gets talked up. Just amazes me that this important aspect would be ignored.

 

[Scorp]

Maybe they didn't see your height as an issue that needed to be considered? And if you were hitting the clubs well during both of those fittings, why mess with success? Unless you weren't comfortable swinging the longer shaft length during the fitting? Or was that something that you didn't notice until afterwards?


And the clubs that are 1" shorter, are they identical to your current set?

I don't know otherwise. I'm clueless and never had a fitting.

 

[LLIB]

Maybe they didn't see your height as an issue that needed to be considered? And if you were hitting the clubs well during both of those fittings, why mess with success? Unless you weren't comfortable swinging the longer shaft length during the fitting? Or was that something that you didn't notice until afterwards?


And the clubs that are 1" shorter, are they identical to your current set?

I was hitting it ok at both fittings from what I remember but I wasn’t really comfortable. I bought the clubs from CC because, well I won’t get into that, but I never hit them well. The clubs that I have now that are short are kinda split the difference of the 2 sets I got fit into. One was a players distance iron with ultralight graphite and the other was a SGI iron with mid weight steel. No wonder I’m gun shy when it comes to fittings

 

[gmiller598]

If they didn't recommend a shorter length, did they use a flatter lie angle? I could see how that could mitigate the height issue if the shaft is less upright but that would also make you stand farther away from the ball.

 

[LLIB]

If they didn't recommend a shorter length, did they use a flatter lie angle? I could see how that could mitigate the height issue if the shaft is less upright but that would also make you stand farther away from the ball.

No, actually CC went upright and the local guy had me at standard everything

 

[Scorp]

yeah, I was kind of wondering if altering the loft and lie angles would make a difference. Hopefully when you get on the course with your new shorter length irons they suit you well and you don't lose any distance

 

[Danimal]

That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’m 6’1 and I use standard length labs a degree upright. I would think you would need some taken off. I don’t know, I’m not a fitter but I agree with you.

 

[JB]

That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’m 6’1 and I use standard length labs a degree upright. I would think you would need some taken off. I don’t know, I’m not a fitter but I agree with you.

It tends to happen as everybody is different. A fitter, no matter how good, can only work with the person and the swing that shows up. To give you an example if you are working on lie angle, as a fitter, what would you do if with each pass at the ball, the club head was hitting turf at a different angle?

 

[gmiller598]

Interesting. I mean the CDC released data couple of years ago that the average height of a man was 5'9". I'm not sure what specifically determines the standard club length. It does depend on model since I realized Ping standard club length on the G425 is 1/2" longer than the Apex DCB and the PXG stock 7i length for the new 0211 is 1/2" longer than the stock length of the Ping.

Depending on the brand and model, stock length might not be out of the question where others could be outrageously too long. That could also depend on how they measure length but I have held a DCB and a G425 next to each other and there was a definitive difference.

 

[Danimal]

It tends to happen as everybody is different. A fitter, no matter how good, can only work with the person and the swing that shows up. To give you an example if you are working on lie angle, as a fitter, what would you do if with each pass at the ball, the club head was hitting turf at a different angle?

Obviously there is a lot that goes into a fitting. I have been fit and had a great experience. I guess it really comes down to that fitter and guy having a somewhat decent swing. That being said, 5’7 with short legs still doesn’t sound like standard to me.

 

[gmiller598]

That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’m 6’1 and I use standard length labs a degree upright. I would think you would need some taken off. I don’t know, I’m not a fitter but I agree with you.

I think part of it also comes into play with the arm length as well. I believe the shaft optimizer from Mizuno and Ping both have recommendations for length based on distance from wrist to floor. Ping's color chart has standard black dot as a starting point for anyone with a wrist to floor distance of 34" for anywhere between 5'7 and 6'1". I'm 6'2" and 37" in my bare feet and Ping says I should be white dot 3* upright. My current set i green dot but I have blue dot on order because I deliver the club pretty upright into the ball.

Ping's recommendations for someone like @LLIB isn't out of question to play standard or even -1/2" as a starting point since he is right on the edge. However, Ping's stock lengths can be longer than other brands.

 

[LLIB]

I think part of it also comes into play with the arm length as well. I believe the shaft optimizer from Mizuno and Ping both have recommendations for length based on distance from wrist to floor. Ping's color chart has standard black dot as a starting point for anyone with a wrist to floor distance of 34" for anywhere between 5'7 and 6'1". I'm 6'2" and 37" in my bare feet and Ping says I should be white dot 3* upright. My current set i green dot but I have blue dot on order because I deliver the club pretty upright into the ball.

Ping's recommendations for someone like @LLIB isn't out of question to play standard or even -1/2" as a starting point since he is right on the edge. However, Ping's stock lengths can be longer than other brands.

I don’t know what Ping recommends, my wrist-to-floor is 32 3/4”. When I ordered my ZX4 6i I had to order it +1/2” to match my Pings. I guess I’ll just choke down until I figure out what works for me

 

[golfer_teej]

Ping chart would be red dot (1degree flat) and between standard and -.5

If you have shorter legs I would think the -.5 would feel better. I personally have success with the color chart as what it advised is what I was fitted into. However I do play 1/4 inch longer because I tend to choke up just a bit on my irons for my mental health