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Club Fitting: Iron Length?

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RobDMB

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I've had two independent fittings for irons. I am ready to order (Srixon Z765 w/ Dynamic Gold) but have a question. In one fitting I was fitted for .5" long shafts. In my last fitting, although I hit both, the fitter thought standard was better. My question is - does it make a huge difference. I am 6'1 so not super tall. As long as the lie si correct could most people play either length - I know manufacturers have already increased some club lengths as standard.

Thanks!

- Rob
 
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If you hit both at your last fitting and felt confident in the fitter, I would say run with it.
 
Its interesting, I've actually had two fittings where I was fitted .5 over (one at Ping Headquarters). However, I get the sense it may not matter a huge way either way. I've been playing standard for the last 15 years (although never fit - off the rack).
 
I now play 0.5" over although fitters have put me between that and 1.5" over. I came to the 0.5" because I was randomly hitting an Apex Pro with a 0.5" shaft and it just felt right. When I asked the length I was surprised because at the time I was 1.25" over.


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I am the same height as you and I always thought I should be playing longer or more upright clubs. I was fitted by some of the best fitters around at the Callaway ECPC and I was fitted into standard clubs. Everyones swing is different though and it can affect what you should be playing. If you are comfortable with standard clubs I wouldn't change. If my memory is correct I believe .5" long will effectively make the lie angle 1° upright.
 
I'm of the opinion that length doesn't really matter so long as the lie angle is correct for you at whatever length you opt for.

I've played clubs at -0.5", standard, and +0.5" and hit them all similarly and identical distances. I did have to change the lie angle when making length changes though because, as already mentioned, the effective lie angle changes.

ETA - Most companies will have a harder time hitting the listed stock swing weight at lengths other than standard. So if you go longer, expect the swing weight to be a little heavier.
 
If I had to err in one direction it would definitely be for the longer club
 
What I think matters most is getting fit right so you don't have to change your swing to fit the clubs. Assuming they had you swing on the marking board with different lie angle clubs until the sole was hitting flat then it should be easy for you to determine if the clubs are to long or short. If the lie angle is correct, ground the club and take your normal stance, your normal knee flex, your normal waist bend and your regular grip. If your grip is not centered on the grip then do the appropriate thing to make it so. I am 5'6". I play about 1" short of standard. I don't have near enough information to answer your question nor would anyone else over a blog but just as a guess unless you crouch over the ball at 6'1" you probably would play longer than standard.

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RobDMB said:
Interesting - any particular reason? I was also considering maybe just splitting the difference and doing .25" over.
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Pretty easy to shorten a club, take the grip off and cut it down. Add some lead weight to the head and voila you have the shorter club. Or easier yet, choke down a half inch.

If you go shorter it is tougher to lengthen the club. I know their are some plugs that can be put in, but I think that would be more trouble.

Not saying that is right, just get the rationale of starting with the longer club as it is easier to adjust.
 
Sorry to bump this but still struggling with what iron length to order due to one fitter saying .5" over and one saying standard. I am 6'1" and 36.5 Wrist-To-Floor if that helps.

Also, once I have the length squared away, how do I match it up with my wedges. I will be ordering Clevelend RTX 3 wedges. Looking at specs, the Srixon AW is 35.5"(standard) and the Cleveland RTX 54* is 35.125" and the 60* is 35".

Thanks!
 
I had my club guy add 1" to my clubs! Why? My back was starting to "bark" at me some and I wanted a more upright posture. I'm 6'2" so not super tall at all. But this has definitely helped my back and hasn't hurt my golf game. I figured I could always choke up if needed. It did take me a few weeks to adjust but I'm sure glad I did it!
 
It will not make much difference but personally I would go with the +0.5" if that is the upper bound of your two fittings. More importantly make sure your lie angle is correct.


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RobDMB said:
Sorry to bump this but still struggling with what iron length to order due to one fitter saying .5" over and one saying standard. I am 6'1" and 36.5 Wrist-To-Floor if that helps.

Also, once I have the length squared away, how do I match it up with my wedges. I will be ordering Clevelend RTX 3 wedges. Looking at specs, the Srixon AW is 35.5"(standard) and the Cleveland RTX 54* is 35.125" and the 60* is 35".

Thanks!
Click to expand...

i'd go 0.5" over for the reason @mancest mentions above. if you hit everything fat and hate it, it's a much easier fix. and you'll have the peace of mind that you at least tried the longer club first. if you went standard, you might find yourself wondering what it would be like if you went 0.5" over.
 
Was thinking of just splitting the difference and doing .25". How does the extra length affect the weight of the club, etc. Plus, haven't most clubs been lengthened already (i.e., the standard length has gotten longer?). I certainly do not need the distance so its a pure fitting thing.
 
I too would err on the side of ordering longer first.

If you find that you don't get along with .5" long clubs, you can choke down to create a 'normal' length or cut 1/2" off the shaft easily enough. To make them longer, you have to either reshaft or add extensions, both I imagine a bit more work that pulling the grip, cutting a bit, and installing a new grip.

As for weight, 1/2" long will add ~3 SW points. Now, that said, many manufacturers end up adding tip weights (the 3 sets I have taken apart all had at least some tip weighting), so it may actually not play too heavy if done +.5". Overall (static) weight for the shaft/club won't change much, as 1/2" on a shaft just isn't noticeable.
 
I am 6'1" also, and have been fitted for 1/2" long clubs several times. That being said, I am of the opinion that you would adjust to either standard or 1/2' long clubs pretty quickly. Your wedges are a lot shorter than your long irons and you easily compensate for that by standing closer to the ball.
 
How would .5" (or .25") affect swingweight - if the standard is D3 for the Srixons, would they be higher with the longer club. I'll be getting mid-sized grips as well if that is relevant.
 
RobDMB said:
Its interesting, I've actually had two fittings where I was fitted .5 over (one at Ping Headquarters). However, I get the sense it may not matter a huge way either way. I've been playing standard for the last 15 years (although never fit - off the rack).
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.5 over what though is what I always wonder. In the grand scheme of things .5 makes no difference unless you have issue hitting a long iron that's too long or a short iron that's too short. I play my 5 iron at 38.75" most of the time. For Srixon that means I'm .75 over standard but with my i25's prior that was only .5 over standard. And with my Mizuno's before that it was 1" over standard to get to 38.75".

The reason I play my 5 iron (longest iron) at that length is a result of playing all my wedges at 36.25" which is the shortest I like my wedges to be at 6'2". All 4 of my wedges are 36.25" then .5 gaping up to the 5 iron.

RobDMB said:
How would .5" (or .25") affect swingweight - if the standard is D3 for the Srixons, would they be higher with the longer club. I'll be getting mid-sized grips as well if that is relevant.
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1/2" = 3 swing weight points. 5g grip side is about 1 swing weight point. So the .5" and midsize will give you about 1 swing weight point over stock. I play Srixon z745 and at my .75" over and with the heavier shafts I use and lighter but thicker (tape) grips my SW is at D5.
 
RobDMB said:
In one fitting I was fitted for .5" long shafts. In my last fitting, although I hit both, the fitter thought standard was better.
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Rob, the fitter is there to provide their expertise for your benefit. So the question for both of them is "Why?" Any fitter worth their salt should have a reason for their opinion. It's impossible for me (or anyone else) to answer which is best. We haven't seen your swing, the ball flight with either of these length shafts, or any data collected by the launch monitor. You did get fitted with a launch monitor I hope.

As others have pointed out, different length shafts can alter the dynamic characteristics of the shaft, swing weight, and lie angle. Speaking for myself, I would put as first priority the dispersion pattern of one shaft over another. Your irons are your scoring clubs. The tighter the dispersion the better your chances to one-putt.
 
Thanks. I'm going to go with the longer clubs. Does anyone have any thoughts on RTX 3 wedge length though?

Srixon (standard) has their PW at 35.5" and their AW at 35.5". Cleveland RTX has its 54* at 35.125 and its 60* at 35".

Do I just consistently add .5" to all of them and leave them as is otherwise?
 
RobDMB said:
Thanks. I'm going to go with the longer clubs. Does anyone have any thoughts on RTX 3 wedge length though?

Srixon (standard) has their PW at 35.5" and their AW at 35.5". Cleveland RTX has its 54* at 35.125 and its 60* at 35".

Do I just consistently add .5" to all of them and leave them as is otherwise?
Click to expand...

Have you ever tried longer wedges? Do you hit many full shots with them, or mostly partial swings?

I personally play all wedges at 36". I rarely hit full wedge shots, and just feel like I can hit it better than the shorter wedges, especially when you approach 35" for lob wedges. Granted I did no weight removal, so they get to be sledge hammer like as the SW are D3, D7, E1 for my 48, 54, and 60, respectively.

I am only 5'10" and don't remember my WtF, but I have shortish arms, so I think a slightly longer measurement that what would be norm. By all height/WtF charts I have seen, put me at standard length, and I have always played my irons that way.
 
I would trust the fitter
 
RobDMB said:
Thanks. I'm going to go with the longer clubs. Does anyone have any thoughts on RTX 3 wedge length though?

Srixon (standard) has their PW at 35.5" and their AW at 35.5". Cleveland RTX has its 54* at 35.125 and its 60* at 35".

Do I just consistently add .5" to all of them and leave them as is otherwise?
Click to expand...

Did you ask the fitter? I play most of my clubs 0.5" short but am currently playing standard length SW and LW and really am not seeing any issues with it.

If you aren't sure and are buying them custom anyway I would go plus 0.5" as you are in your irons and again if they are too long, choke down a bit and get to a place you are comfortable.
 
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