Fitting Tall Golfers With NO Chart or Preconceived Ideas!

[CTG77]

On 12/12/2016 at 4:19 PM, slantsflood said:

So let me ask, those with a lot of experience in this area, what would you choose? What shaft, what head, what grip? Basically your perfect match regardless of brand. I hear mizuno has some good options on lighter heads?

After a 3+ hour fitting (mostly spent on irons / wedges) with a guy I trust at Club Champion, I went with Nippon 1150gh stiff shafts (most are +1" long), tipped between 0.5" and 1" depending on the club in Mizuno Pro 223 heads (4-PW).  My wedges are Vokey SM9 jet black with S200 shafts. However, I just ripped out the S200 from the 50*F10 last week and put in a Nippon 1150gh shaft I bought off eBay because my gapping between the Mizuno PW (46*) and the Vokey 50*.  My lie angles are generally 2* upright and start at 65* at the PW and work up to 62* at my 4 iron, which might be my favorite club in the bag right now.  For anyone looking for exact details per club, I attached a screenshot of my clubs from the fitting.

 

My grips are Lamkin ST Hybrid Midsize w/ 2 wraps.  This is a really great value grip by the way.  I have already almost 100 rounds (some 9 holes and some 18 holes) or range sessions (some as long as 2 1/2 hours...yes, I can hit balls forever) on them, and they are still VERY tacky with great feel.

 

This is a great threat rybo.  Thanks for your efforts!

[rybo]

3 hours ago, st1800e said:

Correction on measurements.  Did these with help and in the AM.  W2F is 37” right, 37.5 left, yes triple checked.     Height with shoes on is 6’ 2.75”. Shoulder 62.75” to top of shoulder where the clavicle meets the shoulder.  
still can’t figure out the shoulder @ 64* measurement.  
Ive had back issues for years, recently had 8 lumbar nerves ablated.  Haven’t felt this good for years.  I’m in the process of extending my irons and leaving for golf in 6 days. 
Would really appreciate if I could get some guidance on length.  

 

thank you
 

ST1800e

 

I am away at the moment and do not have access to the charts I generated awhile back. 

At 6' 2" with a 37" or 37.5" wtf is on the cusp of going beyond what most manufacturers can handle.  I'd say get the wedges dialed in (a touch longer) and wait on the irons.  The longer wedges will certainly help alleviate some of the pressure on your back. If you're ok with your Pitching wedge length, use it as a starting point.  Either make all wedges this length or go down in 1/8" or 1/4" steps. 

[st1800e]

3 hours ago, rybo said:

ST1800e

 

I am away at the moment and do not have access to the charts I generated awhile back. 

At 6' 2" with a 37" or 37.5" wtf is on the cusp of going beyond what most manufacturers can handle.  I'd say get the wedges dialed in (a touch longer) and wait on the irons.  The longer wedges will certainly help alleviate some of the pressure on your back. If you're ok with your Pitching wedge length, use it as a starting point.  Either make all wedges this length or go down in 1/8" or 1/4" steps. 

Hi Rybo,
I was at the range today with a 40” 6 iron (I20) , quite good, but may be a bit long.  A 37.5  7 iron (G410) definitely too short.  and a 36.75 9 iron (G410), not bad but seemed a bit short.  Based on your advice tomorrow I’ll go with a 38 PW and dial things in from there.  

Odd collection yes, my i20’s are gripless (and short) on the bench, after reshafting with Ping CB graphite, the G410’s are just sitting around from a previous failed experiment…. 
 

I’d been struggling with low ball flight, and today they’re going higher than I’ve ever hit them.

 

Rybo, I’ll look forward to when you have the time to check your charts, and thanks so much for taking the time to respond, I do appreciate.  

[Lasorcier]

On 2/6/2023 at 11:26 AM, rybo said:

First off, shoes on.  It makes a difference. 
 

Second my current setup and focus gravitates more on the wedges as these clubs need the most length increase and you’ll see the biggest benefit. My current Lob Wedge is a Cleveland full face at 36.75”. Although not as long as some before, it’s working well enough as I only use the LW in the sand and in select situations. I used to use LW about 80% around the greens, now it probably less then 15%. Otherwise my SW, GW, & PW are all the same length at 37”. It’s as short as I feel comfortable with.

Ditto for me.  Excellent post.  My 9 through wedges are all the same length.  

 

This is my intellectual question and it is like in this image.  Why do fitters recommend an upright fit for taller people in lieu of lengthening?  I see that a lot.  I lengthened and bent flat and it works for me. I did that after watching a txg video and it was an awesome change.  With standard clubs bent more upright I found myself running out of room,  hooking,  etc. 

 

Different strokes for different folks I realize. I just did ballpark calculating here. 

 

[DB Golf]

6 hours ago, Lasorcier said:

Why do fitters recommend an upright fit for taller people in lieu of lengthening?  I see that a lot.  I lengthened and bent flat and it works for me.

Ditto. I see shorter guys with relatively long clubs for their height and they hit it a mile. I see tall guys with upright clubs and they swing out to in without much distance. One fitter put me in 2* upright. The next put me in 1* flat and it fixed my swing. 

[Baby_Draw]

10 hours ago, DB Golf said:

Ditto. I see shorter guys with relatively long clubs for their height and they hit it a mile. I see tall guys with upright clubs and they swing out to in without much distance. One fitter put me in 2* upright. The next put me in 1* flat and it fixed my swing. 

I just lengthened my PW an an experiment from 36.25 to 37.25” and from 2° upright to 1° flat (3° change). My first time out with it I was finding the center of the face every time and had zero fear of an overdraw. I can make a proper swing and turn through the ball now versus feeling like my swing is just guarding me from a hook. 
 

im going to be bringing my 54 and 58 to 36.75”, 50° and PW will be 37.25” and then I’ll go up in 1/2” increments to the 7i, then 1/4” increments to the 4i to prevent the long irons from getting too long. Very excited to see what proper length irons (and lie angles) do for my game. 

[Lasorcier]

36 minutes ago, Baby_Draw said:

Very excited to see what proper length irons (and lie angles) do for my game. 

They will do a lot for certain.  I would guess better consistency and dispersion easily. 

 

The portion below of your post is spot on.  

 

I can make a proper swing and turn through the ball now versus feeling like my swing is just guarding me from a hook. 

 

 

 

[cubuffs]

3 hours ago, Lasorcier said:

They will do a lot for certain.  I would guess better consistency and dispersion easily. 

 

The portion below of your post is spot on.  

 

I can make a proper swing and turn through the ball now versus feeling like my swing is just guarding me from a hook. 

 

 

 

 

Now I am very intrigued.  Have been a contributor to the thread in the past and currently play clubs 1 3/4ths over standard - but 2 degrees up.  Fight a hook, so going to experiment having one bent  and testing on the course.

[Lasorcier]

I betcha it will reduce it.  One thing I think also is that when flattening,  I believe flattening lengthens the club in its own right, independent of you actually lengthening the shaft. 

[Baby_Draw]

1 hour ago, cubuffs said:

 

Now I am very intrigued.  Have been a contributor to the thread in the past and currently play clubs 1 3/4ths over standard - but 2 degrees up.  Fight a hook, so going to experiment having one bent  and testing on the course.

Do it, I was 2* up as well and now 1* flat and have never hit the ball straighter. I used to struggle with toe strikes ALOT as well, now we're much more consistently center face. 

 

2 minutes ago, Lasorcier said:

I betcha it will reduce it.  One thing I think also is that when flattening,  I believe flattening lengthens the club in its own right, independent of you actually lengthening the shaft. 

I understand this to be true as well, although a negligible amount longer. I also believe it increases swing weight due to positioning the club head further away from the grip 

[webber]

On 11/17/2016 at 4:07 AM, 03SMURF said:

With shoes on, I'm 6'3", 39" WTF and 62-62.5" shoulder to floor. My current set was fit to me at +0.5" and 4* up. Anything below 6 iron my common miss is on the toe and often thin. Even my solid shots favor the toe side some. This winter I'm thinking about building some Maltby irons and wedges to experiment with much longer lengths and try to maintain std lie angles. Only thing that worries me is shaft flex. If I hardstep X100's once or maybe even twice I would probably be ok.

 

I've always felt that the specs for length and lie should move in conjunction.  1/2" over and 2* up etc.  4* up tells me clubs need to be a little longer.  I'm 6-2" and WTF us 38.5",  I've always used +1/2" to the 7 irons then 3/4" over to LW.  Still feels a little short to me but swingweight is manageable.

[Lasorcier]

When lengthening, those tourlock / opti-fit weights you can put in shafts are pretty good on getting the feels you want.

[enormous13]

Absolutely love when this thread gets a reboot!

[Baby_Draw]

The shafts have been ordered (PX LZ 6.5), going to hardstep once and play the lengths listed (may still tweak it slightly).

 

This current 37.25” PW at 1° flat has been phenomenal. It made me realize I didn’t want to go much shorter, so I actually brought wedges up a little bit to 37” as the shortest. 
 

 

PSA - tall guys with upright clubs, do yourself a favor and spend $10 (or do it yourself) and lengthen a wedge or short iron to where you feel comfortable, and flatten the lie out. If you’re seeing hook misses, toe strikes, or thinning it often trying to get down to the ball, this may be the fix you’re looking for👍🏼 

 

Cheap experiment that can easily be undone if it’s not for you. 

[CTG77]

On 2/7/2023 at 4:10 PM, Lasorcier said:

Ditto for me.  Excellent post.  My 9 through wedges are all the same length.  

 

This is my intellectual question and it is like in this image.  Why do fitters recommend an upright fit for taller people in lieu of lengthening?  I see that a lot.  I lengthened and bent flat and it works for me. I did that after watching a txg video and it was an awesome change.  With standard clubs bent more upright I found myself running out of room,  hooking,  etc. 

 

Different strokes for different folks I realize. I just did ballpark calculating here. 

 

In my case, I was already at +1" over standard, so I had to also go to +2* upright to fit my swing. I have very (VERY) long legs and normal-length arms and am 6'4" so when that's all combined, the combo just worked.  Adding 2+ more inches of length would have had a really negative effect on my dispersion, which is a problem as it is for me with longer clubs, so I didn't need any help.

[DB Golf]

Thanks to rybo and this thread for enabling me to be more aware of my situation. Yesterday on the range was the first time I ever noticed just how much weight I have on the balls of my feet at setup with clubs that are too short for me. I wonder how many other tall guys have been doing that for so long that it feels normal. 
 

When I begin fitting myself for club length, I’ll be mindful of how my weight is distributed under my feet. 

[JTSax]

This was an awesome read.  As a fitter my biggest struggle is always with taller clients.  They generally ask for a WTF measurement and I oblige just for their sake but never really use that information myself.  I always have them try several lengths first to see what feels the best to them and I look to see where they look the most athletic at address.

[mupepperboy]

This thread has opened my eyes too! I’m playing +1”, 6’3”. 37.5” wtf. Struggle with thin shots. I bent my 7 iron from 2up to standard. It looks really toe down now but I seemed to hit it much cleaner at the range! Went ahead a bent the rest to see how it works through the bag.

 

I think an inch long from the 6iron up might be a touch too much but I’ll test them before I start removing length. 

[DB Golf]

On 2/7/2023 at 5:10 PM, Lasorcier said:

 

The OP, the sketches above, and the diagram on tallmangolf.com got my wheels turning and sparked sort of an aha moment. To me, the vertical side of the triangle in the sketch above is the measurement of the butt of the grip to the floor (GTF) when the golfer is in a comfortable setup position.

 

I ran the numbers using length and lie from a GolfWorks standard iron set and realized that GTF isn't presumed to be constant. Instead it varied by two inches. I'm not sure that I understand or agree with the logic on that.

 

I'm likely recreating the wheel here, but it seems to me that measuring GTF from a comfortable setup position would be a much better proxy than traditional WTF from which to calculate the starting points for fitting for length at both ends of an iron set.

 

I'm thinking of doing a self-fitting and partial build based upon this premise. I would use Maltby KE4 Max iron heads to easily remove headweight to help dial in SW or MOI. I would also start with a lighter and stiffer 95g shaft to help manage SW and feel. Theoretically, I shouldn't have to adjust standard lie angles except when necessary to account for toe droop and my imperfect swing.

 

Curious about how much my actual numbers would differ from theory...

[TLUBulldogGolf]

On 2/7/2023 at 11:10 PM, DB Golf said:

Ditto. I see shorter guys with relatively long clubs for their height and they hit it a mile. I see tall guys with upright clubs and they swing out to in without much distance. One fitter put me in 2* upright. The next put me in 1* flat and it fixed my swing. 

 

Dynamic lie testing should trump anything and can show you what's happening through impact. But there is the possibility of reacting differently to a different lie. 

 

I'm 6'5" with ~39" wrist to floor measurement and tried all sorts of setups as I was learning. I used to play very upright, like 4* up, and I always battled heavy swing weights but have settled on 2* upright through swing changes, at +1/2" over Mizuno standard, typically with the lighter heads Mizuno makes. Though like many in this thread I have tweaked my shorter clubs to where my PW is 36.25" and the rest of my wedges are 36". It has definitely helped with my setup in the shorter clubs. I was always curious about playing with the gapping (going to 3/8" between clubs or something) starting from my current 6 iron or even slightly longer, as I never felt uncomfortable with the longer clubs. But it's not a cheap experiment. 

[tboh]

On 2/8/2023 at 2:22 PM, cubuffs said:

 

Now I am very intrigued.  Have been a contributor to the thread in the past and currently play clubs 1 3/4ths over standard - but 2 degrees up.  Fight a hook, so going to experiment having one bent  and testing on the course.

This was me ... went back to std lie & boom not too many lefts esp on good strikes

 

I think mizzy std are actually flat relative to others

 

Good luck 

[Cwebb]

On 2/14/2023 at 1:36 PM, DB Golf said:

The OP, the sketches above, and the diagram on tallmangolf.com got my wheels turning and sparked sort of an aha moment. To me, the vertical side of the triangle in the sketch above is the measurement of the butt of the grip to the floor (GTF) when the golfer is in a comfortable setup position.

 

I ran the numbers using length and lie from a GolfWorks standard iron set and realized that GTF isn't presumed to be constant. Instead it varied by two inches. I'm not sure that I understand or agree with the logic on that.

 

I'm likely recreating the wheel here, but it seems to me that measuring GTF from a comfortable setup position would be a much better proxy than traditional WTF from which to calculate the starting points for fitting for length at both ends of an iron set.

 

I'm thinking of doing a self-fitting and partial build based upon this premise. I would use Maltby KE4 Max iron heads to easily remove headweight to help dial in SW or MOI. I would also start with a lighter and stiffer 95g shaft to help manage SW and feel. Theoretically, I shouldn't have to adjust standard lie angles except when necessary to account for toe droop and my imperfect swing.

 

Curious about how much my actual numbers would differ from theory...

 

Another option to keep head weight as low as possible, is the Maltby KE4 "Tour" which also has the changeable weight.  It's been in their lineup for a while, so the cost per head is lower.  Very forgiving overall and especially towards the toe.  They are made of 431 stainless, which is much easier to move for loft/lie adjustments vs the 17/4 that the KE4 Max are cast from.  The only reason they call these "Tour" is because the progressive offset is lower than some others.  The head size is not smaller or "compact" at all.

https://www.golfworks.com/maltby-ke4-tour-iron-heads/p/ma0261/

[Wayside]

Just coming back to the game after 20 years away, and I’m fascinated by this great thread. 
 

I’m 6’2” and struggled for years trying to get my clubs sorted, never mind all the fittings I did for other tall guys.
 

It was a constant battle as if you fitted them to something other than their club manufacturers charts, if they had one bad round they’d be back in shouting about having received a ‘bad’ fitting. 
 

Then there are the other guys who will only accept a specific fitting, usually 2 up, +1/2”, with every brand. Trying to explain that means different lengths and lies with different manufacturers also caused much complaining. 
 

I personally always had trouble with my long irons. Everything else, pretty straight, long irons: fore right! 
 

Anyway, this is starting to feel like AA, but it’s a great read! Thanks 👍

Edited February 20, 2023 by Wayside

[Cwebb]

30 minutes ago, Wayside said:

Just coming back to the game after 20 years away, and I’m fascinated by this great thread. 
 

I’m 6’2” and struggled for years trying to get my clubs sorted, never mind all the fittings I did for other tall guys.
 

It was a constant battle as if you fitted them to something other than their club manufacturers charts, if they had one bad round they’d be back in shouting about having received a ‘bad’ fitting. 
 

Then there are the other guys who will only accept a specific fitting, usually 2 up, +1/2”, with every brand. Trying to explain that means different lengths and lies with different manufacturers also caused much complaining. 
 

I personally always had trouble with my long irons. Everything else, pretty straight, long irons: fore right! 
 

Anyway, this is starting to feel like AA, but it’s a great read! Thanks 👍

Traditional swing-weight matching can produce longer irons that are too heavy in proportion to the rest of a set.  This can be avoided somewhat if we build a set with a progressive swing-weight, where the longer irons are slightly lower.  Makes the longer irons easier to square up for a lot of players, including very good players

[spncrn]

Thanks for this thread @rybo  - It has been a life-saver!

This is long... so here's a dedicated thread as well -- here

 

I wanted to share both my experience of fittings and doing experiments this past year --  hopefully this will give you guys some insight, validate your feelings of bad fitting experiences, and give you some hope/ideas for the future...

 

First here's my stats as of 03/2023:

6'6"

Approx 38.5 WTF (with reg shoes on)

90+mph 6 iron swing speed // 105-110 driver

 

Fittings:

I've gone through 4 fittings all producing different results - purely based on the fitter's preconceived notions of "fit" and not knowing what to do with a tall person...

 

 

1st fitting - Taylormade in 2020

Result:

Irons: +1.5"  &  upright 2*  (p790 - DG 120 S300 shaft)

Woods: standard length/lie

 

** limited selection of longer shafts - but overall a really decent experience

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

2nd fitting - Club Champion 2022

Result: 

Irons: +1"  &  Flat 3*  (p790 - Kbs Tour C taper Stiff)

 

**Really bad fitting session - this combo resulted in 5-6 broken clubs/shafts over 1 session due to these improper specs- didn't find anything that worked well**

***I refused to buy the clubs and made sure they knew how disappointed I was in the result and that my time was wasted... resulted in a refit for free**

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

3rd fitting  - Club Champion 2022 (Refit)

Result:

Irons: +1.25"  &  Upright 2*  (Mizuno 225 - KBS Tour stiff)

 

**Slightly more satisfied and felt better taken care of - but how did they have a 5* swing in lie angle?*  -- I continued searching for answers 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

4th fitting - Golf Galaxy 2022 (Just to confirm that nobody knew what they were doing - and I had a gift card to use)

Result:

Irons: +1" & Flat 2* (Callaway Apex Pro - Dynamic gold S300)

 

**All around not great - Limited shaft selection - fitter used himself and his stats as a basis for how my fit should go

**i.e. - he likes flat lies at +1/2" - because he's 6'3" with long arms --- therefore I need a flat lie - Ughhhh : / 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Experiment #1:

I started by lengthening my old clubs by 2" since they were previously 1/2" shorter than standard length. This got them to a decent length at a standard lie -- They are Adam's Golf GT Tight Lies irons with some sort of Mid-flex steel shafts from 2007ish.

 

While this length was excellent for 8,9,PW - it bunched up my 5,6,7 irons to hit them roughly all the same distance. I was also playing them at standard lie, and it was really messing with my setup position and swing trying to hit a 4 iron and 9 iron that were now wildly different in flex, length, swing weight, etc...

 

This pushed my swing weights up into the E's. Yikes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Experiment #2:

After this initial run, I bought a fitter's club (Taylormade P760) with an upright 2* lie angle and a stiffer shaft (DG 120 s300).

I put another 2" Extension into it to try to get something that resembled a modern club with a stiffer shaft and the proper length. ** I know 2" is too long, but you can always choke up on it**

 

This worked amazingly well -- I could actually hit the ball without it spraying all over the place, and could actually learn how to swing properly, and more comfortably.

 

** I highly recommend trying to find one of these on eBay - I paid about $50-60 for it**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Experiment #3:

I bought an actual 7 iron and built it to the following specs:

P760 7 iron  

Lie: 64* (2*up)

Length: +2" (again because I knew I needed approx +1.5")

Shaft: Dynamic Gold x100 105 shaft 

 

Pros+Cons:

- Pros: This setup is what I have been using to teach myself proper swing mechanics and it works amazingly well if I'm choked up on it by about 1/2". The ball flight is straight, the length is comfortable, and I can strike the ball in the middle of the face.

 

- Cons: Swing weights are pushing into the E's (yikes again), the DG X100 105 is way too soft at this length and weight, this is causing erratic shaft droop and lots of swings that hit the turf, HARD.

 

Back to the drawing board

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Experiment #4:

Since I loved the p760's and they're super affordable used - I ended up buying a 5-PW set for $300 on eBay here in the US, in preparation for a truly custom build...

 

Recently I bought a 4 iron to complete this set which came with a KBS Tour Stiff shaft at +1/2" - and it was surprisingly much more stable than the 7 iron I've been using from experiment 3...

 

Which brings us to today... 

I am actively in the process of switching to a stiffer shaft at +1.5"...

I have ordered a KBS Tour X shaft that will be the proper length once installed in my 6 iron (I wanted to compare it to the 7 iron and 4 iron)

 

I think this will be one of my last experiments as I want to get out there with a full set to see what I can really do with my new clubs, even if they're not perfect.

 

 

If the KBS is above a 20% improvement in stability, stiffness, and consistency, I'll be putting these in the bag and my full iron set will look something like this:

 

P760 heads - KBS Tour Extra Stiff (+1.5") - 2* Upright Lie resulting in:

4 - 63* 

5 - 63*

6 - 63.5*

7 - 64*

8 - 64.5*

9 - 64.5*

PW - 64.5*

 

Wedges - TBD - Will update this

Woods - TBD - Will update this

Driver - TBD - Will update this

Putter - 37-38" most likely.

______________________________________

 

Total Iron build cost = $750-800 (not including my own labor)

 

I hope this gives you all some insight into how to do this faster than I did it - (this has taken about 1 year to get dialed in, and I know it's not perfect just yet)

 

I will try to keep this updated, and please reach out with any questions!

 

** Lastly, If you are on the fence about doing this or spending the time... Going through this process to have properly fitting clubs has taken my scores from the high 90's to the low 80's - even before I build these new clubs!

 

Here's a dedicated Thread to this as well --- here

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by spncrn

[buckhorn70]

Great thread!

 

Although I am not overly tall at 6’1”, I have short arms with a WTF of 38.5”

 

Going longer in the clubs is the only thing that works for me….. upright lie angles and custom fitters that suggest 1/2” over just did not work. I am finding between 1.5” to 2” is the only thing that works for me. Longer clubs have their drawbacks but it gets me in the best swing positions and creates the best ball strikes/consistency.

 

Look at any tour player on TV or You tube and study their stance…… 95 percent of them are not bent over, they are mostly upright in posture.

[buckhorn70]

I used an old set of Mizuno MP62’s to lengthen for an experiment. They are roughly 2” over. It gave me test set to dial in my length. They are 3 thru PW with  some older Cleveland 588 wedges…. 52 and 58 degree. These test clubs helped me get to 1.5”-1.75” club length for a good posture. I am 6’1” and 38.5” WTF by the way.

 

I would gladly ship them to someone for their trial set so they can see if longer clubs would help them. 150.00 shipped to lower 48. Just PM me if you are interested. I would put them in the Classifieds but the longer clubs are so specific to this thread.

[mynameisntshawn]

Thank you all for the thoughtful posts on this thread! I'm 6'4" (no shoes) with 37" WTF and 63" shoulder to floor (both with shoes). I've been eyeing a Maltby DBM build so I figured I might as well order a test club with this thread's principles in mind. My current set is a Cobra Forged Tec X built 3° upright and .5" long in KBS PGI 85 stiff shafts. The standard set is already pretty upright, so the lie angle difference from my fitted set to the stock DBM is almost 5° from 21° club to 21° club. My plan is to order a 5 iron head (equivalent loft to a 6.5 iron on my current set) bent 2° upright and an uncut FST 125 that I will tip trim down to 40" (plus 2" from standard). I'll also buy some extensions so I can lengthen/further stiffen via tip trimming, as needed. To start I'll manage any counterweighting with lead tape in the butt end of the shaft. Anything else I need to consider?

Edited August 21, 2023 by mynameisntshawn

[Cwebb]

24 minutes ago, mynameisntshawn said:

Thank you all for the thoughtful posts on this thread! I'm 6'4" (no shoes) with 37" WTF and 63" shoulder to floor (both with shoes). I've been eyeing a Maltby DBM build so I figured I might as well order a test club with this thread's principles in mind. My current set is a Cobra Forged Tec X built 3° upright and .5" long in KBS PGI 85 stiff shafts. The standard set is already pretty upright, so the lie angle difference from my fitted set to the stock DBM is almost 5° from 21° club to 21° club. My plan is to order a 5 iron head (equivalent loft to a 6.5 iron on my current set) bent 2° upright and an uncut FST 125 that I will tip trim down to 40" (plus 2" from standard). I'll also buy some extensions so I can lengthen/further stiffen via tip trimming, as needed. To start I'll manage any counterweighting with lead tape in the butt end of the shaft. Anything else I need to consider?

 

I wouldn't bother with the counter weighting in reference to what the swing weight scale shows.  Any weight added to a club, makes the club heavier, despite a swing weight showing lower.

 

My first concern for you would be....how are you going to get your wedges long enough, without being extremely heavy, considering that most wedge heads have a heavy raw weight around 300  grams.

 

You might consider starting with a "mid" wedge with a loft of 52-56* and getting that dialed in first, by doing everything you can to get the starting raw head weight as low as possible.  It's relatively easy to work the rest of your set up from there.  The challenge is getting wedges built that are long enough and don't play really heavy in proportion to the irons

[mynameisntshawn]

That's interesting, I could definitely approach it from that angle. In the past I haven't minded heavier total weight clubs as long as the swing weight is right. I suppose it might be worth ordering a wedge head to test as well. Does this group have any suggestion of good low-weight wedge heads to try out? I currently play Vokeys.