Looking for club advice (tall new golfer)

[greenbean4606]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm hoping the forum can help me figure out the best way to approach my club selection.  I just started playing in the last 3-4 months but have become obsessed with the game.  I had been playing with 20+ year old beginner set but on a bit of a whim I bought some TRX powerslot irons (4-PW) from Gigagolf.   I am 6'7" so I knew that I needed custom clubs so I got them +1" and 3 degrees upright and I guesstimated my shaft flex.  They were cheap ~$175.00 so I'm not out too much but now I wish I had taken some more time and looked into used options that I could customize (callawaypreowned) or some higher end places like Maltby or Sub70.  I've been taking them to the range a couple times a week and they seem ok but I'm wondering if something else would have been better for me.

 

I did buy some (50 and 56 degree) TSW forged wedges from maltby and I can hit that 50 degree wedge much more consistently than I can the pitching wedge from gigagolf.  I'm not sure what it is about it but I tend to hit the toe on the gigagolf PW more often than I'd like in comparison with the TSWs.

 

I'm looking for advice on where to go from here.  Should I play with what I have for 2-3 years, take lessons, and fine tune my game first or should I get fitted first?  

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[MattM97]

This may be a beaten horse answer but definitely get fitted. At 6'7" you know nothing off the rack will fit you perfectly, you can get close but you still may be off. If you really enjoy playing golf and thinking you'll play for a long time and have the funds get fit. It will make the game much more enjoyable, you know these clubs are fit for you and you may even be able to enjoy the game even more.

 

The downfall is you can't get fitted for DTC brands like Sub70, Hogan, etc. But you can always get a demo club or two to try out but unfortunately most will be standard spec but I'm sure some may be able to do a custom demo for your situation.

[Lobber]

A good starting point my next lessons.  Your pro can give you a sense of what length and type clubs you need. A good swing with proper technique can play a lot of different types of clubs successfully. So getting the swing mechanics down with a good teacher may save you money in the long run. Once you have your game where you are confident then you could invest in a set that will last you for a while   Good luck!

[BallerNate]

I’ve never been fitted, but I am also 6’7 and have been through the process of upgrading my bag from an old beginner set and also the process of learning what works for my game. From what I understand about fittings, it will work better once you’re confident in your swing and your game so you can get fitted for what will maximize your game. In your situation I would work with the clubs you have, take lessons, and get a better feel for the game, then get fitted and upgrade your clubs once you know what type of clubs will best work for you.

 

No point spending a ton of money on clubs and fitting when you’re still in the process of learning and adjusting your game...that’s my advice. Also, for wedges I would recommend adding a 60 Degree LW...that will make your life a lot easier from 60 yds and in than trying to use a 56 SW to land on the green. I tried using a 56 as my highest lofted club this season and found it is incredibly difficult to open up the club face to create enough loft to stick the ball on the green. As a new player especially, a 58 or 60 LW (60 for you since you already have a 50 GW and a 56 SW) will make the game a lot more enjoyable for you as you proceed on the path to improvement!

Edited December 28, 2020 by BallerNate

[Myherobobhope]

My dad is 6’10 and I’m 6’4... I play irons 3/4 long and his are +2... he went and got a ping fitting after playing the +2 for 30 years and the fitter basically said if thats what you are used to, play those.

 

If you are comfortable with the length, it’s the right fit... but you’ll want to make sure it has the correct lie.

that said, the ping fitting chart is a great place to start.

 

At 6’7” you can get to 1.5 over... that much length does create some challenges!

 

What to do next depends on your resources... getting fit for a decent set of clubs is great if you don’t mind spending the money. Sub70 can likely help you out. Email the ceo directly: [email protected] he knows his stuff and can help build you a better fit set.

 

otherwise, keep hitting what you have and find someone who can check your lie angles... them being off can hurt your contact!

[Red4282]

Take some lessons. As you get better your equipment needs will change, so no use in changing now just to change again soon. I always tell people as kind of a golden rule that when you start legitimately breaking 100 consistently, its time to ditch the starter set and start shopping for some better equipment.

[ProjectX]

9 hours ago, Myherobobhope said:

My dad is 6’10 and I’m 6’4... I play irons 3/4 long and his are +2... he went and got a ping fitting after playing the +2 for 30 years and the fitter basically said if thats what you are used to, play those.

 

If you are comfortable with the length, it’s the right fit... but you’ll want to make sure it has the correct lie.

that said, the ping fitting chart is a great place to start.

 

At 6’7” you can get to 1.5 over... that much length does create some challenges!

 

What to do next depends on your resources... getting fit for a decent set of clubs is great if you don’t mind spending the money. Sub70 can likely help you out. Email the ceo directly: [email protected] he knows his stuff and can help build you a better fit set.

 

otherwise, keep hitting what you have and find someone who can check your lie angles... them being off can hurt your contact!

I was going to post this chart as well. At 6'4" I play +1" so I knew that would be short for you at 6'7". The hardest part about clubs when you get this long is overall weight and swing weight tends to get really high really quick. At +1.5" you'd be adding 9 swing weight points out of the gate and if you go 3* upright or more you are looking at another point heavier. Focussing on brands that offer lightweight heads for over length built helps a lot. To my knowledge none of the DTC brands offer lightweight heads. Ping is probably the best at accommodating tall golfers, otherwise Mizuno and Titleist both off lightweight heads. Callaway's newest forged stuff can be light weight but nothing like that in the game improvement space yet. 

[Hamerhaai]

Hi ProjectX,

 

I'm 6,4" also. Not trying to steal the topic from TS, but could also be an answer for him: why would you not want a heavier head? Or let me rephrase, if the standard heads get relatively heavier because of lengthening of the shaft: this is ok for someone who is 6"4 - 6"7? Because presumably, he is also stronger?

 

Thank you. Greetings.

 

 

[EDT501]

I’m not quite as tall as you, but I’m not too far off either. If you are committed to enjoying the game for years to come, I’d suggest going and getting fitted ASAP. You’ll find it much easier to improve if you have clubs that are appropriate for your frame and allow you to setup comfortably to the ball.
 

After a lot of trial and error, I found my Goldilocks by playing my LW at 1.75” over “standard,” using 1/4” gaps through my 9 iron, and then using 3/8” vs normal 1/2” gaps the rest of the way up. That way I feel comfortable at address over the wedges and short clubs, but don’t have something unwieldy in the long irons. 

 

Id suggest working with a swing coach or local club fitter (ie - not club champion or true spec) who has experience with taller players.

[EDT501]

2 minutes ago, Hamerhaai said:

Hi ProjectX,

 

I'm 6,4" also. Not trying to steal the topic from TS, but could also be an answer for him: why would you not want a heavier head? Or let me rephrase, if the standard heads get relatively heavier because of lengthening of the shaft: this is ok for someone who is 6"4 - 6"7? Because presumably, he is also stronger?

 

Thank you. Greetings.

Some golfers prefer a heavy swing weight, but it doesn’t work for most people. It’s not about strength, per-se, it’s about the feel of the club and how that impacts tempo. “Standard” would usually be a swing weight of D2 (range is from C-E & 0-9). Wedges might normally be around D4-6, woods often come in around D0-D2. For most people this feels about right. Even most tour pros, including some of the strongest such as DG and Tiger, play clubs in this general low-to-mid D range. Adding 2 inches to the build (not outside of the realm of possibility for someone 6’7”) would add 12 swing-weight points, making a build with standard heads come out to roughly E5, which is far above a normal range. Using lighter spec heads makes it easier to get the swing weight range in something like normal. It’s also much easier to add SW points than remove them so it’s usually best practice with longer builds to use lighter heads.

[Hamerhaai]

Ah, thank you, I guess the extra weight of midsize or jumbo grips (again, presuming 6"4-6"7 has also larger hands) does not balances it out?

[Myherobobhope]

1 minute ago, Hamerhaai said:

Ah, thank you, I guess the extra weight of midsize or jumbo grips (again, presuming 6"4-6"7 has also larger hands) does not balances it out?

No... it’s not enough weight... getting a good club fitter is probably a really good suggestion for taller players.

 

ping is definitely a great option.

[uglande]

11 hours ago, Myherobobhope said:

My dad is 6’10 and I’m 6’4... I play irons 3/4 long and his are +2... he went and got a ping fitting after playing the +2 for 30 years and the fitter basically said if thats what you are used to, play those.

 

If you are comfortable with the length, it’s the right fit... but you’ll want to make sure it has the correct lie.

that said, the ping fitting chart is a great place to start.

 

At 6’7” you can get to 1.5 over... that much length does create some challenges!

 

What to do next depends on your resources... getting fit for a decent set of clubs is great if you don’t mind spending the money. Sub70 can likely help you out. Email the ceo directly: [email protected] he knows his stuff and can help build you a better fit set.

 

otherwise, keep hitting what you have and find someone who can check your lie angles... them being off can hurt your contact!

I have been golfing for 40 years, and I like Ping as a company, but I cannot tell you how ludicrous I think their fitting chart is. I am 6' 5" with not particularly long arms and after years of using this fitting chart as a guide, I have for the past several years settled in with clubs that are +.5 in irons and +.75 (sometimes a full inch) in wedges, and standard lengths in the woods and utilities. 

 

At the bottom of the bag -- the wedges -- you need extra length or your posture will be too hunched over. But play the shortest lengths you feel comfortable with because the swing weights when you get in the +1 range start to get out of control. With the mid- and long-irons, you don't need the extra length. Just a little bit but certainly not the 1.5 inches Ping is suggesting. Then make whatever lie adjustment is necessary for comfort and ball flight. 

 

In the rest of the bag, I would urge the same thing -- use the shortest irons you can get away with and adjust lie angle slightly. Some fitters will tell you to get clubs that are as much as +2 inches, and I promise you they will be un-hittable, especially when you get to the longer irons.

 

Where Ping goes completely off the rails is in suggesting an increase in length (in your case) of +1.5 inches AND 3-4 degrees upright. That's insane. Unless you want to set up to the ball like Bryson DeChambeau.

 

If you look at the specs of the tallest golfers in the game (Cink, Els, DJ, Kuchar, Finau) -- none of them is playing super over-length clubs with extreme lie angles. They are generally +.50 or so with one or two degrees of lie adjustment. Until a few years ago, Cink played standard length clubs.

 

Probably 90 percent of fitters are going to default to this dated conventional wisdom about fitting taller golfers. If they try to fit you into clubs like the Ping chart suggests (or longer), you will end up with a set of clubs that are unplayably heavy and unwieldy. 

[EDT501]

I’ll counter the above. I’m 6’4” and play well over-length clubs after much experimentation. I just feel so much more comfortable standing over the ball and am better able to make my natural swing. I’m also better able to have long range sessions without back pain the next day. I have structured my set to have compressed gapping so that I play my clubs more over length at the bottom than the top mitigating some of the issues you mention. Using lighter weight Mizuno heads, I was able to get my swing weights to D2, so it’s definitely feasible.

[Myherobobhope]

15 minutes ago, uglande said:

f you look at the specs of the tallest golfers in the game (Cink, Els, DJ, Kuchar, Finau) -- none of them is playing super over-length clubs with extreme lie angles. They are generally +.50 or so with one or two degrees of lie adjustment. Until a few years ago, Cink played standard length clubs.

Those guys are all 6’4” or under... I don’t think the ping chart is perfect, but can be a good place to start.

 

others have suggested starting with wedges 1.5 over and adding 1/4 between clubs so the long irons aren’t overly wrong.

 

a good club fitter, and some experimentation will be the key to finding the right set.

[greenbean4606]

OP here, interesting discussion!  I greatly appreciate all of the insight so far.  The swing weight issue is definitely top of mind for me.  With the clubs I have (+1", +3 upright)  I am noticing a much heavier feel than what I would prefer.  I may need a lighter shaft as well.  It sounds like I need to start with a fitting and try some different combinations to figure out what will work best.  

 

Does anyone have a list of models with light weight head options?  I had been thinking of the ping g410, titleist t300, or mizuno hot metals and I'm wondering if any of these have lightweight heads.

[Myherobobhope]

My dad plays pings and they don’t feel awful... he went graphite because he carries his clubs and wanted a lighter bag, but I think it was a smart move on the club front as well...

[uglande]

1 hour ago, greenbean4606 said:

OP here, interesting discussion!  I greatly appreciate all of the insight so far.  The swing weight issue is definitely top of mind for me.  With the clubs I have (+1", +3 upright)  I am noticing a much heavier feel than what I would prefer.  I may need a lighter shaft as well.  It sounds like I need to start with a fitting and try some different combinations to figure out what will work best.  

 

Does anyone have a list of models with light weight head options?  I had been thinking of the ping g410, titleist t300, or mizuno hot metals and I'm wondering if any of these have lightweight heads.

Yes, Mizuno! They have "A" (standard) and "B" (lighter) head weights for all of their iron models. The weight difference is equivalent to 1/2 inch (3 swing weights). Note that for all clubs ordered +.5" or longer, Mizuno automatically builds them with the "B" heads unless you specify otherwise. 

Edited December 28, 2020 by uglande

[BallerNate]

4 hours ago, ProjectX said:

I was going to post this chart as well. At 6'4" I play +1" so I knew that would be short for you at 6'7". The hardest part about clubs when you get this long is overall weight and swing weight tends to get really high really quick. At +1.5" you'd be adding 9 swing weight points out of the gate and if you go 3* upright or more you are looking at another point heavier. Focussing on brands that offer lightweight heads for over length built helps a lot. To my knowledge none of the DTC brands offer lightweight heads. Ping is probably the best at accommodating tall golfers, otherwise Mizuno and Titleist both off lightweight heads. Callaway's newest forged stuff can be light weight but nothing like that in the game improvement space yet. 

I’m 6’7 and play +1” on irons, +1* upright, and +1.25” on wedges. The other key part of the chart is distance from wrist to floor...my wingspan is approximately 6’11, so clubs any longer or more upright wouldn’t work for me at all. All about each person’s personal make-up and swing right?

 

Actually play stock lengths on my Hybrid, 3-Wood, and Driver...just chopped my Hybrid back from +1.5” to stock and have already noticed a big difference in control/dispersal.

Edited December 28, 2020 by BallerNate

[ProjectX]

3 hours ago, Hamerhaai said:

Hi ProjectX,

 

I'm 6,4" also. Not trying to steal the topic from TS, but could also be an answer for him: why would you not want a heavier head? Or let me rephrase, if the standard heads get relatively heavier because of lengthening of the shaft: this is ok for someone who is 6"4 - 6"7? Because presumably, he is also stronger?

 

Thank you. Greetings.

 

 

Just adding to some of the replies you have already received but for me personally what I have noticed is the heavier heads don't allow me to get the head to rotate through impact correctly and I end up hitting a lot of blocks out to the right because of it. Outside of that it becomes very hard to manage tempo with clubs that heavy. Most drivers come standard already considerably longer than they should be. So when you go to get fit you end up adding a ton of length to your irons and wedges but Drivers and Fairways stay generally closer to standard length. Again using myself as an example I play my irons +1" over and my driver at 45". I just sent back a set of P770s with standard weight heads because they came out to E1-E3 swingweight while I play my driver at D4. It makes it very difficult to manage the same tempo around the course when I have D4 on one swing and E3 on the next. By playing lighter weight heads I get better rotation through impact and my irons play around D6-D7 so maintaining tempo is much easier. I have tried counter weights in the butt of the shaft in the past as well. This fools the swing weight scale but doesn't fool my hands. So lightweight heads are a must for me.

[Myherobobhope]

2 hours ago, ProjectX said:

Just adding to some of the replies you have already received but for me personally what I have noticed is the heavier heads don't allow me to get the head to rotate through impact correctly and I end up hitting a lot of blocks out to the right because of it. Outside of that it becomes very hard to manage tempo with clubs that heavy. Most drivers come standard already considerably longer than they should be. So when you go to get fit you end up adding a ton of length to your irons and wedges but Drivers and Fairways stay generally closer to standard length. Again using myself as an example I play my irons +1" over and my driver at 45". I just sent back a set of P770s with standard weight heads because they came out to E1-E3 swingweight while I play my driver at D4. It makes it very difficult to manage the same tempo around the course when I have D4 on one swing and E3 on the next. By playing lighter weight heads I get better rotation through impact and my irons play around D6-D7 so maintaining tempo is much easier. I have tried counter weights in the butt of the shaft in the past as well. This fools the swing weight scale but doesn't fool my hands. So lightweight heads are a must for me.

I find counterweighting to be a super interesting topic... I did an edel fitting, and we played with both a counterweight at the top of the club and weights below my hands in the putter... moving them around changed the feel of the putter significantly.

 

I also can't swing counterbalanced shafts... the counterbalance HZRDOUS shaft is hazardous to my golf game... I have no idea why. Not sure if it's a tempo thing or what, but I cannot hit it... 

 

Lightweight heads are definitely a better solution than counterweighting... Honestly, I think the improvements in graphite shafts for irons are going to be a huge help for tall golfers, simply by helping reducing overall club weight. 

 

At +3/4, regular heads aren't a huge burden, but it's definitely a big change the longer you get. 

[BallerNate]

6 hours ago, uglande said:

I have been golfing for 40 years, and I like Ping as a company, but I cannot tell you how ludicrous I think their fitting chart is. I am 6' 5" with not particularly long arms and after years of using this fitting chart as a guide, I have for the past several years settled in with clubs that are +.5 in irons and +.75 (sometimes a full inch) in wedges, and standard lengths in the woods and utilities. 

 

At the bottom of the bag -- the wedges -- you need extra length or your posture will be too hunched over. But play the shortest lengths you feel comfortable with because the swing weights when you get in the +1 range start to get out of control. With the mid- and long-irons, you don't need the extra length. Just a little bit but certainly not the 1.5 inches Ping is suggesting. Then make whatever lie adjustment is necessary for comfort and ball flight. 

 

In the rest of the bag, I would urge the same thing -- use the shortest irons you can get away with and adjust lie angle slightly. Some fitters will tell you to get clubs that are as much as +2 inches, and I promise you they will be un-hittable, especially when you get to the longer irons.

 

Where Ping goes completely off the rails is in suggesting an increase in length (in your case) of +1.5 inches AND 3-4 degrees upright. That's insane. Unless you want to set up to the ball like Bryson DeChambeau.

 

If you look at the specs of the tallest golfers in the game (Cink, Els, DJ, Kuchar, Finau) -- none of them is playing super over-length clubs with extreme lie angles. They are generally +.50 or so with one or two degrees of lie adjustment. Until a few years ago, Cink played standard length clubs.

 

Probably 90 percent of fitters are going to default to this dated conventional wisdom about fitting taller golfers. If they try to fit you into clubs like the Ping chart suggests (or longer), you will end up with a set of clubs that are unplayably heavy and unwieldy. 

Well said, agree with this 100%! That’s why I recommended he should play for a while longer and get lessons before going to a fitter...he’ll have a much better feel of what works for him going into it!

[ProjectX]

One thing I left out is once you find a length and lie that works for you write it down because there is no such thing as a standard length in lie in the industry. For instance +1" and 4* upright for Mizuno is +0.75" and 3* upright for Cobra because club manufacturers can't get on the same damn page...

 

[Feelingofgreatness]

On 12/27/2020 at 1:46 PM, greenbean4606 said:

Hi everyone,

 

I'm hoping the forum can help me figure out the best way to approach my club selection.  I just started playing in the last 3-4 months but have become obsessed with the game.  I had been playing with 20+ year old beginner set but on a bit of a whim I bought some TRX powerslot irons (4-PW) from Gigagolf.   I am 6'7" so I knew that I needed custom clubs so I got them +1" and 3 degrees upright and I guesstimated my shaft flex.  They were cheap ~$175.00 so I'm not out too much but now I wish I had taken some more time and looked into used options that I could customize (callawaypreowned) or some higher end places like Maltby or Sub70.  I've been taking them to the range a couple times a week and they seem ok but I'm wondering if something else would have been better for me.

 

I did buy some (50 and 56 degree) TSW forged wedges from maltby and I can hit that 50 degree wedge much more consistently than I can the pitching wedge from gigagolf.  I'm not sure what it is about it but I tend to hit the toe on the gigagolf PW more often than I'd like in comparison with the TSWs.

 

I'm looking for advice on where to go from here.  Should I play with what I have for 2-3 years, take lessons, and fine tune my game first or should I get fitted first?  

 

Thanks in advance!

 

The best solution for you would be a True length technology fitting. Google it and you will find a lot of information. 

[toddmanley]

On 12/28/2020 at 6:28 AM, EDT501 said:

I’ll counter the above. I’m 6’4” and play well over-length clubs after much experimentation. I just feel so much more comfortable standing over the ball and am better able to make my natural swing. I’m also better able to have long range sessions without back pain the next day. I have structured my set to have compressed gapping so that I play my clubs more over length at the bottom than the top mitigating some of the issues you mention. Using lighter weight Mizuno heads, I was able to get my swing weights to D2, so it’s definitely feasible.

I've been playing the last year at +2" but have some old sets built to +1.5".  I like your thinking around compressing the length gaps as you go up in the bag - I think I'll tinker with some backup clubs and build up a set of irons with this in mind.

[lakecowboy]

I'm also 6'7", get fit.  Use a good fitter, let them know your background and your interest in improving.  A good fitter will put you in a set that can grow and adjust w/ you as you get better.  My local club and a local golf shop I use will adjust lie/loft whenever needed as your swing improves from lessons.  The first thing a good teaching pro is going to ask you is if you got fit for your clubs. 

 

 

Don't shoot yourself in the foot out of the gate w/ equipment that you'll never be able to hit well.  Get the right stuff in your hands and get lessons if you want to get better.

[cschweitzer29]

Has anyone had an issue with getting fit for longer shafts but them feeling too heavy or shaft too flimsy?  I'm waiting for some new P770s coming in and they are my first ever fit set.  I was fit for 2+ inches at stock lies with stiff shaft (6'6" and I think my wrist to floor was about 36).  I'm wondering if that stiff shaft is going to feel weakened as many here are quoting going only .5 or 1 inch beyond stock and just adjusting the lie angle.   

 

Anyone experience getting fit too long and then cutting it down due to weight or shaft flex?

[uglande]

12 hours ago, cschweitzer29 said:

Has anyone had an issue with getting fit for longer shafts but them feeling too heavy or shaft too flimsy?  I'm waiting for some new P770s coming in and they are my first ever fit set.  I was fit for 2+ inches at stock lies with stiff shaft (6'6" and I think my wrist to floor was about 36).  I'm wondering if that stiff shaft is going to feel weakened as many here are quoting going only .5 or 1 inch beyond stock and just adjusting the lie angle.   

 

Anyone experience getting fit too long and then cutting it down due to weight or shaft flex?

+2.0 inches is club-fitting malpractice, IMO. Your 6 iron will be the length of a stock 2 iron. There's just no way you're going to hit that club consistently (not to mention the longer ones).

 

And your wrist-to-floor isn't even that high. You could probably do just fine with clubs that are not much over stock length/lie.

 

And yes, for sure, at +2 inches, the shaft will feel more flexible, especially in the handle. And unless some massive -- and I mean massive -- adjustments are made to your swing weights, these irons will feel like sledgehammers. Adding two inches increases your swing weight by 12 points!!

[2Down]

Only having played for a few months I would guess your swing is still a work in progress.   Get lessons and work with your pro.  He will soon have a good idea of where you are.

Edited December 31, 2020 by 2Down

[sheppy335]

Like other people have stated you need to get fitted properly, i had my daughter fitted and she is only 5ft 2in in height but i wanted to make sure they were made properly. 

Seeing you are that tall and dont know flex or how they should be setup please find a club fitter and go through the process it will be the best thing you do for your game period. Lessons are the next best thing.