Cutting down shafts by 1" - 1.5" | OK or Not OK?

[Gnucastle]

Hey all - First of all, I am new to the DiY club making conversation so please forgive me if this is a no-brainer to those vets here. 

 

Here is the situation - my wife is picking up the game and has a set of very old clubs that we want to upgrade. Problem is she is about 4'11" and finding "petite" clubs  has proven to be difficult especially finding one with the right setup in a quality brand. So would it harm the clubs playability at all if I invest in a good brand and in the setup we want and cut 1" - 1.5" inches off the top of the shafts then regrip them?

 

If I am going to invest in  a new set of clubs for her, I'd hate hem to be compromised by cutting them down. 

 

Thoughts?

Edited January 17, 2021 by Gnucastle

[paperclip]

That's a start, but your problem will now turn to head weights. Women's clubs tend to have lighter heads than men's.

I would definitely try cutting down one of the clubs by 1" (say a 7 iron) and regrip and see how she likes it. That should steer you closer to your goal, you might even want to try counterweighting to give a feel of a lighter head (try taping a couple of quarters to the grip end).

I would leave the lie angles alone for now. If she likes and takes up the game, then you can get her properly fitted for a set of clubs. Let us know how it turns out.

[ChipNRun]

Consider looking into a newly developed Wishon 730CL set for shorter players and those with driver swing speed of less than 80 MPH.

 

The set has a 16* driver, high launch fairway woods, and a mix of hybrid irons and wedges with 6* loft increments between them. Add a putter, and the player only needs to carry nine clubs.

[Howard_Jones]

3 hours ago, paperclip said:

That's a start, but your problem will now turn to head weights. Women's clubs tend to have lighter heads than men's.

I would definitely try cutting down one of the clubs by 1" (say a 7 iron) and regrip and see how she likes it. That should steer you closer to your goal, you might even want to try counterweighting to give a feel of a lighter head (try taping a couple of quarters to the grip end).

I would leave the lie angles alone for now. If she likes and takes up the game, then you can get her properly fitted for a set of clubs. Let us know how it turns out.

I will have to correct your info here

There is NO difference to head weight between mens and womans clubs.
Womans clubs is shorter, who makes a natural drop in SW value on womans clubs, and combined with a lighter and softer shaft, you have a "womans model"

To the OP, look at shaft weight, thats where it starts, stay in the low end for a driver, and make sure there is a slight progression in shaft weight from driver to irons.
(example a driver shaft of 45-50 grams - irons minimum 60 max 70 grams)

As we go shorter from driver into other clubs, shaft weight shall go UP, never down.

[Gnucastle]

52 minutes ago, Howard_Jones said:

I will have to correct your info here

There is NO difference to head weight between mens and womans clubs.
Womans clubs is shorter, who makes a natural drop in SW value on womans clubs, and combined with a lighter and softer shaft, you have a "womans model"

To the OP, look at shaft weight, thats where it starts, stay in the low end for a driver, and make sure there is a slight progression in shaft weight from driver to irons.
(example a driver shaft of 45-50 grams - irons minimum 60 max 70 grams)

As we go shorter from driver into other clubs, shaft weight shall go UP, never down.

Thank you @Howard_Jones @paperclip very much for the feedback. I like the idea of shaft weight progression. Thank you!

 

@ChipNRun - looking at that set now. Think it may be time to get her swing speed tested but I doubt it is above 80 - I have no doubt that she can get it above 80 eventually. 

[Feelingofgreatness]

2 hours ago, ChipNRun said:

Consider looking into a newly developed Wishon 730CL set for shorter players and those with driver swing speed of less than 80 MPH.

 

The set has a 16* driver, high launch fairway woods, and a mix of hybrid irons and wedges with 6* loft increments between them. Add a putter, and the player only needs to carry nine clubs.

This is the best suggestion if looking to buy new.

[sm_watts]

1 hour ago, Howard_Jones said:

I will have to correct your info here

There is NO difference to head weight between mens and womans clubs.
Womans clubs is shorter, who makes a natural drop in SW value on womans clubs, and combined with a lighter and softer shaft, you have a "womans model"

To the OP, look at shaft weight, thats where it starts, stay in the low end for a driver, and make sure there is a slight progression in shaft weight from driver to irons.
(example a driver shaft of 45-50 grams - irons minimum 60 max 70 grams)

As we go shorter from driver into other clubs, shaft weight shall go UP, never down.

It depends on the clubs we're talking about.  I know that Cobra's F7 models of drivers and fairway woods that had interchangeable weights were using lighter weights in women's heads.

[5baytjd]

By cutting the shaft you will change the swing weight (how the club feels).  If you have a very accurate scale that will measure in grams (such as a digital mail or kitchen scale), you can check it yourself before and after you cut it. 

http://www.leaderboard.com/SWINGWEIGHT?LEVER=725&LUNITS=10&WEIGHT=419

Weigh it, find the balance point, and measure from there to the butt end of the club.  Put those two values in the calculator.

 

Then if you want to bring it back to the same SW, you would add weight to the head of the club (or lighter grips will assist as well).  Use lead tape or tungsten tape (which is what I like available at:

https://www.golfworks.com/rubber-tungsten-swingweight-tape/p/gw0054/

 

Investigate undersized grips too, which is what I did for my daughter who has really small hands (and was really happy when they put 5' even on her Driver's License).

 

You've previously been given the good advise about lighter shafts for women, in this thread.

 

Good luck in your endeavors !

[5baytjd]

6 hours ago, Gnucastle said:

If I am going to invest in  a new set of clubs for her, I'd hate hem to be compromised by cutting them down. 

Another suggestion would be to hit eBay and find used women's clubs. Driver, Fairway, Hybrids and Irons.  Generally slower swing speed players will use higher lofted clubs - get it up in the air so it has time to carry. 

 

That way you can experiment and if something doesn't work, you will be able to resell them; likely for what you bought them for (as used club pricing is quite a bit like car pricing - once it's "used" the price drops alot from new, but much more slowly thereafter).  Once you get dialed in on club length, loft & lie, shaft weights and mix between woods, hybrids, and irons, you'll then be better able to invest wisely in new gear.

[paperclip]

On 1/17/2021 at 8:09 PM, Howard_Jones said:

I will have to correct your info here

There is NO difference to head weight between mens and womans clubs.
Womans clubs is shorter, who makes a natural drop in SW value on womans clubs, and combined with a lighter and softer shaft, you have a "womans model"

To the OP, look at shaft weight, thats where it starts, stay in the low end for a driver, and make sure there is a slight progression in shaft weight from driver to irons.
(example a driver shaft of 45-50 grams - irons minimum 60 max 70 grams)

As we go shorter from driver into other clubs, shaft weight shall go UP, never down.

I stand corrected, thank you!