+1.25 inches over standard on irons...how about woods & hybrids?

[JCray33]

I’m 6”6 with a 39 WTF...I was fitted about 2 years ago now just for wedges and irons and was fit into JPX 900 forged irons that are 1.25 inches over standard and I love them and posture feels great. However I have been thinking about my hybrid and woods...I play them at standard length and they don’t feel as comfortable as my irons...should I get them lengthened same 1.25 inches over standard as well?? Usual charts online say just for irons so that’s what is confusing 

Edited May 15, 2021 by JCray33

[Stuart_G]

4 hours ago, JCray33 said:

I’m 6”6 with a 39 WTF...I was fitted about 2 years ago now just for wedges and irons and was fit into JPX 900 forged irons that are 1.25 inches over standard and I love them and posture feels great. However I have been thinking about my hybrid and woods...I play them at standard length and they don’t feel as comfortable as my irons...should I get them lengthened same 1.25 inches over standard as well?? Usual charts online say just for irons so that’s what is confusing 

 

It's confusing because the stock playing lengths for the longer clubs are already way over what would normally be considered standard length thanks to the distance wars   e.g.   a standard length 38" 5i set would really correspond to a driver playing length of no more than 44" (and maybe less than that) and a 3wd length of around 42".    Yet stock driver lengths are mostly close to 46"  and many 3wds are up to 43.5."   Hybrids were originally supposed to be the same length as the iron they replaced but now you can easily find a 5H at 39.5" or 39.75".

 

FYI - the chart I use puts a 39" WTF at +3/4"  (38-3/4" 5i length).  Of course that's just a starting place for the fitting process, not a hard and fast rule.  There is no one 'standard' for converting WTF to playing length.   You can't really fit properly for iron playing length only a 6 or 7 iron fitting.  To properly fit for iron playing length, it really should be done with the shortest iron and longest iron.

 

For the majority of players who need longer clubs, in terms of posture and mechanics, too short only really happens in the short irons and wedges - not the longer clubs.   It might result in the need for a bit more upright lie angle setting in the longer clubs for those players but not necessarily more length.   So if you're having problems with the longer clubs it may be something else that's not a good fit for you e.g.  Lie angle, shaft weight, swing weight, shaft stiffness profile, etc...       I might look at swing weight first.  If the builder couldn't reduce the head weights of the irons very much you just may be used to heavier swing weights than what is typical  so get the swing weight of the irons measured.   Second thing to look at is shaft weight - stock shaft weights have been getting lighter and lighter in the hybrids, and woods and may not be a good fit if you're using heavier steel shafts in your irons.

 

IF you have not been fit for shaft weight or swing weight in the longer clubs, this DIY tutorial may be of some help.  All you need is some lead tape, foot powder spray and a bucket of range balls.  It says for driver but it's just as applicable to all the longer clubs.

 

 

 

Of course there is nothing wrong with trying out longer clubs.   Just realize that longer doesn't always mean faster swing speeds or ball speeds.  Longer clubs can be harder to control so it's usually very important to make sure you can still get consistent center face impact (use foot powder spray to monitor) or you loose a lot of control and ball speed.

 

Also if you change length and go longer you may want to consider - lighter shaft weight but ONLY if you've already been fit for shaft weight in the longer clubs.  At a minimum you'll need to refit yourself for head weight (swing weight) - likely need to lighten head weight so you'd want to choose a head that one can actually remove some weight.

Edited May 15, 2021 by Stuart_G

[JCray33]

Yeah it’s just that I am MUCH better with irons and anything off the ground and then with the driver it just feels too short and I get too steep like an iron...I think since I’m taller and higher WTF a longer driver would flatten/shallow my swing plane which I think would really benefit the quality of hit. I added 1.25 inch to it yesterday so it’s 46.5 now and will be going to the range today to see hopefully I like it 😎

 

also read an article about Henrik Stenson a while back who is taller and says he is much better with hitting off of ground hence why he plays 3 wood mostly from the tee and doesn’t hit driver well...Us taller peeps with higher WTF I think can struggle more with driver since it’s more of a sweeping hit not steep/downward

Edited May 15, 2021 by JCray33

[Stuart_G]

12 minutes ago, JCray33 said:

Yeah it’s just that I am MUCH better with irons and anything off the ground and then with the driver it just feels too short and I get too steep like an iron...I think since I’m taller and higher WTF a longer driver would flatten/shallow my swing plane which I think would really benefit the quality of hit. I added 1.25 inch to it yesterday so it’s 46.5 now and will be going to the range today to see hopefully I like it 😎

 

Because it already started out so long, that length change of the driver will have minimal effect on the actual swing plane.   But who knows what it will do to your thought process so never hurts to try.  The mind plays a big part in the swing so sometimes just believing it will help can add some benefit.   Get some foot powder spray and keep an eye on the face impact consistency and location.   Just realize that by adding that much length and not doing anything to reduce the head weight it will also increase the swing weight significantly.   As I mentioned before, if you haven't been fit for swing weight, who knows if that will be a good thing or a bad thing.  The main point is to be aware that you're changing more than just length.

Edited May 15, 2021 by Stuart_G

[JCray33]

6 minutes ago, Stuart_G said:

 

Because it already started out so long, that length change of the driver will have minimal effect on the actual swing plane.   But who knows what it will do to your thought process so never hurts to try.  The mind plays a big part in the swing so sometimes just believing it will help can add some benefit.   Get some foot powder spray and keep an eye on the face impact consistency and location.   Just realize that by adding that much length and not doing anything to reduce the head weight it will also increase the swing weight significantly.   As I mentioned before, if you haven't been fit for swing weight, who knows if that will be a good thing or a bad thing.  The main point is to be aware that you're changing more than just length.

my irons are e2 because of the length and my driver right now at 45 1/4 is D2 so it actually might really benefit me...an inch is 6 points, correct? So adding 1.25 inch should bring it to D 9 ish as I’m also adding a bit heavier grip 

[TallGuy90]

You would be better of going to get a static fitting . I am 6 5 37.5 WTF and play .75+ On irons. My hybrid is + .50 3W + .25 and I cut my driver down to 45.25. 

[Lasorcier]

I lengthened everything.  Irons are 1" over standard.   Wedges were lengthened to be the same as my set's 50 wedge.  5 wood has a 1" extender in it.  Driver is plus 1.5".

 

I would keep the lengthening consistent throughout the bag personally.

 

 

[JCray33]

1 hour ago, Lasorcier said:

I lengthened everything.  Irons are 1" over standard.   Wedges were lengthened to be the same as my set's 50 wedge.  5 wood has a 1" extender in it.  Driver is plus 1.5".

 

I would keep the lengthening consistent throughout the bag personally.

 

 

Yessir!! That is what I am going to do. Going to the range here soon to hit my new 46.5 inch driver will report back! Haha 

[Stuart_G]

2 hours ago, JCray33 said:

my irons are e2 because of the length and my driver right now at 45 1/4 is D2 so it actually might really benefit me...an inch is 6 points, correct? So adding 1.25 inch should bring it to D 9 ish as I’m also adding a bit heavier grip 

 

Grip weight changes don't really matter.    The downside to increasing swing weight by using length (instead of just adding more weight to the head) is that it can potentially be harder to control.  Unfortunately, being taller doesn't make it any easier for you than for a shorter player, it all comes down to athletic ability not size.   So as I mentioned earlier, just keep an eye out on the face impact consistency and consistency of the results with the longer length.

[toddmanley]

I'm 6'9" and play my irons at +1.5" (including my putters which range from 37" to 38" depending on which i put in play).  My driver is 46" which fits my address posture pretty well - but I do turn the Titleist adjustable lie angle more upright.

[golfing_penguin]

10 minutes ago, toddmanley said:

I'm 6'9" and play my irons at +1.5" (including my putters which range from 37" to 38" depending on which i put in play).  My driver is 46" which fits my address posture pretty well - but I do turn the Titleist adjustable lie angle more upright.

 

Are you Bryson's mythical 7' golfer? How far do you carry the ball?

[Fairway14]

In general terms I believe standard length golf clubs are ideally suited for 5'.8" to 5'9" players, because players of this height can stand relatively tall at the ball without making compensations. So, any player at about 5'11" or taller needs to adopt an address posture which fits the golf clubs.

For example, Tour players at 6'2" or taller , at address  typically have significant knee bend , or significant bend from the hips-waist, or both. I don't know of any tall Tour players, for example 6'2 to 6'5" who played clubs longer than .5" over length.

[Lasorcier]

Out of curiosity, if a standard length club is ideally suited for a short person; why does it make sense for the tall person to adapt their body to the standard club rather than to adjust the club so that they are in the same ideally suited position as the shorter player?

 

On 5/15/2021 at 12:43 PM, Fairway14 said:

In general terms I believe standard length golf clubs are ideally suited for 5'.8" to 5'9" players, because players of this height can stand relatively tall at the ball without making compensations. So, any player at about 5'11" or taller needs to adopt an address posture which fits the golf clubs.

For example, Tour players at 6'2" or taller , at address  typically have significant knee bend , or significant bend from the hips-waist, or both. I don't know of any tall Tour players, for example 6'2 to 6'5" who played clubs longer than .5" over length.

 

[Fairway14]

2 hours ago, Lasorcier said:

Out of curiosity, if a standard length club is ideally suited for a short person; why does it make sense for the tall person to adapt their body to the standard club rather than to adjust the club so that they are in the same ideally suited position as the shorter player?

 

 

For irons and wedges more than .5" over length the factors  of static weight ,  swing weight and shaft flex and more become overwhelming challenges. 

From a pure golf-player perspective adjusting address posture to fit clubs is part of the game, easily done, and not a competitive disadvantage.

Remember,  for a hundred years players have been accustomed to playing golf courses with a bag of clubs ranging from 35" wedges to 45" drivers, so again, adjusting address posture to fit clubs is part of the game.

[Lasorcier]

So then Jcray33, the original poster, should just suck it up and conform his 6'6" body to clubs designed for a short guy?

[Fairway14]

1 hour ago, Lasorcier said:

So then Jcray33, the original poster, should just suck it up and conform his 6'6" body to clubs designed for a short guy?

 

I don't know about "short guy". 5'8" to 5'9" seems to be an ideal height to fit standard length clubs, but that doesn't mean taller players must in any way suffer. For many decades there  have been  6'2 to 6'6" Tour players using standard to no more than .5" over length clubs , who have no problem consistently shooting par or better.

I talked to Phil Blackmar about this subject and he said it's not a big deal to adopt an address posture that will fit the clubs, that doing so is a better path than dealing with the extreme weighting challenges of over length clubs. He is about 6'6" or 6'7" and played Tour golf for more than 10 years.

George Archer was about 6'5" , Bob Tway, Finau, DLIII, Dustin Johnson etc...are all players in the 6'4" to 6'5" height range playing standard to .5" over length irons.

 

[toddmanley]

While height has been the focus here, I think a better measure is WTF (wrist-to-floor).  Some tall guys can get away with shorter clubs because they've got a postive ape index (https://www.99boulders.com/ape-index-calculator) while guys with short arms will likely need longer clubs.

 

Man, if only I had a 7'1" wingspan to go with my 6'9" height...basketball would have been even easier for me.  And I'd be able to play standard length clubs!

[Stuart_G]

7 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

Remember,  for a hundred years players have been accustomed to playing golf courses with a bag of clubs ranging from 35" wedges to 45" drivers, so again, adjusting address posture to fit clubs is part of the game.

 

Actually, the 45" driver has only been around for about 20 years.    However, that's a much better way to look at it than the following post you made.

 

On 5/15/2021 at 1:43 PM, Fairway14 said:

In general terms I believe standard length golf clubs are ideally suited for 5'.8" to 5'9" players, because players of this height can stand relatively tall at the ball without making compensations.

 

It's not about whether one has to make compensations or not,  I personally don't even think compensation is a good word for it since it tends to imply adjusting for something that's less than ideal.   it's really all about whether the amount of bend at the waist/hips is too much to allow the player to maintain his mechanics through the swing with reasonable effort.   So at the shorter end of the set, it can be as much about athletic ability and quality of the mechanics as it is height or WTF.    So it's hardly surprising that the taller tour pros can get away with shorter clubs than some ams of similar stature might be able to.   That's also why all the WTF charts are just a starting point in the fitting process - and also why one can never get a complete length fitting by only hitting a 6i or 7i.

 

But that's really only looking at the irons.  This thread is about the longer clubs and the facts are that fitting length for those clubs is even less about height and posture and virtually all about the players athletic ability to manage the longer lengths.