Do Shaft Extensions Create Problems?

[EmperorPenguin]

I am about to extend a 7 iron 1/8" and I am wondering about the extension.  About 2" of the extension goes into the shaft before I measure and cut.  After cutting, would that 2" create a problem because the weight of the extension would change the dynamics of the club?

[third-times-a-charm]

My question would be why you're wasting time to extend a shaft 1/8"? 1/8" is less than the length discrepancy of most OEMs.

 

But if you must - yes it will effect swing weight.

Edited July 2, 2021 by third-times-a-charm

[JayLefty]

I am not a fan of extensions and would not recommend doing it more than 1/2" with clubs if you must. Extensions can change the flex profile of shafts.

[mcounci2]

No, it won't bother you. It's basically the same as a heavier grip- it'll trick the swingweight scale but I doubt you'll notice a big difference

[taki27]

I think you are overthinking this.  It’s OK,We’ve all been there!  1/8 of an inch is basically measuring error.  If you are that anal about it, you are better off regripping and leaving the grip 1/8 off the shaft butt. 

[Thornbrugh]

1 hour ago, taki27 said:

I think you are overthinking this.  It’s OK,We’ve all been there!  1/8 of an inch is basically measuring error.  If you are that anal about it, you are better off regripping and leaving the grip 1/8 off the shaft butt. 

This. I ordered a gap wedge from ping to match my existing set and the new wedge was just a little longer than the wedge. It was enough to bug me and I didn’t want to add an extension for such a little gap so I regripped the wedge and left a little extra wrap at the butt of the club and that fixed the issue. 

[rt_charger]

To further extend (pun intended) the convo, I'm getting a shaft that was pulled out of a sw, if I wanted to put it in a gw (I'm guessing it would be about 1/4" short), there's no problems that would arise with the extension? (Sw not a problem as it would get factored into the build)

[Stuart_G]

6 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I am about to extend a 7 iron 1/8" and I am wondering about the extension.  About 2" of the extension goes into the shaft before I measure and cut.  After cutting, would that 2" create a problem because the weight of the extension would change the dynamics of the club?

 

No.   It wont have any effect on the dynamics of the shaft.    The weight might have a small effect on the dynamics of your swing but even that's unlikely for a good quality light weight extension and also depends on how good a fit the shaft weight is to begin with. 

 

But (as others have said)  using an extension is overkill for a 1/8" length adjustment.  And even if one is anal enough to need that 1/8" adjustment,   using the full 2" of insertion length for that small of an extension is just as much overkill.   If you feel compelled to use an extension, cut the insertion depth down to ~1/2" or less.

[EmperorPenguin]

I admit that I am very picky about my equipment, especially when it comes to lengths.  I am proud to say that all my sets have perfect half-inch progressions.  Not only have I extended 1/8", I have also trimmed and extended 1/16" for several clubs.  How do I trim off 1/16"?  That is another story.

 

My demand for this exact precision stems from the years of buying used sets online.  More often than not, the sets come in with horrid deviations from proper specs.  I often wonder, did chimpanzees measure and trim these clubs?  One set in came in so bad that every club needed to be trimmed or extended.  I get very annoyed when, say, the 7 iron is only 1/16" shorter than the 6, and the 8 is 13/16" shorter than the 7, and the sand wedge is a half-inch longer than the 9 iron.

 

I admit that I do have a couple golf clubs with extensions for just 1/16", but there were also times when I let it pass and I put the grip on and the progression looks decent.  I think my tolerance is 1/16", because once I notice a club that is off by 1/8", I feel like I am wearing my pants backwards, or that one shoe is a half size too large or small.  I require perfect fits.

[denkea]

If you are that picky about your equipment (I get it.  I'm pretty anal about mine also) you might want to consider adjusting for lie angles before length as lie can have a subtle impact on length.  

[webwarmiller]

20 minutes ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I admit that I am very picky about my equipment, especially when it comes to lengths.

 

Just curious, but do you measure length via the USGA method based on a fixed 60* lie or do you measure based on the actual lie of the club?  As you can imagine the 2 will produce different results especially for drivers and wedges.   I still measure based on the actual lie of the club. 

 

 

 

[EmperorPenguin]

2 hours ago, webwarmiller said:

 

Just curious, but do you measure length via the USGA method based on a fixed 60* lie or do you measure based on the actual lie of the club?  As you can imagine the 2 will produce different results especially for drivers and wedges.   I still measure based on the actual lie of the club. 

 

 

 

I use a club measurement rack, which I bought from Golf Works.  The toughest part of determining length is the precise starting point, which is very difficult to determine with a radiused sole.  I measure from that point to the top corner of the grip.

[webwarmiller]

1 hour ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I use a club measurement rack, which I bought from Golf Works.  The toughest part of determining length is the precise starting point, which is very difficult to determine with a radiused sole.  I measure from that point to the top corner of the grip.

 

Ok, that method is more in-line with measuring based on the true lie angle of the club which is what I do.   Also of note, many MFG's will measure to the top of the grip cap and not the edge of the grip cap.  

[Thayneil]

4 hours ago, EmperorPenguin said:

I admit that I am very picky about my equipment, especially when it comes to lengths.  I am proud to say that all my sets have perfect half-inch progressions.  Not only have I extended 1/8", I have also trimmed and extended 1/16" for several clubs.  How do I trim off 1/16"?  That is another story.

 

My demand for this exact precision stems from the years of buying used sets online.  More often than not, the sets come in with horrid deviations from proper specs.  I often wonder, did chimpanzees measure and trim these clubs?  One set in came in so bad that every club needed to be trimmed or extended.  I get very annoyed when, say, the 7 iron is only 1/16" shorter than the 6, and the 8 is 13/16" shorter than the 7, and the sand wedge is a half-inch longer than the 9 iron.

 

I admit that I do have a couple golf clubs with extensions for just 1/16", but there were also times when I let it pass and I put the grip on and the progression looks decent.  I think my tolerance is 1/16", because once I notice a club that is off by 1/8", I feel like I am wearing my pants backwards, or that one shoe is a half size too large or small.  I require perfect fits.

agreed

 

1/8th  looks huge

[Thayneil]

3 hours ago, webwarmiller said:

 

Just curious, but do you measure length via the USGA method based on a fixed 60* lie or do you measure based on the actual lie of the club?  As you can imagine the 2 will produce different results especially for drivers and wedges.   I still measure based on the actual lie of the club. 

 

 

 

60 degree rulle only for measuring the max length of a Driver

[Thayneil]

Just now, Thayneil said:

60 degree rulle only for measuring the max length of a Driver

dont think the USGA have entered the club assembly business!