1/2 degree flat? Custom fitting question . . .

IMO, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Golfsmith should have taken the time to not only measure your wrist-to-floor and height, but to look at your trajectory height and direction along with how close to center you are hitting on the face just for determining the lie angle change.

Golfsmith is my favorite internet/catalog supplier due to the very wide, quality selection of component club parts with flat-rate shipping and coupons. The unusually wide range of detailed specs griven for the components better inform the customer for knowing the traits of them, also. Every golf club should have the specs listed as scrupulously as Golfsmith's.

The Golfsmith stores are not nearly as good, just everyday average. The clubmaking staff gives the everyday, inadequate service and the stock of component clubmaking parts is very low quantity and always rather incomplete in variety. The stores are good for returning messed up shipments from the internet/catalog orders, though. The errors in the shipments were because of my error. They did not ever give me a hard time about it.

Golfsmith really is a supplier for good clubmakers, not the actual place for finding good clubmaking service. In my experience, the independent professional clubmakers with proof of training certificates or diplomas are the best. Some of them do actually almost perfect work. Almost perfect is exceptional by my standards. Only touring pros get perfect equipment consistently. True service will take more than a few minites, perhaps several days for finding the most appropriate specifications to the customer possible. The prices for the finished golf equipment and added service can be very competitive with the big box brands' factory made equipment (Adams, Callaway, Cleveland, Cobra, Mizuno, Nike, PING, TaylorMade, Titleist, etc). The clubmaker price is usually lower.

Steer clear of clone brand components. Some clubmakers use these. Clone brands are things like PONG instead of PING and Rapier intead of Rapture. Also, those components (usually clubheads) look like a close copy of the big brand design. The materials used to make the clone components are many times supposed to actually be superior to the big brand version. Even though, my experience has shown the clones to not hold up as well to use as the totally original brands.

A 1/2 degree change in lie angle could help, but the measurements that made that conclusion were incomplete. They should have at least taken a wrist-to-floor measurement for reference. I would not get fit to a changed swing. Most likely, you will revert or decide that the old swing is preferred. A slightly flattened lie angle will make the initial trajectory go more right (left for left-hand swingers). That usually is not a good thing for average golfers.

When determining proper length for a club with a shaft already in, things get almost impossible. A new shaft put in would make that more manageable because of flex and swingweight changes that happen when clublength is changed. See a clubmaker before buying equipment, not after. Chopping down or extending some shafts at the grip end only along with bending some hosels is not a real way to "get fitted." That is technically a club repair. Sorry to burst your bubble.

I agree that dynamic measurements are much more important than static measurements, but I also think that they should have measured me, especially in my case where my dimensions deviate pretty significantly from the standard person's build.

I'll be sending the clubs to Callaway. They make any adjustments free of charge.

e-man,

No, Mike, not "windy" at all. I think what you said makes a lot of sense. I don't want to shorten the clubs if I don't have to. I read an article on the Internet last night that said that "static" measurements are just that, "static," and like one of the posters said above, in the real world, dynamic measurements are much more important. Basically, the article said that if you can handle the extra length, you should play it and not shorten the clubs. I doubt 1/2 inch short will make much of a difference in terms of swing weight, but to your point, I should just choke down on the clubs 1/2 inch, at least for a while, to see if it makes a difference. If it results in more solidly struck shots, I can either (a) get the clubs cut 1/2 inch short, or (b) leave them at their current length and have them bent 1 degree.

When you say "it's a change worth making", you mean getting the clubs cut 1/2 inch short, right? It's interetsing that you would ask where the ball is impacting the clubface, because 9/10 shots were impacting the clubface closer to the heel. The guy at Golfsmith told me to stand further away from the ball so the impact was out towards the center of the clubface more. All of these factors (balls struck towards the heel, lie angle 1/2 to 1 degree upright, and static wrist to floor measurement) would seem to indicate that I am the perfect candidate for clubs 1/2 inch shorter than standard, don't you think?

I just read something about how Gary Player, 5'7" played shafts 1" longer than what Jack Nicklaus 5'11" played. He did pretty good in my book.

The more that I think about your situation, the better I like your solution. I wouldn't send my sticks out to trim 1/2" off without first seeing if I like them. Plus the 5 iron is really a 4.5 iron being set up at 26 degrees. The only thing I would have you watch is to make sure that your lofts are where you want them and your distances in the long irons are spaced far enough apart. I noticed that the gaps from the 5-4-3 are only 2.5 degrees apart and if you don't have the swingspeed, you are could have some yardage overlaps.

Good luck.

IMO, just keep gripping down. You don't have to use all of the length and it's there is you want it.

Completely agree. I will not cut the clubs, period. If I do anything, I'll have Callaway bend them 1 degree flat (but only after playing with them for a while). Thanks for everyone's help.