Club length versus lie

I got fitted for Ping irons (G10XG).  I am 6'2", so I am on the border line on their static chart between +1" length and +1/2" length, and firmly in the maroon code (4 1/2 degrees upright) because of short arms.  The fitter immediately went to 1" overlength clubs and fitted me for White (upright 3 degrees).  This was a good fit, based on the lie board.

When I asked if I would be better off with 1/2" over length clubs, but more upright, he had me hit the club very quickly with 1/2 inch over length.  I topped the ball a couple of times and he said that proved that 1 inch over was the right length.  I am not very good at controlling clubs, but wanted fitted clubs because my arms are very short (WTF 38.25", give or take).  It seems to me I will have to hit the 8 iron at the length he had me try when I topped the ball, and that I would be hitting the 6 iron at the length I felt so comfortable with for the 7 iron were I to get 1/2" over instead of 1" over.  The lie spacing between irons is 0.75 degrees, so it seemed to me that going 1/2 inch shorter  and one code more upright (Silver at 3.75 degrees upright) would not be that different, except that my clubs would be lighter and less lofted for a given length.

For reference, the club I was fitted for was a 7 iron, 1 inch over at 37.75 inches, with a lie of 65.25 degrees.  The club I topped the ball with was a 7 iron, 1/2 inch over at 37.25 inches with lie of 66 degrees (Silver).  The Silver 6 iron at 1/2 inch over would be 37.75 inches with a lie of 65.25 degrees, while the White 8 iron at 1 inch over would be 37.25 inches with a lie of 66 degrees.

Was the fitter giving me good advice or just fitting me in a hurry?  In general, I thought it would be easier to hit shorter, more upright clubs.

I am 6'3", with a WTF of 37.5. I have a rather upright swing because of a bad lower back, but have been having some really good success going back to a standard length (Ping standard length) on my white dot S57s.

Lengthening or shortening the shafts is done to fit a person's swing dynamics more so than to fit a static measurement. Or that's my opinion anyway...  :)

In theory, if you can competently swing a 3 iron at a given length, then you could swing a wedge at the same length. Conversely, If you can handle a pitching wedge at a given length, couldn't you swing every other club in your bag just as well at the same length?

Having set up my little shop in the garage has allowed me to tinker (hey, I'm an engineer, what can I say) with my clubs more so than if I had to pay someone every time I wanted something done. One thing I want to try is take a set of old i3 Blade heads and fit them all with shafts cut to a standard 6 iron length. I am very interested in the outcome. (it's been done before, by others, but I want to try it myself)

Your last question is exactly why I tried what I did. And so far, it is working quite well with my rather steep digger/driver swing.

I'm 6'2" with long arms and I use +1/2" shafts, lie is upright 3 degrees or so, but I just stopped there after a lot of adjusting. The most important is the lie board results. You hit that well, those clubs should work. I figure that messing too much with the length is really just like clubbing up or down to a longer or shorter shafted iron. The distance will change because of the wider/smaller swing circle, swing speed, weight, etc. It is easier to hit shorter, smaller clubs, right? But when you find a great combo that works well on that lie board, I say stick with it!