Changing the Length of a Set of Irons

[golfer2b2000]

I seem to be one of those who prefer a longer iron. For years I have played with a 50 inch driver which I had a Callaway 12 degree head on it. The driver was not built to give me extra distance, but to create a smooth tempo for which to drop the clubhead onto the ball with great consistancy to improve accuracy hitting fairways. Yes, this really did push the swingweight quite high, but the consistancy of hitting fairways improved greatly.

 I am going to lenghten a set of Titleist AP1,s. I am going to start at a plus 2 inches seeing it is easier to cut lengths down rather to extend them. The swingweights will be off the wall. I will put the original grips back on the clubs using compressed air so if I want to shorten them it will be much easier. I also understand that my shaft flex will dramatically increase. Again, this is not to increase distance, but rather to generate a more consistand swing to promote better accuracy. If worse comes to worse, the only thing I am out is 30 dollars for the shaft extensions.

 I am looking for feedback to you golfers out there who may have experminted with this, and to what your results may have been.

 Thank you

[leftybutnotPM]

You haven't mentioned how tall you are.

Unless you are 6 foot 4 or 5 you would be better off going with the heaviest shafts you can get if you want to slow your tempo.

And......with compressed air on grips, WEAR SAFETY GLASSES. When the grip starts filling up with air and has nowhere to go, as sometimes happens, it all happens suddenly you could blind yourself in a second.

[golfer2b2000]

I am actually 5'6" tall. (or short)...I played with them today, and did quite well with them. Definitly slowed down my tempo. Shots were consistant. Still too soon to make a judgement. Have to play at least 10 more rounds or so.

 As to the compressed air for removing, or installing grips, yes, I do wear safety glasses. There is an art to doing this, but with some practice it is actually much easier than using two sided tape. Putting grips on clubs like this you need to use very short bursts of air. Then just keep working the grips on as you use the short burst of air. It almost sounds like when you are letting air out of an inflated baloon and you are squeezing together the tube letting the air escape.

[iacas]

FWIW a 50-inch driver is against the Rules of Golf.

https://www.usga.org/equipment-standards/equipment-rules-2019/equipment-rules/equipment-rules.html#!ruletype=er&section=rule&partnum=2&rulenum=1

48" maximum.

If you do it for "tempo" or something like that, use a heavier shaft.

[golfer2b2000]

I know that now a 50"driver is illegal. But so is speeding but that doesn't seem to deter people from doing it.

 And now after probably 20 rounds of golf using my irons that I lenghtened by two inches I have found this. It definitly has made a much better swing tempo, which in turn has produced better consistancy in my shot patterns. Probably gained a few yards, but has also produced a higher ball flight which has helped my to hit, and hold more greens. Almost makes me wonder why more people are not playing with longer irons. Roger Maltby once said that if you go in to have a set of clubs made to fit you, and the fitter pulls out a tape measure to measure your palm to floor measurments and so forth, that you should not waste any time leaving his shop.

 The truth of the matter is there is no real way to properly measure a person correctly. You can definitly point them in the right direction, but again some people prefer longer, or shorter clubs and also some prefer lighter, or heavier ones. It seems like anymore that no one pays any attention to the swingweight of a golf club. Probably not many people even know what I am talking about. Years ago a gentleman by the name of Dave Peltz started to design golf clubs with a veery light swingweight. A swingweight in fact in the mid "C" range. This is a very light golf club, and it seemed like a lot of people went out and purchased them, only to find out that even though they were easier to swing, they were also very uncontrollable.

 The only real way to find out what really works is to take the time to experiment, but most of us really dont have the time to do this. If we did we may find that there are ways to better our playing, I have taken putters and have lenghtened them, cut them down, even go as far as to heat the bottom of the shaft by the putterhead and bend them to suit my taste. Some times it works, and sometimes not. It doesnt matter how much you spend for a putter, or what it looks like. The object is to find a putter that gives you confidence, and that you can for the most part consistantly get it close to the hole.

[leftybutnotPM]

43 minutes ago, golfer2b2000 said:

Almost makes me wonder why more people are not playing with longer irons.

Because it is a guaranteed way of making you a worse golfer. If it worked people would do it. There is no logic in what you are doing because you are ignoring geometry.

[golfer2b2000]

Evidently what you are saying is only backed up by what you have either read, or have been told by others. I call these people followers. The world has many. The next thing you know someone will go as far as making a set of clubs all the same length. We all know that will never work...If it did, everyone would be doing it...😄

[leftybutnotPM]

11 minutes ago, golfer2b2000 said:

Evidently what you are saying is only backed up by what you have either read, or have been told by others. I call these people followers. The world has many. The next thing you know someone will go as far as making a set of clubs all the same length. We all know that will never work...If it did, everyone would be doing it...😄

Incorrect.

People with size 8 shoes do not benefit from wearing size 11.

I'll bet you haven't had your lies adjusted.

And there's a reason why many, many Tour pros use a 43" driver, which is traditionally 3 wood length.

 

Tell us when Bryson ADDS two inches to his irons.

Edited July 21, 2019 by leftybutnotPM

[golfer2b2000]

Who is Bryson???😄

[David in FL]

2 hours ago, golfer2b2000 said:

Evidently what you are saying is only backed up by what you have either read, or have been told by others. I call these people followers. The world has many. The next thing you know someone will go as far as making a set of clubs all the same length. We all know that will never work...If it did, everyone would be doing it...😄

Equally, there are people who insist on doing things differently just because they revel in being different, without really understanding why certain things are actually better than others.

I call these people nuts…

[golfer2b2000]

Definitly by having my irons longer does affect the lie of the clubs. I have to stand a bit more erect, and closer to the ball which probably is not a bad thing for me. To play good you must be consistant from shot to shot. When I used a 50 inch driver,(when it WAS legal), it was one of the best clubs in my bag. It was an old Callaway Big Bertha head in a 12* loft. Maybe not one of the longest hitting drivers, but I could usually keep it in the fairway. I still feel that the weight of a golf club is critical. Too light and you have a tendacy to try and steer the shot. Too heavy and you lose distance, and control. There is really a happy medium. Years ago, and we are talking way back in the early 70's the only way we had to adjust the weight of an iron was with lead tape. We would put it on the back of our clubs, and even shift it around on the back of our drivers to try and get the feel that was best for us.

I use to do a lot of skeet shooting years ago, and was quite good at it. If the gun was too light we would start jerking it and we would not be very smooth which in that sport would cost you big in the scores.We would actually black tape a couple iron rods to the barrel till we felt that we were getting the proper weight we were looking for. But again, what would work for one shooter does not mean it would work for another...

You call them nuts?? I call them Republicans..I have a pretty good guess which side of the road you come from sir...😄

Again there are people who believe that the more they practice, the better they will get. This probably acounts for 80% of golfers. They go out and hit bucket after bucket, and can't understand why they are not getting better.

 It's not how much you practice, but how you practice...

[golfer2b2000]

On 7/20/2019 at 11:40 PM, David in FL said:

On 7/21/2019 at 5:33 AM, golfer2b2000 said:

Definitly by having my irons longer does affect the lie of the clubs. I have to stand a bit more erect, and closer to the ball which probably is not a bad thing for me. To play good you must be consistant from shot to shot. When I used a 50 inch driver,(when it WAS legal), it was one of the best clubs in my bag. It was an old Callaway Big Bertha head in a 12* loft. Maybe not one of the longest hitting drivers, but I could usually keep it in the fairway. I still feel that the weight of a golf club is critical. Too light and you have a tendacy to try and steer the shot. Too heavy and you lose distance, and control. There is really a happy medium. Years ago, and we are talking way back in the early 70's the only way we had to adjust the weight of an iron was with lead tape. We would put it on the back of our clubs, and even shift it around on the back of our drivers to try and get the feel that was best for us.

I use to do a lot of skeet shooting years ago, and was quite good at it. If the gun was too light we would start jerking it and we would not be very smooth which in that sport would cost you big in the scores.We would actually black tape a couple iron rods to the barrel till we felt that we were getting the proper weight we were looking for. But again, what would work for one shooter does not mean it would work for another...

You call them nuts?? I call them Republicans..I have a pretty good guess which side of the road you come from sir...😄

Again there are people who believe that the more they practice, the better they will get. This probably acounts for 80% of golfers. They go out and hit bucket after bucket, and can't understand why they are not getting better.

 It's not how much you practice, but how you practice...

 

 

On 7/21/2019 at 5:33 AM, golfer2b2000 said:

Definitly by having my irons longer does affect the lie of the clubs. I have to stand a bit more erect, and closer to the ball which probably is not a bad thing for me. To play good you must be consistant from shot to shot. When I used a 50 inch driver,(when it WAS legal), it was one of the best clubs in my bag. It was an old Callaway Big Bertha head in a 12* loft. Maybe not one of the longest hitting drivers, but I could usually keep it in the fairway. I still feel that the weight of a golf club is critical. Too light and you have a tendacy to try and steer the shot. Too heavy and you lose distance, and control. There is really a happy medium. Years ago, and we are talking way back in the early 70's the only way we had to adjust the weight of an iron was with lead tape. We would put it on the back of our clubs, and even shift it around on the back of our drivers to try and get the feel that was best for us.

I use to do a lot of skeet shooting years ago, and was quite good at it. If the gun was too light we would start jerking it and we would not be very smooth which in that sport would cost you big in the scores.We would actually black tape a couple iron rods to the barrel till we felt that we were getting the proper weight we were looking for. But again, what would work for one shooter does not mean it would work for another...

You call them nuts?? I call them Republicans..I have a pretty good guess which side of the road you come from sir...😄

Again there are people who believe that the more they practice, the better they will get. This probably acounts for 80% of golfers. They go out and hit bucket after bucket, and can't understand why they are not getting better.

 It's not how much you practice, but how you practice...

 

I dont insist on doing things differently, but I am willing to experiment and see what happens. I really think that 2 inches is a lot, but I figured what the heck. Try it there for a few rounds. If I don't like it I can always remove the grip which I have put on with air, and just cut off another inch. Nothing hurt. But as of right now I plan on keeping them the way they are. My 5 iron doesnt seem to be doing that well so this morning I have replaced it with a hybrid. So my irons are now starting at 6 and up.

 

 

It;s been two weeks, or maybe more that I have been playing these clubs. I have decided to stay with them. They have really made my swing a lot more consistant. I have really limited my bad shots. I have also given myself more oppertunities at birdies. This has been a great move for me, although I don't really recomend people playing with longer than average golf clubs.

 It doesn't have to work for everyone. Only myself, which it has done...

[Vinsk]

On 7/20/2019 at 9:33 PM, golfer2b2000 said:

Evidently what you are saying is only backed up by what you have either read, or have been told by others. I call these people followers.

So.....

On 7/20/2019 at 7:27 PM, golfer2b2000 said:

Roger Maltby once said that if you go in to have a set of clubs made to fit you, and the fitter pulls out a tape measure to measure your palm to floor measurments and so forth, that you should not waste any time leaving his shop.

You’re a follower. Got it.

[golfer2b2000]

I can see that most of you do not agree with me as far as making my irons longer. I am not asking for you to agree with it. When I played baseball, I didnt want the lightest bat because I have difficulty controlling it, and also hitting the ball hard. I also didnt want a bat that was so heavy that I could not hold up on a pitch that at the last moment I could see it was falling out of the strike zone. The real and only way to find this out is to try it. To install inserts into my irons cost me around 30 bucks. I am able to use the original grips. I really thought that 2 inches was very extreme, but what the heck. They were heavy, but not overly heavy, and I also found out that swinging them hard I could not do. So this in fact did decrease my tempo.Was the lie angle changed?? Most definitly, but again just how many perfect lies do you get that the ball is either below, or above your feet.

 What works for one, does not always work for another. Back in the mis 70's the standard length of a driver was 43". Now I see them as long as 46" So why is that?? Has our bodies changed??I have an old Powerbuilt Citation Persimmion driver that is 43" long as weighs a whopping  D-5 swingweight, and yes, it is stock. I like to play around with it sometimes just to feel how I use to hit it.

Technology has come a long way for sure. But still there is no perfect set up as far as clubs go for a person. Getting fitted is for sure a great way to go, but to actually get on a course, try them, and get use to them is the only way you will ever know. We all improvise. We buy something at a store, and before you know it, we are doing something to it to try to improve it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt.

 We also know that if you actually go to as far as to spend hundreds of dollars on getting fitted, than to spend an additional lets say 1000 dollars on a set of clubs, we are NOT going to say that they dont work!!!

 If lenghtening a set of irons I have, works for me then that is all I am concerned about. If it didnt work, then all I am out is my time and 30 bucks. It is very easy to remove the grips, and take a hack saw and cut them down to the original length.

 The reason that most of us do not experiment with this, is because we don't have the ability, or knowledge to do so...

[iacas]

What is the point of this topic?

You keep talking about heavier clubs, but your clubs probably weight about the same as mine. Maybe your swingweight is higher, but you can get that with standard length clubs, too - a higher swing weight.

[Vinsk]

On 7/29/2019 at 10:13 AM, golfer2b2000 said:

Technology has come a long way for sure. But still there is no perfect set up as far as clubs go for a person. Getting fitted is for sure a great way to go, but to actually get on a course, try them, and get use to them is the only way you will ever know.

I disagree. A low handicapper can go out and play with a rental set and still score well. It sure as hell doesn’t mean he/she needs to disregard their fitting and switch to the rentals. This is why it’s called ‘fitting.’ You’re hitting the clubs while being assessed for your ball striking. Your tendencies based on your physical characteristics, your swing speed, your plane, your ball flight pattern-s. The idea is to find an optimal set, not just a comfortable one to get used to. Players ‘get used to’ swing compensations and that is seldom a good thing.

[golfer2b2000]

19 hours ago, iacas said:

What is the point of this topic?

You keep talking about heavier clubs, but your clubs probably weight about the same as mine. Maybe your swingweight is higher, but you can get that with standard length clubs, too - a higher swing weight.

I guess I should have said a heavier swingweight, instead of a heavier club. My swingweights are around an E-3.

I have been playing with these irons for over six weeks now. My scoring is probably a bit better, but I have been putting quite well. My GIR's have also got better. I am up to an average of around 12, but from the senior tees I can sometimes hit 15. I am probably going to take off 1 inch and try them there. My swingweight will probably be around a D-8 I would say. It's getting to the end of the season and will probably get into fishing a bit more. All in all it's been a good year. Now I am looking at a new set of clubs. Titleist AP 3's...