Golfsmith and my Golf teacher disagree on my Length and lie

[jamvr10]

im 6'3 i have nike sumo irons +1/2 in stiff steel

My teacher thinks im way to hunched over the ball, he thought my clubs looked too short for me, and that i was out of posture. He had me swing a 7 iron that was +1.5 inches, it felt great. He really does not agree with golfsmiths results. He thinks I need 1.5 inches over standard, and 2 up lie.

My session at golfsmith went like this...They put tape on my 6 iron and had me swing twice. My 2 swings were not consistent. The guy measured my wrist to floor, and went in the back for 5 minutes. He then came out and said i should keep the legth and lie the way it is.

What the hell should i do?

[daviddunn]

I'm not sure, because I've never had this problem. However, I am 6'2", and when I was fitted for my irons I was told that the standard length & lie (Mizuno MX-200) were perfect for me. I would recommend spending some time on the range with a longer iron, and find out if you get better more consistent results.

[iammpspeer]

Post a video of your swing with a +.5'' club and see what everyone says.

[prutkows]

you felt comfortable with +1.5" and your pga pro (who actually teaches golf for a living and has no doubt seen dozens of swings) tells you to get +1.5" and the idiot golf smith employee measures you, compares you to a rule of thumb chart and tells you to get +.5"... seems like a no brainer to me, pal.

[ryohazuki222]

The best bet is probably to find a proper fitter. I'm ~6'4"... long legs... so my wrist to floor is actually kinda above normal (wrist to floor seems to be a better indicator than height apparently.)

When I played standard (my first set) they were actually graphite so they were +1/2" compared to normal steel. Wayyyy too short. I got a lot of comments about that. I ended up not liking what golfsmith had to say (either +.5" or +1"... and only 1 degree up.)

I mean hitting on a lie board.... I tihnk it's faulty logic. I'm TRYING to hit as close to standard as possible despite how unnatural it may feel..... anyway. That didn't sit right with me. I ended up going with Ping's Custom fitting chart and converting they're standard to taylormades standards (different oems have a different meaning of "standard spec")

I ended up falling in their maroon dot category. The way I saw it... I'd rather be fit statically by a chart when I was a 20ish handicap than dynamically based on my swing. But it depends what you want out of a fitting.

Anyway... I took my first lesson with my pro and he asked if I had some longer clubs than normal... I said yup... and he said that was good... i needed em. Then he had me stand off the mat (theyre about an inch or so off the ground) and swing........ then told me he thinks id do better with maybe even an inch more.

---But I think the general consensus is that +2 inches and +3-4 degrees upright is very extreme.

Personally, I think lie matters much much much more than length. Think about it? You're basically hitting 45" down to 35" of differing club lengths anyway. what difference does 46" down to 36" make.

[CG031]

Well, your instructor probably DOES know a bit more than the guys working at Golfsmith. I'd get fitted again but this time by your instructor, or someone your instructor can reccommend.

[bIGwIRE]

im 6'3 i have nike sumo irons +1/2 in stiff steel

I would go with the teacher. I'm guessing Golf Smith just went off measurements?

A fitting where you are hitting real balls off real grass while your club smith goes through each club with you (dynamic fitting) is the real deal...

[jamvr10]

so if i go to a total of +1.5 inches, do you reccomend going 2 up?

everyone that sees me swing says i am bent over way too much, we worked on trying to make my back more straight during set up, but then my set up looks un-hittable..and it is like that!

Next question is do i have them add length and re-grip? or get custom shafts from golfsmiths?

[oregongolfguy]

I would go with what your instructor and PGA PRO said everytime, especially if you say that the longer 7 iron felt great....The professional thinks so, you obviously felt more comfortable with it....that the way i would go.

I am 6'3" and the irons i play are at least an 1" over most OEM's standard length...

[Beretta_Shooter]

In the movie Man On Fire Denzel makes the observation that a "bullet always tells the truth". Same thing goes with golf but the "ball always tells the truth". The easiest way to settle this debate is to observe what the ball is doing.

[jldavis73]

Beretta Shooter hit the nail on the head. You can use static fitting, charts, etc., but the result is the most important thing. Try a variety of set ups and go with the one YOU hit best.

[gmanuel25]

I would go with what your instructor and PGA PRO said everytime, especially if you say that the longer 7 iron felt great....The professional thinks so, you obviously felt more comfortable with it....that the way i would go.

I am 6'2" and my clubs are 1.5" longer than 'standard', my 7 iron is 38.75". When I was fitted by a professional, this was determined by watching me swing the club, not by static measurements.

[shades9323]

Find out who is the best fitter in your area and go get a third opinion.

[HytrewQasdfg]

1.5 inches is a lot of length to add, but....

1. You can always choke up on your clubs if they are too long, but if your clubs are too short you are stuck, so err on the side of being too long.

2. The lie on your clubs can be adjusted back and forth in minutes. If you adjust them upright and you don't like them, the only thing you are out is the cost of the lie adjustment (btw, it is a good thing to have the loft/lie adjusted on new clubs to make sure they are correct, new clubs are often off a degree one way or another from spec.)

3. You are paying your instructor to teach you to swing. Part of that includes if your swing looks correct with your current equipment. If he says you need longer clubs, it is probably because he sees something in your swing that tells him that.

In other words, I would go with your instructor and get the clubs lengthened.

BTW, if you lengthen the clubs that much it will increase the swing weight a lot. Each 1/2 inch of length will add 3 swingweight points, so you'll go from D0 to D9 (or whatever +9.) You may want to consider backwieghting the shafts with a plug in the butt end of the shaft or a heavier brand of grips. Every extra 5 grams of grip/butt weight will reduce the swingweight 1 point.

[mdvaldosta]

I'd listen to your instructor over some hourly wage guy getting paid to read a lie board and guess after two swings.

[deronsizemore]

Everyone is going to be different but I'm 6'2'' and have +.5 on all my irons. If your pro tells you to go with 1.5, I'd go with what he says. The guys at golfsmith and golf galaxy type stores are just sales reps and while they may play and have knowledge of the game, your PGA will have much more knowledge and experience.

[Beretta_Shooter]

I will just restate what i said above.

Have clubs fitted in the two styles being suggested. Take them to the range and/or course and hit as many shots as you can. Pick the one that provides the best ball flight.

[Topanga]

One thing I learned and witnessed from the Mizuno rep during a fittting is that yor swing path is an important part on your lie angle. There was a short guy being fitted at the range and he thought he needed flat, after the fitting session it turned out he needed slightly upright. This is a big reason I would go with the pro he knows the golf swing not just the tech side.

BTW I'm 6'2, wrist 39"" from the ground. I started by hitting 10 shots and the tape looked like I hit one, same place every time on the toe. Make sure your swing is somewhat consistent before a big change, this will confirm a good fit.

I ended up with +1.5" 4* up and my iron play has never been so spot on.