Getting Clubs Fitted - Primarily getting them cut in length

[theproman23]

I am 28, 5'8" with a fairly athletic build and own a set of Callaway X20 irons. I recently started a lesson package with Golftec and one of the main things they pointed out was that my clubs may be too long for me. I have long arms and upon a friends suggestion, looked up a few websites online that showed how long clubs should be based on a person's height and the length from their wrist to the floor.

Based on this calculation, the length from my wrist to the floor (while wearing shoes) is 31" and with me being 5'8" the chart I looked at suggested that I would have to cut standard clubs by 1".

The X20's I own are uniflex and most of them have a oversized grip on, since I have large hands as well. If I choke down my grip feels off and is causing a few issues. So, I am planning on getting them cut and spoke with my instructor at Golftec about it. He's a bit hesitant about the idea as he pointed out that the shafts would basically become Stiff flex and I am actually ok with that as many instructors in the past recommended I go to a stiff flex given my swing speed. Also, the instructor at Golftec suggested I do a fitting with them but I think he's trying to sell me another package along with thier selection of clubs.

I was just wondering what people's thoughts were on this and what suggestions you may have.

[glock35ipsc]

Quote:

the chart I looked at suggested that I would have to cut standard clubs by 1".

The problem there is.... there is no standard.  One company's 7 iron might be 36.75", another 37", and yet another 37.25".  A full 1/2" between two different companies, and they are all considered standard lengths!

Wrist to floor measurements are just a STARTING POINT to a proper fitting, it is not the definitive answer for what length you should be playing.  The W-F-T chart gives the fitter a starting point, from there a dynamic fitting of hitting balls, checking face impact, checking lie angle at impact, total club weight, swing weight, etc. will get you closer to your needed playing length.  I would seek out an actual club builder/fitter and go from there.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Don't get those clus cut down.  It will not only stiffen the shaft, but mess with the swing weight as well.  Those clubs will never be right.

[WUTiger]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Wrist to floor measurements are just a STARTING POINT to a proper fitting, it is not the definitive answer for what length you should be playing.  ...

I took a Golfworks club-fitting and repair school in February, and the master clubsmith cautioned that WTF was just the first step. To get the best shaft solution, try hitting different length shafts on the launch monitor, and with face impact tape, and see what the data says.

Shaft length also is related to lie angle, and swingweight. If you cut the shaft 1 inch, you will lose 6 swingweights, plus a few grams of total shaft weight. To restore desired swingweight, the clubfitter can use lead tape, or tip-weighting (would require shaft removal), or a lighter weight grip.

Better swingweight machines have trays you can put over the club's head to hold weights, and butt area to hold grip and counterweights. This gives a good estimate of what the new swingweight would be.

X20 has swingweight of D2 for standard Uniflex shaft; this would drop to about C6 if you trimmed the shaft, and made no other adjustments.