Clubs Too Long?

[Strandly]

Hi there, I've owned golf clubs for about 15 years but only played about once every 3-4 years.  This spring I decided to get more serious about the game and bought a set of Ping i20s (1w, 3w, 3-9i, 46/50/58 degree wedges).  I bought them at Golfsmith so they came with a club fitting.

The guy who fit me used a yard stick to measure from my wrist to the ground while I was standing completely upright.  He frowned and said I was right at the point where it could go either way, leave them standard size or cut 1/4 or 1/2 inch off (forget which).  He suggested leaving them as is.  I then hit several balls in the simulator, all with a 6 iron, with the tape on the club to see where the ball was striking.  Again he just kind of shrugged and suggested leaving the clubs as is.

I bought the clubs and started playing with them the very next day and have played quite a bit with them over the 2 months I've owned them (about 2 dozen rounds and 15 large buckets at the driving range).  An immediate adjustment I had to make from my old clubs, which were not fitted, is that I had to move the ball very far back in my stance in order to get a solid hit on them.  My 9 iron for example needs to be in line with the inside of my right foot (I'm right handed) and my 3 iron is about 1 ball width left of the midpoint of my stance.  Everything else is in between.  I assumed this was normal and was simply a consequence of newer club technology.

Anyway, I can make solid contact on many of my shots and do not have a problematic hook or slice but I cannot seem to get any loft on almost all of my irons and my distance seems poor.  Aside from maybe the wedges, all of my irons seem to fly about the same height as my 3 iron (10-12 feet off the ground eyeballing it).  After numerous rounds with other people and watching them pop 5, 6, 7 irons up in the air like a 60 degree wedge and thinking back about the fitting process I went through... I have a feeling I got a bad fitting.

I plan on going back to the driving range this weekend and choking up on the clubs to see if that gives me more difference in lofts but in the meantime does what I describe sound like the clubs could be too long for my build?

Also, if there are any club fitting professionals out there can you give me some tips on what to look for during a fitting that shows the people know what they're doing and care that I get a good fit?  For example, should they be doing the marking tape thing on all of my clubs and not just 1 club?  Should they be taking the wrist measurement while standing upright or at address?  Should I be wearing golf shoes for the fitting or will that likely not matter?  Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Topper]

I don't know if you've provided enough info for the many knowledgeable instructors and veteran golfers on this site to come up with a definitive diagnosis.  If I had to put money on it, I'd say you are probably swaying off the ball during your back swing among other things.

[Jeremie Boop]

The low ball flight is because of the ball being too far back in your stance. You could try to stand further from the ball to see if you can move it more towards the center of your stance. It could be that the clubs are too long or you are standing too close causing the low point in the swing to be too far back in your stance. There are other causes for that as well, but without seeing your swing it is hard to diagnose. If you think the clubs are a little too long you can also try gripping down on them that 1/2 to 1/4 inch to see if that helps. If it does you can either get them cut down or just remember to grip down.

[Strandly]

I thought I was standing too close to the ball at first also so I backed away a little bit.  All that seemed to do was cause me to toe all my shots though so I think that wasn't the problem.  I have been holding all my clubs at the end of the grip (no part of my hand ever hangs off the clubs though) regardless of how it felt because I assumed the fitting was spot on for each club.  Anyway, heading to the range in 15-20 minutes, I'm looking forward to testing the choked up grip.

[WUTiger]

Wrist-to-floor measurement is a rough starting point for determining best shaft length. Then you have the golfer hit some shots with impact tape on the face  of the club. The impact pattern plus ball flight gives info for shaft length. Then, sole tape shows whether lie angle is  correct (could be OK,too  flat or too upright). Shaft length and lie are related to each other.

AS others have said, you're ball position is too far back in stance. I suggest golf lessons to get things sorted out."Going back to the range" will simply produce more frustration, which you have aplenty.

..A good pro can help you figure out if shaft length is OK, and show you how to hit ball better..

Keep us posted.

[Strandly]

Back from the range.  I choked up close to an inch on my 9 iron and moved it closer to the center of my stance.  I got noticeably more loft on the ball and lost maybe a little bit of distance but it's still not quite the amount of loft I was hoping for.  I noticed a similar effect for my 6, 7, and 8 irons but the effects were diminishing as I approached the 3 iron.

I'm not sure what to do next.  I wouldn't mind taking a lesson to get another pair of eyes on my swing but I'm a little bit skeptical of how much help the instructor will be and the price is, in my opinion, outrageous at $100 an hour.

[Jeremie Boop]

Originally Posted by Strandly

Back from the range.  I choked up close to an inch on my 9 iron and moved it closer to the center of my stance.  I got noticeably more loft on the ball and lost maybe a little bit of distance but it's still not quite the amount of loft I was hoping for.  I noticed a similar effect for my 6, 7, and 8 irons but the effects were diminishing as I approached the 3 iron.

I'm not sure what to do next.  I wouldn't mind taking a lesson to get another pair of eyes on my swing but I'm a little bit skeptical of how much help the instructor will be and the price is, in my opinion, outrageous at $100 an hour.

Post your swing here in the swing thread. There are plenty of knowledgeable people who can give you some pointers as well as a couple of certified professionals.

[Strandly]

I don't have the equipment to record video unfortunately.

It's possible I may just need to hit the ball harder.  I've been keeping my swing pretty easy and relaxed so I don't get fatigued and spray bad shots all over the place on the back half of the course.  If I'm losing distance and loft doing this though then I'm not really doing myself any favors anyway, right?

I might experiment with a crusher round next week and see what happens.

[Jeremie Boop]

Originally Posted by Strandly

I don't have the equipment to record video unfortunately.

It's possible I may just need to hit the ball harder.  I've been keeping my swing pretty easy and relaxed so I don't get fatigued and spray bad shots all over the place on the back half of the course.  If I'm losing distance and loft doing this though then I'm not really doing myself any favors anyway, right?

I might experiment with a crusher round next week and see what happens.

Cell phone camera's work fine, that's what most of us use. Swinging harder is not a good answer, easy/relaxed is the correct way to swing. The less tension in the swing the better the results will be.

[WUTiger]

Originally Posted by Strandly

... I'm not sure what to do next.  I wouldn't mind taking a lesson to get another pair of eyes on my swing but I'm a little bit skeptical of how much help the instructor will be and the price is, in my opinion, outrageous at $100 an hour.

Where do you live? Do all pros in your area average $100 an hour for lessons?

Being that you spent around $1,200 on those clubs, might you want to spend a little more to learn to use them? You appear to be struggling using the "self-taught" method. For every Bubba Watson (no golf lessons), there's twenty golfers who learn faster with lessons; especially at the start, to learn the basics.

Seriously, a good pro can take you further in a half hour than you can take yourself in three months of trial and error.

[Strandly]

I live in Denver and the price I'm quoting is from a couple public courses nearby.  I will probably shop around some and see if I can find a better price though.  For the sake of comparison, where do you live and what are the rates in your area?

Also, I don't think I'm really struggling (yet) and I'm certainly not frustrated. I've made some huge improvements this summer compared to how I've played in the past.  I simply want to stay on a roll if possible.

[SloverUT]

Originally Posted by Strandly

I live in Denver and the price I'm quoting is from a couple public courses nearby.  I will probably shop around some and see if I can find a better price though.  For the sake of comparison, where do you live and what are the rates in your area?

Also, I don't think I'm really struggling (yet) and I'm certainly not frustrated. I've made some huge improvements this summer compared to how I've played in the past.  I simply want to stay on a roll if possible.

I live in Knoxville, TN and the rates vary.  I can get lessons starting at around $40/hr all the way up to $125/hr.  It varies per area of Knoxville and also the prestige of the club they work at.

[Strandly]

See now that seems fairly reasonable, I wouldn't have a problem throwing down $50 to give it a test run.