Club Sizes

[jbintw]

Hello, everybody!

My name is James.

I am returning to golf. My dad played it extensively and I really only played when I saw him. The last I played was in 2004. I live in Taiwan with my wife and I live a semi-retired kind of life.  Recently, I -quite spontaneously- found a pro shop and bought an off-the-rack set of clubs. Cleveland Tour Action actually. My wife was trying to get into the conversation by saying they looked too short. In my excitement I shrugged it off, as I remember my dads clubs being about the same length. After 10 years, surely memories do not lie!

We went to a driving range and I noticed other golfers were not bending over or bending down as much as I and I began to suspect she is right. (This information must remain confidential!)

I started looking into club sizes and I see that the "standard length" (I think "common length" would be a better descriptive) for, say, a 5 iron is 38". I measured my wrist-to-floor and that is 31" (I have long arms) and my 5 iron is 34"! I measured that any and every way I could. 34" is what stuck.  My driver is 38".  Is it possible that "common length" varies from region to region? I stand about 6-2, where I live pants the proper length are hard to find, socks and shoes have to be special ordered and shirts fit short.  There are big and tall stores here, but they are big AND tall, not big OR tall.  When I try on shirts that go beyond my waste, it is like a child trying on their parents clothes.

So, that is why I am asking this question.

I hope I did not go on too long.

Thank you for your help!

James

[boogielicious]

Welcome to the site James @jbintw .  Those sound really short.  Usually adjustments in club length are +/- and inch or so.  To measure the club length, measure from the end of the handle to where the club would touch the ground (see below).  Also, you should measure your wrist to floor for that measurement.

The PING site has an interactive fitting guide that can help you with approximate sizing.

http://www.ping.com/fitting/nflightweb.aspx

Double check the measurements of yourself and your current clubs.  Those may be too short.

[jbintw]

Thanks, Scott!

I measured everything again, all the clubs are short by several inches. Based on my Wrist-Floor, I should have clubs -0.25"- -1" below "standard" (I think!) Looks like I am doing some shopping. I think if I go to a bigger city, I might have better luck.  One of the tours stops in Taipei from time to time, so I think there is my answer here. International shipping is a bit pricey!

Thanks again for your input!

James

[boogielicious]

You are welcome.  Bring a tape measure with you when you shop and a listing of club lengths for your size.

[WUTiger]

I just got my X20 Tours reshafted. The stock 5 iron length for most Callaway irons is 38".

A check of the Cleveland spec sheets shows the stock 5 iron length for most TA family irons was 37.75".  (Exception is TA5 Senior, which was 38".)

http://golfclubspec.com/irons.php?pageNum_Recordset1=1&totalRows;_Recordset1=303

Sounds like your 5i is close to stock for its model.

On the Ping fitting software : it gives you a good start. The wrist-to-floor, wrist-to-whatever measurements are a starting point for club fitting, but  you need to actually hit the clubs to see if they fit you.  If a person stands very upright or crouches a lot at address, this will influence several club measurements. And, as you have said, the proportional length of a person's arms and legs also figure in.

Any way you could get a personal fitting? (and still have money left?) I know how expensive golf is in Japan and Taiwan.

Yes, major OEM golf equipment varies from region to region. My X20 Tours had the shafts and heads made in China, and were assembled in China. I suspect they originally were targeted for the Japanese market: It had a Project X 5.0 (a lighter PX flex than normal). The 5.0 was usually a custom order here in the USA. Japanese golfers have access to shafts and iron models not available in the USA market.

Also, most Japanese golfers want forged irons - the perception of extra precision. Any cast irons going into Japan likely would be diverts from the USA market.

I got my X20 Tours from Callaway PreOwned, They were rated as "like new", but were in fact "outlet" quality - not a club had ever been hit.