DQOTD: Custom Shaft Lengths - How Significant?

[Midpack]

Trying to educate myself before I buy new irons. My height and WTF measurements suggest I should have +0.5 shaft lengths. But how important is that?

My current off the shelf irons have shafts from 39.5" to 35.5" - a range in length of 4". My driver is 46" and my 3 wood is 43.5". So from driver to PW a range in length of 10.5", almost a foot!

So I am adapting to a relatively large range of shaft lengths, 4" in irons alone. AND if I go to the trouble of custom shafts, I will still be dealing with the same range, even if each club is 0.5" longer.

Makes me wonder if pursuing the +0.5 shafts are worth the trouble. What am I missing?

[Piz]

A golfers height and wrist to floor are just starting points that cannot account for an individuals posture, swing, etc...It is best to do a dynamic fitting.  The ball flight and feel are more important than a static number.

[WUTiger]

On 7/20/2017 at 8:59 AM, Piz said:

A golfers height and wrist to floor are just starting points that cannot account for an individuals posture, swing, etc...It is best to do a dynamic fitting.  The ball flight and feel are more important than a static number.

The WTF measurement is just a starting point for a decent fitting, not the total item.

The shaft length works with the lie angle to ensure the golfer can make square hits and hit the ball the intended direction.

If the clubhead lie is too upright, the golfer tends to miss to the left because that's the way the leading edge faces. If the clubhead lie is too flat, the golfer tends to miss to the right, because that's the way the leading edge faces. (See Callaway link below.)

Also, adding a half-inch length to the shaft makes the club's lie one degree more upright; trimming a half-inch makes the club's lie a degree flatter.

For details, see the Callaway* link, Adjusting the Lie Angle.

Edit used to add Callaway link.

Edited July 22, 2017 by WUTiger