Having your irons suited to your height may help you better your golf game. However, if your irons are too long or too short, it can negatively impact your swing, ball contact, and your physical health. Therefore, you must understand how long your irons need to be to protect yourself from unnecessary injury and improve your golf game.
Are long irons harder to use?
And long irons tend to be hard enough for the average player to use, and now they are longer and stronger, and even harder to handle — but don’t worry, the club companies are glad to sell you replacement hybrids that cost twice as much as a traditional iron!
Do shorter golf clubs make you hit Longer shots?
And in many cases, shorter sticks lead to longer shots. As Wishon said in his book, “It appears that, in the hands of real people…the shorter club might very well hit the ball not just with more accuracy, but farther as well.”
What does lengthening a shaft do to a golf club?
Lengthening the shaft increases the swing weight, which makes the club head feel heavier. It may even make the club too heavy for you, which will slow down your swing speed and actually reduce your distance.
Do heavier golf clubs affect your game?
While the plentitude of options may certainly elevate many players’ golf games, it does make selecting golf clubs a more complicated and challenging process. Whereas heavier golf clubs may provide more power upon impact and result in greater distance, they can affect swing mechanics and make it more difficult to control the ball flight.
What are long irons good for?
Better players like the long irons because they have more control over them. Mid to low handicappers will have to choose a hybrid and long iron set makeup that works best for them. Since lower handicappers like to play shots like fades and draws, the long irons are going to be the best choice.
Are longer irons harder to hit?
Each club is about three or four degrees less loft than the club before them. This means that your seven iron is going to have considerably less loft than your four iron. The longer a golf club is and the more loft that it has, the more difficult it is to hit.
How do I know if I need longer golf clubs?
Additionally, if you are smaller in stature, but stand more straight-up in your golf stance than someone who is taller than you, the distance from your wrists to the floor will be greater, which means you might need longer clubs.
What happens when you lengthen a golf club?
Lengthening the shaft increases the swing weight, which makes the club head feel heavier. It may even make the club too heavy for you, which will slow down your swing speed and actually reduce your distance.
Why do I hook my long irons?
The upper body obstructs or interferes with the club's path to the ball. The most common reason players get stuck is, they don't keep the arms and club in front of the chest as they turn back and through. When the club trails the upper body on the way down, the hands have to flip the clubhead over to recover.
Why do I struggle with longer clubs?
As for ball position, the No. 1 reason why amateurs struggle so much with their long irons--besides not practicing with them--is that they over-exaggerate how far forward they're supposed to play the ball in their stance. I see many who play it off their left heel, or shoulder, like they would a driver.
How long should your golf clubs be for your height?
Using the ratio of every 6" of height there should be a 1" change in length then there should be a 1 ½" difference between their 5-irons. For example, recommend 36.5" for the lady and 38" for the man (or 36.75" / 38.25").
When should I lengthen my irons?
1. Your Height. The most basic reason that you would need longer golf clubs is that you are taller than standard height. If you are taller than about 6'0”, you will likely need clubs that are a bit longer than normal.
Does club length matter in golf?
Additionally, shorter length golf clubs can provide more control to the golfer, essentially making the golf club more forgiving. While longer clubs can help increase speed and launch angle, shorter clubs can be easier to hit solid due to the reduction in swing arc.
Does Iron length affect distance?
Our testing has shown conclusively that there is absolutely no measurable difference in distance due to the standard 1/2″ incremental shaft length increases between clubs. The only affect of the standard length increases between clubs is to make each successively longer club harder to hit.
Will a longer iron shaft add distance?
The results consistently showed the longest distances come from the longest shafts, but they don't come that often.” Stachura says. Lengthening your driver shaft might sound like a quick and easy way to add 20 yards to your tee ball, but it's generally a bad idea for average golfers.
How do I know if my irons are too short?
6 Signs Your Golf Clubs are Too ShortYou need to bend too much at the waist before swinging.You also have to bend your knees pre-swing.You keep hitting the ball with the golf club's heel.The swing path is in to out.The tempo is too quick.The ball tends to veer off to the right.
Why do you need a shorter golf club?
It takes a shorter club for most people to create the desired spine and shaft angles, swing planes, and contact with the ball. As would be expected, the shorter club and improved planes create better accuracy with the golf shots.
What does a golfer look like when he picks up a 4 iron?
The average player, on the other hand, looks like he is swinging a flag pole when he picks up a 4-iron. He stands almost vertical in his posture, the club reaching across two time zones to reach the distant ball, and the shaft points at his belt-line and sometimes lower (except for beginners, who tend to stand upright and reach their arms straight out, which raises the handle much higher at address).
Why is the length of a golf club shorter than the number below it?
Some more evidence that club length is overrated as a source of distance: In most sets of clubs, each iron is one-half inch shorter than the number below it. That is what creates the change in distance, right? Not really. Usually the clubs stop getting shorter above the 9-iron, meaning the various wedges are the same length as the 9-iron. And yet each wedge above the 9 hits the ball less far. Why? Because of the loft; the angle of the clubface has more to do with the change in distance from club to club than the length of the shaft.
Why are long shafts attached to melon sized clubheads?
Thank goodness the long shafts are attached to melon-sized clubheads with tons of forgiveness, because the swing planes that result from these long clubs make it nearly impossible for most golfers to hit the sweet spot.
Why is a shorter club better than a longer club?
A shorter club technically should improve control and accuracy. A longer club technically should increase distance . A club that is properly fitted in terms of the length of the shaft will maximize accuracy and distance. What I am saying is that the clubs most golfers are playing with, and even fitted for, are too long to maximize either; even when we call them “standard” in length.
What is the standard length of a golf club?
Tom Wishon, one of the top club designers in the world, said in his book The Search for the Perfect Golf Club, “Ninety-eight percent of men’s drivers these days are built to a “standard” length of 45 or 45.5 inches, and I am here to tell you that a 45-inch driver will not fit 90 percent of all golfers and will never allow them to achieve their best combination of distance AND accuracy.” This agrees completely with what I have seen on the driving range.
How long are golf drivers?
Tour players, who play golf courses that are hundreds of yards longer than the courses we play, and play for millions of dollars, have drivers that average about 44 inches in length. If longer drivers helped them maximize their distance and accuracy, they would definitely use them. But they do not use them, and yet duffers with less ability insist on playing with the longer, more challenging clubs.
How does lengthening a shaft affect swing?
Timing and Feel. In many ways, the biggest effect of lengthening a club shaft is how it affects your ability to swing the club. The combined changes in length and swing weight make the club feel different. In turn, these changes will affect your timing and even your mechanics, perhaps without you even realizing it.
What does swing weight mean?
Swing Weight. Swing weight isn't an actual weight so much as a comparison of the difference in weight between the club head and the butt end of the shaft. It's expressed as a letter-number combination, such as C9 or D2. Lengthening the shaft increases the swing weight, which makes the club head feel heavier. It may even make the club too heavy ...
Can you use extenders to lengthen a golf club?
However, using extenders to lengthen a club will change the flex of the club, sometimes by an unpredictable amount. Not only does the shaft become more flexible than before, thus further affecting accuracy, but it lowers the kick (or bend) ...
Does lengthening the shaft make the club head heavier?
Lengthening the shaft increases the swing weight, which makes the club head feel heavier. It may even make the club too heavy for you, which will slow down your swing speed and actually reduce your distance.
Does lengthening a golf club shaft affect accuracy?
Accuracy. As a general rule, lengthening any club's shaft will reduce your accuracy with that club. The longer the club, the more difficult it becomes to hit the ball solidly. This is especially true when the ball is on the ground rather than on a tee, since hitting the ball fat is more likely.
Is shaft length a factor?
Shaft length is certainly a factor in how far you hit a given club. However, some clubs benefit more than others. Installing longer shafts in wedges and short irons will almost always result in more distance, as most players have little trouble swinging the shorter clubs.
Do golf clubs have longer shafts?
Effects of Lengthening a Golf Club Shaft. Tall players like Bubba Watson have to use longer shafts in all of their clubs. Most players consider using longer shafts in their clubs at some time or another, believing that longer shafts equal more distance, although that isn't necessarily true. There are two ways to lengthen your shafts.
How many points does chopping the shaft change?
Also, chopping the shaft will alter the swing weight by 5 to 6 points - you'll need quite a lot of tape, especially for a set. Check the correct length first. Might save you from an ugly experience. According to a ping fitting at Golfworks, I should be playing my irons at standard length & maroon (4.5* upright).
How to make a pencil longer?
Make a fist around a pencil and stand up straight. With your shoulders level and your left arm extended, point the pencil at a yard stick. If the pencil in your fist points to anything taller than 33.5 inches, you are a good candidate for longer than standard.
How do golfers escape the terror of long irons?
Many golfers seek refuge from the terror of long irons by ditching them entirely and getting hybrids.
Why Am I Hitting Low Hooks With Long Irons?
You will know that this could be the issue because those low hooks can often turn into wild slices and you have no idea where the ball is going to go.
Why does my golf ball hit with a closed face?
You may also be using a shaft that is too stiff for you and struggling to generate speed. Finally, it could be a swing fault causing you to hit the ball with a closed face.
Where to put a tee in golf?
Place a tee about a clubhead length in front of the ball and put it right into the ground.
What does hitting the ball miles do?
The hit the ball miles and also give you incredible forgiveness.
What to do if you are in the market for new irons?
If you are in the market for new irons, think about going for a split set.
What is a long iron?
The long iron is everything below a 6-iron.
How long is a 7 iron?
With single length irons, the 7 iron is the unofficial standard in terms of overall club length, in the range of 37 inches, and good male amateur players will swing a club of that length around 78 MPH. The question is what happens when you take a 6 iron and reduce the length by one half-inch.
How many yards does a golf driver carry?
A couple of issues come into play. With the driver each MPH of club head speed generates approximately 2.4 yards of carry if the swing speed is in the 110 MPH range. Just as a point of reference the average swing speed on the PGA Tour is 112 MPH, which translates into an average carry of 269 yards.
How far will a 6 iron fly?
Based on averages a one half-inch reduction in overall club length will result in the loss of 1.5 to 2 MPH of swing speed which means your 6 iron will carry 2.7 to 3.6 yards shorter at a length of 37 inches than it would at 37.5 inches. By the same token, an 8 iron which would normally play at 36.5 inches when extended to 37 inches will fly 2.7 to 3.6 yards further.
How many yards does a club head carry?
At lower swing speeds, around 90 miles per hour, each MPH of club head speed generates approximately 2.3 yards of carry. Again as a point of reference, the average swing speed on the LPGA is 94 miles per hour which works out to an average carry distance of 220 yards.
What is effective loft?
Effective loft is the actual loft of your club head at impact as opposed to the stated loft on the club you are hitting. If your hands are ahead of your club head at impact you have a good chance of matching the effective loft to the actual loft of the club. If the club head passes your hands at impact (flipping) the effective loft of the club will increase and the ball will fly a shorter distance.
Why switch to heavier golf clubs?
Switching to golf clubs with more weight may benefit your golf game if you have difficulty maintaining an even tempo throughout your swing.
Why are heavier golf clubs better than lighter golf clubs?
Whereas heavier golf clubs may provide more power upon impact and result in greater distance, they can affect swing mechanics and make it more difficult to control the ball flight. On the flip side, lighter golf clubs are easier to manage and may result in fewer errant shots, but distance may be sacrificed.
What is swing weight?
A golf club’s swing weightrefers to the ratio of weight between the head and the rest of the golf club.
Why is there no magic formula for determining the proper golf club weight?
Because golfers encompass all age groups, sizes, statures, and athletic abilities, there is no magic formula for determining the proper golf club weight that can apply to all individuals, just as body type does not dictate distance.
What are the benefits of lighter golf clubs?
Benefits of Lighter Golf Clubs. With tremendous advancements in golf equipment technology , there are lighter materials available to manufacture golf club shafts and heads. Graphite and other composites are much lighter than steel and are also more flexible and forgiving.
What happens when the head of a golf club strikes a golf ball?
In simple terms, the impact that occurs when the head of a golf club strikes a golf ball results in the golf ball propelling forward, hopefully in the manner intended by the golfer.
How much does a golf club weigh?
The first is the actual weight, and it is the actual weight of the entire club in your hand – the grip, shaft, and clubhead. The heaviest clubs in the bag are usually the wedges , which typically weigh around one pound . The lightest club in the bag is usually the driver, which is also the longest and weighs around ¾ of a pound (340 grams).
STEP 1
Hinge your right arm at the elbow, with your thumb in a hitchhiker’s position.
STEP 2
Look at your thumb relative to the top of your right shoulder. If it’s even or below your delt (1), you’re a candidate for a flatter backswing. If it’s hovering above (2), start experimenting with a steeper swing.
