club length and body size
kurt victor rausch
On the one hand, I know that arm length tends to cancel out height (ie if people differ by one foot in height, there will only be a couple of inches difference in where their hands hang relative to the ground). Also, I know that you can compensate for club length by choking up, bending over further, etc.
However, it seems to me that the lie of the club (angle between club face and shaft) dictates an optimal club position. That is, if you lie the face flush with the ground, the shaft will point up at a given angle, and any attempt to futz with this by extending arms out further or anything else will almost guarantee poor contact. Shouldn't sets of clubs come in either different lies or different lengths?
The reason I ask is that I am relatively short (5'6"), and I find that to have both proper body position and a flush clubface I need to choke up on a 3-iron about 3 inches. Besides feeling like a wuss, I hate the thought of giving up distance unnecessarily. Any thoughts?
--
Kurt Rausch
Department of Sociology
Paul Lauzon
>Why is there a standard length for club shafts when people come in very different shapes and sizes?
>
couple of inches difference in where their hands hang relative to the ground). Also, I know that you can compensate for club lengt=
h by choking up, bending over further, etc.
>
f you lie the face flush with the ground, the shaft will point up at a given angle, and any attempt to futz with this by extending a=
rms out further or anything else will almost guarantee poor contact. Shouldn't sets of clubs come in either different lies or diffe=
rent lengths?
>
>The reason I ask is that I am relatively short (5'6"), and I find that to have both proper body position and a flush clubface I nee=
d to choke up on a 3-iron about 3 inches. Besides feeling like a wuss, I hate the thought of giving up distance unnecessarily. Any=
thoughts?
>Kurt Rausch
Club heads do come in different lie angles, what dictates the lenght of the club is not the height of the person since as you pointe=
d out taller people have longer arms also, so the distance from the tips of the finger to the ground does not differ by a lot betwee=
n tall and short people.(The average is 27 inches.) What actually determines the lenght a particular person should play with is his=
or her ability to make solid contact with the ball. You must realize that a longer club is harder to control and therefore hit cons=
istently. I have a client who is 6'4 and a beginner. I made his irons 3/4 of an inch shorter than standard(sic) and bent them 5É upr=
ight. On the other hand Ian Woosnam is 5'4 1/2 and plays with a driver that is 45 inches long as opposed to 43 inches standard. ( =
sic again) Of course, Woosnam's swing is much better than my client's so he can use the longer lenght to his advantage and gain dist=
ancxe with the longer club. The important point to remember here is that the lie angle of the club is crucial.
Hope this is helpfull..:-)
PL
>
>
miko
>Why is there a standard length for club shafts when people come in very different shapes and sizes?
Ease of manufacturing...
>
>On the one hand, I know that arm length tends to cancel out height (ie if people differ by one foot in height, there will only be a=
couple of inches difference in where their hands hang relative to the ground). Also, I know that you can compensate for club lengt=
h by choking up, bending over further, etc.
>
>However, it seems to me that the lie of the club (angle between club face and shaft) dictates an optimal club position. That is, i=
f you lie the face flush with the ground, the shaft will point up at a given angle, and any attempt to futz with this by extending a=
rms out further or anything else will almost guarantee poor contact. Shouldn't sets of clubs come in either different lies or diffe=
rent lengths?
>
True, this is what custom club builders have been saying for years, and what the mainstream manufacturers are now marketing, i.e. He=
nry Griffiths, Wilson, and others...
This is also why club head bending machines are becoming a must for any club building/fitting operation. There are several on the m=
arket ranging in price from several hundreds of dollars to $1500 or more...
>The reason I ask is that I am relatively short (5'6"), and I find that to have both proper body position and a flush clubface I nee=
d to choke up on a 3-iron about 3 inches. Besides feeling like a wuss, I hate the thought of giving up distance unnecessarily. Any=
thoughts?
>
There must be dozens of Custom Club Fitters around the Chicago area, go see one, better still see several. Find some one who you lik=
e and trust, your current set may be adjusted, or refitted.
The PCS, (Professional ClubMakers' Society), 1-800-548-6094, can give you the names of several people in your area.
db miko
Mac Shack Golf
London, Ontario, CANADA
Richard K. Weaver
standard length shaft.
The problem is that I tend to push everything to the right. Seems the
lie is 2 degrees too flat.
I just got a new set of custom clubs with standard length but 2 degree
upright lie. My swing is the same, but now instead of hitting it on
the toe every time, I hit it in the sweet spot. Result = straight
shots that go 20-30 yards longer.
I suspect that there is something to the custom fitting process if you
get someone who knows what they are doing.
kw
Customclb
Responses will included recommendations for lie, length, swingweight, grip
size, shaft flex, bend point, etc.
You're right ... it isn't a 1 size fits all game.
Clubs have gotten 1" longer & 5 deg stronger over last 25 years. Result
is most are too long for a lot of golfers. Graphite shafts make it even
worse. OEM's make them 1/2" - 1" longer than their steel shafted
counterparts, in order to get swingweight correct. But then they don't
fit!