8 replies to this topic

[oo1oo]

wondering if i should.  im 5'8 and hit the ball fairly far.  Probably get more control? Thoughts?

[omeletpants.]

You will lose swingweight when you cut them which will affect feel. So, if you like the feel/weight of you irons now cutting them may make them feel too light

[rbmercer]

DON'T DO IT !!!!!

[Cloran]

My irons are -1/2" from standard... and "standard" being the standard from 20 years ago, which is less an additional 1/2".... love 'em. Your swing weight will lighten up a bit. It doesn't bother me so I haven't changed a thing, but if it bothers you just add some tape... problem solved. I am more accurate with these irons, more accurate than I have ever been; and I would not hesitate to play shorter iron if these ever leave my bag. Also, I have absolutely no loss in distance. None.

[NPVWhiz]

One way to think about length for irons is just to consider the idea that there is only one club that can be too short for any given individual.  That club is the whichever iron is shortest iron in the set; usually the sand wedge or in many cases the lob wedge (unless you follow the convention of having all your wedges the same length.)  

The reason I say this is that even though many folks have talked about how there are so few "standards" in the golf business over the years, there are a couple of consistent design aspects that almost every OEM uses.

The main one is that irons have a 1/2 inch increment between successive clubs (Mizuno's 1/4 inch PW to 9 iron thing notwithstanding).

For every player, given their natural stance and swing tendencies, there is a proper length for this shortest iron.  (If you get deeper into the idea, we should really be considering the shortest iron that is a "full swing" iron.)  Once that proper length is determined, there is a proper lie angle to match that length that produces a neutral ball flight for a well struck shot.

Once the length and lie have been determined, each of the other irons in the set have their length dictated by the standard 1/2 inch increment (unless you intentionally want to build an oddball set with non-standard length increments).  There are different lie angle slopes that a well fit set can end up on, but the general idea of flatter and longer still holds.  

Think about the logic of this exchange and you'll understand what I'm arguing.  

Player A:  "I think my irons are too long.  See this 7 iron?  If I grip down on it 1/2 an inch, it feels just right."

Player B:  "How does the 8 iron feel?

Player A:  "It's too long too.  The whole set is too long."

Logically this doesn't make sense with respect to length, because if the 7 iron is 1/2 inch too long, then the 8 iron should feel "just right" for length.  The lie angle may be a little off, and the loft is different, but a 1/2 inch choke down on the 7 is the same length as the 8.  The sensation the player is feeling is probably the lighter effective swingweight from choking down.  

In this analysis, the PW can never really be too long up to a point (the lie angle can be made, theoretically, to match the length), but it can be too short.  All this said, I've never met a player who had a serious difference in accuracy between two adjacent irons, so I've never been convinced that shortening 1/2 an inch can really give a player more control.  

What I have seen work is more swingweight, in some cases, which allows the player to slow their tempo down a little without feeling like they're losing the feel of the clubhead's position and the sensation of load in the shaft.  

I believe that a player who has enough strength and a sound swing will find more control in a combination of stiffer shafts and more swingweight, but it takes time and tinkering to really figure out the best combination.

[not much time]

If you have newer Ping irons they can be reweighted for loss of weight from Ping

[NPVWhiz]

All that said, if by cutting them down, you get to a better fit with that shortest iron... a more natural ball position, better divot depths, more consistent ball striking or just a feeling that "this is the right length", then it might be a good change.  I think the path to consistency really does start with being able to walk on to the course with the feeling that your sticks are well fit to you.  Confidence that comes out of having a set of irons you really like is what builds consistency over time.

[indyslongest]

i've got Mp-33's cut down an inch (i'm 5' 6", 5' 4" when i got 'em cut) i'm much more consistent with them. dunno if accuracy was helped and distance wasn't affected at all.

[djnaz003]

oo1oo, on Apr 12 2008, 04:50 PM, said:

wondering if i should.  im 5'8 and hit the ball fairly far.  Probably get more control? Thoughts?

5'8 in your heels!   lol...