Club length and Distance: Increasing the length of the middle and short irons will result in greater DISTANCE for almost all golfers because the shorter clubs in the set are easier to swing for all golfers. A length increase usually only helps more athletically gifted golfers hit the ball farther in their woods and long irons. This is because it is much harder for any golfer to hit the ball solid and on center with the longest clubs in the bag. It is usually only those with a gift of timing and coordination who are able to swing long woods with greater swing velocity and hit the ball on center. Less athletically inclined golfers who have been using longer woods and long irons without much success can usually achieve greater Distance by DECREASING the length of these clubs. This is because the shorter the club, the easier it is to hit the ball on the center a higher percentage of the time. No golfer can ever expect to achieve his/her maximum potential Distance unless the ball is hit on the Center of Gravity of the clubhead. Club length and Accuracy: Increasing length will not automatically result in an increase in swing speed and Distance, as many golfers perceive. Only in the middle and short irons can increased length result in a Distance increase for the majority of golfers. This is because golf requires a degree of athletic coordination and timing for success. It will always be that the longer the club, the harder it will be to hit the ball solidly and on center. For all golfers in search of greater Distance who wish to try an increase in length as a means of achieving this goal, the lighter the total weight of the club, the more chance for success. Less athletic golfers should never use a shaft weighing more than 90g in a club they plan to play with a 1" or longer increase in length. The lighter shaft helps prevent the longer club from becoming "cumbersome" and disrupting the rhythm of the swing. However, there is a certain length within all golfers at which the natural timing of the body falls into synchronization with the club length and produces a more repeating consistent swing. This so called "magic length" is not necessarily directly proportional to the golfer's handicap. In other words, it is possible that a 45" or 46" driver is more comfortable to swing than a 43" driver, simply because of the comfort the longer club would create as the golfer stands over the ball. While this type of situation is rare, what is not so unusual are the number of golfers who can achieve a Distance increase by using a shorter driver length. The shorter the club, the easier it is to hit the club solidly and on center, which is the primary key to Distance and Accuracy. The fitting of length should be approached with the understanding of the need to find the greatest length the golfer can hit solidly the highest percentage of the time. For some this may be longer than standard, while for others it may be shorter. |