I’m making mine longer!

[Maninblack4612]

I struggle to hit my long irons far enough and hitting the hybrids so high makes me struggle into the wind.

A while ago I bought an ex demo Mizuno MX 23 6 iron with a Dynamic Gold Lite shaft and have added an inch to the length, which already seemed to be ½” longer than standard. It’s now the same length as my 4 iron. I took it on the course for the first time today and the results were encouraging. It swung at D0 originally due to the light shaft and at its current length swings D8. The extra weight seems to discourage me from flogging it, which is a tendency of mine, the longer the iron gets. I hit one shot, into the wind which just would not have got there without the extra length. I also played a controlled shot, which would have been a full 7 iron, on a par three into a strong left to right wind which never deviated from the flag.

Encouraged by this I have acquired very cheaply a set of MX23s with Dynamic Gold Lite shafts. I’ve ordered all the materials necessary to add 1” to each and am looking forward to trying them out.

I’ve tried strengthening the lofts before in an effort to add distance but I find this doesn’t work, the ball doesn’t stay in the air long enough. I also think that it’s easier to hit a longer club with more loft than a slightly shorter one with less loft so I may have some loft added to the 3 & 4 to make them more playable.

Has anyone else tried this? I will keep you updated on the results.

 

[gdc]

What is D0 and D8?

 

[GreiginFife]

What is D0 and D8?

Swing weights.

 

[boosh]

I don't really see the point, your 3 and 4 iron will be harder to use being so long.
If you want to hit it further, get a lesson on trackman and see what your numbers are and get more out of your swing.

 

[Maninblack4612]

I don't really see the point, your 3 and 4 iron will be harder to use being so long.
If you want to hit it further, get a lesson on trackman and see what your numbers are and get more out of your swing.

Been on GC2 & know what my numbers are. I'm stuck with a driver 88mph swing speed & that's the limiting factor. From my experience so far I feel as if it's loft, rather than length of the club which makes it hard to hit, which I think explains why hybrids are easy compared with irons. I have no problem hitting the 6 iron to wedge, 5 is not too bad, with the 4 & 3 more of a problem. The 6 iron I have lengthened is, as I said, now the same length as a standard 4 and I have no trouble hitting it at all and the ball just soars. It must be 15 yards longer now. We'll see how the 3,4 & 5 work out but, with enough loft, I don't anticipate too much trouble. We'll see.

 

[Maninblack4612]

What is D0 and D8?

D0 is towards the light end of standard, D8 is towards the heavy end. Most clubs are made D2 to D4. It's not the weight of the club that's measured but the way it feels. A heavy head on a short club can swing lighter than a light head on a long club. You can measure it yourself fairly accurately. This is what I use: http://www.leaderboard.com/SWINGWT.HTM

 

[3565]

I got some Wishon 555m's, bit of a bargain 7-SW WITH DG SL's stiff shafts but they were 1/2" shorter then standard and swung at just below D2, I went back to my old Snake eyes and they felt better and swung better, standard length and at D4. I bought the new Nippon NS Pro Modus3 120 stiff shafts D4 to put into the 555m's and just tried the 6i out first and I'll be getting the rest put in my 555's. It's a great shaft and this is the 2nd set of Nippon shafts that I've had that suit me better then DG's.

Although i didnt notice any yardage loss with the DG SL's they were light compared to my old clubs.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Why not get lessons, are you sure you are swinging with all possible, reasonable width?

You can add way more than an inch that way I am sure!

 

[Maninblack4612]

Why not get lessons, are you sure you are swinging with all possible, reasonable width?

You can add way more than an inch that way I am sure!

I've had lessons from 3 different "Plane Truth" qualified coaches, have the book and practice the moves I know I need to make. Trouble is, I'm 67, have a permanently stiff neck and slightly restricted mobility that goes with age. Despite this I can hit it further than most folks of my age. I just find it annoying that I have to pull the cover off a hybrid or 3 wood when faced with a shot longer than 180 yards, less than that into the wind. And, up to now, I love the flight I get on the lengthened 6 iron I'm using. I'll revert to the old bats if the experiment doesn't work.

 

[boosh]

Most amateurs have to hit a hybrid when faced with a shot of 180y or more.
Playing at shields it goes without saying that the wind has a massive factor on what your hitting.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Most amateurs have to hit a hybrid when faced with a shot of 180y or more.
Playing at shields it goes without saying that the wind has a massive factor on what your hitting.

180 yards! That's a 7 iron for most of the folks who post on here.

 

[patricks148]

180 yards! That's a 7 iron for most of the folks who post on here.

only the short hitters

 

[Stuey01]

You will probably want to get the lies checked after, chances are they will need to be flattened some.

 

[boosh]

But by increasing them one inch you will get more distance because your club head speed will increase, but the longer irons will be harder to hit.
It's a bit of a trade off really.

 

[ScienceBoy]

180 yards, im not even 30 and for me that is a good 4 iron.

Dont think of the distance, think of the right tool for the job. A balance of loft and shaft length makes the right tool.

Good luck with your experiment!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think it is mighty impressive. Most people, me included, find shorter irons are easier to hit. To lengthen irons and keep control suggests a pretty darned good golf swing.

 

[Maninblack4612]

180 yards, im not even 30 and for me that is a good 4 iron.

Dont think of the distance, think of the right tool for the job. A balance of loft and shaft length makes the right tool.

Good luck with your experiment!

Thank you, I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[Maninblack4612]

You will probably want to get the lies checked after, chances are they will need to be flattened some.

I need everything bent 2 to 3 degrees flat to suit my peculiar build so this will be the first thing I do when I've got them finished. I've got a club doctor who adjusts each club individually.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Further range testing yesterday with the 6 iron, the only club so far converted. It was going brilliantly, beautiful high, penetrating flight with no excess of spin. The additional weight, given by the extra length seems to make the club swing itself. I feel no temptation to hit it hard and it was going as far as my normal 4 iron. If the 3, 4,& 5 irons go similarly I'll be over the moon. All the other clubs are now lengthened & regripped and an appointment has been made to have them bent on Monday. I'm having the 3 iron loft adjusted to the equivalent of a 4 to make it easier to hit & the other ones cranked to match. I firmly believe that these lofts will give more length by keeping the ball in the air longer. "Loft up" should work for the irons too with a slow swing speed like mine.

We'll see.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I've had lessons from 3 different "Plane Truth" qualified coaches, have the book and practice the moves I know I need to make. Trouble is, I'm 67, have a permanently stiff neck and slightly restricted mobility that goes with age. Despite this I can hit it further than most folks of my age. I just find it annoying that I have to pull the cover off a hybrid or 3 wood when faced with a shot longer than 180 yards, less than that into the wind. And, up to now, I love the flight I get on the lengthened 6 iron I'm using. I'll revert to the old bats if the experiment doesn't work.

180yds is a hybrid for me, I'm 39 (cue jokes about tough paper rounds etc - chortle chortle )