Re: Problems being too tall...

Welcome from me --- one of the newbies too

I'm just about 6'4" and also have 1" longer shafts. I know the problem about getting comfortable with the "shorter" irons ---- especially as I used to play with irons which were about 1/2" short compared to the modern standard.

Biggest problem with getting down to those irons (I have/had) is I was doing it by 2 things:
1. Slumping the shoulders i.e. closing the chest and bending the spine rather than bending from the hips
2. Over-bending the knees to help get lower resulting in over-active legs in the swing

I can't say I'm out of the problem zone yet (hopefully it's only due to the snow) --- but these are things that are helping me.

Oh yes --- almost forgot --- don't worry too much about your height. Wrist to floor (i.e. length of your arms compared to your body) is probably the more important factor in choosing the right shaft length.

Re: Problems being too tall...

Thanks for replying

so what did you do to combat the hunching and bending of the knees ?

it is possible to stand closer to the ball and play a more vertical swing ?

Re: Problems being too tall...

I am trying to change my setup completely. I bend from the hips only and then just gently relax (slight bend) of the knees. By keeping my spine straight and bending from the hips, I actually (surprisingly) end up further away from the ball using this method than before.

So I set up by taking my grip and putting the club at about belt height, parallel to the ground. It ends up with the butt about 8-10 inches from my buckle. Then, keeping my back straight, I just bend from the hips until the club touches the ground whilst gently flexing my knees.

So starting at:
O
¦
¦----
¦
¦_

I end up sort of:
....O
../
/\
¦..\
¦_..\

I hope those "diagrams" are helpful. I couldn't really draw the knee flex with what I had available. Suffice to say it's not too much.


Interestingly Ernie Els (also in our height class) admitted in a recent Golf Digest article (available on the golf digest web site --- about rebuilding his knee and swing) that one of his weaknesses is also tendency to slump.

P.S. I'm not an expert by any means but this is what I am trying to do to cure various problems ---- and got the advice from "a good source"

Re: Problems being too tall...

ok thanks again for being so helpful

i'm going to give it a try , i'm not convinced 1" extra on my club is going to instantly make me more comfortable, i'll check out the fundamentals of my stance first.

Re: Problems being too tall...

I'm always surprised at what a proper length club will do for some people.

Moltisani, being 5" taller than myself, I would say that the extra inch is good. The common idea floating around the golf world today is that shorter is better. I think this common idea ignores the tall golfer.

It may be worth your while to see a clubmaker who can make you a demo overlength 9 iron (just an example). Go hit it, and see how it feels. A good clubmaker can finish the set, and you'll have clubs that fit. Of course, good fitting clubs are, in my mind, a prerequisite.

The 'new theory on the block' these days for getting all irons to play or feel the same is MOI matching. This is accomplished (in general) by one of two ways: Keeping 0.5" increments between clubs, and making the heads 8g in difference. The other method is to go with a 7g head difference, and go with a 0.4" step between clubs. This results in either the 3 iron being shorter than 'standard', or the 9i and PW being longer. You may find yourself more comfortable with a set custom built to 0.4" steps, starting with a well-fitting 3 iron.

Re: Problems being too tall...

Moltisanti's irons are already 1" over length I thought . Add another inch and they'll be VERY long clubs. Not to be forgotten, of course, is the increase in swing weight with extra length. I seem to remember 3 Swingweight points per half inch length? And when I tried 1" over from one manufacturer I almost broke my (already weak) wrists. (it was about 6 swingweight points higher than standard!).

Maybe that's one reason I went with Mizuno irons. They have 3 different head weights to give the same swing weight for standard length as well as 1/2" over or under length (if custom built by Mizuno of course -- and not lengthened or shortened later).

Shaft flex changes slightly too with length of club -- but that's another story.

Sorry if I digress

Re: Problems being too tall...

No no, you're good.

Swingweight is just a feel thing, and can be combatted by adding butt weight, a process known as backweighting. Yes, the overall weight of the club goes up, but only by 3g.

And yes, they may be over length, but using a 0.4" progression from a 1" over length 3 iron, you end up with a much longer PW. But this is why you have to see a clubmaker. NO OEM in a big box store can accomodate this for you.