Same length clubs

Original topic by Reposted — 2022-12-15T23:15:40Z
RAM — Apr 23, 2016

How do you feel about using the same shaft length throughout the bag, and also about the idea of an oversized grip to help take the hands (the flip) out of impact?

Thanks,
RAM

I’m starting year three using your method. It’s getting better all the time!

Discussion (6 replies)

Reply 1

Ross — 2022-12-15T23:16:23Z
Ross — Apr 23, 2016

I honestly have not heard enough from golfers who have tried them. Again, there will be trade-offs: gain accuracy, lose distance. My method already produces pretty straight shots once learned, so losing distance for no gain does not make sense to me.

Interesting story: One of the biggest problems with junior camps in general involves a similar concept—clubs that are too short for their loft—and it’s one of the reasons many kids don’t like golf or struggle at first. The golf courses and pros think it is okay to take a bunch of unmatched, lost-and-found golf clubs, cut them down to fit the kids, and then teach them for a week. Just try to hit a 3-iron cut down to the length of a 7-iron.

Now, I know the “new” same-length clubs are not cut down, and the shafts probably compensate somewhat and are designed for the lower-lofted clubs, but the geometry scares me. I can see golfers overswinging for more distance. Also, I’m thinking the trajectories will be lower because of the lack of shaft length to help get the ball up so it can drop out of the sky onto the green.

Oversized grip: I would just experiment with an oversized grip on one of your clubs to see if it helps or hurts your game.

Reply 2

Reposted — 2022-12-15T23:16:58Z
forum — Apr 24, 2016

This is a related question: What is the optimum position of the hands on the grip? One could choke up or move the hands higher on the grip and still get into a proper setup by adjusting knee flex and distance from the ball.

Reply 3

Ross — 2022-12-15T23:17:30Z
Ross — Apr 24, 2016

If I understand the question correctly… yes, you can—and should—choke up or down to adjust for the shot needed.

First, never grip the club at the “end” of the shaft. There is usually an inch or so just before the end of the grip that “flares” out, and you want to be below that flare for control.

Now, gripping lower really has no limit, depending on the shot needed. Many times around the green, in a precarious lie, I’ve had to choke down so far that I’ve gripped my sand wedge below the grip, on the shaft, to get the shaft angle and face exactly how I need them so the ball will respond accordingly.

The key to what you said—knee flex and distance from the ball—is just following the “routine.” Once you’ve gripped the club for your needs, get your arm template set, let it hang, and then sit down to the ball in a “balanced” and “athletic” position. This allows you to turn your shoulders freely while still rotating and swinging in balance.

An example of what not to do: The ball is way above your feet, so you just lift your arms up as if taking a baseball swing. That rarely works, for many reasons. If you choke way down on the club, you can stand a lot closer to the ball, and it will be much more like a regular swing.

Now, you’re not going to get maximum distance, but you will know where the ball is going and be out of trouble. So, you “took your medicine,”* and you can then make it up on the next shots.

*“Took your medicine” is a saying I heard as a kid that meant: Okay, you got yourself into trouble; now get out of trouble first, then move on with playing the hole. The “hero” shots are rarely pulled off by amateurs, so “take your medicine,” “get out of trouble,” and “forget about what just happened.” Then focus on the present: how to capitalize from wherever the ball lies.

Reply 4

Reposted — 2022-12-15T23:18:28Z
megolf70 — Apr 28, 2016

Hello Ross,

I have a set of clubs from 1iron golf that are all the same length. They all have exactly the same swing weight and feel the same with each loft. The setup is the same for each iron.

Since working with your swing, my consistency with each loft has improved tremendously. The yardage gaps from the 9-iron to the 3-iron are consistent as I progress through the clubs. Granted, I use a 9-iron now where I used to use a PW, but since the clubs are fitted to my height, my accuracy is dead on when I remember to use the pre-shot routine you advocate.

I have one question for you: What do you recommend when the shot calls for a faster swing, meaning when you want increased distance for a certain shot? When I try to increase distance with the driver—or any club, for that matter—I seem to pull it left. Do you think I should try to unwind faster?

Thanks,
Megolf70

Reply 5

Ross — 2022-12-15T23:18:47Z
Ross — Apr 28, 2016

If the ball goes left and you’re right-handed, you either used your back hand to help (flipped), or your arms got ahead of the body rotation.

Answer: Make sure your rotation DOMINATES and leads the arms and club. Or… it might be easier to just use more club or be satisfied with what you can do with the club in your hand.

Usually, it is all an amateur can do to hit the ball straight, let alone try to add “when a shot calls for a faster swing” to the equation. If you’ve practiced “increasing” your swing, then go for it. But most have not and don’t have that option in their bag. So, play the shot you know and make up whatever you need on a different shot on the hole—like chipping closer or making a longer putt.

What I’m saying is: Play within your ability, and you get what you get. Don’t stretch it unless you’ve put in the time and have the shot.

Reply 6

Reposted — 2022-12-15T23:19:30Z
megolf70 — Apr 28, 2016

Now that makes sense. It really doesn’t matter if I reach the green with a PW or an 8-iron, as long as I am on the green. Thank you for your ever-fantastic take on the game. You have made this journey so much easier.