Does +1" Shaft Make an Iron "TOO HEAVY" to Swing ???

[veryold]

Well, just to clarify: my +1" was an attempt to enable me to have a very upright posture troughout the entire swing. If i gripped down 1", i would be defeating this idea.

As was kindly mentioned above, maybe light graphite shafts (as opposed to my existing Steel and S flex ones) would help to achieve a less "hefty" +1" irons ??? Any idea by how much would this idea help (in actual reduction in SW) ???

Thanks so much to all and cheers

[Weirfan]

Well, just to clarify: my +1" was an attempt to enable me to have a very upright posture troughout the entire swing. If i gripped down 1", i would be defeating this idea.

As was kindly mentioned above, maybe light graphite shafts (as opposed to my existing Steel and S flex ones) would help to achieve a less "hefty" +1" irons ??? Any idea by how much would this idea help (in actual reduction in SW) ???

Thanks so much to all and cheers

The total weight added by one inch additional length won't be significant, likely less than 10 grams. The HEFT ( swing weight) of your clubs will be increased though and while this is not an actual measure of weight it can make the club feel heavier.

in your case a 1 inch increase in length will add 6 swing weight points. In terms of the swing weight scale ( an alpha -numeric measure of a club's balance point about a fulcrum 14 inches from the butt end) this is the equivalent to adding 12 grams of weight to the head.

If you switch to a graphite/lighter shaft you can help offset this extra heft. It is somewhat contingent on the mass distribution in the shaft but as a general rule reducing the shaft weight by 8/9 grams will result in a 1 swingweight point reduction.

so in your case to offset the 6 swingweight points from the added inch of length you would need a shaft that is 6 x 8/9 = 48 to 54 grams lighter shaft.

It is worth noting that changes to swing weight achieved by different means do not always equate to the same feel and performance in a club. Ie: adding 12 grams of head weight and adding one inch of club length both increase the swingweight by 6 sw points but despite the clubs having the same swingweight, they wont likely feel nor play the same.

in any event, if you are finding your steel shafts that are +1 inch a bit heavy then I think you should try a graphite shaft in a lighter weight. Maybe try one to start. golfworks has some graphite iron shafts on sale for $13 each, A flex at 62 grams another 73 gram for under $20. Only .370 tip diameter but graphite can usually be tapered ( only the distal 5/8 inch that is taper, rest is .370 parallel.

[veryold]

WOW, what a nice and kind response - THANK you so much
And yes, one way is to try 1 club with your mentioned new and light graphite shaft.
What do you think of another possible option, which is to use one of my existing graphite shafted irons and "add" 1" extension, although the iron set i have with graphite shafts is very old and probably the graphite shafts in it are NOT that light to start with (Callaway Big Bertha 2002 irons) so it may not result in any noticeable SW reduction ???

THANKS and all best !

The total weight added by one inch additional length won't be significant, likely less than 10 grams. The HEFT ( swing weight) of your clubs will be increased though and while this is not an actual measure of weight it can make the club feel heavier.

in your case a 1 inch increase in length will add 6 swing weight points. In terms of the swing weight scale ( an alpha -numeric measure of a club's balance point about a fulcrum 14 inches from the butt end) this is the equivalent to adding 12 grams of weight to the head.

If you switch to a graphite/lighter shaft you can help offset this extra heft. It is somewhat contingent on the mass distribution in the shaft but as a general rule reducing the shaft weight by 8/9 grams will result in a 1 swingweight point reduction.

so in your case to offset the 6 swingweight points from the added inch of length you would need a shaft that is 6 x 8/9 = 48 to 54 grams lighter shaft.

It is worth noting that changes to swing weight achieved by different means do not always equate to the same feel and performance in a club. Ie: adding 12 grams of head weight and adding one inch of club length both increase the swingweight by 6 sw points but despite the clubs having the same swingweight, they wont likely feel nor play the same.

in any event, if you are finding your steel shafts that are +1 inch a bit heavy then I think you should try a graphite shaft in a lighter weight. Maybe try one to start. golfworks has some graphite iron shafts on sale for $13 each, A flex at 62 grams another 73 gram for under $20. Only .370 tip diameter but graphite can usually be tapered ( only the distal 5/8 inch that is taper, rest is .370 parallel.

[Weirfan]

WOW, what a nice and kind response - THANK you so much
And yes, one way is to try 1 club with your mentioned new and light graphite shaft. Another possible option would be to use one of my existing graphite shafted irons and "add" 1" extension, although the iron set i have with graphite shafts is very old and probably the graphite shafts in it are NOT that light to start with (Callaway Big Bertha 2002 irons) ???
THANKS and all best !

You are very welcome

Looking at the identifiers, the shafts in the BB 2002 look to be a 75 gram shaft.
You could extend one of those , cost at GT is $10 and you would need a new grip.
makes sense to me to do the test on a club in the set you plan on using most.

[Pingeye2_fan]

I’m under the impression the OP is thinking heft and mass to propel the ball, apologies if I’m incorrect.
I would think generating speed would improve distance and trajectory.

Maybe even experiment with an A flex or a soft R flex, you might end up with a lighter SW but it wouldn’t be feather light.
My irons are stiff steel but are around C-9 SW.

[TourIQ]

I’m under the impression the OP is thinking heft and mass to propel the ball, apologies if I’m incorrect.
I would think generating speed would improve distance and trajectory.

Maybe even experiment with an A flex or a soft R flex, you might end up with a lighter SW but it wouldn’t be feather light.
My irons are stiff steel but are around C-9 SW.

Unless they are under a typical standard men's length, C9 was considered by many to be setup as a lady set.
No judgement, just stating a fact ... LOL.

[mpare]

I have never paid much attention to club specs, save for how the club feels and performs in my hands. Having said that, this video that I just watched was helpful in educating me, at least to some extent, on the subject of swingweight.

[sunshiNee]

Mobile club fitter is great and I learned a lot from him. After watching his counterweighting video I went ahead and ordered some tourlocks from golfworks.

I put 50 grams in my woods, and 30 grams in my iron. By counter weighting you will reduce swing weight. So that's one way to to reduce swing weight if you are increasing the shaft length.

[ARL67]

^^^ I use CP2 Wrap Jumbo grips which weigh 80g, so 30g more than Standard. Not sure the reason I like them is the relaxed grip, the total weight increase, or the swing weight decrease, or combo of all 3 factors.

[veryold]

...GREAT POSTS by all, and much appreciated

AFAIC i'm so lazy that i have not done any mods to any of my clubs that i was planning to do this Season.

***BUT*** i learned a lot how to "SLOW DOWN" my swing by using the "HEAVY, +1 Irons", to the point that i'm starting to like swinging them and even play with them.
Season is still young so will see how that progresses.

Cheers all !!!