Sport Today

i'm wondering if somebody with some experince in using shaft
extensions might be able to help me out with a few questions i've got.
so this is my story so far. for the last 3 seasons i've been playing
top-flite tour grinds which are +2* and +1". about 4mo ago a friend
had a set of new maxfli blade heads he wanted to get rid of and i took
them. i put in balistiks which i trimmed to quite a stiff flex and
have been quite happy with. one thing i also did was to try them at
+3/4" so they are in essence a quarter inch shorter than my top-flites
were. i was generally happy with them when i first built the clubs but
just find that as my swing is hitting a nice groove, that i tend to be
reaching for the ball and have decided to return to +1" in my irons.
so my options are i can do it the simple way and put shaft extensions
into my irons or i can do it the difficult way and remove the shafts
from all of my irons, cut a new 2i shaft and move the rest down a club
and then trim a quarter inch from them. ie take the 4i shaft and trim
1/4" from the tip and then put it into the 5i.

the later method seems laborious though it will probably result in the
best results. so my question is. if i go with the shaft extensions
will i notice any difference in the playability of the irons compared
with the reshafting method?? how about differences in swingweight
between the two methods?? anything else i'm forgetting about??

thanks
brett

If I understand you correctly you wish to extend these clubs by 1/4" only.

Using shaft extensions...which is by far the cheapest and simplest
method...is going to retain your tip stiffness..will increase your
swingweight by about 1 or 2 points (which you will not be able to
pick!)...and will reduce frequency by about 2 cpm. The only noticeable
effect will be with your tip stiffness...if you went the complicated way you
will in effect soften the tip. Either way you will need to check the lie
using a lie board and adjust accordingly....this is probably the most
significant change you will need. (Without adjustment you will probably find
your shots going slightly left!)

As using shaft extensions is such a simple thing I suggest you try this on
(say) your 5-iron (or on the club that you use most easily) to determine if
you would be satisfied with the result...my guess is that you will find no
difference between this method and the complicated method. At least if the
change doesn't work it is a simple matter to restore your clubs to original
spec.

David

only.

yes thats right. doesn't seem like much but i can notice the
difference.

i ended up last night just pulling all the shafts t*** them and
then regluing. i figured that pulling the shafts was only going to
take marginally longer with a propane torch than blowing all the grips
off with a compressor and taking the buildup and grip tape off. i sort
of figured 6 one way half a dozen the other. all up i spent about an
hour doing the job and i've just got to turn the ferrules down
tonight, which is probably another 30 min or so.

yeah every half inch is a degree of adjustment i think. so they
probably have to go about a half degree theoretically. seeing as when
i first put them together i just bent them up with a hammer and used
impact tape to figure out how far to go i really am due to have them
checked properly as well as lofts. i'm booked in for a session with a
company that does this tomorrow.

anyway thanks for the input david, i'll let you know how it goes.

brett

Always check lofts when you adjust lie angles...it is very easy to upset one
while adjusting the other!

In my experience half an inch differential in length requires only half a
degree differential in lie angle!!

You can make up your own lie board to check the lie...............use sheet
of plywood or preferably white UHMWPE sheet......
Use black electricians tape stuck to the sole of your (5-iron) club. Stand
on a rug or carpet which will place your feet at the same level as surface
of the lie board and make a full swing at one of those light weight practice
ball thingies. The tape will be marked where you hit the lie board with the
club........the mark should appear directly below the 'sweet spot' of the
club. Deviation of 1/4" either way means 1 degree of adjustment required.
Mark towards the heel means you need to adjust flatter....towards the toe
means adjust upright.
Once you have arrived at the correct lie for your swing/shaft combination
make a note as to the variation from 'standard' (5-iron 61 degrees for
blades). This will be 'so many degrees' flat or upright. Then adjust all
your clubs to this standard variation.

yes. i've really got to stop the hammer method which i'm so partial
of!!! but loft and lie machines aren't very all that common here in
sydney. i found one place that does it so i'm going out to have the
clubs bent to spec tomorrow.

lie...............use sheet

yeah this is sort of how i've done it in the past. i just put a single
layer of masking tape on the sole hitting balls off a synthetic mat.
then i put the club in the vice and belt it a couple of times until
the tape only marks at the center of the club. rather than just
setting a standard i just do it for each club in the bag. doesn't take
that long and they seem to come out pretty good.

brett