I think i need to be fitted

I am around 5'8 and I have really long arms..and I have been using regular stock shafts(since I bought them from ebay)... I noticed when I grip my club normal from the end I slice the ball alot.. but when I grip down more about 3/4 to an inch I was actually hitting the ball extremely clean and actually drawing the ball.. In fact when I gripped lower I never hit one slice, not one... I feel maybe the lenght of the shaft when I grip it normal isnt letting me get the right release..

Anyway I set up an appointment to be fitted for tommorow.. the imporvment was amazing when I gripped the club about an inch lower, so there must be something wrong with the length and other angles..

I also hit my 5 iron around 200 from off the ground(not from a tee).. a good super clean hit will go over 200 a little.. SInce I already have my shafts and clubs I can't change anything,,but they are steel and seem right to me.. its just the length and face angle that seems a little wrong(the club dosen't sit nice squarely when I rest it next to the ball when aiming,, its always kinda tilted a little bit)

try going to a custom fitting web site, they have various measurments for you to take , which then gives you shaft lenght ,lie angle etc.this may give you a pointer as to wether or not your shafts are to long.
ps. always make sure you have about 8mm of shaft showing past your left hand ,hope this helps

Well, you've discovered two important things: properly fit clubs certainly seem to be important; and different playing lengths create different results.

Sir, you are confusing me. What are you unable to change? Shafts? Clubheads? Grips? Ferrules? Hogwash. You can change them all. Cut them down. Extend them out. Make the grip bigger. Make the grip smaller (much harder). New heads. Used heads. Vibration damping. Almost whatever you like can be achieved.

What I think you experienced when you gripped down was a few dynamic elements working in your favour.

1) The shorter length put you into a more athletic position.
2) Gripping down effectively stiffened the shaft a touch.
3) The shorter grip length sounds like it set you up more toe-up, effectively making your clubs more upright. This will send shots to the pull side if overdone, but will stop you from leaking right if done properly. It sounds like you found done properly.
4) It changes the dynamic swingweight. This in itself may have helped you to release the club properly.

At any rate, going to get fit is the right thing to do. Do not be surprised if you find out that you come to these same conclusions - that your clubs should be shorter and lies adjusted.

As for the mention of face angle - unless you've got a special design (like the GolfSmith Special Force) the face should sit square. There is a difference between face angle and lie angle.

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True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

ok, I just went to golf galaxy and they said I didnt need any fitting.. I was very dissapointed.. all they did was they put tape on the club and since all my shot hits were on center they said I didn't need it..they did nothing about measuring my height, my arm lenght to the ground, or any other measurments...

I just don't feel they looked enough into it..i told them when I grip down on the clubs I hit alot more consistantly and don't push them to the right or slice, and they didn't pay much attention to it...they are standard length they found out.. but I am around 5'8 and I have really long arms.. and always when I have the clubface at position it seems to be angled and resting more on the heel...even though I hit them in the middle It just dosen't feel right at address.. I am more comfortable when the clubhead is laying flat with the face square, not diagonally across the ground from heel to toe..Its the lie angle that bothers me because the toe of the club is kinda up when I rest the club at address.

They didn't even bother looking at my MacTec NVG2 Driver... they are like "Don't even bother with that"..


Does anyone know a place that really goes into the deep specs in golf fitting that I can go too?? I am getting an appointment with Golfsmith today , their smartfit system looks good and more intensive..

http://proclubmakers.org/locator.cfm

This is the organization that I'm currently applying for fitter status for.

Big Box stores generally have trained monkeys running the gear. Golfsmith will be better, but a PCS fitter will be best.

Certified Fitter or Professional Clubmaker is what you want (or advanced Pro Clubmaker). At the Professional Clubmaker rank, one has achieved both Certified Clubmaker AND Certified Fitter or Certfied Repairer.

K I just got back from Golfsmith and Im alot more satisfied.. they did alot more measurments and tests... They found that I need a whole inch off my driver and 1/2 inch off all my irons..they did the tape test also and all my shots were again off the center, so they said I don't need any change in my lie angle.. My shafts are standerd length so they will be 1/2 inch under now..and the NVG2 MacTec is getting a whole inch cut down with new grips put on..

the same thing happened in the range simulator .. when I gripped nomrally i pushed them off to the right, but when I gripped about an inch lower I hit a draw every time.. so hopefull this will work alot better for me... I also tested some new putters(since I don't have one now, because I haven't found one I liked yet) and I think I finally found one that I absolutly love now.. its the Rossa Monza Corza putter from taylor made,, i sunk an unbeliveable amount of long putts with this one and the feeling was absolutly wonderful for me.. I had tried the whitehot 2ball odesseys too and Never Compromise, Scotty, and many other mallets but the Rossa Monza Corza had this feel that I can't explain, and the roll is so much better(no yips, which i couldnt believe), but most of all I sunk more putts than all the other putters I had used there(which was about 30 different brands)..

Make sure you re-test EVERY IRON AND WEDGE when you go to pick up your sticks. By taking 1/2" off, you've effectively made your clubs 1° flatter. Tom Wishon has been saying for a few years now that the average golfer should be playing with a shorter driver.

As for putters: If you're a mallet man, head on over to www.mentorsportstech.com and demo a Triad 2. It's worth every penny. If you find the T2 too big, there's the Duet. If you find the T2 too small, there's the Quadra.

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

There is a full inch off my Mactec , so this will make me alot more comfortable... I have a warbird 3 wood that has a short shaft(they said I didnt need to reduce that one, in fact it may be a little too short) but evertime I hit that 3wood it always goes straight or a draw.. Its become my driver basically..hopefully now since the driver is shortened i will be using it more..

I hope the 1/2 inch on the irons will be enough.. but I guess its best not to take too much off right away

Ive been praticing more with my new putter and I honestly think Ive found the one.. I just love the way it feels and makes the ball roll.. problem is i bought it used and it dosen't have the weight kit that suspossed to come with it..and I want to fool around with the weights to see whats best.. but so far my putting is alot better so it might be best to leave it how it is though..But if im playing on slow greens or wet days I might need to get the kit .. I tend to push my putts to the right and I notice the heaver weight is on the inside part of the putter which is good, since im not pushing them anymore.... theres a 12g on the inside and a 6g on the outside..

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Lynx Black Cats(3-PW) + Callaway Fusion 5 iron(Wide Sole)
Callaway Bertha Warbird 3 Wood
Snake Eyes 60' Loft
TaylorMade Rossa Monza Corza Putter(AGSI Insert)
Mactec NVG2 Driver 10.5

Ok I just got back from the range yesterday, and there was a great noticible improvement in my game.. In fact I didn't top or divot 1 ball during the 200 that I hit.. Ball flight was a little higher than what I normally saw, more spin.. It seems I hit my 5 iron around 175-200 and now I hit it around 168-185..If I hit a flush good draw it will get to 200 around though, so It just might of been my ball striking that day(that days I hit them 200 I didnt have back pain, which i do now from a pulled muscle) so theres been a little distance loss.. but on the other hand I am able to hit my 4 and 3 irons now alot easier and better, whereas I rarely used them.. the good thing is that im no longer pluckin em out to the right as much as I used too.. alot more straighter

The consistancy I have is alot better.. I guess Ill take the loss of distance for more accuracy.. I normally hit 190-200 yard 5 iron shots which isn;t normal for a 5 iron anyways...

Their old Lynx Black Cats anyway.. If I ever get new clubs I might maybe just keep the shaft standard length and just flatten the lie angle around 2-3 degrees instead so It'll be like having a shortened club but without having to reduce the shaft.. Ben Hogan was like 5'8 and he had his irons flattened over 2 degrees around I read once..


The TM Rosaa Monza is what has mostly excited me.. I dropped a couple of really long putts on the practice course which I normally don't do..

__________________
Lynx Black Cats(3-PW) + Callaway Fusion 5 iron(Wide Sole)
Callaway Bertha Warbird 3 Wood
Snake Eyes 60' Loft
TaylorMade Rossa Monza Corza Putter(AGSI Insert)
Mactec NVG2 Driver 10.5

Well I went to the range today again while it was warm, around 50-60 degrees and my 5 irons were back around at 185-200 today.. so I think it may have been the cold weather that day and not the shaft being shorter..Since it was alot warmer I was able to swinf mroe freely and in tempo and I hit all of my shots with solid contact.. I sliced a couple, but i drawed most of them .. I was able to hit my 4 iron with no problems either. Even my driver I was hitting draws with, which is so rare.. .. It seems that this has been the best thing ive done for my golf game ever.. I think most people play with shafts too long which creates too much up an upright lie..

Im doing an experiment though.. I have a Biggest Big Bertha Driver 8.5 that is around an inch over normal length.. Instead of cutting down the shaft I am gonna have the smith flatten the lie angle around 2 degrees. Then it will be like a shorter length club but with the same length of the shaft. ,, Im gonna see how I fair out with this

__________________
Lynx Black Cats(3-PW) + Callaway Fusion 5 iron(Wide Sole)
Callaway Bertha Warbird 3 Wood
Snake Eyes 60' Loft
TaylorMade Rossa Monza Corza Putter(AGSI Insert)
Mactec NVG2 Driver 10.5

You're going to bend your driver? Bring a pen for the waiver, and get the new paint ready. As a rule, I don't bend modern woods. Stainless Steel, ok for an upcharge, but certainly not Titanium heads.

Yea the smith just called me and said he couldn't bend the driver.. Its a Big Bertha so it has a bore through hosel and apparently it makes it impossible to bend it when its titanium