Thinking your golf irons might be too short for your swing? You're not alone. Achieving a comfortable, athletic setup is the foundation of a good golf swing, and if your clubs are working against you, it can lead to frustrating inconsistency and even back pain. We'll walk you through how to determine if longer irons are right for you, the step-by-step process for lengthening them yourself, and the critical adjustments you need to consider.
Extending your irons isn't about chasing a few extra yards - it's about fitting the clubs to your body to enable a better, more repeatable swing. The goal of a proper setup is to create a posture that’s powerful and balanced, allowing your body to rotate freely. If your clubs are too short, you’re forced to compensate, and that’s where problems begin.
Here are a few common signs that your irons may not have enough length for you:
Traditionally, a "wrist-to-floor" measurement was the starting point for club fitting. You'd stand upright with your arms hanging by your sides, and a friend would measure from the floor to the crease of your wrist. While this static measurement can give you a starting point, it doesn’t account for your specific posture or swing dynamics. The most reliable indicator is how you feel and perform at address. If you can't get into a comfortable, athletic position with your irons, it's worth exploring a change.
Before you break out the epoxy and heat gun, it's a good idea to understand what you're getting into. Changing the length of your club is a significant alteration that affects more than just how far you have to bend over. It has a ripple effect on the club's overall performance characteristics.
Most players can add about a half-inch without dramatically negative consequences, but anything more will almost certainly require follow-up adjustments to swing weight and lie angle.
If you've weighed the options and decided to give it a try, extending your irons is a manageable DIY project. Take your time, get the right tools, and be methodical.
You'll need a few specialty items from a golf component supplier, plus some basic workshop tools:
Secure the shaft in the vise using your rubber shaft clamp. Use the hooked blade of your utility knife to cut the grip away from your body, starting from the bottom opening and pulling up toward the butt end. Be careful not to score a graphite shaft. Once the grip is cut, peel it off. Use a little bit of grip solvent or mineral spirits on a rag to remove any leftover tape residue.
The inside of your shaft's butt end needs to be clean for the epoxy to bond properly. Use a small piece of sandpaper or a wire brush to rough up the inside of the shaft to create a better surface for the epoxy to adhere to. Do the same thing to the part of the extension that will be inserted into the shaft.
Clean both the inside of the shaft and the outside of the extension with a solvent like acetone to remove any dust or oils. This ensures a strong bond.
Following the manufacturer's instructions, mix a small amount of your two-part golf epoxy on a piece of cardboard. Apply a liberal coat of the epoxy to the part of the extension that will go inside the shaft. Don't be shy with it, it's better to have a little extra squeeze out than to have too little and create a weak bond.
Firmly push the extension into the butt end of the shaft with a slight twisting motion to evenly spread the epoxy. Some epoxy will likely squeeze out of the top, this is a good sign. Wipe away the excess with a paper towel. Use your ruler to check that you’ve inserted it to the correct depth to achieve your desired final length. Make your best effort to align it straight, though minor imperfections can be hidden by the grip. Allow the epoxy to cure for the recommended time (usually 12-24 hours). Do not rush this step.
Once the epoxy is fully cured, you can trim the extension to your final desired playing length using a pipe cutter for steel shafts or a hacksaw with a fine-tooth blade for graphite. Now you're ready to install your new grip using double-sided tape and solvent, just like you would on any other club.
Once you’ve extended your iron, the work isn't quite done. You’ve now created what is essentially a new, custom club. To get the most out of it, you need to account for the changes you've made.
This is arguably the most important post-extension adjustment. As mentioned, a longer club plays more upright. Take your newly lengthened iron to the range and check your divots or use some impact tape on the sole of the club. If you're consistently making contact with the ground on the heel side first, you will likely need to have the lie angle bent flatter by a club builder. This is a simple adjustment for a professional with a loft-and-lie machine but is not something you can do at home.
Head to the range and hit some balls. How does the club feel? If the head feels too heavy and sluggish, it could be throwing off your timing. Some players adjust to this new feel, while others may want to counterbalance it by adding a small amount of weight under the grip, but this is an advanced modification. For a simple extension of a half-inch, most golfers find the new feel manageable.
Lengthening your golf irons is a proven way to improve your posture, promote more centered contact, and make the game more comfortable, but it's more than a simple plug-and-play fix. By understanding its impact on swing weight, shaft flex, and lie angle, you can make an informed decision and take the right steps to truly fit the club to your game.
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