Need advice, I'm no expert (wedge question)

[BeeZee]

Guys, here's the scoop...I play men's irons 1/2" short graphite. I was given an old Ben Hogan Riviera gap wedge that I really like because I hit it well, but it needs work. The finish is kind of chipped, and the shaft is wrong for me. It is a TT Dynalite steel shaft (IIRC, it's hibernating in the basement) which had been cut down. So the net is the weight is OK compared to my graphite shafts, but on full swings I'm not getting the right distance (doesn't go any further than my SW because the shaft is too short). So here are the questions for you who tinker and know more about what makes sense:
1) if I have a plug added to the existing shaft to make it the correct length, am I going to pick up the missing yardage, or is it going to mess with the flex?
2) am I better off re-shafting with a graphite shaft similar to my irons? (my PW, SW and LW are graphite shaft)

[thewitt]

The length of the shaft is really in fourth place when it comes to how far you hit a club.  Loft, head design (weight distribution) and shaft flex trump shaft length.

Go ahead and add an extension, but don't expect to get a magical length increase as a result.  You should strengthen the loft until you get to the gap you are after - keeping the bounce of the club in mind as well in the process so you don't make a "digger" by going too strong.

-t

[JTK37]

If the shaft is significantly short, like 1" or more it will contribute to a loss or lack of distance.  But like thewitt said its not the only variable that contributes to distance or lack there of.  Since you're playing your irons 1/2" short already I'm guessing the difference in length is not huge, unless it had been cut way down in the past. 

You need to weigh the loft of your current SW and distance you get from it currently vs. the Gap wedge.  It sounds like you may be playing graphite in your SW now, which could be almost an ounce lighter than the Dynalite depending on what it is.  That weight difference can slow the swingspeed along with the shorter length.  More importantly though I would consider reshafting it(assuming your SW is graphite) in order to maintain a consistent feel in your scoring clubs.

"Plugging" the shaft would be fine if you decide to try lengthening alone(as long as you're not really going over 1.5" with the extention).  If you';re playing a large GI cavity or similar on the SW you may need to consider a more comparable GW. Joe

[mr_divots]

A,

Good to hear from ya! Has the loft/lie ever been checked? Loft could be way off for starters.
Even though the swingweight might be similar between your irons and this club in its cut down state, I suspect the total weight of the club might be heavier because of the different shaft.

Chipping chrome, wrong shaft..... sounds like get a new wedge to me. You'll probably break even bringing this one back from the dead or getting a new one.

[BeeZee]

Thanks for the answers, all. My irons (3-SW) are Callaway X-18, my LW is Cleveland. I may be shopping for irons soon, though  
I think the shaft on this wedge had been cut down an inch. Shaft length is around same as my (1/2" short) sand wedge, so since steel is normally 1/2" shorter than graphite on std spec, that's my guess. Loft/lie...who knows. It was bought used by my husband and he passed it along to me.
I like the low bounce that this wedge has and the smaller head shape, that's why I am considering fixing it up.
On the Callaway spec's, the X-18 gap wedge has swing weight (in my shaft) of D0. Same as the PW. The SW is D2.
If I were to get the perfect loft to fill the "gap", it would be 51 degrees (PW 46, SW 56, LW 60)
Eh, maybe I should try a new 52 degree and 58 degree...

[bl8d]

Guys, here's the scoop...I play men's irons 1/2" short graphite. I was given an old Ben Hogan Riviera gap wedge that I really like because I hit it well, but it needs work. The finish is kind of chipped, and the shaft is wrong for me. It is a TT Dynalite steel shaft (IIRC, it's hibernating in the basement) which had been cut down. So the net is the weight is OK compared to my graphite shafts, but on full swings I'm not getting the right distance (doesn't go any further than my SW because the shaft is too short). So here are the questions for you who tinker and know more about what makes sense:
1) if I have a plug added to the existing shaft to make it the correct length, am I going to pick up the missing yardage, or is it going to mess with the flex?
2) am I better off re-shafting with a graphite shaft similar to my irons? (my PW, SW and LW are graphite shaft)

What is the loft on this gap-wedge and what is the loft on your sand-wedge?Should be at least a 3* difference.
 I would re-shaft it with a similar graphite shaft as the others, just for the sake of consistency, and same length as your PW.

[BeeZee]

My sand wedge is 56 degrees. PW is 46 degrees. The BH wedge is either 50 or 52 degrees/8 degrees bounce (not at home to check).
I have a shallow swing and low bounce works well for me.

[mr_divots]

My sand wedge is 56 degrees. PW is 46 degrees. The BH wedge is either 50 or 52 degrees/8 degrees bounce (not at home to check).
I have a shallow swing and low bounce works well for me.

Perhaps you would want to consider a wedge with a lower center of gravity, rather than relying purely on low bounce? Something with a cavity to it like a Cleveland CG14 or Ping Tour W might be a candidate. Scratch Golf might be good to check out too being they have a ton of grinds for different swing types/needs.

[BeeZee]

I'm open minded, I have been looking at Scratch as an option. My local range has Ping demo usually in early spring, so I'll check out the wedge.
There are no shortage of options, more like shortage of opportunities to demo (except indoors).

[bl8d]

My sand wedge is 56 degrees. PW is 46 degrees. The BH wedge is either 50 or 52 degrees/8 degrees bounce (not at home to check).
I have a shallow swing and low bounce works well for me.

Shallow swing, low bounce, flatter lie, make sense.

 used the same setup for my wedges for years, but I don't normally pack more than 2 besides my PW.  My Gap, Sand-wedge, Lob are all set to the same lie, 63*. Bounce is 8-12-8.
the lengths are the same too -35.5"
  It makes the setup simpler.