I wondered what those serrations would do to gloves; I like the size, wasn’t sure about the feel of them. Thank you for the feedback.
It sounds like you have something creeping in on the swing to be losing distance each time out. I have definitely been there, coming up way short on everything, turned out I was hitting “to the ball, not through”, once I made sure I wasn’t targeting the back of the ball, boom right back to normal. Might be something similar for you, might be that you need all new clubs to get that swing back where it belongs .
On the soft stepping 1/4”, I wouldn’t be shy to give it a shot, I have built some demo clubs that I leave a little extra on the butt end to ensure I have the length I was in a finished club in case I need to tip it more. If not, blow the grip off and finish the set to length. I put a little tape on the grip to represent proper length and choke down accordingly. Doesn’t bother me, but I know some people grip right to the end of the club so YMMV. Good luck!