Your Guide On How To Measure Golf Club Length
You may have been around the golfing scene for a while now and have heard people talking about getting fitted for clubs.
What does this mean?
Essentially it means that you get your golf clubs tailor fitted to your body shape and swing style. In short terms getting a hand to floor measurement means you can get proper length golf clubs. These will be suited for your body type and can really make a big difference to your golf game. We will show you how to measure golf club length.
Sometimes it can be hard to know whether the clubs are too short or too long, but after reading this you should be in a much better position and be able to determine the correct club. Beginner golfers can really struggle with this, and it can cost quite a lot of money to go and get a club fitting.
At least this way you'll be able to tell whether you need to spend the extra money or if you can carry on with your current clubs and start to reduce your score on the golf course.
Why Golf Clubs Need To Be The Correct Length
The length of golf clubs can have a big impact on your game whether you have a slow swing speed or whether you need graphite shafts. There are many important factors that go into picking the correct length of your golf clubs from your height to your swing speed, from your stance to your arm length. Getting this right can be essential to a better game of golf.
The sizing is usually taken as static measurements but there are many different ways to get accurate measurements for the perfect length of a golf club.
The length of the golf clubs is very important for both your distance and your accuracy of the golf ball, it can also affect the spin rate and can help to gain solid contact on the golf ball. Your grip can also be affected by poorly fitted golf clubs. Essentially your whole golf game can be completely changed for better or for worse with wrongly fitted golf clubs.
If you want it put on simple terms, the shorter club in your bag will give you more accuracy and the longer club in your golf bag will help you get more swing speed resulting in more distance. This is the same for the fitting of your golf clubs, ideally you want a happy medium between distance and accuracy giving you best of both worlds.
How To Measure The Ideal Length Of The Club
How To Measure Your Current Club Length
Using a Forty eight inch straight edge, preferably aluminium or some kind of stiff material (do not use a tape measure as it is too flimsy and will not give you an accurate measurement. If you cannot find a straight edge a yard stick or straight stick used for holding trees and small bushes will suffice. There are professionally made pieces of equipment such as a measuring stick or a golf club ruler.
When setting up, do not use a table or a work bench the best way to get the correct measurements is to stand with golf club as you would on address with the ball. The base or sole of the club should be completely flat to floor.
The straight edge or the yard stick should be positioned so that the corner is in contact with the floor, the club should be positioned as it would at address of the ball for accurate measurements. The straight edge / ruler should be square up against the hosel. The hosel is where the shaft is connected to the clubhead.
The ruler / the straight edge whatever you are using should be as close as possible to the club shaft, from here you can read the measurements to the bottom of the grip cap. This measurement is the length of your golf club.
Have a professional measure your ideal club length as you can get different lengths depending on the method you use. We would not recommend measuring your own custom golf club length.
Dynamic Or Static Fit
Static Fit
Thera are two main ways in which golf club length is measured, firstly is the Static Fit. The static fit is measured in a still and stable position, the playing position that you would use when lining up to take a golf shot. This method works for a couple of different measuring techniques.
It is seen as an old fashioned way of taking a golf club measurement now, and is seen as less reliable by seasoned golfers. Some club fitters still like to use this technique though as the still stable position is easy to measure.
Dynamic Fit
The second way of golf club fitting is the dynamic fit, this measurement is taken as the player takes a swing. The measurement is taken in real time rather than a static position. This method is a lot more technical, and you need to use a launch monitor to take into account the swing speed and the ball speed.
From this you can get the correct club length for your swing style as well as your height and arm length. This will give you the correct length and you can also tell what kind of shaft will suit your style.
Fitting Of The Golf Club
The fitting of the golf club is based on both posture and setup, the idea is to gauge where the club falls in context to your waist. The shaft of the golf club should pass through the golfer’s waistline.
Standing too short at address of the ball will mean the club will fall below your waistline.
Standing too tall at address will mean the shaft of the golf club will hit above the waistline.
Shorter players and taller players struggle with this more as standard golf clubs are created for the average height person, so if you are a lot taller than average or a lot shorter than average you may struggle more than most with standard clubs.
Signs You Need A Longer Shaft
The ability to tell whether you need a different size shaft is important as this can completely change your golf game. There are a few ways to spot if you need a longer golf shaft.
Having to almost stand up completely straight on address of the ball is a sign you need a longer shaft.
Having trouble moving your lower body and legs during your swing is a sign of needing a longer golf shaft.
You struggle hitting the ball straight and it often goes to the left and too high.
The golf club shaft starts to feel very weak in your hands is a sign of maybe needing longer clubs.
Hitting the golf ball with the toe of the club more often than hitting the centre spot is also a sign that the club needs to longer.
Signs You Need A Shorter Shaft
Having too long a golf shaft is just as much a detriment as having a short golf shaft. Here are some things to look out for if you think your golf shaft should be smaller.
You are bending over a lot on the address of the golf ball, this is a sign you need shorter clubs.
Also bending too much at the knees is a sign of needing shorter clubs.
The ball more than often goes to the right during your golf shot.
Your hit the heel of the club head more than usual.
Your tempo is quicker than the average golfers.
Standard Club Sizes
Different types of golf clubs require different lengths as we have stated above, this is due to what different clubs offer. Usually, the longer the golf club the more distance you can get and the shorter the golf club the more accuracy you can get. This is normal with exception to the putter which is its own entity in terms of golf club length. Here are some standard golf club lengths.
Driver - Standard driver shaft length is forty five inches long. Due to this club being the longest hitting golf club, the length of the Driver shaft is almost always the longest club in the golf bag.
Three Wood - The Standard Three Wood length is Forty two inches long, just shy of the Driver length.
Irons - One Iron is forty inches in length as standard. The one iron is a long hitting club so it would be the longest shafted iron in the golf bag. Each iron after that will be half an inch shorter in length until the 9 iron which measures thirty six inches. Wedges also vary in length and the loft usually is what gives these clubs there different attributes. Normally the Pitching Wedge and Sand Wedge is shorter than the 9 Iron.
Putter - The Putter is one of the only clubs that height may not necessarily matter about. It depends on what putter type you use and your putting style. Putter length can change depending on the putter you are using, if you are using an off centred putter where the shaft is fixed at the end of the putter the size will be different from a centred putter where the golf shaft ends at the middle of the putting face.
Sizing a Putter uses a completely different method than other clubs.
FAQ
Does Shaft Material Effect The Length Of The Golf Club?
In short yes it does. Shaft flex can have an impact on the length of your clubs due to your varying flex in the club. Usually when looking at the length of a golf club shaft. Graphite shafts are usually longer than steel shafts. Graphite shafted Irons can be between a 1/4" and a 1/2" longer than steel shafts. While Graphite Shafted Woods and Drivers can be between 1/2" an 1" longer than steel shafted golf clubs.
What is the Graduated Shaft Approach?
The graduated shaft approach is used among all standard golf club lengths. Essentially it means that every club gets slightly longer as your desire to reach longer distances does. So, your Pitching Wedge will be the shortest length and with every Iron increment the length of the golf club will increase along with it. This method is used by almost all manufacturers when they are creating golf clubs.
At What Point Should I Get Fitted For Golf Clubs?
Ideally you should try and get fitted for clubs as soon as possible, but this may be too expensive for the amateur golfer. The quicker you can get sized for your golf clubs the quicker you can get used to them, improving your swing and your game with properly fitted clubs will give you more bang for your buck in the long run.
If you are doing fine with standard clubs and are not planning to play more then we would recommend sticking wiht them before thinking about getting fitted, but for thos who want to progress further and increase your ability on the golf course get fitted for clubs as soon as possible.
