How Long Should My Golf Clubs Be?
When it comes to buying golf clubs, you must be prepared to do your research. There are several things you will need to take into consideration but the length of your golf clubs is one of the most important.
Many people do not understand the importance of this but what they fail to realise is that using clubs that are the wrong length can affect your overall performance.
For this reason, we have put together a guide detailing how long your golf clubs should be, making it much easier to choose the right ones.
Why It Is Important To Have The Correct Golf Club Length
When it comes to golf club length, there isn’t an industry standard that dictates what this should be.
However, you will notice that different manufacturers make their clubs in differing lengths so this is worth paying attention to.
Right from the start of your swing, having an incorrect golf club length is going to cause you problems.
These problems are vast in number and can range from tempo to control all the way through to the flight path of the ball being affected.
These problems are caused not directly because of the golf club and its unsuitable length but is more to do with your stance.
If you are using clubs that are too long or too short this will affect the way that you hold yourself when taking your swing.
If your stance is off then you’ve got a bad foundation for the swing and everything that follows will be off too.
While it might not be blindingly obvious to a new golfer, experience will soon tell you when something is off, even if just by a little bit.
How To Determine The Right Club Length For You
So, we now understand the importance of choosing a golf club that is a suitable length for you but how are new golfers supposed to know what they are looking for?
One of the easiest and most convenient ways to determine the right club length is to have a custom fitting.
The expert fitter will be able to provide you with custom measurements and kit you out with clubs that were literally made for you.
But this isn’t always possible so it is essential that golfers know how to choose their own club length and the things that will need to be taken into consideration.
When you ask the question of how long should my golf club be, the simplest answer to that is to consider your height and this will tell you the most appropriate length.
Another incredibly easy way to understand the correct golf club length for you is to use the height and wrist to floor measurement which is a traditional and easy to use method.
Most manufacturers will have a chart displaying this so all you need to do is measure the distance from your wrist to the floor and your overall height; which most people know anyway.
| Height | Wrist To Floor | Club Length |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 4ft10 | Less than 25 inches | Minus 2 inches |
| 4ft10 to 5ft | 25 to 27 inches | Minus 1.5 inches |
| 5ft to 5ft2 | 27 to 29 inches | Minus 1 inch |
| 5ft2 to 5ft4 | 29 to 34 inches | Minus half an inch |
| 5ft4 to 5ft7 | 32 to 34 inches | Minus quarter of an inch |
| 5ft7 to 6ft1 | 34 to 37 inches | Standard size |
| 6ft1 to 6ft2 | 37 to 38.5 inches | Add quarter of an inch |
| 6ft2 to 6ft4 | 38.5 to 40 inches | Add half an inch |
| 6ft4 to 6ft6 | 40 to 41 inches | Add 1 inch |
| 6ft6 to 6ft8 | 41 to 42 inches | Add 1.5 inches |
| More than 6ft8 | More than 42 inches | Add two inches |
Lie Angle
Understanding your height and how this affects the right golf club length for you is one thing but you should also take into account your lie angle.
Lie angle refers to the vertical orientation of the clubhead which in turn will affect how the ball leaves the clubhead when you strike it.
If your lie angle is too flat then this will cause the clubhead to point more to the right of your leading edge.
However, when the lie angle points too far upright, the clubhead will be more in the direction to the left of your leading edge.
When you see a clubfitter, they will be able to determine the best lie angle for you and how this affects the length of your club.
You see for every half an inch that the shaft increased, the lie angle needs to be a degree more upright.
When you take length away, your lie angle will need to be altered accordingly in the opposite direction.
Different Club Lengths
It’s up to you whether you buy your clubs as a whole set or go for individual clubs to make a bespoke bag. In any case, the driver will usually be the longest club in your arsenal. Generally speaking, these can be anywhere between 43 and 45 inches as standard but it is always possible to have them altered if you are especially tall or short.
On the other end of the scale, your irons might be among some of the shortest clubs in your bag.
However, the standard size also has the most versatility and could measure anywhere between 34 and 40 inches depending on the manufacturer.
That six inches could make a vast difference for a tall or short player.
Driver
Your driver is potentially one of the most important golf clubs in your bag so you’ll need to pay special attention when choosing it.
If you don’t then you run the risk of not being able to comfortably take a long shot.
What’s more, you will quickly notice that your accuracy is negatively affected.
Where length is concerned, this is the longest club but it also has the biggest head.
While the length can be adjusted to suit the physical traits of the golfer, as standard a driver will be anywhere between 43 and 46 inches.
Different manufacturers will make their clubs in different lengths.
Irons
Irons come in varying types ranging between 1 and 9 iron and the length of the clubs will vary between these.
However, it is important to pay attention to the length as the iron is the most versatile golf club you’ll own so you need to make sure you can handle it well.
Generally speaking, an iron may be anywhere between 34 and 40 inches so could be one of the shortest clubs in your bag.
But every manufacturer will be different so do keep this in mind.
Irons are made according to gender and this will affect how long they are.
Fairway Woods
If you find it difficult to use a driver then you might opt for a wood.
There are five different woods to choose from and these are 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11.
Since they function in a similar way to the driver, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that they are also quite long.
Typically considered to be the second longest golf club in your set, a wood might be anywhere between 40 and 43 inches.
This will vary between manufacturers so be sure to check this when buying.
Moreover, the length from each manufacturer may be different depending on the gender that the wood has been designed for.
Wedges
There are different types of wedges; just to make things even more confusing, and the length will be different according to this type.
Your golf bag should contain four different types of wedge including a sand wedge, a lob wedge, a gap wedge and a pitching wedge.
All of these can be altered but when buying as standard, they may be anywhere between 34 ½ inches and 36 ¼ inches.
Again, different manufacturers will make them in different lengths.
Putter
Your putter is probably going to be the smallest club you own and it is used at the last minute to get the ball into the hole.
While they will come in different lengths, depending on who has made the putter, you will typically find that they measure between 33 and 35 inches.
Conclusion
Having golf clubs that are too long or too short can seriously affect your performance and if you want to be the best, there simply isn’t any room for error.
So, when it comes to choosing your kit, you will need to make sure that your clubs are just the right length.
But how do you determine this?
Well, since there is no standard club length, different manufacturers will make their clubs at varying lengths.
This is normally within the range of a few inches, depending on the club type but a few inches can mean the world of difference.
To know how long your golf clubs need to be, the most important thing you need to think about is your height.
A professional golf club fitter will be able to help you choose the right length but using the above height and wrist to floor table will give you a good idea of what you need.
