The right size golf club is the one that isn’t too short or too long and helps you hit the golf ball with more consistency. However, the size of golf clubs varies depending on the type of club you’re buying. To ensure you choose the right size when buying new clubs, you need to consider a host of factors, including your height, arm length, swing speed, launch angle, skill level, etc.
If you’re a beginner, these may seem like a lot but as you gain experience, it becomes easier. Fortunately, Tell Me More Golf resident researchers have come up with a comprehensive guide to help you choose the right golf club size, so you don’t need to spend the time researching.
All you have to do is read this guide, take notes, and come back to it as a reference guide whenever you need to buy a new club.
Golf Club Size Guide: How to Choose the Right Size
In order to select the right size golf clubs, you need to consider some factors, the most important one being your height. To account for this, manufacturers design golf clubs in various sizes.
Players will then decide on the size that matches their height and playing style. Choosing a club with the right size offers a host of benefits, some of which are improvement in your golf handicap, better lie angle, and solid contact on shots.
How do you select the right size?
By reading and understanding golf club size charts. Manufacturers often design their clubs with standard lengths for golfers’ heights that fall between 5’6″ – 6’0″ with other extremes from 4’8″ to 6’7″ accounted for in custom fittings. A 6’0″ golfer cannot use the same club size and length as a 5’6″ golfer. So, knowing your height is important.
Let’s say for example your height is 6’0″ and your wrist to floor measurement is 38”. You’ll use this with the measurement on the chart to choose the right length for your club.
To discover your ideal club length, you should locate where your height falls in the standard club size chart below:
Putter – 34″
Wedge – 36″
9-iron – 36.5″
8-iron – 37″
7-iron – 37.5″
6-iron – 38″
5-iron – 38.5″
4-iron – 39″
3-iron – 39.5″
7-wood – 40″
5-wood – 42″
3-wood – 43″
Driver – 45″
Based on Tell Me More Golf’s Instructor’s data and information; the ideal putter length for a 6’0” golfer will be 35”. Wedges will be 37”, 9-iron 37.5”, 8-iron 38”, 7-iron 38.5”, 6-iron 39”, 5-iron 39.5”, 4-iron 40”, 3-iron 40.5”, 7-wood 41”, 5-wood 43”, 3-wood 44” and driver 46”. Remember, this is a hypothetical example, you’ll need to use your own measurement in line with your height to arrive at the right size for your clubs.
Other important factors for golf club size include:
Grip Size
You need to consider the grip size along with your height if you want to choose the right golf size. This is because it affects how the club feels in your hand and your ability to control the swing. When the grip of the club feels great in your hand, your swing speed, accuracy will be optimal.
Loft & Lie Adjustment
The next important thing to consider when selecting the right size of the club is the lie. If you’re a tall golfer, you want the club lie angle to be more upright and flatter if you’re shorter. Determining the lie angle and loft can be tricky, so it’s recommended that you use a launch monitor, which will give you the right combination of lie angle and length you play best at. A club fitter can also help you do that, which takes us to the next point:
Dynamic Fitting
Unlike wrist to floor and height measurements, which are static, dynamic fitting is more complex and usually carried out by a professional club fitter. They’re also very effective because you’ll be evaluated while swinging and measurements taken as you strike the ball. A club fitter will examine your golf swing, trying to determine if you swing while bending over or not, which will indicate whether you need a short club length or not. The fitter can also recommend a flat lie angle or upright lie angle based on how you strike the ball. As you can see, dynamic fitting has the potential to give the most accurate measurement compared to static fitting and therefore better recommendations on the right set of clubs to purchase.
Golf Club Size Factors To Consider When Choosing New Clubs
Here are the factors you should consider when choosing the club size:
Loft Angle
The loft angle is the angle that falls between the ground and clubface. It determines the trajectory of the golf club. A higher loft angle indicates a higher trajectory but a shorter distance. A lower loft angle will have a lower ball trajectory but more distance.
Shaft Flex
There is a close relationship between your club’s shaft flex and its length. Shaft flex will either be regular, stiff, or extra stiff. When you shorten or lengthen the shaft length on your club, it affects the stiffness of the shaft flex. When reducing the size of the shaft, the shaft will also increase in stiffness. If your goal is to get the flex tighter, you can make the adjustment from the tip end of the shaft. However, if you want the shaft flex to be unaffected, the adjustment should be done from the lower end of it.
Putting Stance and Stroke
When selecting certain clubs, such as the putter, for example, it’s absolutely necessary to consider your putting stance. Your natural stance when putting the ball at address will determine whether a short or long putter will suit your game better. Your putting stroke affects your stance, and in turn, the type of club you can go for.
Golfer’s Height
Your height is essential when selecting the right golf club size. Your height dictates your golf club length and without it, you’ll never be able to know the length of the club that’ll suit your game. Moreover, if you choose the wrong club length for your height, you’ll not be comfortable when you stand at the address with your club, leading to a poor overall score. If you’re a tall golfer, for example, you’ll do better with longer clubs than shorter ones and vice versa.
Shaft Length
The standard length on golf clubs is designed for players based on height and swing posture. So, taller players have longer clubs to play with while shorter players can play with shorter clubs. However, players that are extremely short/tall will need some modifications done to their shaft length so as to account for any extremes in their arms-length or swing posture.
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Driver Length For Shafts (How to Choose the Right Driver Length)
If you’re a beginner golfer, your driver shaft is probably too long. That can make it difficult to hit the golf ball solidly at impact, causing you to miss more fairways than you want. It’s no wonders tour pros find it easy to consistently get distance off the tee. Their driver shaft length is shorter and just at the right length. Although the USGA allows up to 48″, the average driver length on the Tour is just 44.5″, according to Golf Monthly. So how do you ensure the right driver length?
How to Choose the Right Shaft Length for Your Driver
The shaft length in your driver determines how fast you can swing your golf club as well as your angle of attack and the club’s path. In theory, a longer shaft should get you faster club head speed and vice versa. This means that you’ll see more distance on a longer driver, all things being equal than on a shorter one. This is why the average driver length has increased to 45″ from 43″ from a few years ago. This trend will only continue to increase as manufacturers sell golfers the dream of increased distance with longer shafts. Unfortunately, the shaft length alone cannot help you improve your golf distance.
It’s your ability to consistently hit the sweet spot on the club face. If you can’t do that, a longer shaft won’t do much for you since the longer the length of the shaft, the harder it is to hit the sweet spot consistently. In order words, your control of the golf club is inversely proportional to the length of the shaft.
When you add to the length, you lose control and therefore the ability to consistently hit the sweet spot.
See why the majority of players on the PGA Tour are playing shorter drivers while amateur players stick to longer drivers?
The pros understand that hitting the center of the face of the club is more important and a shorter driver is what will do that for you. So, to choose the right shaft length, you have to go with one that’ll help you make solid contact with your ball, consistently. If it’s the industry standard of 45″ that’ll help you hit the center of the club face consistently, go with that. If you have to go for a shorter one to do that, then that’s the best for you.
Iron Length For Shafts (Club Length Chart)
When selecting a club iron, the right shaft length is extremely important. The length of the club and shaft should match your height and posture so as to make the game more enjoyable while making you a better golfer. Your skill level, swing style, and swing speed should tally with the club you’re playing with. That way, you are comfortable and confident when striking the ball.
Manufacturers of golf irons use a standard length of 39.5″ or 40″. This measurement then changes by 1/2 for each iron number. The 1-iron for men is the highest, with 39.5″. A 2-iron club will then be 39″ and a 3-iron club will be 38.5″. A 4-iron and 5-iron club will be 38″ and 37.5″ respectively while a 6-iron club will have a length of 37″. A 7-iron and 8-iron club length be 36.5″ and 36″ respectively. Finally, a 9-iron club will be 35.5″. These measurements are then paired with the average height of golfers. This will then make it easy to measure and choose the correct length for your height. According to Golf Monthly, using height as a yardstick with standard club length (a static measurement) should yield the following:
Height (feet, inches) : Club length (add/subtract)
6’9″ – 7″ : Add 2″
6’6″ – 6’9″ : Add 1.5″
6’3″ – 6’6″ : Add 1″
6’0″ – 6’3″ : Add 0.5″
5’9″ – 6’0″ : Standard Length
5’6″ – 5’9″ : Subtract 0.5″
5’3″ – 5’6″ : Subtract 1″
5’0″ – 5’3″ : Subtract 1.5″
< – 5’0″ : Subtract 2″
How to Choose the Proper Wedge Length For Shafts
Wedges are some of the most played clubs on the golf course and most golfers carry three, including a pitching, sand, and gap wedge. If you’re looking for a new set, you need to consider your skill level and body size, so you can choose the right wedge size. Here is a guide on how to do that:
Choose the loft angle for your wedge. The standard pitching wedge loft angle is around 45 degrees, 51 degrees for gap wedge, and 56 degrees for a sand wedge. The lower the loft angle on the wedge, the easier it is to play. A beginner will do better with a lower-lofted wedge pitching wedge, for example, since that will include some game improvement technology.
Get the appropriate length. The standard length of a pitching wedge is 35.75″, 35.5″ for the gap wedge, 35.25″ for the sand wedge, and 35″ for the lob wedge. The length is absolutely important. Longer wedges will give you better speed and higher ball flight but less control while shorter ones offer better control but at poor height/speed.
Go for the right shaft length. While some players have the same shaft length across all their clubs, it’s important to understand the basic concept regarding wedge shaft lengths. Your pitching wedge will have the longer shaft since it’s just an inch shorter than 9-iron clubs while the others are shorter. Stick to shaft length that’ll make hitting the wedge easier.
Go for custom fitting. If you’re not sure you can select the right wedge length, you can go for custom fitting. A club fitter can help you with a personalized setup, just that it can be expensive.
Woods Length For Shafts & Our Recommendation
The most common fairway wood on the golf course is 3-wood and 5-wood. 3-wood clubs come with a standard length of 43″ while 5-wood clubs have 42″. The right size and length of wood for each golfer are different.
However, the length at which you’re hitting your wood properly is the most optimal for you. That’s why it’s often important to try out new clubs when selecting. That way, you can determine the height that suits your game as well as make adjustments if you’re not getting the great shot with each stroke.
The most effective way of selecting the right length for your wood is seeing a professional club fitter. If you’re a beginner, this might even be more important since you may need to do a lot of experiments when trying to get the right size/length for your wood. Without experience, it may lead to a waste of time and effort.
Putter Length For Shafts (And How to Measure Putter Length)
When putting, you want to make sure you feel comfortable. If you’re holding your putter and it doesn’t feel right, you won’t be able to putt well.
We recommend that you always keep your eyes directly over the ball when you start and finish your motion. When you feel comfortable, that’s when you know you’ve found the right putter length for your golf game.
When considering your putter length, you should put in mind certain factors:
- Weight – When you shorten your putter length, the overall weight of the club reduces and vice versa. So, before adding or reducing the length, consider if you want to add or remove weight on the putter. There are also putters with adjustable heel-toe sole weights, which reduces the effect on the weight, so you can opt for those if you can afford them.
- Adjustable length shaft – Some putters have adjustable shafts that you can easily fine-tune if you don’t want to commit to a specific putter length.
- Change the length – If you’re not comfortable with the length of your putter, you can change the length. A small altering can get you the right club length, and ultimately a better feel.
How to Measure Your Putter Length
Get Supplies
You’ll need a 4 ft. long, flat ruler, your putter, and a flat surface area. Make sure the area is smooth and even to avoid skewing the result.
Put Your Putter Against the Floor
What you want to do here is to have the putter head sitting on the ground in a straight line.
Measure
Place your ruler against the putter, with the edge sitting on the ground. The shaft and center of the putter should be touching the upper part of the ruler while the lower end of the ruler is aligned with the club head of the putter.
Analyze
Your putter length should fall between 33″ and 35″. For men, the standard length is between 35″ and 34″, especially on the PGA Tour.
Measuring the Putter Shaft Length
A good method of measuring your putter shaft length is the wrist-to-floor measurement (static measurement). To know your putter shaft length, you should:
1. Get into the address position. You don’t need a putter here, just an imaginary putting stance. 2. Hang your hand down. Take a measurement from the floor to the top of your hand.
The measurement should be between 32 to 36″, determined by your height and posture. This is your shaft length.
Standard putter length starts from 33″ for golfers with 5’2″ to 5’4″ height. The maximum putter length is 36″ for golfers who are 6’4″ tall.
What’s the right putter length for you?
The most important factors to consider here are your posture and height. If you stand tall at the address (your posture), you may need a longer putter to match your height. However, if you normally hunch over when putting (again, your posture), you may do better with a shorter putter. Another factor that can influence your putter length is how you look at the golf ball at address.
If your gaze falls inside the ball when at address, a longer putter may be perfect for you. However, if you stand looking over the golf ball, you may do better with a shorter putter. It’s all about getting the right lie angle when putting and being in a comfortable posture. The more comfortable you feel when putting, the better.
Frequently Asked Questions: Length
Why fit for golf club length?
Your putter length is very important because it has a great impact on your putting stroke. If your putter length is incorrect, you’ll not be able to hit the ball in the proper trajectory as your swing arc is out of place.
A poor trajectory will cause the ball to go off target, resulting in poor performance. It’s important that you play with the proper putter length because if your putter is too long or too short, you’ll always miss the target.
If you don’t want to deal with the troubles of getting the right golf club length, just go for club fitting. Professional club fitters know how to get the proper length for your club without compromising your game.
Conclusion: Research by Tellmemoregolf.com
The right size of your golf clubs is very important if you want to continue to improve your golf game. Choosing the wrong lengths for your clubs will not only expose you to injury hazards or risks, but might also make playing golf more frustrating than it has to be. This comprehensive article by Tell Me More Golf researchers is all you need to choose the right club.
So, take your time and read through this guide, select the right length for your clubs, and have fun playing.
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