What is the Length of a Golf Club?
It may seem pretty obvious, but the length of a golf club refers to the distance from the heel of the club, when it rests on the ground at address, to the end of the grip. There are golf club lengths for each club that is known as standard. The standard length of a golf club is usually the starting point for everyone when buying a set of clubs. If you go to your local golf store, you will typically find clubs that are all standard length. Keep in mind that there is a different standard lengths for men’s and women’s golf clubs. The length of a set of clubs is simply communicated by the amount above (+) or below (-) the standard length.
How to Measure the Length of a Golf Club
If you often work with your own golf clubs, measuring their length accurately is extremely important. It’s a preliminary step in many stick-making techniques, so make sure you get it right.
Measuring the different types of golf clubs requires an understanding of what we are measuring. In today’s terminology, the “length” of a golf club is not the length of the shaft, but the length of the shaft and clubhead combined. Essentially, we are measuring from the sole (bottom) of the golf club (while it is completely flat) to the end of the grip.
The first step in measuring a golf club is to lay the club completely flat on the ground. When I say “flat” I mean that the point of contact of the club with the ground should be in the center of the sole of the club.
There is no sure way to measure the length of a putter due to the different types of putter necks. In general, you should measure your putter using the same method as above, except instead of placing the ruler on the heel of the putter, direct it through the center of the putter sole.
What is the Graduated Shaft Approach?
The graduated shaft approach means that a set of clubs gets slightly longer as the desired club distance increases. In these sets of clubs, a pitching wedge is shorter than a 9-iron, an 8-iron is shorter than a 7-iron, and so on. This is the most popular approach to golf club length.
If Standard Golf Clubs Aren’t Right for You…
Players of all levels benefit from using custom-fitted golf clubs. If you think your golf game needs improvement, investing in a set of clubs that fits you like a glove can help you compete at your highest level. To find out what kind of clubs you need, you need some specific measurements and some basic information about your style of play.
How to Choose the Right Golf Club
To choose the golf clubs that fit your body, all you need is your height.
- If you are between 1.5m and 23cm and 1.8m tall, you should choose the standard length of golf clubs.
- If you are taller than 1.8m, you will need longer sticks. Add ½ inch (1.3 cm) to the standard length if you measure between 1.8 and 8 cm, 1 inch (2.5 cm) if you measure between 1.8 and 15 cm, 1 ½ inch (4 cm) if you are between 6 ft 6″ and 6 ft 9″ (1.8 m 15 cm and 1.8 m 23 cm), and 2 inches (5 cm) if you are taller than 6ft 9″ (1.8m 23cm).
- If you are shorter than 1.5m 23cm, you will need clubs shorter than the standard length. Subtract ½ inch (1.3 cm) from the standard length if you are between 1.5 m 15 cm and 1.5 m 23 cm, 1 inch (2, 5 cm) if you are between 1.5 m 8 cm and 1.5 m 23 cm, 1 ½ inch (4 cm) if you are between 5ft and 5ft 3″ (1.5m and 1.5m 8cm), and 2 inches (5 cm) if you are shorter than 5 feet (1.5 m).
Wrist to Floor Measurement
You can also choose the right golf club using the wrist-to-floor measurement. This way, you can order a custom-sized golf club if you need one. This is how you can take the wrist-to-floor measurement:
- Stand on the level ground wearing your golf shoes (or comparable height athletic shoes).
- Grab a flexible measuring tape or yardstick.
- Stand up tall, and using the measuring tape or yardstick, measure the distance between the floor and your wrist. Write down the measurement.
Now you can match your wrist-to-floor measurement to the numbers provided in the below tables. In both tables, you should look for your wrist-to-floor measurement in the left column and find your height on the top row to find out what adjustment you need to a standard set of golf clubs.
Men’s Golf Club Length Chart
| 5-2 | 5-4 | 5-6 | 5-8 | 5-10 | 6-0 | 6-2 | 6-4 | 6-6 | 6-6+ | |
| >38” | +1.75” | +1.75” | +1.75” | +1.5” | +1.5” | +1.5” | +1.5” | +1.5” | +1.5” | +1.5” |
| 38” | +1.5” | +1.5” | +1.5” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” |
| 37” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” |
| 36” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” |
| 35” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | STND | STND | STND | STND | STND | STND |
| 34” | STND | STND | STND | STND | -0.25” | -0.25” | -0.25” | -0.25” | -0.25” | -0.25” |
| 33” | -0.25” | -0.25” | -0.25” | -0.25” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” |
| 32” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” |
| 31” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -1” | -1” | -1” | -1” | -1” | -1” |
| <31” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” |
Women’s Golf Club Length Chart
| 4-9 | 4-11 | 5-1 | 5-3 | 5-5 | 5-7 | 5-9 | 5-11 | 6-1 | 6-1+ | |
| >34” | +1.75” | +1.75” | +1.75” | +1.25” | +1.25” | +1.25” | +1.25” | +1.25” | +1.25” | +1.25” |
| 34” | +1.25” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” | +1” |
| 33” | +0.75” | +0.75” | +0.75” | +0.75” | +0.75” | +0.75” | +0.75” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” |
| 32” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.5” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” |
| 31” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | +0.25” | STND | STND | STND | STND | STND | STND |
| 30” | STND | STND | STND | STND | STND | STND | STND | STND | -0.25” | -0.25” |
| 29” | -0.25” | -0.25” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” |
| 28” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.5” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” | -0.75” |
| 27” | -1” | -1” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.25” |
| <27” | -1.25” | -1.25” | -1.5” | -1.5” | -1.5” | -1.5” | -1.5” | -1.5” | -1.5” | -1.5” |
With this article now you know how to measure golf club length, we hope you have the most fun playing golf! 😉
