When you go for a club fitting, the most important factor that they will measure you for is the length of the golf club.
If the golf clubs you are swinging are too long or too short, you can have them adjusted to fit your needs more specifically.
Taller golfers often need a longer club, but your height is not the only way to tell that you may need something longer.
If you are curious as to whether or not it’s time to get longer clubs or you don’t want to waste a fitting if your clubs are indeed long enough, we have some information that will likely help you.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about putting some longer golf clubs in play for yourself.
Do I Need Longer Golf Clubs? (8 Ways To Know)
1. Your Height
The most basic reason that you would need longer golf clubs is that you are taller than standard height.
If you are taller than about 6’0”, you will likely need clubs that are a bit longer than normal.
The standard golf clubs that come from the manufacturer are typically built to help golfers who are around 5’7” to 6’0”.
If you are 6’4”, you can almost guarantee that you will need longer golf clubs.
The longest clubs on the market are not necessarily going to be the best fit for you as, most of the time, you will need to get a fitting and get a custom length for a golf club.
The standard is to add one inch or even a half inch, depending on the height of the player.
It’s important to remember that the golf clubs in your bag are all different lengths.
Unless you have a one-length set of golf clubs, each club will be a bit longer or shorter than the next.
This helps players to get varying levels of distance on their shots.
Therefore, you may find that a club like your six iron or your five iron actually feels like a good fit, but your nine iron feels much too short.
This is simply because the nine iron is naturally going to be shorter than the other clubs in the bag, and therefore, it will have a different feel than the other clubs.
You will want to make sure that you go for your fitting and have them test you with a six or seven iron in your hand.
This is the length that you will have to get comfortable with, and then all of the other clubs will be based on this length.
Overall, it’s important to understand the way golf manufacturers make golf clubs and exactly what they do when it comes to length.
This can only help you ensure you are using the proper one for your game.
2. Losing Distance
If your golf clubs are too short for you, then you may be losing distance.
There is a scientific reason behind the fact that taller golfers tend to have an easier time hitting the ball further.
A taller golfer is able to generate a wider arc and can therefore gain more club head speed and distance.
If you are a taller person and feel like your friends can all hit the ball further than you, it could be related to your equipment.
Of course, there could be other swing flaws that are causing you to lose speed, but it is certainly possible that it could simply be the length of the clubs as well.
Losing distance is unfortunate, and you must be well aware of this fact by comparing yourself with other players in your group.
For instance, if everyone can hit the ball 150 yards with their seven iron and you can only get 135, maybe there is a reason behind this.
If you are taller than the other people in your group, then this is even more reason to consider that your distance loss could be related to the length of your golf clubs.
If you have a friend who is a bit taller, this would be a good time to ask to borrow their clubs for a few swings.
You may immediately notice that your distance improves, and therefore, you will know that you need some longer golf clubs.
3. Stance Is Too Bent Over
Posture is a very important factor for golfers to keep in mind.
With the proper posture, you can ensure that you are stable and balanced and that you are in the right position to start your golf swing.
If your posture is not good, then you will probably have issues with both the direction and distance of your golf shots.
The golfers who need longer golf clubs tend to be bending too much at the waist and feeling as though they have to reach down just to get to the ball.
This happens because the length of the clubs does not allow for the proper posture at setup.
This is something you will want to avoid at all costs.
If you start bending over too much as you are setting up to hit, you may start making other compensations in your golf game.
The problem could cause your swing to go off plane and then have some other issues related to plane and impact positions.
Overall, having a stance that is too bent over is definitely a problem that is worth fixing.
The best way to fix it sometimes is to get golf clubs that fit you properly.
4. Short Arms
If a golfer has arms that are a bit shorter, they may need longer arms to accommodate the club length.
This same statement will hold true for a golfer with longer arms.
Golfers that have long arms tend to have trouble with clubs that are too tall.
It’s sometimes interesting but a golfer could be 6’3” with very long arms, and they will be just fine playing with standard length golf clubs.
This is why Ping has created a system to help golfers learn what length clubs they should be playing with.
The system combines both the height of a golfer and their wrist-to-floor length.
The combination of these two numbers is going to help players to decide exactly what they should be doing as far as golf club length is concerned.
In addition, the Ping golf fitting chart will also tell you if you need the club to be more upright or flat based on your height.
Golfers should understand that the length of the club is not the only fitting parameter that could be off and causing you to hit some shots that you would rather not hit.
Overall, the fact that you have short arms is absolutely going to play into the fitting that you get and the clubs that will accommodate your game.
Be sure to consider this factor in addition to your height when you choose your clubs.
5. Club Swing Path
Do you feel as though your golf club swing path is never exactly the way it should be?
Many times, golfers who take the club too far inside are going to have issues with their clubs being too short.
Sometimes when the clubs are too short for your game, you will take the club too far inside.
This is because it’s very easy to take the club directly around you without taking it too far outside.
Overall, when you take the club too far inside, you will see that the shots can end up well left of your target.
Also, you can sometimes end up with a problem as bad as a shank.
If a golf club path is slightly inside, you are going to be able to hit a nice draw, but if it gets a bit too far inside, the inconsistency issues really start to show up.
Overall, the inside path needs to be corrected, and one of the easier ways to do this is to get proper fitting golf clubs.
When you take the club back on a path with the proper length club, it is much easier to take it on the track and keep it on the correct path.
6. Tempo Problems
Do you struggle to get the proper tempo in your golf game?
Some people think they need to slow their swing down to get a better tempo.
However, it is not just about the speed of your swing, but it is more about how the swing develops naturally and the way that all the pieces of the swing fall into place.
Golfers who tend to have a tempo or speed that is too fast will sometimes find that it is related to their golf clubs being too short.
If your golf clubs are too short, you are going to be able to swing them around you a bit too fast and potentially keep your arms out of it a bit longer.
Clubs that are too short are whipped around a bit faster, before the rest of the body has time to turn and rotate.
If you want to avoid this, you must ensure that you are turning your body and arms at the same time with a club that is the proper length.
Many people believe that the tempo is only related to their abilities as a golfer.
However, there are equipment-related issues, such as club length, which can throw tempo off.
This is one reason you will sometimes see a stronger man take a ladies’ lightweight club and hit a terrible shot.
Most men think it’s easy to swing the ladies’ club and get tons of distance and launch.
Since the women’s golf club is more lightweight and not as long, men struggle to get the proper tempo while using this club.
If you want to avoid this issue, the best way to do it is to ensure that your clubs are the proper length for you.
7. Club Can Feel Too Lightweight
Have you ever seen a golfer with six pieces of lead tape on their golf irons?
If your irons are too light, this is one way to help fix the issue.
However, you should be looking at getting a club that is the proper weight for you.
When you play with a club that is too short for you, the club will likely be too lightweight as well.
Clubs that feel light or launch much too high are likely too short for your game.
Many times, the solution is to lengthen the club as opposed to making the shaft longer or heavier.
If your clubs are too light, try putting an extension in and see if it helps fix the problem.
8. Hooking The Ball
Golfers who tend to hook the ball often are sometimes playing with clubs that are too short for them.
The hook is a shot that goes out a bit straight and then makes a direct turn to the left.
A golf shot that turns to the left like this will likely put you in some trouble.
Of course, one of the reasons you can hit a hook is that you are too tall for your golf clubs.
There are plenty of other reasons that the hook can happen, but this is one to keep in mind.
Golfers who know how to hit the ball straight are also using equipment that helps them keep the ball straight.
When a player has a club in their hand that is too short, it is easier to swing it around their body too quickly to the left, causing a major hook.
Overall, ensuring your golf clubs are the correct length for you will help you become a better player and enjoy the game a bit more.
How Do I Get My Golf Clubs Lengthened?
If you have found that many of these reasons sound like they could be impacting your game, it is likely time to get your golf club lengthened.
Of course, you could always go and purchase an entirely new set of golf clubs, but this is not always necessary.
There are ways you can avoid this if you have a local club repair shop in your town.
All that has to be done is the grip needs to be removed from the club, and an extension can be put in place.
The extension at the end of the club helps to make sure that the club is the proper length for your game and will eliminate all of these issues we have discussed.
Although you can learn to complete this process at your own home, we do recommend going to a certified professional club fitter to see what their opinion is.
The reason behind this is that the club fitter can tell you whether or not the weighting or feel of the club has been impacted at all because of the lengthening.
There are some counter balanced golf clubs on the market now, and if you change the length of the club, it is going to impact the overall performance.
To avoid this, simply look for a golf club fitter who understands the game and has the proper tools to ensure that this can be done correctly.
Having one or two golf clubs lengthened will not be a very big expense, but if you need your entire set worked on, you can expect to pay quite a bit.
Most of the cost is going to be related to the price of the grip.
Grips are higher in price than the extensions themselves, and the old grips need to be taken off so that the new length can be added to the club.
It’s a smart idea to change the length of one club for a round or two and see how you like it.
If it helps your game, stick with the change, but if it does not, you can go back to the shorter length golf clubs.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now feel as though you can tell if your golf clubs need to be a bit longer.
The process of getting clubs lengthened is not a tough one, but it is something that you should consider if you want to ensure that you are giving yourself the best chance at a lower golf score.
Most of the time, it will require you to have a height over 6’2” to see much of a benefit from your golf clubs being lengthened.
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