Playing with golf clubs that are not the right length for you can be detrimental to your golf game.
When your clubs are not the right length, you will make compensations in your swing that will cause issues long term.
There are some telltale signs that your golf clubs are too long for you.
Once you make this determination, there are several things you can do to current the length of the club.
In this guide, we will help you explain how to tell if your clubs are too long and then your next steps for fixing the issue.
How To Tell If Your Golf Clubs Are Too Long
There are 6 straightforward ways to tell if your golf clubs are too long for you.
1. Measurement
The most obvious way to tell if your golf clubs are too long is to measure them.
You can measure your club and then measure your own height and wrist to floor length.
The wrist to floor-length will have to be taken into consideration because of the way that it will affect posture.
If you have these two measurements, you should be able to tell if you need standard length clubs or if you need an adjustment at all.
When you measure the length of your golf club, you can compare it to what standard length is.
Many people need to go through this process when they purchase used golf clubs.
It’s tough to tell sometimes if a used set of golf clubs was ever altered.
Taking the proper measurements will let you know if you have a standard golf club in your hand.
2. Posture
When a golf club is too long for you, then you will have to stand very upright.
You will not be able to take your normal posture because you will feel as though you do not have control over the golf club.
The proper spine angle in your golf swing is critical.
To get the golf club on the proper swing plane, your posture needs to be perfect.
Having this very upright stance could also cause you to lose balance.
When you stand up very tall, the weight is going to head to your heels naturally.
This can affect your entire golf swing, all from just standing a bit too tall.
3. Proper Takeaway
When a golf club is too long, it can almost feel like it gets in the way.
Since it is too long for you, you may not feel like you have enough room to take a proper takeaway.
This will cause you to swing the club on a more outside path, to begin with.
This is done to keep the club away from your body and give you room to swing without the club getting in the way.
With a properly fitted golf club, you should be able to take the club back straight back along the line without any trouble.
4. Ball Flight
If your golf club is too long, you may notice that the ball travels to the left and a bit too high.
This problem can be a little harder to spot because other swing flaws can cause this same problem.
If you feel as though even your perfect swings are not ending up where they should, then it may be worth looking into the length of the golf club itself.
5. Heavy Shaft
If a golf club is too long, it may also feel too heavy for you.
When clubs are too long, they feel cumbersome and difficult to manage.
A golf club that is too long could also be too heavy for you.
Both of these issues will cause you to lose distance.
6. Toe Shots
If you feel as though you hit a lot of your golf clubs off the toe of the club, they could be too long for you.
This goes back to the posture and the stance.
Because the club is too long, you can’t get close enough to the golf ball.
When you stand so far away and try to manage this longer golf club, you will end up just barely getting it with the toe of the golf club.
Cause and Effect of Golf Club Length
What If Your Golf Clubs Are Too Short?
Now that you know all of the signs for golf clubs that are too long, here are a few things to look out for if your clubs are too short.
- Swing path will be in to out
- Your posture will be too bent over
- Your tempo can get too fast
- The ball may end up going to the right
What Length Golf Clubs Do I Need?
People that are playing with golf clubs that are too long are usually less than 5’6″ tall.
At this height, the standard length golf club is going to be a bit too long for you.
If you are 5’6 to about 5’4 inches, then the best length is going to be a quarter of an inch short.
Less than 5’4″ but taller than 5’1″ you should take a half-inch off the length of the golf club.
Under 5’0,” you will need an entire inch off of your golf clubs.
What To Do If Golf Clubs Are Too Long?
If your golf clubs are too long, you will have to make some adjustments to your equipment or purchase new equipment.
New Equipment
When you purchase new equipment, you will have to custom order it to make sure it is the proper height for you.
For men that need golf clubs a little shorter, some complete set options come shorter than standard.
These sets are usually called teen sets, but they are just men’s golf clubs with a shorter shaft in them.
The shaft being the proper length should matter much more to you than if the set is called a teen set.
These are usually sold as a complete option with all of the clubs and golf bag included.
If you purchase individual custom clubs made to the proper length, you may end up spending quite a bit more money.
Adjust Old Equipment
Some people try and adjust their old equipment to work for them now that they know the proper lengths.
This is a good solution if you understand club fitting, balance, and weighting.
If you do not, then you should not start cutting your clubs down.
If you start taking length off of your golf clubs, you will change the weight and the flexibility on the shafts.
Club fitters know how to do this while still keeping the specifications and parameters of your golf club the same.
If you need to have your clubs cut down, there are plenty of golf club repair shops that specialize in this.
They have the proper tools and measuring devices to make sure that you get your clubs back in excellent condition.
What Putter Length Is Best?
Golfers are naturally concerned about their driver and their irons when it comes to length.
Many do not think about how important the length of the putter is as well.
Most people are playing with a putter that is much too long for them.
A standard length golf putter for men is usually sold at 35″.
A putter that is 35″ long is built for someone at least 6’0″ tall.
Most people playing with these putters are not quite this tall.
If you look at the professional golf tours, you will see that most golfers are using putters that are 34 inches and shorter.
When your putter is shorter, it allows you to get closer to the golf ball and get your eyes over the ball.
Remember what we said about how the golf swing path is affected by improper fitting clubs.
This is undoubtedly the case when it comes to putters.
If your putter is not the right length, you will not be able to take it back on the proper path.
Once you get your putter path off to a bad start, there is no way to recover and still make a great putt.
When you go and get fitted for golf clubs, you should always remember to include a putter fitting.
After all, the putter is the most critical golf club you have in your bag.
Will Length Of A Golf Club Affect The Lie?
The length of the golf club will have a tremendous effect on the lie of the golf club.
If you shorter a club, you will need to make it flatter.
If you lengthen a golf club, you will need to make it more upright.
This goes back to what we were saying about taking length off of your clubs without understating all the implications.
It would help if you always had a certified club fitter take a look and make sure that the lie angle is adjusted when the length is changed.
Conclusion
Most great players will tell you that length is critical when determining the proper equipment for your golf game.
Playing with clubs that are too long or too short for you will cause significant swing flaws.
The game of golf is hard enough; you do not need your equipment working against you.
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