How can you tell if your golf clubs are too long?
Emily Ross
Published Jan 10, 2026
How Do You Know If Your Golf Clubs Are Too Long? The most common way to tell if your clubs are too long is that your back will be too upright, the toe of your club will be off the ground at address, and you will often make contact towards the toe of the club.
What happens if my clubs are too long?
5 Signs Your Golf Clubs are Too Long
You can't move your lower body while swinging the golf club. You keep hitting the ball with the golf club's toe. The ball tends to veer off to the left or too high when hit by the club. The golf club's shaft feels very weak when held, gripped, or swung.
How do you tell how long your clubs should be?
How Long Should My Golf Clubs Be?
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with a slight bend in your knees. ...
- Have a friend or the salesman measure the distance from your wrists to the floor. ...
- Select three or four drivers that are within 1 to 2 inches of your measured length. ...
- Practice swinging with the clubs.
Does golf club length matter?
When it comes to golf clubs, size does matter. While correct golf club size can help you become a better golfer and make the game more enjoyable, inaccurate club length will have the exact opposite effect.
What is standard club length?
All clubs, including putters, must at least 18 inches long. Putters with straight shafts are measured from the top of the grip to the sole, directly down the shaft.
30 related questions foundShould my irons be upright or flat?
If it's pointing towards the toe, then your club is too upright. If it's pointing towards the heel, then it's too flat. If the line is perpendicular to the grooves on the face, then your lie angle is correct.
Should I shorten my long irons?
A shorter club technically should improve control and accuracy. A longer club technically should increase distance. A club that is properly fitted in terms of the length of the shaft will maximize accuracy and distance.
Can I shorten my golf clubs?
Golf clubs are often sold in a “standard” length, which is relative to each club. However, golfers differ in height and arm length, so sometimes the length of a club must be adjusted. Not only can golf clubs be lengthened for people who need it, but they can also be shortened.
Do you need longer golf clubs if you are tall?
Because golf is a game of repetition and your swing should not vary in most circumstances, your stance will be the same. It doesn't matter how tall you are if you have a deeper crouch in your swing because your wrists will then be closer to the ground, which means you need slightly shorter clubs.
How long should golf clubs be for 6 2?
For example, for a golfer that stands 6'2” and has a wrist-to-floor of 39”, the recommendation for proper club length would be 1/2” longer than standard length.
Can you take length off a golf club?
Any amount of cutting will slightly stiffen the club. It will probably go unnoticed if you take 1 inch or less off the club. Taking 2 inches off will change the flex of the club. If you are shortening irons, every 1 inch you shorten the club will make the iron effectively play 2 degrees flatter.
Do pro golfers use shorter clubs?
Most pro golfers use shorter shafts on their drivers than recreational golfers. Is this true? Absolutely true.
What happens when you shorten a golf club?
Making the shaft shorter makes the club shorter, the shaft stiffer, and it will adjust the swing weight. Your club will have less flex when you remove weight. A regular flex can become stiff, and a stiff can become extra stiff when you shorter it, but that all depends on how much you shorten it.
Is it OK to choke up on golf club?
As you can tell, choking up on the golf club is a secret weapon that a lot of golfers don't take advantage of enough. Sure, you will lose some distance by choking up but in general, it's almost always worth it. This is a great way to add new shots in your bag and save yourself when you're hitting it poorly.
How much does it cost to get your golf clubs shortened?
Expect to pay anywhere between $40-$100 reshafting a graphite shaft, if the shaft is steel expect to pay anywhere between $20-$75 per shaft, every replacement shaft needs a new grip which costs $8-$15, and labor costs $5-$35 depending on where you live.
Are shorter irons easier to hit?
Long irons are considerably harder to hit than short irons, and it is good to have a general understanding of this concept. The more prepared you are to take on these long iron shots, the better your chance for success.
Should irons sit flat at address?
How should a golf club lie on the ground? The golf club should address the ball with the toe set a few millimetres in the air – the clubhead should never sit flat on the turf. You should be able to fit a small coin under the toe of the club at address, with the heel remaining in contact with the ground.
Should hands be in front of ball with irons?
The grip and hands must be in front of the clubhead and ball. Many amateur golfers believe that the grip and clubhead come back to the position they are in during the setup. The hands and grip must move forward before the clubhead in order to properly compress and control the ball.
Should toes be up at address?
A properly fitted putter should not have the toe up at address, because the address position is how the putter will present itself to the ball at impact.
Why are golf clubs different lengths?
As a club is longer (as well as lighter), then it can be swung faster up to a limit. The increased length provides greater leverage and speed to hit the ball further if solid contact is to be made. Shorter clubs are designed not for length, but rather precision.
Is it better to have longer or shorter golf clubs?
Additionally, shorter length golf clubs can provide more control to the golfer, essentially making the golf club more forgiving. While longer clubs can help increase speed and launch angle, shorter clubs can be easier to hit solid due to the reduction in swing arc.
Are shorter drivers better?
When fitting a driver, it's important to get loft, lie, shaft, and grip sorted, but better driving may be hiding in a shorter shaft. In fact, a shorter shaft should help you find the sweet spot more often and may even add distance.
Are my clubs too short for me?
If your golf club is too short for you, then your stance will be too bent over. Your stance will be this way because you are reaching down for the golf ball. The problem with a poor posture like this is that it will ruin your spine angle. Once your spine angle is off, you may have trouble rotating correctly.
How do I shorten my golf club length?
When shortening a golf club, you must remove the grip and cut the wide end of the shaft so the club can still flex properly.
- Insert the golf club into a shaft clamp and tighten the clamp to keep the club from moving around while you work on the grip.
- Use a utility knife to cut the side of the existing grip.