Golf-FAQ.com

how much can i shorten a golf club

by Mertie Rodriguez PhD Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Here you’ll find the standard recommended measurements for golf clubs based on height: Six feet, six inches and taller-add two inches to the standard length of the club Six feet, five inches-add one and a half inches to the standard length of the club Six feet, three inches to six feet, five inches-add one inch to the standard length of the club

This can include shortening your clubs as much as a full inch, depending on the above factors. It should be noted, however, that players are also able to “choke-down” on a club's grip, or simply hold the club in their hands further down the grip.Jul 19, 2021

Full Answer

How to shorten a golf club?

How to Shorten Golf Clubs 1 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. 2 Use a utility knife to cut the side of the existing grip. Pull off the grip and discard it. ... 3 Wrap masking tape around the area of the shaft that will be cut. ... More items...

What are the advantages of shortening a club?

The advantage of shortening the club (over lengthening it) is that if the feel isn't ideal, then the process of 'correcting' it is pretty simple! Lead tape can be used initially, then the change can be made 'permanent' with Tungsten powder down the shaft jammed in with a cork.

How to cut a golf club to size?

Cut the club at the desired length. Using the hack saw, carefully cut the club where you marked it. Be sure keep fingers away from blade for your safety.

Do you need longer or shorter golf clubs?

That being the case, a golfer with shorter arms may want to have longer length clubs so they don’t have to bend over too much. Likewise, a golfer with longer arms may want a shorter club build so they don’t have to stand up too straight. There’s two other important factors that McCormack points out, as well.

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How much should I shorten my clubs?

Using the ratio of every 6" of height there should be a 1" change in length then there should be a 1 ½" difference between their 5-irons. For example, recommend 36.5" for the lady and 38" for the man (or 36.75" / 38.25").

Can golf clubs be to short?

What Happens When Golf Clubs Are Too Short? For most golfers, having clubs that are too short will be better than if they're too long, but can still result in inconsistent shots. Clubs that are too short will make you stand bent over, which can cause back pain. You'll also have the tendency to push the ball a lot.

Can I cut my irons to one length?

1:2210:28I cut down my long irons - One length irons combo - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo I took my Wilson v6 I played off my sex iron. So I made six iron 5-iron and for iron all the sameMoreSo I took my Wilson v6 I played off my sex iron. So I made six iron 5-iron and for iron all the same length. So my Wilson V SEC sounds were already an inch longer than standard.

Do shorter golfers need shorter clubs?

Shorter golfers are often better served with shorter clubs, while the lie angle (how the club sits on the ground) may also need tweaking. If your clubs are too long and/or upright, you'll be forced to adjust away from a swing that's natural for you.

What happens if golf clubs too short?

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.

What height is Tiger Woods?

6′ 1″Tiger Woods / Height

What length are DeChambeau's irons?

37.5 inchesAll of his irons are seven iron length (37.5 inches to be exact) to ensure he swings the same with every club and they're fitted with extremely thick JumboMax grips (opens in new tab), the largest grips commercially available.

What is the advantage of one-length irons?

One-length irons allow you to stand to the ball in the same way regardless of the iron you're using, in theory helping with consistency of strike and club speed. Essentially you can swing the same way regardless of what club you have in your hand.

How much should I shorten my irons?

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.

How long should your golf clubs be if you are 5 7?

2. Get Your Wrist-to-Floor Measurement (once more, “static” fitting)OVERALL HEIGHTWRIST-TO-FLOOR MEASUREMENTGOLF CLUB LENGTH ADJUSTMENTS5'4″ to 5'7″32 to 34 inchesminus 1/4″5'7″ to 6'1″34 to 37 inchesstandard length in inches6'1″ to 6'2″37 to 38.5 inchesplus 1/4″6'2″ to 6'4″38.5 to 40 inchesplus 1/2″7 more rows

What size golf clubs should a 5'6 man use?

A standard length golf club should fit a golfer that is about 5'6″ to 6'0″. The ideal height to be is 5'8″ if you want standard equipment. For shorter golfers, you need to prepare to take about a ½ inch to an inch off the club to make sure that they are a proper fit.

How to shorten a golf club?

How to Shorten Golf Clubs. If you have purchased a set of used golf clubs that are too long, you can quickly cut them down to size with a hand-held rotary tool. You can also resize your old clubs and pass them on to your children. The shaft of a golf club is narrower at the head end to generate power on the swing.

How to keep golf club from moving?

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.

How to wrap a golf club grip?

Start at the end of the club and wrap grip tape around the shaft. Overlap the previous layer of tape slightly to keep it tight. Smooth out any wrinkles or bumps in the tape as you go along.

Why is the shaft narrower at the head end of a golf club?

The shaft of a golf club is narrower at the head end to generate power on the swing. 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.

How to cut a club shaft with a rotary tool?

Insert the cutting blade attachment into the rotary tool according to the instructions in your owner's manual. Use the rotary tool to cut the club shaft along your marked line. Smooth out the end of the shaft with a piece of fine grain sandpaper.

How to dry golf grips?

Place the grip over the end of the shaft and push it down before the solvent dries. Inspect the fit of the grip and press out any uneven spots with your fingers. Allow the grip to dry overnight before using the club.

How long does it take to shorten a golf club?

Believe it or not, you can adjust them yourself, without going to a professional. These relatively easy steps will help you shorten a golf club in 45 minutes or less! Steps.

How to cut a golf club length?

1. Measure the desired new length of club. With the measuring tape, measure the desired length to be cut off. This distance should be taken from the top of the club. Mark the length. Use a permanent marker to mark where the cut should be made.

How to lubricate a golf grip?

Hold your finger to the tee-sized hole at the end of grip and spray the solvent into the other end. Shake this around to lubricate the inside of the grip. Put the grip onto the end of shaft. With your finger still holding all the solvent liquid inside the grip, slide the big hole onto the shaft.

How to install grip tape on a golf cart?

1. Apply grip tape to the end of the shaft. Put the new grip along the shaft to see how far down it will extend. This is how far you want the tape to go on each side.

How to get sticky glue off of a golf grip?

Spray with solvent. This will lubricate the tape so you can easily slide the grip over it. This solvent will dry up and become a sticky glue. Spray solvent into the grip. Hold your finger to the tee-sized hole at the end of grip and spray the solvent into the other end.

How to dispose of a golf club grip?

Prepare the work area. Place a towel or clothes underneath your vice grip. Place the club into the vice. Put the club into the vice such that the grip end of the club is pointing at you. Cut off the grip. With a utility knife, carefully make a cut along the grip. Remove the grip and dispose of it in the garbage.

How to smooth out a metal shaft?

Sand/dull the end of metal that was just cut. Take the sand paper and carefully smooth the end of the shaft. It will be sharp, and you do not want to rip the new grip that you will put on later.

What does shortening the shaft do to a golf club?

Shortening the shaft can make the golf club less flexible.

How much off will change the flex of the golf club?

Taking 2 inches off will change the flex of the club.

How to cut a club in a vise?

Align your cut mark with the blade of the saw and secure the club in the vise. Put your safety goggles on and hold the club so it will not fall as you cut.

How many swingweight points do you lose when you remove 1/2 inch?

For every 1/2 inch you remove, you will lose approximately three swingweight points. You can readjust the swingweight by adding lead tape to the head of the 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.

How many inches to a standard length golf club?

Six feet, five inches-add one and a half inches to the standard length of the club. Six feet, three inches to six feet, five inches-add one inch to the standard length of the club. Six feet to six feet, three inches-add half an inch to the standard length of the club.

How to measure golf clubs?

Measuring Your Clubs in Five Steps 1 Use a forty-eight-inch sturdy straight edge aluminum ruler. A tape measure is too flimsy and won’t give you an accurate measurement even if it is pressed against the club’s shaft. If you don’t currently own an aluminum yardstick, you can easily find one at a local home improvement store. 2 Don’t use your workbench to measure the golf clubs. A better alternative is to stand and place the club in its correct position at address. The sole of the club should be completely flat on the ground. 3 The straight edge should be placed so that the corner is touching the ground. The club should remain in address at this time with the ruler squaring up against the hosel. The hosel is the portion of the club where the clubhead is connected to the shaft. 4 The straight edge should be pressed as close as possible to the shaft. Now, read the measurement at the bottom of the grip cap. This should tell you the length of the shaft.

How tall should a golf iron be?

Height Recommendations for Irons. Here you’ll find the standard recommended measurements for golf clubs based on height: Six feet, six inches and taller-add two inches to the standard length of the club. Six feet, five inches-add one and a half inches to the standard length of the club.

What is the most important spec to pay attention to when you’re shopping for a new set of golf clubs?

According to the pros, the length of golf clubs is the most crucial spec to pay attention to when you’re shopping for a new set of clubs or an extra driver or hybrid.

What should be taken into account when buying a new golf club?

When you’re getting fit for a new set of clubs, launch angle, dispersion, spin rate, and ball speed should also be taken into account in order to ensure you purchase the correct length.

How to tell the length of a golf shaft?

The straight edge should be pressed as close as possible to the shaft. Now, read the measurement at the bottom of the grip cap. This should tell you the length of the shaft.

When a player is fitted for new clubs based on length, what is the posture at setup?

When a player is fitted for new clubs based on length then their posture at setup is an important factor. Ideally, the shaft of the club should pass through the golfer’s waistline. If a golfer bends forward too much at address then the club’s shaft will fall below their waistline.

Why is the shaft shorter on 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. You need to be sure this is what you want ...

Why shorten the shaft on a golf driver?

For some people, shortening the driver shaft can help them to hit the ball farther and keep it in play more. That last part is something that we all want to do.

Why is a shorter driver shaft better?

Pros: A shorter driver shaft will shorten the arc of your swing. This will help you to hit the center of the clubface more often. Hitting the center of the clubface more often means you are more likely to keep the ball in play than you were before.

What does a longer shaft mean?

A longer shaft means a wider arc to your swing and that creates more speed. But hitting the center of the clubface is much more important. A shorter driver shaft means a shorter arc in your swing and that makes hitting the center of the clubface easier. Many players don’t lose any clubhead speed when they shorten their driver shaft by about an inch.

What happens if you have a shorter driver?

As we talked about before, a shorter driver will decrease the width of the arc to your swing and increase your frequency of hitting the center of the clubface.

How long is the average driver on the PGA Tour?

On the PGA Tour, the average driver length is 44.5 inches. That’s shorter than the standard 45-46 inches.

Does shortening a driver shaft make your handicap fall?

Most professional golfers are aware of the benefits that shortening their driver shaft, at least a little, can give them. This doesn’t mean that shorten ing your driver shaft will immediately make your handicap fall. The biggest factor is still your technique and how you play.

Why do you need a shorter golf club?

It takes a shorter club for most people to create the desired spine and shaft angles, swing planes, and contact with the ball. As would be expected, the shorter club and improved planes create better accuracy with the golf shots.

Why is the length of a golf club shorter than the number below it?

Some more evidence that club length is overrated as a source of distance: In most sets of clubs, each iron is one-half inch shorter than the number below it. That is what creates the change in distance, right? Not really. Usually the clubs stop getting shorter above the 9-iron, meaning the various wedges are the same length as the 9-iron. And yet each wedge above the 9 hits the ball less far. Why? Because of the loft; the angle of the clubface has more to do with the change in distance from club to club than the length of the shaft.

Why are long shafts attached to melon sized clubheads?

Thank goodness the long shafts are attached to melon-sized clubheads with tons of forgiveness, because the swing planes that result from these long clubs make it nearly impossible for most golfers to hit the sweet spot.

Why is a shorter club better than a longer club?

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. What I am saying is that the clubs most golfers are playing with, and even fitted for, are too long to maximize either; even when we call them “standard” in length.

How to compare tour players to average players?

Comparing tour players to average players gives some anecdotal evidence. Notice that tour players look “big” compared to their clubs. Even with a longer iron, say a 4-iron, they seem to be standing “on top” of the ball, meaning the ball is not too far from their feet. Their spines are generally bent forward a fair amount, and the shaft of the club points at the belt-line, and often higher.

What is the standard length of a golf club?

Tom Wishon, one of the top club designers in the world, said in his book The Search for the Perfect Golf Club, “Ninety-eight percent of men’s drivers these days are built to a “standard” length of 45 or 45.5 inches, and I am here to tell you that a 45-inch driver will not fit 90 percent of all golfers and will never allow them to achieve their best combination of distance AND accuracy.” This agrees completely with what I have seen on the driving range.

How long are golf drivers?

Tour players, who play golf courses that are hundreds of yards longer than the courses we play, and play for millions of dollars, have drivers that average about 44 inches in length. If longer drivers helped them maximize their distance and accuracy, they would definitely use them. But they do not use them, and yet duffers with less ability insist on playing with the longer, more challenging clubs.

How to shorten a golf club shaft?

To do that, the DIY golfer will have to: 1 Remove the existing grip. 2 With steel shafts, use a tubing cutter to trim the shaft; with graphite shafts, shorten using a hacksaw. 3 Re-install a grip on the newly shortened shaft. 4 And, most importantly, Wishon says, add weight to the clubhead in some manner to restore the swingweight feel of the club. "If clubs are shortened and no weight is added back to the clubhead, the chances of the length reduction having the desired effect are somewhere between slim and none."

What is the difference between a golf shaft and a tip?

All golf shafts taper; that is, their circumference is greater at the grip end than at the tip end. That means that the grip end is the strongest part of the shaft and the tip end the weakest, which, Wishon says, leads trimming to have different effects: "Cutting more of the tip will have the effect of getting rid of some of the weaker end ...

Why add weight to a clubhead?

And, most importantly, Wishon says, add weight to the clubhead in some manner to restore the swingweight feel of the club. "If clubs are shortened and no weight is added back to the clubhead, the chances of the length reduction having the desired effect are somewhere between slim and none."

Do all golf shafts have to be cut down?

Did you know that almost all golf shafts are cut down to size before being installed in golf clubs? It's part of the manufacturing and club-building process for new clubs.

Should the reduction in length be made from the grip end only?

"If the goal in making the clubs shorter in length is a desire to gain an improvement in accuracy, the reduction in length should be made from the grip end only ," Wishon said.

How to determine the right length of golf club?

The best way to figure out the right length of clubs for you is to go through a full professional fitting, or to consult your local professional. Whether you’re short, average or tall, there are no shortcuts for determining the proper club length. The only rule of thumb is that the stock golf club length off the shelf is likely not the exact right length for you. Custom fitting will always trump buying off the rack, especially when it comes to length.

Why are shorter golf clubs better than longer clubs?

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. That’s why “choking up” on the club offers a golfer more control, in general.

What are the factors to consider when fitting a golf club?

While human anatomy is certainly a consideration, there’s various other elements to examine, such as swing speed, swing style, overall skill, typical ball flight, impact location, and general preferences of the player.

Why do golfers play longer clubs?

1) Flexibility: “Physical limitations and flexibility also play a role in determining length. A player that has back issues, joint problems, or injuries may play a longer golf club to help compensate for some of the restrictions placed on them by their body. Most recreational and beginning players aren’t as flexible as a seasoned player. Therefore, you may see them lose their posture or have a swing that is driven predominately by their arms. Making a change in length can help them.”

Why do you need a longer golf club?

As a general guideline, a longer club will help to launch the ball higher, promote more of a fade bias, and improve strike location for those that miss it on the toe. If you were to make a club shorter, for that same player, you may see a lower flight, more of a draw, and a thin and/or toe miss start to appear.”

Does vertical height affect club length?

When it comes to vertical height, McCormack says that it’s not necessarily how tall a person is that effects club length. It’s more about the overall build of their anatomy.

Do golf clubs take measurements?

In a typical golf club fitting, expert fitters don’t take anatomical measurements. It’s important for a golfer to be in a comfortable posture at address, of course, but there’s more that goes into fitting for length than the vertical height of a person.

How many points per inch is Foxholer?

Cheers Foxholer! But 6 points per inch - that does not sound like "a bit", that sounds more like "a ton"

Do you lose distance when hitting more fairways?

You hit more fairways and don't lose much distance.

Does CPM match irons?

CPM does, however, allow a set of shafts (for irons) to be matched, as the profile of the individual shafts is pretty consistent. This is what 'Frequency Matching', as opposed to 'Weight Matching' is all about. Adding weight to the head will indeed make the shaft feel less stiff.

Is it better to grip down or down?

Gripping down will give you a resonably good approximation as to how it will feel, but it won't actually be 'the same'! That's because the grip will be thinner at the point you grip down to and, , more importantly, the excess will be acting as a very slight counterbalance - which will affect the swing weight - while you are doing so. However, unless you are particularly sensitive to this sort of thing, then, imo, you won't notice it after a couple of swings!

Does shortening the shaft make it better?

Shortening the shaft will most likely allow you to hit it better more often!

Does taking a butt off the tip affect flex?

Much more (stiffening) effect if you take it off the tip than off the butt! Taking it off the Butt (the normal method and how it would be done if you simply specified a shorter length) has a marginal effect, while taking it off the tip typically alters the flex by half a flex per inch.

Can you change the length of a driver shaft?

Yes you can. The length of my driver shaft has been up & down like a bride's nightie.

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