what happens when you shorten a golf club

by Ms. Augustine Eichmann Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago

Golf clubs are made in a variety of lengths, usually between 45 and 60 inches
The length of the club can affect how far you hit the ball
Shorter clubs allow for more control over your shots
Longer clubs provide more power, speed and distance
Shortening golf clubs is considered an easy way to increase accuracy

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.

Full Answer

What happens when you shorten the shaft 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.

Can you shorten a golf club without adding weight?

"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." Of course, you don't have to trim the shaft to shorten a club for the sake of accuracy—you could just order new shafts in the desired length.

Will my club get stiffer when I shorten it?

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.

What are the pros and cons of short golf clubs?

Short golf clubs are more comfortable to control compared to those with longer shafts. When you use a shortened club, you will realize that you have more authority against the driver because of the reduced flexibility. The clubs are also lighter and stiffen up a little bit.

What happens if I shorten my irons?

If you are shortening irons, every 1 inch you shorten the club will make the iron effectively play 2 degrees flatter. You may need to have the lie angles readjusted after shortening them.

Can golf clubs be cut shorter?

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 lose distance with shorter irons?

The most important thing to remember about the distance when you shorten your irons is that it does not always mean a decrease in distance. If your irons were too long for you to be confident or to have the right swing speed or posture, chances are you would gain distance if you shortened them.

Are shorter golf clubs more accurate?

More importantly that test showed a 28% increase in accuracy with the shorter shaft. Every golfer is different, and this doesn't conclusively say that all golfers would benefit from a shorter shaft, but it certainly is enough to raise your eyebrows (and mine).

Do pros shorten their irons?

Not really. Usually the clubs stop getting shorter above the 9-iron, meaning the various wedges are the same length as the 9-iron.

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 I shorten my golf irons?

For the average golfer, having clubs that are a bit shorter than normal will produce the most consistent shots. Being closer to the ball and more bent over will give you a better relationship to the ball, which will result in more distance, better trajectory, and increased control.

How long should my golf clubs be for my height?

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").

Why do I hit my 3 wood farther than driver?

Players who hit their 3- or 5-wood as far or longer than their driver are typically using too little loft with the driver for their clubhead speed. You know, it's a funny thing with the driver and its loft compared to the other clubs in the bag.

How do I know if my golf clubs are too short?

6 Signs Your Golf Clubs are Too ShortYou need to bend too much at the waist before swinging.You also have to bend your knees pre-swing.You keep hitting the ball with the golf club's heel.The swing path is in to out.The tempo is too quick.The ball tends to veer off to the right.

How much does club length affect distance?

Our testing has shown conclusively that there is absolutely no measurable difference in distance due to the standard 1/2″ incremental shaft length increases between clubs. The only affect of the standard length increases between clubs is to make each successively longer club harder to hit.

How important is club length?

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.

How much should I shorten my golf clubs?

Can you shorten golf club shafts?

Remove the existing grip. With steel shafts, use a tubing cutter to trim the shaft; with graphite shafts, shorten using a hacksaw. Re-install a grip on the newly shortened shaft. And, most importantly, Wishon says, add weight to the clubhead in some manner to restore the swingweight feel of the club.

How do you change length of golf clubs?

To avoid cutting the shaft or adding an attachment, purchase a new shaft at your desired length. Cut the ferrule and remove the clubhead from the old shaft as you did before trimming the tip. If you wish to keep the original grip, use an air compressor to separate it from the old shaft, then pull the grip off.

What if golf 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.

Why shorten a golf club?

A short golf club is expected to give you better accuracy and control of the ball, while the long club gives you more distance.

What happens when you shorten a golf club?

When you shorten your club, there are a few things that happen. First, the club becomes stiff and loses flexibility. It will require you to use more swing speed to hit like before. Short clubs have lower swing speeds, and this makes it hard to achieve long distances.

What percentage of golfers do not use standard length clubs?

What will surprise you is that about 90 percent of golfers do not use standard-length clubs. It is a marketing technique for them to sell you more expensive custom fit clubs. We hope that you now have a better understanding of the effects of shortening your golf clubs.

Why does my golf club become lighter?

The golf club becomes lighter due to the weight loss, and the remedy is adding more weight using lead tape so that you do not overpower the club.

Why are short golf clubs better than longer golf clubs?

When you use a shortened club, you will realize that you have more authority against the driver because of the reduced flexibility. The clubs are also lighter and stiffen up a little bit.

Why is it important to have a shorter golf club?

While a shorter club may reduce your distance or yardages, it comes with several advantages . To some golfers, these are their desired accomplishments, while to others, they are added benefits to what they expected. Most golfers are on a mission to better their performance and, while at it, enjoy the game as much as they can.

Why do manufacturers recommend long clubs?

Manufacturers advocate for long clubs because they offer better distances, but the sad reality is that their accuracy is usually off for most golfers. With short clubs, you are likely to improve your accuracy, which is the most important aspect when trying to improve your performance.

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.

Why is the shaft shorter on a golf club?

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.

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.

Can a longer shaft affect your swing?

A longer driver shaft might be affecting how accurately you hit the ball, and not in a good way. If your driver shaft is too long for you, your swing is likely suffering because of it. If you want to know if this is something that’s happening to you then try out a shorter driver shaft the next time you are on the range.

Does shortening your driver shaft help?

More practice equals more consistency. Yes, better equipment helps. And equipment that is attuned to your needs helps even more. Shortening your driver shaft could be beneficial for you and combining that with the want to improve is a step in the right direction.

What is a cycle in a shaft?

the 'cycles' is the reference term to shaft bend profile, shaft frequency - so in effect it's what's generally spoken of in terms of shaft 'stiffness' or 'softness'. if you just cut the butt end & didn't add weight to the head then the shaft would play a tad stiffer not by much though - but the whole club would maybes 'feel' light which could ...

Does adding weight to a shaft make it stiffer?

Adding weight to the head will indeed make the shaft feel less stiff. Again, depending on the amount of weight, this might not be noticeable, but for those who are particularly sensitive, the tape can be added near the ferrule and balanced by some under the grip.

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.

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.

Does the grip on a golf swing affect weight?

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.

How to get adhesive off of golf club?

Heating the tape up will soften the adhesive and make this step easier. Heat the adhesive with a heat gun or a hairdryer. Peel the tape off until you have removed it all from the shaft of the club.

How to get better adhesion on a grip?

It will also emulsify the adhesive and help it to get better surface adhesion with the inside of the grip. Plug the small hole in the top of the grip with a finger and turn the grip upside down. Spray some adhesive into the inside of the grip.

How long does it take for a grip to dry?

Once you have the new grip in place, you will need to let the adhesive dry and cure. It will take approximately 6-8 hours for a full cure.

What to do when cutting a golf club down?

The first thing that you need to do when you’re cutting a club down is to get the old grip out of your way. In order to do that safely, you need to have plenty of space to work in and a way to hold the club steady while you’re cutting. That’s where the prepared workspace and the vice come in.

How to cut yourself with a razor blade?

Put a fresh blade in your razor knife. A sharp blade cuts easier and that protects you from having to push or pull too hard, which could expose you to a higher risk of cutting yourself. A hook blade makes this step easier and safer. Slice through the grip until you have cut it from top to bottom.

What tool to use to cut graphite shaft?

For steel shafts, a hack saw is the best option for a clean cut. For graphite clubs, you will need to use a rotary tool with a cutting wheel to get the best cut possible. Cut the desired amount from the shaft. Be careful to avoid cutting yourself with the saw or the tool.

Is shortening a club complicated?

The actual process of shortening a club isn’t too complicated. If you know how to use a tape measure and a hack saw, you can get the job done. The trick is knowing when you can get away with it and when you’d be better off selling or trading-in a club to help with the purchase of something else. When shortening is a good option, there are tips ...

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 ...

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."

Who is Tom Wishon?

To answer these questions, we spoke with prominent golf club designer and builder Tom Wishon, founder of Tom Wishon Golf Technology. Wishon explained: "When golf shafts are manufactured and shipped to clubmakers and clubmaking companies, they are in what is called a raw, uncut form.

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 does shortening a golf shaft affect swing weight?

Shortening the shaft can make the golf club less flexible. If you are going to shorten a golf club, there are a few things to keep in mind. The more shaft you cut off, the lighter, more stiff, and effectively flatter the club becomes. For every 1/2 inch you remove, you will lose approximately three swingweight points.

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.

Who is Michael Joseph?

Michael Joseph is a golf industry professional in New Jersey. He has worked as a golf professional, instructor, and clubmaker. Joseph's education includes a degree in golf operations management and a certification in club-fitting from The Golf Academy of America (formally the San Diego Golf Academy).

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.

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.

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.