Answering The Question: What Size Golf Clubs Do I Need?

There are no stupid questions and we hold this sentiment when it comes to our favorite game ?️

Just like having the right bat is vital to the game of baseball and the perfect hockey stick is what those talented athletes zipping on the ice need to get a goal, a golf club is the tool that can make or break your game in golf. There are hundreds of thousands of golf clubs out there built in varying degrees to fit the swing of golfers. Just like no one person is the same, no one swing is the same so finding the club that fits best to your capabilities is vital should you wish to improve your game. 

But what is club length?

Club length, or more accurately, shaft length is the height of your golf club. It’s normally measured like this:

Image courtesy of: Golf Shaft Warehouse Inc.

Most golf clubs are around 35 inches for wedges, irons, and putters, while drivers are around 45 inches. You’ll actually find that most clubs are built around the average build of a golfer’s wrist to ground. But not everyone's the same height, which means that there will need to be some adjustments because if not that would lead to poor posture, less control, and bad swings. 

Now that you have an introduction you might be wondering: what size golf clubs do I need for my game? Well, like most things in golf, there isn’t necessarily a straight answer to that question. So we thought we’d break down the process by going over a few talking points you might have been curious about when it comes club length: 

• What size golf club do I need?
• Does height matter when buying golf clubs?
• How do you size golf clubs for your height?
• What happens if your golf clubs are too long or too short?
• What is the club fitting process?

But why are we the ones qualified to answer your club questions? Well if you haven’t heard of us yet then let us have the pleasure of introducing you to what we do best:

Our story is a simple one, what started out as a side-venture in the highs and lows of selling shoes on eBay, has turned into a business with over 20 full-time employees, a big warehouse, and all the golf clubs to fill it. At StickHawk we sell authentic drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters, complete sets, and all the golf accessories you could ever need so that you can play today! We want to match you with the golf club(s) of your dreams. You can take our “Club Decider Quiz,” which is near the bottom of our home page, and it will help you decide the exact right make and models you need to feel good while you’re on the course.

?️What size golf clubs do I need?

In your research you have more than likely come across the phrase: “wrist to floor” for measuring golf clubs, (heck we said it in the intro). But that’s because it is the critical indicator for finding the right club length for your swing. The measurement is taken when the golfer is in a relaxed standing position and measuring the distance from the golfer’s wrist to the ground. This will give the fitter (or yourself) the most accurate account of the person’s posture and arm length which, as we’ve said, is crucial to finding the right club. 

We also have to take a look at the “lie angle” which is the measurement of the angle that’s formed when the head of the club is correctly at rest with the grooves of the club parallel to the ground. Enjoy this MS paint job of what this looks like:

Image courtesy of our very own magnificent MS paint skills.

By taking the lie angle in your measurements you’ll be able to more accurately determine the fit of what club you need. 

When you’re online searching to find what size golf clubs you need, there are a lot of charts out there that, sometimes, have conflicting numbers when you’re below or above the average height. The “Standard” height for club lengths is, (according to many golf connoisseurs):

Standard Club Length
Height: 5’7” - 6’1”	Wrist-to-floor measurement: 34” - 37”

Of course this, or any of the charts you find online might not fit your standard. But golf clubs are sized pretty standardly across the board unless you're very big or very small.

?️Does height matter when buying golf clubs?

You might have thought at the beginning that height has a lot to do with finding the right golf clubs but in actuality as we’ve learned, it’s the wrist-to-floor measurement that is really our “it” girl here. Just like some really tall people have longer torsos with shorter legs, some short people have longer arms than someone well above six feet. Arm length is really what we’re looking out for here. Height might have some sway in the matter but really it’s all about our arms and it should be considering they are how mostly everyone golfs. 

?️How do you size golf clubs for your height? 

If you like the thought of figuring out what size golf clubs you need at home then we’re here to give you a mini-tutorial on how it’s done. 

• 1️⃣: First up we gotta grab a buddy, another golfer would be ideal here since they will have a good idea on how to measure the most accurately but if you don’t have someone who also plays the sport near you, it’s a-okay because the process is easier than what you and them might first believe.
• 2️⃣: Get your golf shoes and put them on, then get measuring tape, and stand on a flat surface with your arms hanging naturally to the side. Stand as you normally would, don’t slouch.
• 3️⃣: Have the friend measure the wrist crease of your dominant hand (or the one you favor for your swing), to the floor. 

The average wrist-to-floor measurement is 48.9% of a person’s height. But if you’re really getting into the game you might not know whether or not you need to add or subtract from your club length. When you have the money and means you can try your hand at clubs in-person and get fitted professionally.

?️What happens if your golf clubs are too long or too short?

We next want to talk about what happens if your golf clubs are too long or too short:

• ⛳‘Too Long’: Inconsistency is the word we’re going to use to best determine if your golf clubs are too long. Typically you’ll find that you are going to be too upright, it will even look a little funny and “off” to the average person viewing from the back or side. You want to still look like you’re standing slightly over the ball instead of swinging a pole vault. If your club is too long you’ll also notice both heel and toe shots are more likely to occur. Take a look at how your club sits on the ground, and figure out if the ball is being hit with the toe or the center of the head, if it's the toe the shaft is too long. 
• ⛳‘Too Short’: Instead of being too uptight, if your club is too short you’ll be more hunched over, think about what you look like when you’re playing video games on the couch- we’re talking full gremlin mode. However a lot of people will tell you that putting with short clubs will actually improve your game and that’s not entirely untrue. With short clubs you can get closer to the ball and get better accuracy and distance. 

The heel of the club will be off the ground at address and that’s where most of the contact of the ball will go to instead of the center. If you’re right-handed then you might notice your ball veers off right more. And then of course, there’s the back paint from being in gremlin mode for too long.  

When trying to figure out what size golf clubs you need, you can go to a professional. Image courtesy of: Club Champion.

?️What is the club fitting process? / How much does club fitting cost?

We’ve left little easter eggs all throughout this article relating to each other but one thing we have yet to really expand upon is club fittings. 

A club fitting is when a prospective golfer goes to a local or retail golf store to get fitted with a set of clubs or singular club that best fits your swing. With golf simulators and/or driving ranges, the team will be able to see what kind of golf club consistently strikes the ball in the center face of the head, launch angle, backspin, dispersion, and more. They will also measure your wrist-to-floor ratio as accurately as can be. They will also take note of the right length, flex, lofts and lies for your optimal golf club.

Throughout all of this you’ll be asked questions about your golfing experience, what you’d like to bring to the game in the future, and the big one: how much you’re willing to spend.

For the actual club fitting itself you will be there from anywhere from two to four hours. And spending on if you’re getting a single club fitted or an entire golf bag can also factor into the cost. The normal price-range for a club fitting is $150 to $500+. 

And that does not include the golf clubs. You are under no obligation to purchase the clubs that they’ve recommended to you but if you do that will be another few hundred dollars. You might get a discount if you are getting fitted, that all really depends on the service and fitter(s). 

But now that you have the knowledge you can go out to other golf stores or look online to find potentially cheaper clubs that fit what you’ve found out from the fitter. 

Going to a club fitting is arguably the best thing a golfer can do to improve their game and if you want to put more hours into the sport all while seeing consistent advancements then you should go get fitted. But as we’ve learned it is quite expensive so it’ll have to be a decision you make in your own time. We think as long as you have the funds and are wanting to swing better with clubs that feel “just right” in your hands ala Goldilocks style then go get fitted.

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As we know, golf clubs are super expensive so the average person starting out will usually take what they can get or start with something that’s used like the clubs we sell here at StickHawk:

Get your hands on clubs, get to swinging, and start working on the fundamentals from there. Through the tips and tricks we talked about we will be able to let you know if the club length is too long, too short, or just right. 

Finding what size golf clubs you need is great when you’re moving ahead onto the next level in your game.