Playing with golf clubs that are the wrong size is one of the fastest ways to build bad habits and inconsistency into your swing. If every shot feels like a fight, your equipment might be the real opponent. This guide will walk you through exactly how to figure out the right club size for your body, using a simple at-home measurement that’s far more reliable than just your height.
Walk into any big-box sporting goods store, and you’ll find racks of golf clubs labeled "standard length." But what exactly is standard? These clubs are typically built for a male golfer between 5'9" and 6'0" or a female golfer between 5'5" and 5'7" with completely average body proportions. The problem is, very few people are perfectly "average."
Using clubs that don't fit your body forces you to make unnatural compensations. Here’s what we see on the lesson tee every single day:
In both cases, you're building a golf swing around faulty equipment. You might practice for hours, working on tips you’ve seen online, but you’ll never find consistency because your body is simply trying to make an ill-fitting tool work. A proper fit allows you to get into a balanced, athletic setup, which is the foundation of a good golf swing.
Most golfers assume height is the only thing that matters when choosing club length. They'll say, "I'm 6'2", so I need longer clubs." While height is a good starting point, it only tells part of the story. The real secret to finding your ideal club length lies in a simple, precise measurement: your wrist-to-floor distance.
Think about it: two people who are the exact same height can have vastly different arm lengths. One might have longer arms and a shorter torso, while the other has shorter arms and a longer torso. The golfer with shorter arms will need longer clubs to reach the ball comfortably from a good athletic posture, even though he's the same height as the golfer with longer arms. The wrist-to-floor measurement accounts for this by relating your hand position directly to the ground.
This single data point is what professional club fitters use as the foundation for determining club length. The great news is you can get a very accurate measurement right at home in about two minutes.
You’ll need a friend and a tape measure for this. Don't try to do it yourself, as leaning over to read the measurement will change the number. Follow these steps for an accurate result:
That's it. This number, combined with your height, will give you a remarkably accurate a starting point for the proper club length.
Now that you have your height and wrist-to-floor measurement, you can use a sizing chart similar to what fitters use. These charts cross-reference both measurements to recommend a club length adjustment from the "standard" off-the-rack size.
Below are charts for both men and women. To use them, find your height in the left column and then slide across to find the column that corresponds with your wrist-to-floor measurement. The box where they intersect will give you your recommended starting point for club length.
Golfer Height 30" - 32" WTF 32" - 34" WTF 34" - 36" WTF 36" - 38" WTF 38" - 40" WTF 40" - 42" WTF 6'9" +1" +1.5" +2" +2.5" +3" +3.5" 6'6" +0.5" +1" +1.5" +2" +2.5" +3" 6'3" -0.5" Standard +0.5" +1" +1.5" +2" 6'0" -1" -0.5" Standard +0.5" +1" +1.5" 5'9" -1.5" -1" -0.5" Standard +0.5" +1" 5'6" -2" -1.5" -1" -0.5" Standard +0.5" 5'3" -2.5" -2" -1.5" -1" -0.5" Standard
Golfer Height 28" - 30" WTF 30" - 32" WTF 32" - 34" WTF 34" - 36" WTF 36" - 38" WTF 6'0" +0.5" +1" +1.5" +2" +2.5" 5'10" Standard +0.5" +1" +1.5" +2" 5'7" -0.5" Standard +0.5" +1" +1.5" 5'4" -1.5" -1" -0.5" Standard +0.5" 5'1" -2.5" -2" -1.5" -1" -0.5"
*WTF refers to the Wrist-to-Floor measurement. Standard length for a men's 7-iron is typically 37 inches, while for women it's 36 inches. Your recommended adjustment applies to all the clubs in your set.
Club length is the foundation of a good fit, but it's not the only piece of the puzzle. Once you know your length, a few other elements come into play. A professional fitter will be the best person to dial these in, but it helps to understand what they are.
Lie angle is the angle between the club's shaft and the sole when you're at address. If your clubs are lengthened or shortened, the lie angle will almost always need to be adjusted. An incorrect lie angle directly affects shot direction. If the toe of the club points too far up (too upright), your shots will tend to go left of the target. If the toe points too far down (too flat), your shots will drift right.
Shaft flex refers to how much a golf shaft bends during the swing. A faster swing speed requires a stiffer shaft (Stiff or X-Stiff) to keep the club head stable. A slower swing speed needs a more flexible shaft (Senior, Ladies, or Regular) to help generate club head speed and get the ball airborne. Playing with the wrong flex can rob you of distance and accuracy.
The size of your grip affects how your hands and wrists work during the swing. A grip that's too small might cause you to grip too tightly and engage your hands too much, often leading to pulls or hooks. A grip that's too large can restrict your hands and prevent you from 'releasing' the club, leading to pushes or slices. A simple at-home test: with your lead hand, you should be able to just barely touch your longest two fingers to the pad of your thumb when holding the grip.
Finding the right club size moves you from fighting your equipment to working with it. By using the wrist-to-floor measurement, you can get a significantly more accurate picture of what you need than by just using your height, taking a huge step towards a more natural and repeatable swing.
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