The right shaft length is one of the first things we measure in a custom fitting. Club length affects how you stand over the ball, how clean your strike is and how the club feels through the swing. Here we go through what is affected when you change the length – and at the bottom you will find our standard shaft length table in inches.
Length controls how far from the ball you stand and how easily you find the centre of the face. A club that is too long spreads the strike pattern, often out towards the toe.
A longer shaft can give higher clubhead speed, but only as long as you still strike the ball cleanly. The gain is quickly eaten up by a worse strike.
The right length lets you stand balanced and natural over the ball, shot after shot. The wrong length forces compensations in both posture and swing.
The measurement gives you an honest starting point. What you do with it depends on how you actually play. Two players with identical body measurements may need different lengths depending on swing, tempo and what they want from the club.
Suits you if you spread your strike pattern across the face, often miss out towards the toe or feel that the club is hard to control all the way down to the ball. Also a good choice if you prioritise fairways hit and consistency over maximum distance.
Suits you if you already have a tight strike pattern, stand comfortably over the ball and do not experience any recurring contact problems. If your measurement is within the standard band, there is seldom a reason to change.
Suits you if you have a long wrist-to-floor measurement and have to bend noticeably to reach the ball. Also if you have a calm tempo and a stable centre strike, giving you the margin to trade a little control for speed.
Shaft length is not an isolated spec. If you change it, several other properties of the club change at the same time, which is why we always build clubs as a whole instead of adjusting one thing at a time.
Length controls how heavy the clubhead feels through the swing. A shorter club feels lighter in the head and may need compensating with weight to keep the same feel and tempo.
A longer club effectively plays slightly more upright and a shorter one slightly flatter. If you change the length by more than half an inch, the lie angle should be reviewed at the same time.
Read more in our guides on lie angle and shaft model & flex.