Do Tall People Always Need Longer Clubs or Short People Shorter Clubs?
There are certain assumptions that golfers often make about their equipment. Associating height with club length is one such assumption that quite often is wrong. The reason is because many tall people have long arms and a lot of short people have normal to shorter length arms.
When we take our stance to hit a golf ball, it is the combination of our height AND our arm length that initially determines what club length is required to ensure that we are comfortable over the ball. This is translated into a measurement of the distance from the golfer’s wrist to the floor when the golfer is standing comfortably erect, shoulders level with the arms hanging relaxed at their sides.
But there is a lot more to advising the proper club length than one’s height and arm length and the resulting wrist to floor measurement. First, the wrist to floor measurement is only pertinent to fitting the length of the IRONS. Second, the iron length indicated by the golfer’s wrist to floor measurement is only seen as an initialrecommendation of length. Golfer posture and whether the set up is more erect or more bent over is another factor that combines with the length as indicated by the wrist to floor measurement to finalize the decision for how long our irons need to be.
Third, the combination of the golfer’s wrist to floor measurement is only important for determining the length of the irons and hybrids; golfer swing characteristics and playing proficiency determine the best lengths for the driver and the woods.
For the irons, in very recent research we have combined the height with the wrist to floor to determine what we feel to be a more accurate starting point for iron length that affords a maximum of comfort to the golfer to avoid bending over or crouching down. Only if the golfer’s natural and most comfortable posture were to be very upright or very bent over/crouched would there need to be any adjustment longer (very upright) or shorter (very bent over/crouched) from the starting point of the most recent height + wrist to floor measurement charts. See the new charts below.
When fitting the length of the driver and the woods, the decision is made completely on the basis of the golfer’s swing characteristics combined with their playing ability. In short, the process is based on a common sense approach of the better the golfer and the more fundamentally sound the swing characteristics, the longer the length of the driver and woods could be, not should be.
To facilitate the driver and wood length decision making process, the following golfer and swing characteristics are evaluated: 1) swing path; 2) downswing transition force and downswing tempo; 3) point of the wrist-cock release on the downswing; 4) overall golfer playing (ball striking) ability.
The more outside in the path, the more forceful and fast the tempo, the earlier the release and the worse the golfer’s ability, the SHORTER the driver and the woods MUST be to offer the golfer the best chance of hitting these clubs as well as he can. Even if the golfer is of reasonable to decent ability, if he demonstrates an outside in path with a faster, more aggressive tempo, the driver and wood lengths should be shorter with the 1w no longer than 43.5 to 44” and 3w not longer than 42 to 42.5”.
Tom
Hi Tom. My name is Randy. I have an unusual situation in that my wrist ulnar deviation is 60 degrees and not the standard norm of 35-40 degrees. I broke both of my wrists when I was a kid and apparently the casts weren’t set right. I’m 6’2” and my wtf is 31”. My club I experimented on is 7 degrees upright and 2” shorter than standard. I hit it great. My swing is pretty upright. Does any of this make sense to you?
RANDY It’s very difficult to advise on length and lie fitting from afar without being able to see your set up, posture, swing plane, impact position and other things that contribute to a determination. On paper just going from a height and WTF measurement, 7 up and 2″ short would seem too extreme. But don’t take that as the final answer because for one, you are performing well with this spec. Length wise, your guide has to be how easily you can stay down on the shot through impact. If you have no issues, no problem with staying down through… Read more »
Hello Tom, My name is Anshuman Jain, I am 5 ft 4 inches tall, is the normal sized driver and 3 wood ok for me, if not how much do you think i should chop of the driver and the 3 wood ?
Hi Anshuman,
We have responded to your comment via email.
Best wishes,
Ash
Hi Tom,
I really appreciate the length fitting chart, best one I’ve come across! However, I am 6’9” with a WTF of 43”. What would you recommend for club length and lie? Thank you in advance for any assistance or advice you have to offer.
DAVID The first thing I would ask is that you carefully re do the wrist to floor measurement to be absolutely sure of the measurement. Reason I start with this in my response is because, 1) many people do make a mistake in how they do this, 2) 43″ is a little bit on the unusual side for a WTF for a person who is 6’9. Don;t get me wrong, it is possible for sure, but it is a little on the high side from my years of experience which included fitting several of the San Antonio Spurs players many… Read more »
Hey Tom, I’m planning on switching over to one length irons and not sure what length to go with. I’m 6’4” tall with a 37” wrist to floor and 29” finger tip to floor measurement. I was guessing 38” or 38.5” would probably be right since I hit my 7i about the best.
Conor
From all my work on height/wrist to floor vs iron length, 38 could be a viable 7 iron length for your irons and from that, the length for all the single length irons you might play. Posture and your ability to stay down and over the ball through impact are also contributing factors to this as well. But I can’t believe 38 would be too short.
TOM
Hi Tom,I am 6ft 1″ tall with wtf of 33.5″.i play standard length irons but very often pull the short irons and push the long irons,after reading your replies to a lot of the posts on here i think maybe because i have long arms i should be using shorter clubs with a flatter lie, would appreciate your thoughts on this.thanks. Roy
ROY
Strictly from a static standpoint from your height and W to F we would see your specs for the irons to be 1* flat with +1/4″ longer length. Of course that is just a static observation and fitting experiments and testing in person is always the best way to finalize a length and lie with the irons so that any specific anomalies such as posture differences through the ball and hand position differences through the ball can be accounted for in the final designation.
TOM
Hi Tom, First off – this detailed guidance is very much appreciated. I’m 6’2″ w/ about a 36.75 wtf and have been playing standard length irons for as long as I can remember. Though my iron/wedge-play has been the strongest part of my game, since having done some “testing” with my posture and setup, I am fairly certain that I’d benefit from the +1/2″ length recommendation and a bit of an upright lie. I have one question as I am a little confused by guidance in some of your comments relative to the provided Wrist-to-floor charts. In the charts, it… Read more »
MATT yes the old chart refers to the 7 iron as being an inch shorter than the 5 iron as per the usual incremental length differences between traditional iron sets. since doing a bunch more work on this whole matter of height + wrist to floor for initial length and lie recommendations, based on your 6’2″/36.75″ I would put you in a length for the single length at 37″ which would be +1/2″ over the baseline 8 iron length. And a lie angle of +3* upright with that. Of course this is only from a static measurement so actual lie… Read more »
Tom – thanks for the clarification and suggestions for static measurements.
I think I’m understanding this correctly, but to clarify: in the Height/Wrist to floor charts, the column for ‘7i length’ is referring to the suggested length IF building a set with the Single-Length method? As in, not necessarily what the 7 iron length would measure to if the set was built with incremental lengths? I’m thinking this is where I was initially confused.
I’m looking to modify my current set by sticking with incremental-length (though I definitely appreciate/see the benfits of the Single-Length concept).
Thanks again,
Matt
Matt Hope this does not add to your confusion. When I say your recommended length for a single length set is a length of 37″, that means +1/2″ over length because with our single length set the baseline “standard” length is 36.5″. If you were going to play a traditional incremental length set, your 8 iron length would be 37″, which means your 7 iron length would be 37.5″ and 5 iron length would be 38.5″. Perhaps the confusion comes because when we talk about single length, we are talking about an 8 iron length for all the irons. So… Read more »
Tom – yes, that clears it up! Exactly what I was asking.
Thanks,
Matt
I’m 6’3 with 37” wtf but I find when I choke down I hate the ball so much better. Any idea why this me be?
JIM It’s not just you. Most people hit the ball more consistently on center and more consistent overall when they grip down, especially if they are more aggressive swingers to begin with. . . . AS LONG AS THEY CAN REMAIN COMFORTABLE AND NOT FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE TO BEND OVER MORE OR CROUCH DOWN MORE. Comfort over the ball rules, especially with the irons which are the shortest clubs in the bag to begin with. The reason is because the shorter length decreases the load or stress the club puts back on you and your swing. This is why… Read more »
Tom, 6’6″ with 40″ wtf i am a +2 handicap. I am happy with every club in my bag except 3 wood. What are your general length considerations with a taller player and lengthing 3 wood. (I play +1.5 irons) Thanks
COOPER In the fitting of length, the golfer’s physical size characteristics of height and arm length (which is factored together with the wrist to floor measurement) is of critical importance in fitting the length of the IRONS. Not that way with the driver and woods. Driver and wood fitting is keyed only to the golfer’s swing characteristics of swing path, tempo, point of release and overall golf athletic ability. Look at it this way – when you play a 39.5″ #5 iron (which is +1.5 over standard length) that length does not feel short to you, right? Logic based purely… Read more »
I believe that my swing speed for my driver is right in the cross over between a stiff and a regular shaft. I am using a stiff shaft which seems fine bur just wondered if I could benefit changing to a regular shaft
Mark The typical things that come with using a shaft with a flex that is slightly more flexible than what your fitting parameters dictate are, 1) a slightly higher flight, 2) a tendency to see every so slightly more draw on the shot, but if the player slices or fades the ball then that very tiny bit more draw might be seen, 3) very slightly the golfer may feel that the solidness of impact on a well hit shot feels a little more solid or feels like the ball is jumping off the face a little faster. But these are… Read more »
Tom, I need your advise. I am 6’4″ with a WTF of 35 3/8″. I have always been told I need anywhere from 1/2″ over all the way to 1.5″ depending on the pro giving me advise. I have never gone through a fitting. The last set of irons I bought have Aerotech Steelfiber shafts and the person who sold them to me stated they were one inch over. The 5 iron is actually 39 1/4″ and I’ve hit these clubs well but from what I’m reading I might not even need extra length shafts. Could you give me your… Read more »
Matt: From our experience, if you have a normal posture over the ball at address, you would be best fit into irons that would be +1/2″ longer than std (meaning a 38.5″ #5 iron length) and then we would recommend going with 3/8″ increments between each iron down from the 5 iron through the wedges so you would not get into an uncomfortable position of having to bend over more or crouch down more with the high number irons and wedges. There are no standards anymore for any specs on golf clubs, including length. So from all my experience a… Read more »
Hi Tom — I’m 6’5″ with a 40-inch wrist to floor, single-digit, above-average swing speed. I have always played +1 inch but don’t feel I need that added length in the long irons, even though I definitely need it in the wedges/short irons for posture. The mid/long irons feel very heavy and it’s harder to make center-contact. I would like to create a set that has progressively lower increases in length — e.g., +1 inch in the wedges, then maybe +3/4 or +1/2 in the mid-irons and +1/2 or +1/4 in the long irons. I would then match the lie… Read more »
ERIK Your thinking is sound, for sure. What with the recent popularity of single length, that really has opened up the conversations for possible changes in the length increments for iron sets when the player is not into going with the one length concept. For a player with your height and W to F, you might think about going single length for the 8, 9, wedges but above the 8 go with a 3/8″ increment upward, or even 1/4″ if you have an above average swing speed (80mph or more with the 6 or 7 iron). If you did 37.5… Read more »
Tom, I can’t thank you enough for your detailed response. It is very helpful and interesting to get your feedback. The 5/16″ length change makes great sense. If I may I have three follow-up questions: 1. In a set where each club is 5/16″ shorter do you make the swing weights of the irons match, or just let the shorter irons carry a heavier swing weight? If you do adjust swing weight are you adding weight to the butt of the shaft or how do you do it? 2. Suppose based on a proper club fitting (posture review and W… Read more »
JOHN Always happy to help with information and always have and always will. 1) I’m not talking about each iron being 5/16″ shorter. I am talking about the LENGTH BETWEEN EACH iron graduating in 5/16″ increments, not the usual half inch. Let me do this in another way. I’ll list the lengths of each iron but I will first put down the standard length, then what the length would be with 5/16″ increments, starting with the #4 iron – #4 = 38 1/2″: 38 1/2″; #5 = 38″: 38 3/16″; #6 = 37 1/2″: 37 7/8″; #7 = 37″: 37… Read more »
Tom – I am a 20 hdcp, 6’4″ with 38″ wrist to floor. Currently playing Callaway Bertha irons +1″ and my 7i is 37.25″…just bought Ping G700, which of course are 1/2″ difference between clubs. My question is, can I add 1/4″ plugs to effectuate the 5/16″ concept? Will that adversely affect the swingweight?
Thanks,
Ken
KEN First off, 37.25″ for a 7 iron length is only +1/4″ over standard length, based on a set made to normal half inch increments between irons. Based on my experience simply from height and wrist to floor, you would be fit into +3/4″ over standard length starting at the 5 iron and then do either 3/8 or 5/16 increments between the irons from there. Increasing length by 1/4″ would increase the swingweight by a little over 1 swingweight point. More than likely you would not notice this because you’re not actually adding head weight. The swingweight only increases because… Read more »
Tom, thanks for the quick response! I apologize, but I mis-typed…my 7 iron is actually 38.25″ which is +1 over the standard 37.25 for the Callaway Bertha iron.
Ken
Tom,
I have trouble understanding why people get fit with longer than standard irons instead of keeping a standard length and adjusting the lie angle upright. Would you help me understand why this is not suitable?
In my view the standard length is easier to hit on center, and the last thing amateur golfers need is a longer length to make it any harder.
Thanks!
John
John: Length fitting for the woods will always be about the golfer’s ability and has nothing to do with their height, posture, arm length or any other physical characteristics. Irons however are different. They have to be fit for length so the golfer can maintain a comfortable posture both at address AND through impact. Irons are already shorter and each one gets another half inch shorter than the one above it. So with a lot of tall golfers there comes a point where in order to get the club down to the ball with the higher loft irons, they end… Read more »
Hi Tom,
I am 6ft 6in tall and my irons are plus 1in in length with 3/8in increments between irons. My swing speed is only around 80mph as I am 75 years old. The clubfitter who made the irons installed stiff shafts to offset the added length. My question is if this makes sense and is it possible that the stiff shafts in the shorter clubs works but that I might benefit from regular shafts in the longer irons?
Thanks Tony
TONY: The fact that your clubmaker chose to “only” go +1″ over and with 3/8″ increments for someone of your height most certainly indicates he knows what he is doing and that you chose right when you decided to work with him. Most people who fit and build clubs tend to go much too long when they see someone as tall as you. Keeping the irons at +1″ and then allowing the irons to gradually and progressively get longer through the 3/8″ increments is smart clubmaking. with the S flex shafts at +1″ progressing longer than that from the 3/8″… Read more »
Hi Tom,
Was wondering, do you have a similar wrist to floor measurement conversion for conventional putter length? I am 6’1.
Thanks
DAVID We do not use nor teach the use of a wrist to floor measurement chart for determining putter length. Putters are independent of an iron set when it comes to length because golfers tend to have all manner of different posture and set up position and preferences for what feels too long or too short with a putter as compared to the irons. What we teach for conventional putter length fitting is to get the golfer to assume his most comfortable address position with regard to how much they bend over and or crouch when setting up to a… Read more »
I am intrugued by your one length clubs and I really want to try them out. I am tall and play with +1.25 length clubs. How do you fit the one length clubs? This has got me thinking about using shorter clubs anyway and now reading your comments “In general, if the golfer has a more outside in the swing path, a more forceful transition and/or faster swing tempo, an earlier release and is less athletically coordinated, the final lengths will never be longer than what the lengths indicated by the wrist to floor measurement chart.” This describes me pretty… Read more »
DAVID Iron length is not just based on golfer height. It includes the golfer’s arm length in combination with the height through a measurement called the wrist to floor dimension. How far the wrists are from the floor combines height and arm length. Over the years we have compiled tons of data from many golfers to come up with a chart we offer to clubmakers to give them a recommendation for iron length based on specific measurements of the distance from the wrist of the upper hand on the grip, to the floor. Rarely do we see even a tall… Read more »
I am rather short, my height is 5 feet 4 inches. I have always had trouble hitting the driver ( standard size) so I recently bought a standard sized 3 wood but honestly speaking I’m no good with that either. I have asked for advice at my club but I have had all sorts of mixed opinion coming my way. My basic question is – Is my short height really hampering usage of the longer clubs such as fairway woods and the driver ? I seem to do well with my 3 hybrid and the irons but the 3 wood… Read more »
Mr. Jain: Thank you for taking the time to find our site and to ask your question about club length and fitting. we’re always happy to help with the best information based on our decades of experience in fitting research. The common standards for length of drivers and woods made by all of the big companies has really gotten to be ridiculous. You cannot find a men’s standard driver length less than 45″ or a 3 wood less than 43″ anymore. Some are even 46″ and 43.5″ respectively. The only golfers who truly can play to the best of their… Read more »
Hi Tom,
Many thanks for sharing all this knowledge, I just have one question, when doing the wrist to floor measurement, do I do it barefoot or wearing my usual golf shoes?
Thanks
Cam
CAM
Wear flat sole shoes like tennis shoes and do the measurement while standing on a hard surface floor like tile/concrete. Stand comfortably erect, shoulders perfectly level, arms hanging just relaxed and not extended at your sides. It will be most accurate to have a 2nd person do the actual measurement so you can maintain this position. Measurement is done from the major wrist crease at the base of the palm on your upper hand on the grip. Thanks much and hope this helps,
TOM
Hi Tom,
I am 41 french 7 hcp player.
I play golf and custom fitted club for years but I need your expertise.
I am 6.06 tall with 37 wrist to floor.
Indeed is it preferable to play .25 longer club and more upright or longer up to .5 with less lie angle ?
As most brand standard are different what would your static recommendations ?
Thanks. Charles
Charles Under our IRON length measurement chart that uses height and wrist to floor measurements, your IRON length would be + 1/2″ over standard, which would be expressed as a 5 iron of 38.5″ length. Then from the 5 iron on down to the wedges, we probably would recommend using 3/8″ increments between irons instead of the usual half inch change from iron to iron. BUT . . . COMFORT is the #1 most important thing with iron length. So in testing we would build some iron test clubs to the recommended lengths and then have you hit them over… Read more »
I have a 41 inch wrist-to-floor and my driver and 5-iron are exactly what you recommend on your chart. What do you recommend, as a starting point, for the length of fairway woods and hybrids? Does it matter? In the same vein, do lie angles matter with these clubs?
ERIK Just to be sure, my current wrist to floor chart says that a true 41″ measurement could match to either a 39 1/4″ or 39 1/2″ length for the 5 iron. If possible, for such cases as your very long 41″ W to F measurement, always try to get the length of the 5 iron as SHORT as you can possibly deal with AND STILL BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR ADDRESS POSITION AND THROUGH IMPACT. Once you find that length, then use 3/8″ increments down through the set to the wedges so that you can be sure to maintain comfort… Read more »
Also, what effect will cutting 2 1/2 inches off my senior flex driver have on the club?
thanks
BILL: That all depends on how long the driver is now. If you bought a big company driver off the rack in a golf store or on line, it is probably somewhere between 45 and 46″ in length because that’s pretty much where all the companies set the loft of their men’s drivers today. Cutting 2.5″ will certainly make it easier to control to POSSIBLY lead to better accuracy and a higher percentage of on center hits. But ONLY if you re weight the head to go with the much shorter length. If you just cut the length and do… Read more »
From where to where do you measure club length. Total club ir shaft.
thanks
Bill
BILL: Here’s how you measure the playing length of any club. Get a 48″ ruler. Hardware stores have them. Put the club down on a hard surface floor such as tile or concrete so the CENTER OF THE SOLE is touching the floor. Not tilted back on the heel or tilted up on the sole side of the sole. Hold the club in this position while you slide the 48″ ruler up from behind the shaft with the 0 end of the ruler on the floor right behind the heel back of the head. Length is then measured to the… Read more »
Appreciate the feedback. When hitting 7,8,9 and pw I definitely had to crouch a little more with standard clubs. My old set of FG,s were an inch over but when looking at the bottom of the clubs after an hour on the range, the marking from the mats were favoring the toe area. I had them bent up 2 degrees which seems to give me more of a draw although a draw is my natural shot. I never found ball striking with my irons before having them bent an issue. I could draw and fade balls at will. I never… Read more »
Neil: If you are a good player with pretty good swing characteristics that you can REPEAT with reasonable consistency, and if you are happy with the way you hit the ball land happy with your primary ball flight shape, then play with the clubs you have and enjoy the game. But if you are seriously into the game and if you have any areas about your play that you are not 100% happy with or have doubts about, or if you ever question whether there is something that could be improved in your shot shape, shot consistency, shot distance, then… Read more »
6″3 38 wrist to floor. Fitter says go 1 inch longer on my new Staff fg forged irons. Normally play an inch over but hit the standard length well and confidence in 3 4 irons. Thinking I may just go 3/4 over in length. Any thoughts. 6 handicapper good iron player but found tighter dispersment with the standard lofts
NEIL We see a W to F as +3/4″ over so your fitter is pretty darn close to what we see after years of digging into this in part of our fitting work. What you might want to think about is whether you want to go with normal half inch increments between irons vs 3/8″ increments. Here’s some things to think about as to whether this could be something you want to do or not. With your present, previous sets that may have been an inch over, if you have ever felt that you had to bend over more or… Read more »
I truly seem to go along with every little thing that is composed in “Do Tall People Always Need
Longer Clubs or Short People Shorter Clubs? | Tom Wishon Golf Technology”.
I am grateful for all of the actual information.Thanks for your time,
Stephaine
Stephaine
Thanks so much for your interest in clubfitting information. We really do appreciate that very much. For sure, if you have ANY questions about any area related to golf club performance, do please let us know and we would be glad to address any of your interested topics about golf clubs in the future.
TOM