There is a perception among many golfers that playing with shorter shafts in their clubs will lead to increased flexibility in posture along with improved ball striking, due to having more control and all they need to do is cut a few inches off their clubs.
The key advantages to shortening your golf clubs are as follows:
- Most people find it easier to create the desired spine and shaft angles, swing planes, and contact with the ball when using a shorter club.
- If you’re a beginner, shorter clubs can be more forgiving. A regular club might seem too difficult to use from the get-go.
- The shorter clubs are easier to handle and will allow you to become more comfortable with your own golf swing.
While there are several benefits to shortened clubs, it does present some drawbacks as well, such as changing the swing weight of the club, I go into more detail a bit later on.
Let’s look at whether shortening your golf clubs will help you with better swing mechanics and distance control, or if in fact it will just make things harder for you.
If you’re new to golf here is a little overview about golf length, which will help make things clearer.
- 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 Golf Club Length Should You Use?
You want to base your club length on your height and the distance between your wrists and the floor. There’s a specific club length that works best for each height and arm length. Also, a club can be custom fitted by a professional fitter.
Choosing the right golf club length is not always easy. There are many factors to consider, such as your height and arm span.
The best way to find the right club length is to try out different lengths and see which one feels most comfortable.
Here are all the steps you need to do to get the right club length:
- Measure your height
- Measure the distance between your wrists and the ground
- Use the measurements to determine what length golf club you need
- Measure how the club sits
For an in depth look into choosing the right golf club length, take a read of my article: How To Tell If Your Golf Clubs Are Too Long
What Are The Advantages Of Using Shorter Golf Clubs?
They can be more forgiving for beginners. If you’re a beginner, it can be tough to use a regular club from the start.
The shorter clubs are easier to handle and will allow you to become more comfortable with your own golf swing.
As mentioned earlier, most players will find it easier to create the desired spine and shaft angles, swing planes, and contact with the ball when using a shorter club.
As expected, this shortens your golf swing but can actually make your shots more accurate. You might be surprised how much further you can hit the ball because of improved quality of contact and an improved ability to pass on energy better!
Also, because shorter golf clubs weigh less, compared to full size clubs, they are easier to carry around, which means as a beginner you’ll have less arm fatigue
What Are The Disadvantages Of Using Shorter Golf Clubs?
If you’re making any adjustments to your club, such as taking a small amount off the length of it, then you won’t have to worry too much about affecting its performance.
The more shaft you cut off, the lighter and flatter your club becomes.
For every 1/2 inch you remove, it wont affect the lie angle but you’ll lose swing-weight points., although this can be offset by adding lead tape to the clubhead.
But if want to shorten your irons by more, it will affect how they perform because with each inch you take off the club’s length, the club will effectively play one degree flatter.
That means that for every inch shorter your clubs are (say from 42 inches down to 40), they’ll be playing 2 degrees flatter. Which will affect which part of the club face that makes contact with the ball.
So if you were previously using an 8-iron for 140 yards out on a golf course and now use a 7-iron instead due to this change in length, then it will probably feel like there is less than 10 yards between clubs compared to what you might be used to with your full length clubs.
How To Shorten Your Golf Clubs
If you’re going to shorten the length of your golf clubs yourself, there a few simple steps you need to follow:
- Remove The Grip
- Remove The Grip Tape
- Measure Twice and Cut Once
- Make The Cut
- File Off Any Lose Edges On The Cut Line
- Place A New Grip On The Club
- Add Weights to balance any change in swing weight
- Go Try Out Your New Shorter Length Club
Why Complete Beginners Should Use Shortened Golf Clubs
Shorter clubs are just like regular clubs except they’re shorter. This means they’re easier to use and less intimidating.
They can be more forgiving for beginners, so even when you make mistakes or have trouble with your swing, these clubs will help get things back on track a little easier.
You’ll also find that because these shorter clubs are lighter they won’t leave your arms feeling as sore after a round of golf – which is something every beginner has experienced at some point! The more you play, the less this happens.
Most importantly though, using shorter clubs gives beginners an excellent opportunity to learn how play golf properly before moving onto full-size equipment.
Conclusion About Shortening The Length Of Your Golf Clubs
The truth is, most people who play golf use clubs that are too long for them. As a beginner, it can be hard to find golf clubs that are the right length for you.
If you are just starting out, it might be better to start with shorter clubs that will help you develop your swing before moving on to longer ones.
Shorter golf clubs allow beginners to get a good grip on the club while letting them swing with more power and speed than longer ones would.
Once you have found the right size for your height and body type, consider how much power or control you want in each shot. And remember Power comes from longer clubs while control comes from shorter ones.
If you have been using standard length clubs and now want to make them shorter, you need to consider the change in the swing weight and compensate for this by adding lead tape to the clubhead to help balance the weight.
If you’re unsure what to do or how much to do, it’s probably best to leave it to a club Pro or club fitter to take care of it for you.
