Adjustment Considerations …
- Club Length
- Club Lie
- Grip Size
- Shaft Flex
- Loft Adjustments
- Head Size & Type
- Your Skill Level
- Your Budget
Golf club length can depend on many factors, the most important of which is the distance from your wrist to the ground when standing with your hands at your sides. Since peoples’ limbs are different lengths, your actual height may not be a factor at all. Keeping in mind that longer clubs are harder to control but do tend to generate faster club head speed at impact, things that factor in on your club length are as follows …
- Wrist to floor measurement
- Stance & ball position
- Swing plane
- Swing path
- Swing speed
- On-center hit frequency
- Athletic ability
Club Length
In most cases, a wrist to floor measurement of 33″ for men and 32″ for women would dictate a standard club length regardless of the persons’ height.
Lie Analysis
The lie of a golf club can be adjusted to match the player’s stance and swing pattern. Scuffing the club on a marker board during a normal swing will leave a mark on the bottom of the club head showing if the toe or heal is hitting the ground first.
As shown in the video, it only takes a few swings to determine where the club head is contacting the ground at impact.
Driver Flex
Driver shaft flex and weight are a big component in club selection. Club head speed at impact will give you a good starting point.
This two minute video is an enlightening discussion on the topic.
What grip size do you need?
Golf club grips come in various sizes and the grip thickness can have an effect on your ball flight and swing speed. New grips tend to allow you to hold the club more loosely, which in turn should increase your club head speed. Since the club is held more with the fingers, as opposed to the palm, finger length is the most important factor in determining grip size.
On the right is an image for a very basic grip sizing technique.