How to measure golf club length

How the Rules of Golf measure club length

The Rules of Equipment, written by the R&A and the USGA, define length in Part 2, rule 2.1c. For woods and irons, the club lies on a flat horizontal surface with its sole set against a plane tilted at 60 degrees. The length is the distance from the point where the two planes meet to the top of the grip.

Putters are measured differently, because many putters have the shaft in the middle of the head instead of at the heel. A putter is measured from the top of the grip along the axis of the shaft, or a straight-line extension of it, down to the sole.

• Every club must be at least 18 inches long.
• Every club except a putter must be no longer than 48 inches.
• Putters have no maximum length.

Since January 1, 2022, the organizers of professional and elite amateur events can adopt Model Local Rule G-10, which limits every club except the putter to 46 inches. It is not a Rule of Golf, and it does not apply to an ordinary round unless the competition says so.

How to measure club length at home

You can get close to the official number with a ruler and a hard floor. Use a 48-inch ruler if you can: a 36-inch yardstick is shorter than a standard 7-iron (37 inches), and much shorter than a driver (The DIY Golfer). With a yardstick, mark the shaft at 36 inches and measure the rest from the mark.

1. 1
   Sole the club flatSet the club on a hard, level floor so it touches the ground at the center of the sole, the way it was designed to sit. Neither the toe nor the heel should lift off the floor.
2. 2
   Put the ruler at the heelStand the end of the ruler on the floor behind the heel of the club, and lay it along the back of the shaft.
3. 3
   Read at the end of the gripRead the number where the grip ends. Grip caps differ in thickness between makers (The GolfWorks), so read every club at the same point on the cap.
4. 4
   Measure putters along the shaftFor a putter whose shaft meets the head away from the heel, run the ruler down the line of the shaft to the center of the sole instead.

Do not stand the club upright against a wall and measure from the floor to the grip. Club heads differ in shape, so that number is not the club length (Golfspan). If the toe or the heel is off the floor while you measure, the reading changes too.

Drivers, irons and putters

The same method works for every club except the putter, but each kind of club has its own standard length. The GolfWorks, a club-making supplier, publishes the chart below. Irons step down half an inch per club, and clubs with graphite shafts are built half an inch longer than the same clubs with steel shafts. The full set is in the standard golf club lengths table on the tool page.

Belly and long putters are a separate category. The GolfWorks lists standard belly putters at 41 inches for men and 38 inches for women, and long putters at 48 inches for men and 46 inches for women. Because putters have no maximum length in the rules, those lengths are allowed.

What your measurement tells you

Compare your number with the standard for that club. A men's steel 7-iron that measures about 37 inches is standard length. One that measures 36.5 or 37.5 inches is half an inch short or long, which is the step size of PING's fitting chart.

PING's chart puts golfers about 5'7" to 6'0" tall at standard length, and moves shorter or taller golfers in half-inch steps. Enter your height in the golf club length calculator to see which length is your starting point.

Standard lengths are the lengths that give normal swingweights with standard head weights (The GolfWorks). If a club is cut down or extended, its swingweight changes too, so ask a club fitter or club maker to do it.