Choosing the right length golf club is very important. Your clubs should complement your wrist-to-floor length, swing speed, and above all your height.
People with shorter arms should typically go for longer length clubs as they don’t have to bend over too much. Whereas, golfers with longer arms should opt for shorter length clubs so they don’t have to stand up too straight.
There are many reasons why a golfer would want a longer club. But the main reason is usually to increase distance.
A golfer with short arms may end up with a short length club. In this case, the golfer would have to bend over too much. This will ruin his or her spine angle and posture altogether.
When your spine angle is off, you may experience trouble rotating correctly. This begs the question, Can you have your clubs lengthened?
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Can Golf Clubs Be Lengthened?
The answer is yes. Golf clubs can be lengthened by either removing and replacing the shaft with a longer one or simply adding extensions which works out to be the cheaper method. You should be careful when adding extensions though as over extending the shaft can lead to premature failure due to stress where the extension was created. Shafts made out of steel should not extend beyond 2 inches. Putters on the other hand are an exception.
Golfers should be aware that lengthening the shaft will alter other aspects of the club’s performance including distance, accuracy, swing weight, feel and flexibility. Therefore, it is not a black and white solution.
How To Lengthen Golf Club
Method 1: Adding Extensions
By using the shaft extension method, you don’t need to replace the entire shaft but only the old grip. As we’ve mentioned, this is the most inexpensive and simpler method that you can do at the comfort of your home.
Here are the steps you should take to extend your golf shaft:
- Use a utility knife to cut off and remove the old grip.
- Use the utility knife to remove the tape.
- Check to see if the extension fits inside the end of the shaft. Excessive force is not required to insert it, rather it should fit in a comfortable manner.
- Once completed, mark the extension for the added length of your choice.
- Use the vise to secure the shaft extension.
- Use a hacksaw to cut the extension to the length of your choice.
- Clean up whatever residual material is left and use a file to smooth out the edges from the cut.
- Mix and apply epoxy glue to the section of the extension that fits inside the club’s shaft.
- Press the extension inside the shaft butt.
- Wipe off any excess glue.
- Wait a few minutes or hours for the glue to set before securing the club with the vise and shaft clamp.
- Remove all the tape residue using a small amount of grip solvent on a piece of rag or cloth
- To finish install the replacement grip, apply double-sided grip tape to the extended shaft, pour solvent inside the new grip and over the tape on the new shaft, then slide the grip over the end of the shaft.
Method 2: Replacing The Shaft
You can replace the entire golf shaft yourself without having to pay the pro shop. Here, we will be discussing the steps to help you achieve this in the comfort of your home, thus saving you money.
Make sure the new shaft can fit inside the club head’s hosel. The hosel is the cylindrical portion that connects the rest of the clubhead with the shaft. Due to the hollowness of the club’s hosel, it makes it easier for the tip section of the shaft to fit inside.
Her are the steps to take to replace your club’s shaft with a longer one:
- Use a utility knife to scrape off the ferule at the bottom of the club head’s hosel.
- Clamp down your club firmly with a shaft clamp to hold it in place while you work on the head of the club.
- Soften the epoxy that connects the shaft to the club head by heating up the area around the hosel with a heat gun.
- Release the head from the shaft by using a pry bar to push on the base of the hosel. The head should fall off the shaft.
- Give it a couple minutes for the club head to cool off before installing the longer length shaft.
- Clean out the old epoxy from inside the hosel using a rag or a piece of cloth.
- Remove the paint form the end of the replacement shaft using a sand paper or the same utility knife.
- Apply the epoxy to the end of the shaft and insert it into the hole at the base of the clubs’s hosel.
- Ensure the glue covers the whole surface inside the hosel. You can do this by rotating the shaft to the left and right a couple times.
- The last step is to push the the shaft all the way into the head. This is done by removing the club from the clamp and tapping the butt end of the grip on the floor. Once you are finish, use a soft cloth to wipe down the hosel to remove any residue from the epoxy glue.
- Let the glue dry overnight before using the club.
Pros And Cons Of Lengthening The Golf Club
Lengthening the golf club will affect other aspects such as the performance. The effects are different between the longer and shorter length club, so you must know what to expect when lengthening your club. Here are the effects that come with lengthening your golf club shaft:
1.) Swing Weight
The swing weight is measured on a 14 inch fulcrum that assesses the balance point of a club. This is displayed on an alphanumeric scale including a letter and a number. Swing weights for men are generally between D0 and D2, whereas for women ranges from C5 to C7.
The swing weight is affected as the shaft length increases. When you increase the length of the shaft by one-half inch, the swing weight will increase by 3 points. That means if you had a golf club with a swing weight of D2, then increasing the shaft length by one-half will make the swing weight D5.
You get more distance off a lighter weight club because you’ll be able to swing it faster. Heavier clubs on the other hand are harder to swing fast. Therefore, swing weight has a direct impact on swing speed.
2.) Accuracy
The longer your club’s shaft is the less accuracy it will have. Many people believe that longer shafts equal more distance, but this is not necessarily true.
A shorter length shaft could actually help you hit the ball farther, while keeping it in play.
With a longer length shaft, you are more prone to hitting the ball into a hazard or spraying it off the golf course leading to a lot higher scores. Hitting the ball with a longer club creates excess side spin.
3.) Distance
One advantage of having a longer club is distance but it isn’t always the case. For example, as you move towards longer clubs in your golf bag, the added length can result in less distance because it alters other aspects of the club’s performance such as the swing weight.
This will make the club heavier and harder to swing fast. Nevertheless, installing longer shafts in short irons and wedges will often result in more distance as most players find it easier to swing these shorter clubs.
4.) Timing And Feel
Probably the most important effect of changing the golf club length is time and feel. If you are accustomed to swinging a shorter length club, then you may have challenges trying to swing a longer length club. This could harm your game as such changes can affect your timing and mechanics without you even realizing.
We recommend that you seek a professional’s advice when considering lengthening your shaft as he or she will know what length clubs you need according to your height and wrist to floor measurement. The height based chart is a guidance that will help you decide the right length golf club to use. Click the link to check it out
You can also use this tool called the “Get Fit” to help you find the right shaft flex, grip size, and club length that is suitable for you.
Final Verdict
Adding extensions to your shaft should not be and expensive or difficult task. The standard length is to add one-inch or half-inch depending on the height of the golfer.
If you can’t add the extensions by yourself, then you are looking to spend anywhere between $40-$100 to lengthen a graphite shaft, whereas for a steel shaft the cost is between $20-$75.
Every shaft that you replace will need a new grip and that can cost you $8-$15, not to mention labor costs for an extra $5-$35.
All in all, lengthening your golf club is a good choice for increasing distance and improving your posture if you have small arms, but it wont necessarily improve the overall performance of the club.
