Effects of Shortening Golf Clubs

Before you shorten your golf clubs, have you thought of the effects the procedure has on your performance? Maybe not. Most golfers decide to shorten their clubs, not knowing the consequences. It is not wrong to shorten your golf club. There is in fact a high chance they are longer than they should be. 

Over the years, manufacturers have been releasing longer clubs to maximize their sales by advocating for longer yardages. It is not unusual to find golfers with poor postures, terrible accuracies, and nothing closer to long distances. Most players decide to shorten their clubs, but this also has its pros and cons.

In this article, we look at the various effects you are likely to encounter when you shorten your golf clubs and why golfers decide to do so. Some are not so appealing, while others are quite effective.

What Happens when your Golf Clubs are too Short?

You have probably been asking yourself this question for a while now. The moment you start thinking that your golf clubs are too short, it’s not a good thing. There is a high chance you noticed a few instances while on the golf course, and it’s somehow affecting your performance. 

When you shorten your club, there are a few things that happen. First, the club becomes stiff and loses flexibility. It will require you to use more swing speed to hit like before. Short clubs have lower swing speeds, and this makes it hard to achieve long distances. 

The second thing is that you will experience a certain level of awkwardness when taking a swing. This feeling results from you standing too close to the ball and may take time for you to adjust to. If you continue feeling this way for a while, there is a high chance that your club is too short. 

Finally, when you shorten your club, it loses a significant amount of weight. One inch may sound like it’s something diminutive, but once you take a swing on the ball, you will notice the difference. The weight helps balance the club, and it impacts when you hit the ball at the right spot. It is quite a challenge playing with an underweight club, and the only solution is to add some weight by using a heavier shaft or lead tape. 

The Benefits of Shortening your Golf Clubs

While a shorter club may reduce your distance or yardages, it comes with several advantages. To some golfers, these are their desired accomplishments, while to others, they are added benefits to what they expected. Most golfers are on a mission to better their performance and, while at it, enjoy the game as much as they can. 

So if shorter golf clubs are going to make you achieve this, there is no reason for you to continue using those long clubs. Below are some of the benefits of shortening your shafts as opposed to using the standard golf clubs. 

Improved Accuracy

Longer distance without the desired accuracy is not really of use for a golfer. Manufacturers advocate for long clubs because they offer better distances, but the sad reality is that their accuracy is usually off for most golfers. With short clubs, you are likely to improve your accuracy, which is the most important aspect when trying to improve your performance.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that with a shortened club, you will have lower distances. You can hit the ball further as long as you pass the right amount of energy from the club to the ball and improve on the quality of contact upon impact. 

Improved Club Control

Short golf clubs are more comfortable to control compared to those with longer shafts. When you use a shortened club, you will realize that you have more authority against the driver because of the reduced flexibility. The clubs are also lighter and stiffen up a little bit. The ultimate goal is to have control over the club to have better accuracy upon taking a swing. 

Better Swing Planes and Shaft Angles 

Most golfers using long shafts find it challenging to get the best position for the desired swing planes and shaft angles. Shorter clubs seem to provide a better vertical angle between the ground and the distance that the clubhead travels. Short golf clubs help you to avoid lifting the club from your body. 

How Shortening your Golf Club Affects the Lie Angle

To be a successful golf player, you need to go quite far in understanding the small details of the game. On that note, shortening your club impacts the lie angle that can potentially affect your performance. 

It is crucial that when fitting the golf club, the lie angle adjustment should come after fitting the shaft length. Note that for every ½ inch reduced, the lie angle becomes one degree less upright. Therefore, when the lie reduces, the club hits the ball closer to the bottom. The clubface will tend to close, and your shot is likely to go towards the left. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What happens when you shorten your golf club?

When you shorten your golf club, it becomes stiffer and more firm. It loses some flexibility as a result of the reduced length. The golf club becomes lighter due to the weight loss, and the remedy is adding more weight using lead tape so that you do not overpower the club. 

Q: Should you shorten your golf club?

Whether to shorten or lengthen your golf clubs depends entirely on your performance on the course. There are many factors involved in club fitting. A short golf club is expected to give you better accuracy and control of the ball, while the long club gives you more distance. 

Q: Should short golfers use short golf clubs?

How short is a short golfer? It is essential that before deciding to shorten your golf club, you get the required measurements taken. Also, note that a “short golfer” may find it comfortable using a standard golf club than using shortened one. It all depends on your height and other dynamic measurements. 

It takes a short golf club for the average golf player to achieve control and the ability to crush the fairway almost every time. However, a short golf club has also lost some level of flexibility and weight. It is important to note that even the said standard golf club can be quite challenging for the average golfer to achieve the right swing positions and posture.  

Unfortunately, companies are taking advantage of club distance to manufacture “standard length clubs.” What will surprise you is that about 90 percent of golfers do not use standard-length clubs. It is a marketing technique for them to sell you more expensive custom fit clubs. 

We hope that you now have a better understanding of the effects of shortening your golf clubs. Remember that with shorter clubs, you are likely to improve your accuracy and have better shaft angles. Always consider your game type and height dynamics before considering adjusting your golf club shaft lengths.

Find the best junior golf clubs here. 

Last Updated on July 13, 2024 by Tom Fiore