How to Fit Golf Clubs For Better Performance

Preciseness and accuracy are very important when it comes to playing golf—this includes the size of your golf clubs and for that reason why you need to know how to fit golf clubs for better performance.

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For beginners, it can be a struggle to find the correct club fit.

I experienced this first hand when I was just starting to play golf. While it may seem harmless, this can actually be detrimental in your overall performance without you even knowing it.

Generally, the wrong club size can make it difficult for you to swing with ease and accuracy. On the other hand, the right club fit can make your game more enjoyable and improve your game.

The question is how to fit golf clubs? In this article, we will answer that question as well as other essential topics on club fitting.

How to Fit Golf Clubs Properly

How do you fit golf clubs? It depends on several factors based on specific measurements, as well as your style of play.

Since every golfer is unique—in terms of body size, swing, grip—club fitting is just as critical as owning full gears.

Investing in a set of clubs that fits you can help improve your game on a whole nother level. And you won’t need to undergo a lengthy process or spend a lot of money!

First, to know how do you fit golf clubs, you need the following information and measurement:

Height in socks/shoes
Gender
Age
The distance of the top of your wrist from the floor
Handicap or skill level
Swing style
Club used at 150-yard marker

Above all these criteria, the primary requirement in club fitting is your height while wearing socks or shoes. This way, it is more precise just as when you’re playing on the course.

On the other hand, gender is vital as there are different standard lengths for men and women in golf. Hence, your gender will put you on the right fitting scale.

Two Ways How to Fit For Golf Clubs

There are two ways how to fit for golf clubs: static fit and dynamic fit.

Static Fit

Static fitting measures your club’s length and grip size. It is a very simple way how to fit golf clubs for beginners with little to no experience.

It measures the length from your fingertip or wrist to the floor and tests various lie angle heads. Then you will need to take a glove measurement to determine your grip size.

As its name suggests, static fitting focuses on static measurement. It is not as accurate as dynamic fitting, but it is better than not having any fitting before going on the course.

Dynamic Fit

How do you fit golf clubs through dynamic fitting? Compared to static fitting, dynamic fitting is a much more precise way of how to fit golf clubs.

Furthermore, during the fitting, you will measure your ball speed, dispersion, spin rate, and launch angle.

This allows you to evaluate the suitable equipment and gears depending on your playing style.

Once you determine the suitable head and shaft for your club, it’s time to measure the club length and lie angle.

If you go to a professional club fitter, they will use a lie board and face tape to measure this.

You can use a measuring stick to do this, but it’s essential to measure the strike’s centeredness through a face tape.

How to Fit For Golf Clubs: A Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to fit for golf clubs that I personally recommend:

Measure your height with shoes on
Measuring your height with your shoes allows the fitting to be as precise as when you’re on the course. Measure your body height from the top of your head to the bottom of your sole.
Measure the length between your wrist and the ground
Measuring your wrist-floor length allows you to determine the proper length and angle needed for your clubs. You don’t need to stand in your swing stance. When measuring, stand as straight as possible with your back on the wall and your arms hanging at your sides.

I recommend having another person, such as a professional fitter, measure your wrist-floor length for accurate measurements.

The measurement must start at the top of your wrist down to the ground.

Swing the clubs
Swinging a standard-length club is an essential step in fitting golf clubs. Testing your swings with a launch monitor allows you to assess your posture, grip, swing speed, and your set.
By doing so, your club fitter would be able to evaluate your swing in choosing a suitable club for you. Also, the club you use at the 150-yard marker allows your fitter to determine the appropriate shaft flex for you.
Apply tape to the bottom of your clubs
This step determines where your club will make contact with the ground. By marking the center of the bottom of the club, you will be able to identify the correct lie angle for your club. It also allows you to determine the proper length of your club’s shaft.
Identify your handicap
Finally, identifying your handicap will allow you to match with the right club type. If you don’t know your handicap, providing your skill level to your fitter can help in matching the right club for you.

Golf Club Flex and Loft and Lie Adjustments

The flex of your club is the “firmness” that the shaft provides to your club. The firmer shafts are best for players with stronger hits or fast swings.

And so the appropriate flex of your golf club depends on your strength and skills. Flex is especially essential when you’re using woods, long irons, and hybrids.

Meanwhile, it’s not as much of a big deal in shorter clubs since there are little differences between flexes.

Measuring Flex

How do you measure golf club flex? Again, this is under step three on how to fit golf clubs. I want to elaborate more on this since this is a critical process on how to fit golf clubs.

For accuracy, it would be best to go to a professional club fitter for this step.

Identify your swing speed

Your club-fitter would determine your swing speed using an electronic launch monitor or radar machine. Most beginners would fall around 80 to 85 mph per swing.

Keep track of your average drive when using different clubs

It helps you match with a suitable flexed set of drivers. Take a look at this guide:

Ladies flex: Below 180 yards
Senior flex: Between 181 to 200 yards
Regular flex: Between 200 to 235 yards
Stiff flex: Between 236 to 275 yards
Extra-stiff flex: Above 275 yards

Identify the right flex for your iron clubs

It will typically depend on the club you use in hitting 150-yard shots. Take a look at this guide:

Ladies flex: 4 to 5 iron
Senior flex: 5 iron
Soft regular flex: 6 iron
Regular flex: 7 iron
Firm flex: 7 to 8 iron
Stiff flex: 8 iron
Extra-stiff flex: 9 iron

Evaluate your grip while wearing golf gloves

Your gloves must be secure and comfortable and fit without creases.

Generally, your glove size should match the grip that you use. You can use the pinch test to test if your gloves fit. Take a look at this golf glove fit guide:

Lady standard grip: Small or cadet-small gloves
Standard grip: Medium or medium-large gloves
Mid-size grip: Large gloves
Oversized grip: Extra large gloves

Loft and Lie Adjustments

Like the flex fitting, I strongly suggest to get the loft and lie adjustment through a professional club fitter.

The process requires you to bend the hardened metal in the club using an iron cast. A professional club fitter would do the work for you to have your golf club custom-fitted to your liking.

Furthermore, a professional would take your natural ball address into account in the adjustment.

Usually, you won’t need to re-adjust it again later once you’ve had the club adjusted. It is also rare to have an upright or flat lie adjustment of more than 2 degrees.

Note that you cannot adjust woods, putters, and hybrids.

It is because the process of bending the head would damage these clubs. The hosel of these clubs doesn’t have the strength required for adjustments as it will crack or bend down the club’s crown.

Golf Club Size Guide

Your game performance can drastically improve with the use of precise custom-fit clubs.

It helps you perform swinging motion properly. Note that the standard length of golf clubs is different for men and women, plus each club has its own standard lengths.

Note that while it is essential to get a properly-fitted club, don’t forget to establish your playing style. This is a critical factor that you need to consider before buying a new set of clubs.

While the length can give more swing speed, it can be harder to control if it’s not your size. The proper club length would depend on your height and the length of your arms.

That’s why those are two first two steps on how to fit golf clubs. To evaluate the right club size for you, take a look at this golf club size guide:

Golf Iron

To start, the 1-iron club is typically around 40” in length, while the 9-iron club is around 36” in length. In short, each iron club number decreases half an inch in length.

Also, the standard iron club length for men is usually an inch longer than the standard size for women.

Golf Driver

The standard size for driver measures around 45” in length. If you’re competing, the rules allow you to use a driver of up to 48”.

Putter

The standard size of a putter in length is around 34”.

The measurement would usually depend on the construction of the club. For instance, fitters measure a center-shafted putter along the shaft just before where the clubhead should be.

Besides your height, your playing style and technique play a much more significant role in choosing the right putter length.

Graphite vs. Steel

Do note that shafts made from graphite and steel differ in length. Graphite shafts are typically longer than steel shafts, with 1” longer graphite woods and 0.5” longer graphite irons.

Why are graphite shafts longer? It is because it helps increase your clubhead speed and your shot distances.

However, if you’re shorter in height, you can purchase shorter graphites to match the length of its steel shaft counterpart.