Is This Mistake The Reason You’re Not Getting Any Better? | Golf Monthly

A simple equipment adjustment could help you score better. We spoke to an equipment expert to find out why getting the right shaft length is so important.

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Not all golfers are created equal. We can’t all be Rory McIlroy or Nelly Korda! But it’s not just our levels of talent that vary. We also all differ slightly, or significantly, in terms of our size and physique. For that reason, we all can or would benefit from using equipment that’s tailored to our physical requirements. To make the correct stance with the correct posture, we may need clubs that are not standard length or standard lie angle.

We spoke to Andrew Pillans, an expert club fitter at Banchory Golf Club in Aberdeenshire to find out why getting the correct shaft length in your golf clubs is so important.

“Shaft Length is a critical factor in golf and can significantly impact a player’s accuracy, distance, consistency and overall swing mechanics,” says Pillans.

“An essential key to playing good golf is, of course, finding the middle of the clubface. A longer shaft, while offering a higher clubhead speed resulting in more distance, is a great deal harder to control and can often lead to inconsistent strike patterns. A shaft that is shorter may lose some distance but it can lead to a much more reliable strike pattern which overall could actually increase distance.”

Correct shaft length leads to good set-up and posture

So finding the right shaft length could help you gain distance and consistency of strike. It could also help you improve your posture and stance.

“Having the correct shaft length can improve setup and posture,” says Pillans. It can allow golfers to maintain a natural and comfortable posture during the golf swing. With the wrong length of shaft and incorrect posture position all swing mechanics can be impacted.”

And getting the wrong shaft length can impact the lie angle at address. If the club is too long, it could lead to a “toe-up” lie angle. If it’s too short, it could be “toe-down.”

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“Having the wrong shaft length can have an effect on lie angle; this can also lead to inconsistencies at address,” says Pillans. “Toe up/Toe Down situations can alter swing dynamics and effect strike and ball flight.”

It’s crucial then to make sure you get the right shaft length, not only to help you get the right setup and posture through the swing but also to help you find more consistency through the strike. The best thing to do is to visit a qualified PGA professional like Andrew Pillans to be measured and assessed. You might find your current equipment is incorrect for you and a change of shaft length could be of significant benefit and help you get better at golf!

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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