Driver shaft length
Height 5’10”
Wrist to floor 33 1/2″
Britt Lindsey Answered question December 3, 2021
Driver shaft length
Height 5’10”
Wrist to floor 33 1/2″
Hi Bob,
Not sure I agree with the body parts measurement helping. You got your waste height measurement and your arm length measurements but ultimately you had to hit the different length drivers to verify the right length. If you believe the body measurements can narrow down the choices, that’s fine, but ultimately you have to test. I can put different lengths in your hands and have you address a shot and narrow down a few length options that we would try. From there, it is a mater of what length you can hit the most consistently for your ability and still maintain control and distance. You kind of made my point in that you said you did a lot of experimenting with different length drivers and settled on the 47 inches. That is how you do it. If your body length measurements somehow got you to a starting point, again that is fine. I (we) simply do not measure body parts to determine length and have never taught that in our fitting schools. Ultimately, it just matters that you get the right length. As far as the USGA goes, no comment.
Britt Lindsey
Wrist to floor length tells us nothing with regards to the proper length a club should be for any particular player. The proper way to fit length is to use impact tape on the face and hit several different length drivers to determine which length provides the most consistent and best performance, both in distance and accuracy. For distance, you want the longest length you can control, meaning the longest length you can still find the center of the face with a high percentage of the time for your ability. If distance is not an issue because you have a higher club head speed, I always suggest going slightly shorter in length to gain some control. I would say 99% of all the drivers we fit here at our facility, for men, will fall between 44.5″ to 45.5″ in length. Once in a while we will have someone that needs a 44″ or someone that can handle a 46″, but those are rare. You’re about my size and I use a 45″ (I usually grip down approximately 1/2″). I just like gripping down a bit as opposed to making it 44.5″. I would suggest getting with a qualified club fitter and take the time to get fit properly for your driver. If he starts by measuring your wrist to floor, walk out and find another fitter.
Britt Lindsey
There are some body measurements that help estimate a driver length to start testing. I will use myself as an example. I am 6’1″. My waist is about 2 inches higher off the ground that most guys my height. My arm length is only 34 inches with a dress shirt. Both of those factors raise my hands farther off the ground. My bend point is higher with short arms. In addition my swing is not upright. I did a lot experimentation with different club lengths. I settled on woods 2 inches overlength and irons 1-1/2 inch overlength, all with graphite X-flex shafts. That put my my driver at 47 inches. This is the first set I have ever used that will hit the ball straight without contorting my swing. I am way more consistent than I have ever been. The USGA 46 inch length limit screwed up my finally successful set. The USGA is run by evil idiots. Anyway, measuring the waist height from the ground and knowing arm length is very helpful in seeing if longer clubs would be better to test first.