What Is The Longest Club Length Allowed By The Rules?
Is there a limit to the length of golf club you are allowed to use. What is it? Would it be of any benefit to use a golf club longer than standard?
Most of us will have seen golf trick shot shows where skilled exponents demonstrate hooks and slices, purposeful tops, one handed power strikes, shots played off beer bottles and shots with whacky clubs. Often, they’ll hit shots off their knees with miniature clubs, then stand six feet or more from the ball wielding a driver with a shaft the length of a fishing rod, as per the image above. It’s impressive that they’re even able to make contact. It's impressive the kid in the shot is even able to lift the thing!
Nobody would benefit from using such an elongated club in competitive golf, but a slightly longer than standard shaft could potentially add extra club head speed and so increase distance.
For that reason, The Rules of Golf determine a maximum length for golf clubs to be used in competition.
In The Equipment Rules, 2.1c covers length of clubs. It says that the overall length of the club must be at least 18 inches and, except for putters, must not exceed 48 inches.
For woods and irons, the measurement of length is taken when the club is lying on a horizontal plane and the sole is set against a 60-degree plane. The length is defined as the distance from the point of the intersection between the two planes and the top of the grip.
Standard driver length today is around 45.5 inches. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau both toyed with the idea of a driver shaft length closer to 48 inches a few years back. Before a maximum length was introduced in the Rules, Swedish pro Jarmo Sandelin had a driver in the bag measuring around 51 inches in length.
But, as of January 2022, a Model Local Rule was made available – MLRG-10 – to provide those running professional or elite amateur golf competitions the option of limiting the maximum length of a golf club (excluding putters) to 46 inches. The main professional Tours put that rule into effect.
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There is no maximum length for putters. If you really feel it would benefit you to wield a six-foot-long putter, then there’s nothing under the Rules to stop you, so long as you don’t anchor the club under Rule 10.1b.
What you must remember though is that when you’re measuring club length while out on the course. If you’re taking a free drop, or a drop under penalty, you must measure using the longest club in your bag other than your putter. If you drop outside the correct club length it would be the general penalty – two shots in stroke play and loss of hole in match play.
So the answer to the question – What is the longest club length allowed by the rules? If you include the putter, there is no maximum. But for any other club, the maximum is 48 inches unless you’re playing in an elite event where MLR G-10 is being used, in which case it’s 46 inches. And, if you're taking a drop - don't use your putter to measure!
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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