Petite Length?

We are frequently asked if someone should get petite or ladies length.  What is right for you is determined by a number of factors - to include your swing plane - and your best choice is to be fitted by a PGA or LPGA professional.

We, at LadiesGolfClubs.com, are not LPGA or PGA professionals - so all we can offer are some suggestions.

Generally, women that are 5'2" (with golf shoes on) can play with either petite or ladies standard - assuming you are of average body build, i.e., length of arms and legs.

But let's look at some other factors - petite clubs are 1" shorter than ladies standard - and that means your swing plane will be smaller - and you won't get the same distance compared to ladies standard length.  So, is distance an issue?  If you are going to play recreational golf two or three times a month, we suggest that accuracy is more important than distance - and you will get better accuracy with the shorter clubs - so even if you are 5'3" or so, you may enjoy the game more with the petite clubs - and lower your handicap. 

On the other hand, if you want to be very competitive - and plan to play several times a week, and want the most distance you can achieve, then you need to consider ladies length, even if you are shorter than 5'2" - assuming average body build. 

If you are currently playing, look at how you grip the club.  Do you grip down?  If not, then you are probably playing with the right length (assuming your ball goes straight).  If you do grip down a lot - that may be a telltale indicator that the clubs are too long.

Steel shafts are typically shorter than graphite.

Another issue that goes hand in hand with length is the flex of the shaft.  If your clubs are petite, your swing plane is smaller - so you won't build up as much swing speed.  Ladies standard is 60 to 70 mph for all the clubs we carry, except Nancy Lopez - which is 55 to 65 mph.  So petite players should also have their swing speed checked by an LPGA or PGA professional - as a flexible flex (50 to 60 mph except for Nancy Lopez which is 55 mph and below) may be the right flex for you. 

We have also included an article from Golf for Women.

***Golf for Women ran an article with this home test.   Measure where your wrist bends to the floor - with your golf shoes on.  This test is based on a ladies 5 iron with a shaft length of 36".  We are assuming this measurement applies to clubs with graphite shafts - but they didn't say -

If the measurement is:

And, we do encourage you to see an LPGA or PGA professional for a proper fitting.  You can always solicit advice when taking lessons - and we feel that our game is never good enough without ongoing lessons until we learn to play par golf!