Short men golfers don’t have many options out there. There are hardly ANY options targeted to men golfers with a shorter than average height. So what are you to do? Here’s our simply guide to help you out.
Before you spend your money on a set of clubs, let’s go through a couple of frequently asked questions. And if there is any question that I don’t answer here, please go down to the bottom of this article and leave your question as a comment. I’ll answer it as soon as I can!
FAQs
What are the recommended club types for short men? For very short men with dwarfism or those that are simply shorter than 5 feet tall (54 to 60 inches), I recommend junior golf clubs. For short men (60 inches to 66 inches), I recommend senior flex, graphite shafted men’s golf clubs. You’ll only have to “choke down” on the clubs about one inch in length.
Can short men use junior/kids/teen golf clubs? Absolutely, but only if you are under feet tall. If you are very short, you’d be fine using junior golf clubs. Junior golf clubs come in many different sizes, so you’d probably be looking for the largest junior sets. Junior golf clubs will be shorter and lighter than standard men’s golf club sets. However, this all depends on your height, strength, arm length, and posture. Keep reading the rest of the article, and I suggest you go to the section corresponding to your height to see if junior clubs are a good fit for you.
Can short men use standard men’s golf clubs? It depends. Of course you could… but it might not be the best fit. Stronger short men will be fine using standard men’s clubs, as they can simply “choke down” on the grips a little, and the extra weight won’t bother them. Weaker short men will probably struggle with standard men’s clubs, as they will be too heavy and the steel shafts in the irons won’t be a good fit. Again, this question will also depend on your height, arm length, and posture.
Standard men’s golf clubs are meant for heights roughly 5’6” to 6 feet tall (66 to 72 inches tall). However shorter golfers that are stronger, have shorter arms, or have naturally bent over postures will be fine with standard men’s golf clubs. Keep in mind that shorter golfers “choking down” on the grips will have a few benefits, such as more control.
Can short men use senior men’s golf clubs? Absolutely. However, you’ll probably still need to “choke down” on the clubs. Senior golf clubs have lighter, graphite shafts. Standard men’s golf lcubs have heavier, steel shafts (for irons). Graphite shafts will allow you to swing faster and hit the ball longer for the majority of shorter men golfers. My most common recommendation for short
Can shorter men buy standard clubs and cut them down to size? Yes, you absolutely could. However, you’d be better off paying a club fitter to do this. Oh, and you can’t simply cut off half an inch or an inch on each club without messing up the feel of the club. Plus, you’d have to take the grip off and put a new one on for each club. So, if this is your first set of clubs, I’d recommend you to get the correctly sized clubs from the start.
What if I’m __ inches tall? If you are 64 inches tall, don’t waste your time looking up the best clubs for your specific height. Height is only ONE factor, although it is the most important factor. I think of heights in ranges of 6 inches or so. That leaves room for small adjustments/differences in postures, arm lengths, strength, etc.
How much do golf clubs cost for short men? There’s a huge range. You can spend as little as $150, and all the way up to $1,000+. In general, the more you pay, the better performing clubs you are getting. More expensive clubs are more durable, longer, straighter, more forgiving, and feel better at impact. Cheaper clubs are made of low quality material, meaning the club heads break easier, the clubs feel poor at impact, they aren’t as forgiving, and they won’t hit the ball as long.
If you expect to play hundreds of rounds in your life, then invest in a good set of clubs. Otherwise, you’ll buy a cheap set, break it, and then have to buy a higher quality set. If you expect to play less than 20 rounds in your life, then I’d stick with the cheaper sets that we recommend.
Do brands matter when it comes to golf clubs? Ab-so-lutely. If you go with a high quality brand, you’ll get a higher quality set. If you go with a no-name brand, then you’ll get a low quality set of clubs. Pretty straight forward there.
What brand should I buy? Callaway, Strata (Callaway’s lower cost brand), Cleveland, & Wilson are great options for shorter men. These brands have multiple options for many different heights. Plus, their clubs are tried and true, having been tested by hundreds of golfers.
What brands should I NOT buy? Don’t even look at off-brand clubs. If they don’t include a brand, don’t buy them. If they are a low quality brand like Aspire, Palm Springs, RAM, Prosimmon, Precise, then don’t buy them. They are not worth the money.
Alright, well hopefully that covered most of the questions that could have popped into your head. Now, let’s talk about the best clubs that you can buy, based on your height and budget.
For Men With Heights 54 to 60 inches
For a male golfer shorter than 5 feet tall, junior clubs are simply the way to go. They are cheaper, shorter, lighter, and still very high quality.
I won’t sugarcoat it. If you are very self conscious about your height, then you might not feel comfortable buying a boys/teenagers/junior set of clubs. However, if you don’t care whether it says “junior” on your golf bag, then you’ll be rewarded with perfectly fitted clubs at a lower price than mens’ clubs. Here’s two high quality options for you.
One of my good friends from high school is a midget. Super awesome guy, and great golfer! He uses a junior set and loves it!
Higher Quality Option: Callaway XJ Junior Golf Set
Callaway is the king when it comes to high quality junior golf clubs. When I used to teach golf to juniors for 4 years, Callaway was the most common set of clubs purchased. They last forever (can be passed down to new junior golfers), perform super well, and don’t cost too much.
If you are a male golfer between 54 and 60 inches in height, then the Callaway XJ junior set is a great option. It doesn’t scream “JUNIOR GOLF CLUB SET”, as it looked professional. Plus, the Callaway brand tells you that these are high quality clubs, not cheap off brands.
This set (the 7 piece set) includes a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 2 irons, and a mid-mallet putter. The bag comes in white and blue options – both of which look professional and well made. Overall, this set is focused on distance and forgiveness, which is perfect for beginner golfers. Large sweet spots and lots of perimeter weighting ensure that your mishits have a good chance of still flying straight and long.
Currently, the price is around $300. If you were to buy a similar performing set meant for standard men, the price would be closer to $1,000. That’a a big difference. This set offers incredible value for short men under 5 feet tall.
Better Value: Cleveland CGJ Large Junior Set
If you want a lower priced set for men under 5 feet tall, then Cleveland is a great brand to go with. The Cleveland CGJ Junior golf club set offers a better price and only a SLIGHTLY lower quality set of clubs. The “Large” option is perfect for men golfers from 54 to 60 inches in height.
The Cleveland junior set includes a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 2 irons, a wedge, and a putter. You are probably thinking that 2 irons simply isn’t enough. Honestly, it will be fine for 90% of short male golfers. Unless you hit the ball a super long way for your height, then the gaps between irons isn’t that large anyway, so you’ll be fine with only 2.
Just like the Callaway junior set, you can hardly even tell that this set is meant for juniors. No one will know what the “J” in CGJ means anyway. It’s a high quality set that looks the part, which is super important in my opinion.
You can pick up the Cleveland Junior set for around $220, so around $80 less expensive than the Callaway set. Truthfully, you can’t go wrong with either option.
For Men With Heights 60 to 66 inches
If you are between 60 and 66 inches in height, then junior clubs are a little too small for you most likely. That probably doesn’t surprise you, but I bet this will… If you are in this height range, you only need clubs that are ONE INCH shorter than standard. One inch. That’s it.
With that being said, you have a few options.
- You can get professionally fitted for clubs, which is the best option if you can afford it. They will take exact measurements, look at your posture over the ball, and let you tinker with a few different lengths the find the one that is perfect for you, based on feel and actual results with a shot tracker.
- You can buy junior golf clubs and bend over a little more, because they will be a little short. This is a bad option, because you’ll engrain bad habits and possibly get more hurt due to your posture.
- You can buy standard men’s golf clubs and choke down on the clubs. This is the best option for you in my opinion. You have far more options to choose from, and one inch isn’t that much to choke down on anyway. It’ll give you more control, ensure that you stand far enough away from the ball, and save you the hassle of finding the perfect clubs for your specific height.
Because we are dealing with standard sized clubs now, I’m going to break this section of the article down into 2 sections: 1) graphite iron shafts for slow swingers and 2) steel iron shafts for faster swingers.
Graphite Shafts for Slower/Weaker Swings
Drivers, woods, hybrids, and putters always come with graphite shafts. However, some sets offer graphite irons, while others offer steel shafted irons.
If you are a shorter man with a slower swing (95% of short beginner golfers fall in this category), then you’d do best with graphite shafts with your irons. Graphite shafts are lighter, which will allow you to generate more club head speed, distance, and height on the golf ball.
Highest Quality: Cobra F-Max Airspeed (Graphite, Senior Flex Shafts)
The Cobra F-Max Airspeed men’s set is the highest quality, lightest weight set on the market right now. They are perfect for seniors, and they are also great for shorter men. Shorter men that choke down on the grip by an inch or so will find this to be a long, forgiving set.
This is the lightest set currently on the market. Cobra has continued to drop a few grams on the weight of the clubs with each new release. Every small weight decrease leads to more distance, especially for shorter dudes.
The iron shafts are extremely lightweight shafts with senior flexes. Senior flex shafts are great for slower swings, as they “whip” more at impact to create faster club heads speeds where it matters most.
The Airspeed set will set you back more than $1,000, so it’s not for everyone. If you want the best set on the market and don’t care about the extra cost, go for it. If you want to save some money and still end up with a similar performing set, then head on over to the next section.
Better Value: Wilson Senior SGI Senior Carry (Graphite, Senior Flex Shafts)
The Wilson SGI Senior Carry clubs are lightweight and have graphite shafts for irons. They’re perfect for short men golfers that want a good quality set at a great value.
They are standard sized, so you’ll have to choke down on the shafts up to 1 inch. That will take some getting used to, but it’s not a significant change.
Truthfully, this is the set that I’d recommend for most short men golfers. It’s a great combination of price and performance, and that’s what this site is all about.
Although the clubs aren’t as long, forgiving, and durable as the Cobra clubs, they are a great alternative at a fair price.
Steel Shafts for Faster/Stronger Swings
Steel shafts are heavier than graphite shafts. Typically, shorter men golfers aren’t going to be best suited with graphite steel shafts. However, that’s not always the case.
Short men golfers who are very strong and/or have faster swings will hit better irons shots with steel shafts. So if you fall in the category, let’s talk about the best steel shafted sets that you can buy. Again, you’ll need to choke down on them a little, but not much. It’s always better to have slightly too long clubs rather than slightly too short clubs.
Highest Quality: Cobra XL Speed (Steel, Regular Flex Shafts)
The Cobra XL Speed complete set is a couple of years old now. It’s an entire set of premium golf clubs, all bundled into one package. Unlike most clubs in complete sets, these clubs are truly top of the line. Forgiving, long, and greet feel at impact.
If you are a strong golfer or someone with a fast swing speed, the steel shafts will be a great fit. You’ll have far better control than the lighter weight graphite shafted irons.
The XL Speed clubs are not as light as the Airspeed clubs, but they are far cheaper. Plus, the XL Speed clubs are currently the only high quality set that is offered with steel iron shafts. That’s why we picked XL Speed over the Airspeed clubs for stronger, shorter golfers.
Better Value: Strata 12 Piece Men’s Set (Steel, Regular Flex Shafts)
Strata is the most popular complete set of clubs for all golfers, including shorter male golfers. They are decent clubs at a great price. That’s the best way to sum them up.
The Strata Men’s 12-Piece set has everything that you’ll need to start playing golf. I wouldn’t suggest buying the 16-piece set, as the 12 is all you’ll need. Like I’ve mentioned a million times, you’ll have to choke down on these clubs an inch or so if you fall within the 60 to 66 inch height range.
Right now, this set is selling for around $250. That’s an absolute steal, but let me tell you why. First, the steel shafts are cheaper than the lighter weight graphite shafts. Secondly, because the clubs are just decent quality… not high quality.
This set will work well for beginners, but intermediate golfers will want better clubs as soon as possible. These clubs just don’t offer incredible distance, forgiveness, or feel. But like I said, beginners will love it and the price.
My son wants to get a set of clubs. He’s at that age where he hasn’t really grown into his man body yet. But he’s probably not appropriate for junior clubs. He is 5 foot six. Someone told me maybe look at getting him women’s clubs is that a ridiculous idea? Will people know by looking at them? I have no knowledge of golf. Sorry.