Every golf club is a set of numbers, and six of them do most of the work: loft, lie, length, shaft weight, shaft flex and grip size. This page explains what each one is, what it does to the ball, and how it interacts with the others — because none of them act alone. Change length and you change lie, swing weight and effective flex at the same time. Understanding the interactions is what separates a fitting from a shopping list.
01
Loft sets launch angle and a large part of spin. More loft is not automatically shorter: for slower speeds and lower launch, adding loft usually adds carry. Across the bag, loft is what creates the distance ladder, which is why stated lofts have crept stronger over the years and why gapping needs checking rather than trusting.
02
Lie is the angle between shaft and ground at address. If the sole is not level at impact, the face effectively points off-line, and the error grows with loft — which is why the same lie problem barely shows in a driver and is severe in a pitching wedge.
03
Length changes how far you stand from the ball, and therefore where on the face you make contact. Longer clubs offer theoretical speed and cost centred contact. For most golfers a slightly shorter, better-struck club goes further than a longer, mis-struck one. Length also changes swing weight and effective lie.
04
Weight influences tempo and control more than flex letters do, and flex is not standardised between manufacturers. Bend profile — where the shaft is stiff along its length — shapes launch and feel. Grip size influences how actively the hands release, so it is a direction specification as much as a comfort one.
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Go deeper
What golf shaft flex means, why flex letters are not standardised, and which shaft properties matter more than the letter on the label.
How loft controls launch and spin, why stronger lofts do not always mean more distance, and how loft creep affects bag gapping.
How golf club lie angle changes direction at impact, why the error grows with loft, and how to check whether yours is wrong.
How to choose golf grip size from hand measurement, what grips that are too small or too large do to release, and how grip weight changes club feel.
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