More distance
Golfers who lengthen their clubs are generally looking for more distance. A longer club that is swung at the same speed as a shorter club will produce more distance. This can be very helpful to older golfers who have lost swing speed over the years because a lengthened shaft can help recover lost distance.
Controlling the shot
The most important thing for a golfer is overall accuracy and a longer club will demand excellent fundamentals in the swing. If a golfer has poor fundamentals with a longer club, keeping the ball in the fairway will become quite frustrating. It takes extra effort and practice to hit the ball accurately with longer shafts.
Need for longer clubs
Some golfers need longer clubs because of their physiology. It's not necessarily tall golfers that need longer clubs. The key measurement involves the distance between the wrist and the ground. A golfer who has a pronounced bend as he addresses the ball may need to take a hard look at lengthening his clubs in order to play the game more comfortably and effectively.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.