Then, as graphite shafts gained in popularity in the mid-to-later part of the 1980s, manufacturers needed to deviate from their formula of what lengths and headweights they used in the construction of their clubs. Swingweight became an important factor from a production standpoint, as it was a parameter most consumers were familiar with. In order for the manufacturers to create normal swingweights with graphite-shafted clubs, either the clubhead was to be produced heavier or the length needed to be extended. For a brief period, heads were produced heavier to maintain the "standard" lengths of the time. This required two separate castings for the heads, one for steel shafts and another for graphite. Before long, to cut down on cost and inventory, it became commonplace and accepted by the golfing community that graphite-shafted clubs be made longer than steel, for probably no other reason than producing to a "standard" swingweight specification.

The majority of clubs are purchased today are "off-the-rack" and produced to lengths and