In the good old days, the biting point of the clutch depended only on how it is adjusted. It was a fallacy to assume you could get a good view of how worn the clutch was by how far the pedal came up before go-go time. Only broken fingers/springs on the pressure plate gave the game away. A noisy thrust bearing signified either a very old clutch or that some oaf had been driving with his foot resting on the pedal all the time. Some clutches were self adjusting, others were tweaked at service time or by dealers prior to sale.
I knew a driving instructor who always had it adjusted reasonably high to help learners get their first feel of the biting point.
If the Golf clutch has any adjustment, the same principle applies. You can adjust the pedal up or down. I can't go and check on mine, 'cos I've got DSG but I've just looked at a Polo and the adjusting screw is at the gearbox end of the cable so things are still the same.
The general rule is: Drive sensitively and do most of your miles on the motorway - clutch lasts forever. Pretend you are Ayrton Senna, burn off every set of lights, drive with your foot on the clutch pedal all the time, hold it on the clutch at lights and hills, especially with a caravan on the back - clutch lasts about 5 mins. Buy a used car and it's pot luck how long the clutch will last.
When I was lead footed 14 year old I burnt out the nearly new clutch on my Dad's car trying to get it out of where I'd got it stuck (before he came back). Happy days.