How to Select The Best Golf Clubs for Women

Enjoy this informative guest blog post on how to select the best golf clubs for women, written by Melinda Bailey, 9 & Dine Women’s Golf Apparel.
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What Women Should Look For in Golf Clubs to Enhance Performance:
1. Lightweight Shaft
2. Large Sweet spot on Club face
3. Higher loft
4. Clubs made especially for women (not generic)
5. Hybrids instead of long irons
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You think men are better than women at golf? Psht, yeah right!

Well… okay. Men may have a little more power behind the golf swing but, contrary to conventional wisdom, the reason is not totally due to size.

In general, women tend to have a slower swing speed.  So how do you improve your swing to help you join the ranks of your male counterparts?

Start by choosing a fitting golf club to enhance women’s performance.

To begin, by using a lighter shaft a woman can increase her swing speed to great result. A graphite shaft, while more expensive, should be chosen over metal. A graphite shaft is lighter, and will quicken a women's speed of swing. However, a woman should not stop there. A ladies shaft should be specifically chosen. This is because these particular shafts will have more bend, thus launching the ball farther.

The heads on the woods are mostly metal or titanium these days. Sometimes, the two are combined. Again, metal is less expensive, but smaller and heavier. A titanium head, because it is lighter, is also larger. There is more head to hit the ball, and to hit it at a quicker speed.

Before looking at some of the better clubs for women, it should be noted that a driver does not have to be used for teeing off. Most golf drivers are used by excellent players who hit the ball a country mile. The drivers, therefore, have a lower loft. Women, as do many professionals, find teeing off less difficult and more rewarding by using something like a three-wood for the task.

Adjustable drivers are currently the hot new item in golf for men or women. 

Callaway makes a women's adjustable driver, the Razr Fit Xtreme, which has adjustable lofts from 8.5 all the way to 13. These drivers have an adjustable hosel. This is the part of the club head where the shaft is fitted. 

The player can adjust either the loft, the face angle, and even the lie of the club by making partial rotations of the shaft. One of the added benefits to these adjustable drivers is that it allows a player, as her game evolves, to keep her driver and make simple adjustments.

It should also be noted that long golf irons do not have to be used on the golf course either. A blend of iron and wood, hybrid golf clubs are easier to hit and you will make better contact with the golf ball.

Perhaps Ping leads the field in making excellent golf clubs for women. Long considered one of the best golf equipment manufacturers, Ping has their “Serene” line especially for women. These clubs are not only tailored to a woman's swing, but they offer a “Serene Lite” and a “Serene Ultra-Lite.” The women will love the swing rate per iron, which is a C4.

For women who are just starting to golf, Wilson makes an excellent starter set for ladies at an affordable price. The clubs may be a tad heavier than pricier women's clubs, but nobody should overspend on their first set of clubs, just in case they find the game too maddening. 

There is an amazing variety of quality women's golf clubs available on the market today, and a few of the better ones have been mentioned above. 

It is important for women who are particularly diminutive, perhaps 5'2 and under, to understand something about golf clubs. No woman should fall in love with a particular club designed for taller women, and then have it adjusted or resized to fit her own stature. Many times, this will harm the balance of the club. There is a golf club out there for every person, so every player should be sure to find the club that is right for them.

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Melinda Bailey is an avid golfer and the Executive Editor of 9 & Dine Women’s Golf Apparel blog.  You can connect with Melinda via Twitter @9Dine.




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Golf Psychology: Tips to Avoid Choking

Thanks to My Golf Locker for this thought-provoking blog on how to avoid the dreaded golf choke!

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Let’s face it; we have all choked. In fact, just last week, I played a round of golf with my dad and everything was absolutely perfect: the sun was shining, the course was immaculate and the golf on display was absolutely superb (even if I do say so myself).

As a 15 handicapper, it is not often that you get these types of rounds, so you have to make the most of them! Luckily, for 15 holes, I did just that and raced into a four-shot lead with three holes to play. Surely my dad couldn’t overtake me now? 

WRONG! I lost by one stroke… I was (and still am) absolutely gutted.

The story of choking in golf, however, isn’t unique to me. Who could forget Adam Scott at the 2012 Open? 

Could you imagine the pain and heartache that Adam Scott experienced that day? Many predicted that he would never get over it; he did, however, and in spectacular style by winning the 2013 Masters. 

Adam Scott went on to win the 2013 Barclays and with a final bogey-free round. Still, Adam Scott believed his final round wasn't good enough to win. Caddy Steve Williams was seen packing Scott's golf bag with the Aussie player thinking that he "really didn't think I had much of a chance."

The reason behind Adam Scott's win at The Masters was undoubtedly the change in his psychology. He didn’t play flawless golf at Augusta, but he got the job done.

The same can be said for this year’s US Open Champion Justin Rose who has also had his demons. After coming in fourth at the Open at the age of just fifteen, Rose went on to miss twenty-one consecutive cuts! Since then, however, Rose has rebounded and can now also call himself a major champion; something that fellow Brits Lee Westwood and Luke Donald can only dream of.

Although our golfing exploits are nowhere near on par with those of our idols, we can take similar steps to avoid choking in a similar fashion.

1. Accept your handicap:

Your handicap exists for a reason and your aim is to reduce it. We cannot expect to be perfect every time we play golf. We can, however, accept the situation and deal with it accordingly. The key is getting into a positive mindset.

Often, there is no need to go ‘birdie searching’ when a par will do. Try adopting the stableford scoring system as this will give you an accurate reflection of your round- you could be doing a lot better than you think!

2. Play the hole, not the situation:

If you’re having a good round, focus on the positives and play the shots you’re capable of achieving. If you start trying to lay-up or play shots that you haven’t been playing during the round, you increase the risk of ‘choking’.

Always play your natural game despite what those around you may be saying!

3. Dress for success:

In order to play well you have to look, and feel, the part. Although some courses do not enforce a dress code, it is still important that you maintain proper golf etiquette. Dressing in golf attire regardless will help get you into the right mindset and will ensure that you ‘feel the part’. Yes, golf etiquette does mean that what you wear is a reflection on you.

Contrary to popular belief, golf clothing is also less expensive than you’d imagine. Try checking out My Golf Locker to see what’s on offer. 

Join the conversation on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend me on Facebook.

photo credit: ESPN, Brentgolf.com

Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.