Men’s Versus Women’s Golf Clubs: What’s The Difference?

The question comes up from time to time: How are women’s golf clubs different from men’s? While it wasn’t always the case (and may still not be with some brands), manufacturers are putting more effort into engineering golf clubs specifically for women. We can chalk that up to growth in participation and women becoming increasingly invested in the performance side of the game.

So, while the engineering gap is narrowing, women’s clubs still aren’t exactly the same as men’s … although the differences aren’t as dramatic as you might think.

Before we break down the specifics, it’s worth pointing out that pretty much every piece of golf equipment is designed around some concept of the “average” for a given player archetype. With that in mind, typical women’s clubs are designed to meet the needs of the average female golfer.

Women’s clubs are lighter

Working off our averages, women are typically smaller in physical stature and generally not as strong as men. To address these needs, women’s clubs – from drivers to wedges – tend to be lighter than clubs designed for men. Weight reduction in the head, shaft and grip is common. As a result, swing weights are lower as well.

The idea is to make clubs easier to swing and reduce fatigue. The trade-off is that MOI (moment of inertia) is tied to weight so lighter heads mean lower MOI measurements. But at the average female swing speed, this isn’t much to worry about.

Women’s clubs have more loft

Getting the ball high in the air comes from a combination of speed and loft. The simple way to think about this is: the less speed you have, the more loft you need.

Since the average female golfer has less head speed than her male counterpart, clubs are typically designed with higher stock lofts, helping female golfers get the ball airborne more easily.

And, not for nothing, while egos often get in the way, higher-lofted designs aren’t a bad idea for many moderate swing speed men, either.

Women’s clubs are shorter

Going back to our concept of the average woman being shorter than the average man, it makes sense that the length of women’s clubs would be adjusted accordingly. The general idea is to create better performance by establishing a better fitting baseline.

Women’s clubs are prettier

Admittedly subjective, but it’s fair to say that golf manufacturers haven’t completely escaped the “shrink it and pink it” mentality. While men’s clubs typically come in black or some form of aggressive gray carbon, women’s clubs come in colors like lavender, elderberry and rose gold.

There’s been plenty of research over the years, and while I can promise you that women don’t universally love what is positioned as a more feminine palette, it’s a case where the majority – even if it could be slim – rules.

Women’s clubs have softer shafts

I touched on this in the section on lighter weight. Along with reduced weight, women’s shafts are invariably softer. Again, this is built around the idea of average swing speed and physical stature. Worth mentioning is that with weight savings being a consistent theme, stock shafts tend to be graphite instead of steel.

Women’s clubs have smaller grips

See the theme? If we accept that the average woman is smaller than the average man, it logically follows that her hands will be smaller, too. For that reason, manufacturers tend to choose smaller, lighter grips for their women’s offerings.

What if you’re not the “typical” woman?

Just like men, women golfers come in all shapes, sizes and ability levels. Taller women, more athletic (powerful) women or just about any other category that exceeds the assumed fitting boundaries of women’s clubs might be better candidates for men’s clubs. While you might miss out on some of the fun with paint, men’s clubs might provide a better fit and, ultimately, better on-course results.

It’s worth noting that LPGA players generally use what’s typically regarded as men’s equipment. Most anything can be built to lighter weights or with longer shafts. If you find yourself somewhere between stock men’s and stock women’s offerings, a good fitter can help find the happy place in the middle that will work for you.

What women’s clubs do you recommend?

There aren’t many direct-to-consumer smaller brands for women and even larger brands don’t always demonstrate the same level of commitment.

With the LE series, PING has shown a longstanding commitment to women’s equipment. TaylorMade’s Kalea series is an impressive offering that incorporates much of the same tech as men’s clubs (including carbon driver faces). Callaway REVA is designed with significant input from Callaway’s Women’s Golf Council. The lineup also includes a golf ball. COBRA boasts an impressive women’s offering as well (and has for years).

What about women’s golf balls?

While some brands offer golf balls targeting female golfers, mostly they’re just low-compression models – not much different than what men play.

Generally, they play to the conventional wisdom that slower swing speed players need a softer ball. The reality is that while slower swing speed players may prefer softer feel, from a performance perspective, many would benefit from a higher-flying ball with plenty of spin.

That’s the reason why, across all swing speed, the Pro V1x is the ball Titleist fits more golfers into than anything else in its lineup.

Hey, what about seniors?

An interesting question. Senior builds typically borrow aspects from both women’s and men’s offerings.

Like women’s clubs, senior builds are typically lighter and offer more loft. Like men’s offerings, grips tend to be standard-sized (though often lighter).

What differentiates them from everything else is that senior clubs – especially woods – often feature longer build lengths. The idea is to use the longer length to help offset speed lost to Father Time.

I should also mention that many (not all) senior clubs are priced above market averages. There is evidence to suggest that some OEMs see seniors as an opportunity to pad the bottom line.

The bottom line

The differences between men’s and women’s golf clubs aren’t about one being “better” than the other – they’re about creating equipment optimized for different physiological realities. While the average woman might benefit from the lighter, shorter, more-lofted designs of women’s clubs, what matters most is finding equipment that fits your unique body and swing. Whether that means playing with traditional women’s clubs, men’s clubs or a custom blend of both, the goal remains the same: equipment that helps you play your best golf and, most importantly, enjoy the game more. After all, golf is challenging enough without fighting your equipment, too.

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