Women's Golf Clubs

Sean

Earthbound Extraterrestrial
Albatross 2024 Club
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Any reason THP doesn't review women's golf clubs? I did and Internet search and was surprised at the lack of reviews, and I am not talking about "sets".

According to the National Golf Foundation the fastest growing segment in the game is women. Many are using it for business purposes.

Just curious why the women get short shrift.
 
Not related to THP, but I think womens golf in general (especially where I am in the UK) is hugely under-represented

If you walk into any golf-related business (pro-shop or retail store), you will be lucky if 10% of the entire floor space is taken up by womens equipment/clothing/etc

This is something I have noticed a lot over the last couple of years since Jen started playing

When we go to Spain every year, it is a refreshing change for her as the big store next to our complex has a lot of womens stuff, it is just a shame that it is so expensive otherwise she would pick up stuff every year
 
My partner has just started hitting at the range again so it would be good to see a few reviews here and there of equipment and shoes etc. She doesn't use any ladies equipment I got her some old yonex irons in a reg flex and a cobra driver with so much offset it hurts my eyes but she loves it
 
My partner has just started hitting at the range again so it would be good to see a few reviews here and there of equipment and shoes etc. She doesn't use any ladies equipment I got her some old yonex irons in a reg flex and a cobra driver with so much offset it hurts my eyes but she loves it

I am glad it is working out for her. :)

I went to Callaway's website, to name one, and saw a set of Rogue irons for women. I compared those to the Rogue irons for men. The women's Rogue's are about an inch shorter, as well as much lighter, and the lofts are weaker. If I go into a golf shop I can get a demo iron and take some swings with it in a simulator. For the most part women are unable to do that.

I also checked a few other golf forums and didn't see any equipment reviews for women. While women are certainly welcome on any golf forum you generally don't find all that many. Is it because they are busy doing other things, or they shy away from what they perceive as a male dominated activity? Perhaps a more "inclusive" forum would attract more women? I don't know.

If women are in fact the fastest growing segment in golf, it might behoove all those who want to "grow the game" to pay a bit more attention to this growing market.

Women's golf is big in Asia and getting bigger. I wonder if OEM's, golf shops, and the like cater more to women in that part of the world?

On a side note as far as golf forum's go THP seems to be the friendliest one. The folks who run it don't tolerate any of the kind of nonsense you find on other forums, like name calling, rudeness, and the like. And, the neophyte golfer is as welcome as the accomplished golfer, and not made to feel "less than". The members here are genuine too. In a lot of sites...not just golf related ones...some folks hide behind the anonymity of their computers and say things they would never say in person.
 
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On a side note, women's golf is big in Asia and getting bigger. I wonder if OEM's, golf shops, and the like cater more to women in that part of the world?

I honestly think it depends on the part of the world, and then country, that you live in - as you say, golf is big in Asia and I suspect you are correct in thinking that there is more availability for women over there

Even in Spain where we go every year, there is a lot more choice for women, but based on what we have seen, more expensive in relation to here in the UK

I think that golf is still perceived as a male-oriented sport, even here on THP - a lot of the time when womens golf is mentioned, people dismiss it saying it is boring and not to the same level as the men, but if people looked at it more closely I would hazard a guess that there will be few people on here who could get close to that level of ability
 
I think the problem is the sales. Golf Galaxy and Dicks in general seem to sell just as much women's apparel as they do men's apparel, but they dont seem to market women's equipment. My guess is that women are not nearly as fixated on equipment as men are, which means equipment sales are just not enough to justify the floor space. If you looked at replacement rates and upgrade cycles for men vs women in golf I'm sure the stats would bear that out. Also any woman at the very highest level who may upgrade like that can play men's equipment, in fact with the variations in shafts currently available with regards to weight and flex having separate sets really doesnt make much sense anymore.
 
I am glad it is working out for her. :)

I went to Callaway's website, to name one, and saw a set of Rogue irons for women. I compared those to the Rogue irons for men. The women's Rogue's are about an inch shorter, as well as much lighter, and the lofts are weaker. If I go into a golf shop I can get a demo iron and take some swings with it in a simulator. For the most part women are unable to do that.

I also checked a few other golf forums and didn't see any equipment reviews for women. While women are certainly welcome on any golf forum you generally don't find all that many. Is it because they are busy doing other things, or they shy away from what they perceive as a male dominated activity? Perhaps a more "inclusive" forum would attract more women? I don't know.

If women are in fact the fastest growing segment in golf, it might behoove all those who want to "grow the game" to pay a bit more attention to this growing market.

Women's golf is big in Asia and getting bigger. I wonder if OEM's, golf shops, and the like cater more to women in that part of the world?

On a side note as far as golf forum's go THP seems to be the friendliest one. The folks who run it don't tolerate any of the kind of nonsense you find on other forums, like name calling, rudeness, and the like. And, the neophyte golfer is as welcome as the accomplished golfer, and not made to feel "less than". The members here are genuine too. In a lot of sites...not just golf related ones...some folks hide behind the anonymity of their computers and say things they would never say in person.

For the most part, the shop I do most of my purchasing at has all of the women's clubs they sell for demo, as well as all of the women's stuff in the fitting cart (my wife sometimes has to go this route because she's left-handed, but the heads have always been in there). Sure, the selection is smaller than men's, but there's plenty there for women to demo.
 
First I want to say that I have never felt any sort of discrimination or intimidation on this forum. I always felt welcomed.
Finding clubs to test is a chore, even in this major golf area. My local DSG only carries boxed sets for women. PGASS carries about 5 brands and only one line from each brand (this takes up a whole row in their store, the men's clubs take up 10 rows). Pro shops carry a single line if you are lucky.
Even OEM websites make it difficult to find clubs. Go to the Callaway site. Women's clubs are in a separate section with all the clubs mixed together. At best you get 2 shaft options. Taylormade has a total of 12 club options for women, for men they have 10 different drivers options alone.

Why they have made this business decision I don't know. I think they are missing a big opportunity.
 
First I want to say that I have never felt any sort of discrimination or intimidation on this forum. I always felt welcomed.
Finding clubs to test is a chore, even in this major golf area. My local DSG only carries boxed sets for women. PGASS carries about 5 brands and only one line from each brand (this takes up a whole row in their store, the men's clubs take up 10 rows). Pro shops carry a single line if you are lucky.
Even OEM websites make it difficult to find clubs. Go to the Callaway site. Women's clubs are in a separate section with all the clubs mixed together. At best you get 2 shaft options. Taylormade has a total of 12 club options for women, for men they have 10 different drivers options alone.

Why they have made this business decision I don't know. I think they are missing a big opportunity.

I actually asked about this when I went in for a fitting while we were looking for some clubs for my wife. They said in terms of shaft options, most of the time women who are more avid players end up getting fit into something like a senior or R flex shaft at a shorter length (and sometimes S depending on swing speed). Biggest difference (and limitation) is probably shaft length, where they don't have a ton of -1" options in the fitting cart.
 
I agree with Maric and Sean - I lurked quite a few boards and settled on THP because there is less online foolishness here, and definitely way more inclusive.

As to the sales cycle, it's an interesting vortex. Women can buy any number of beginner box sets - basically pick your price range and go. Finding intermediate or advanced clubs is the problem. There isn't a whole lot of women trading up clubs because we can't just go buy off the rack, which means there aren't any sales numbers at the big box stores, so the stores don't stock them because women don't buy them - but we can't buy them because we can't FIND them. It's a bit of a catch 22. I certainly don't want to risk $1000 on a set of irons that I haven't at least given a try.

Even something as simple as gloves - there are about 5 womens gloves and 150 mens. There are exceptions of course (Edwin Watts in Knoxville has a great women's selection) but they are few and far between.

And in the demo section, of a lot of the stores, there are offerings for women. BUT you're forgetting the cultural/psycholoical/sociological factors of women shopping. It's INTIMIDATING to walk into a store where you're the only one with ovaries and ask for the demo cart to be open for you, and then have everyone watch you. For most women, picking up a club with an audience isn't going to happen. It already is intimidating walking into the store, let alone swinging a club for all and sundry, knowing that your swing speed is going to be 20-30 mph less than the guys. And same for demo days - even getting noticed at some demo days is tough. I was assumed to be a wife when I though I was waiting patiently to try a club.

The trick too for women is shaft weight as much as flex. Finding lightweight shafts is getting easier, according to my instructor, but it's still a matter of ordering. Women have to order shafts and cross our fingers that they work when they get here. I'm all for custom clubs, too, and THP is a community that is very much into custom fitting but the vast majority of men golfers simply buy off the rack. Women do not have that opportunity. The women golfers I've spoken to on the course have all been surprised about club options. A lot of beginner and intermediate women golfers (and possibly golfers in general, with out thoughts about gender) aren't aware that they have options. The more advanced women are comfortable getting custom gear.

There are lots of factors and I imagine most manufacturers don't even think about sending women's clubs to be reviewed. And again it's a circle of logic - not enough interest in womens clubs, but how can we show interest when there isn't anything to see?

And man when I was looking for my first set of clubs, I kept reading reviews - or tried to. Most of the reviews I saw were of men reviewing womens clubs, which doesn't inspire confidence.

It's a complicated subject, and one close to my heart. It's a matter of perceived interest and profitability.
 
I agree with Maric and Sean - I lurked quite a few boards and settled on THP because there is less online foolishness here, and definitely way more inclusive.

As to the sales cycle, it's an interesting vortex. Women can buy any number of beginner box sets - basically pick your price range and go. Finding intermediate or advanced clubs is the problem. There isn't a whole lot of women trading up clubs because we can't just go buy off the rack, which means there aren't any sales numbers at the big box stores, so the stores don't stock them because women don't buy them - but we can't buy them because we can't FIND them. It's a bit of a catch 22. I certainly don't want to risk $1000 on a set of irons that I haven't at least given a try.

Even something as simple as gloves - there are about 5 womens gloves and 150 mens. There are exceptions of course (Edwin Watts in Knoxville has a great women's selection) but they are few and far between.

And in the demo section, of a lot of the stores, there are offerings for women. BUT you're forgetting the cultural/psycholoical/sociological factors of women shopping. It's INTIMIDATING to walk into a store where you're the only one with ovaries and ask for the demo cart to be open for you, and then have everyone watch you. For most women, picking up a club with an audience isn't going to happen. It already is intimidating walking into the store, let alone swinging a club for all and sundry, knowing that your swing speed is going to be 20-30 mph less than the guys. And same for demo days - even getting noticed at some demo days is tough. I was assumed to be a wife when I though I was waiting patiently to try a club.

The trick too for women is shaft weight as much as flex. Finding lightweight shafts is getting easier, according to my instructor, but it's still a matter of ordering. Women have to order shafts and cross our fingers that they work when they get here. I'm all for custom clubs, too, and THP is a community that is very much into custom fitting but the vast majority of men golfers simply buy off the rack. Women do not have that opportunity. The women golfers I've spoken to on the course have all been surprised about club options. A lot of beginner and intermediate women golfers (and possibly golfers in general, with out thoughts about gender) aren't aware that they have options. The more advanced women are comfortable getting custom gear.

There are lots of factors and I imagine most manufacturers don't even think about sending women's clubs to be reviewed. And again it's a circle of logic - not enough interest in womens clubs, but how can we show interest when there isn't anything to see?

And man when I was looking for my first set of clubs, I kept reading reviews - or tried to. Most of the reviews I saw were of men reviewing womens clubs, which doesn't inspire confidence.

It's a complicated subject, and one close to my heart. It's a matter of perceived interest and profitability.

^^^THIS
 
Women's Golf Clubs

Other than stores potentially having less clothes/accessory options for female golfers (oh the irony), i don’t personally see an issue, and I’m not sure women’s clubs even need to be a thing. That’s not a knock on female golfers in the slightest, I just feel a decent amount of female golfers after getting fit would land in available options aimed towards “men’s clubs” anyway. Typically the difference seems to be color options on clubs and maybe weight options in heads. No real business need for a company to create entire sets of clubs when their sales towards avid women golfers will trend towards being fit in what they are already making anyway. Ladies flex and senior flex don’t seem to be much different if at all, and I’ve seen plenty of women golfers swing faster than some of the older guys playing anyway. It’s ultimately all about the money, so unless companies believe they may be losing profits because of it, nothing will change. My wife has a set of cobra fly z’s with senior flex graphite shafts and they are more than adequate, and she couldn’t be considered an avid golfer in the slightest.

Now having more women on review sites doing reviews would certainly never be a bad thing. But there is no reason they can’t just be reviewing current options, as I don’t see why that couldn’t be helpful. The whole idea of “senior” and “women’s” in terms of golf clubs is silly IMO. There are seniors that can swing fast and women who can swing faster than a lot of guys. Just get fit to what works.
 
Just adding on to my previous comment, my fiances irons are all graphite shafted at regular flex and the driver is a very light reg flex shaft.
She has tried hitting my stuff (70g x flex driver with 8.5 degrees of loft) she just looked at me weird like "how is this enjoyable with such heavy equipment"
I think its not about making products gender specific but increasing the range for customisation and fitting further down in the swing speed spectrum.
 
And in the demo section, of a lot of the stores, there are offerings for women. BUT you're forgetting the cultural/psycholoical/sociological factors of women shopping. It's INTIMIDATING to walk into a store where you're the only one with ovaries and ask for the demo cart to be open for you, and then have everyone watch you. For most women, picking up a club with an audience isn't going to happen. It already is intimidating walking into the store, let alone swinging a club for all and sundry, knowing that your swing speed is going to be 20-30 mph less than the guys. And same for demo days - even getting noticed at some demo days is tough. I was assumed to be a wife when I though I was waiting patiently to try a club.

I wonder if we fix this problem, the other stuff comes a bit more naturally. If there's more comfort, there's more perceived interest in equipment (and maybe even an actual increase in interest) from women, and then manufacturers take a bit more notice.

I do think, in some ways, it makes sense that the women-specific sets are limited. After all they're going after one end of the spectrum there - slower swinging, lighter weight. Once you get up to speed it's really a length/custom fit issue. I know Callaway for a while had an "athletic women" shaft option which to me felt like senior-to-regular flex at a slightly higher weight at the shorter length which was a cool idea.
 
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