Golf can be very intimidating for beginners, especially when it comes to understanding the vast selection of equipment and the accompanying technological jargon. Where do you start? This guide will take you through the different steps, the dos and don’ts, so when you’re considering buying women's golf clubs, you have the knowledge to help you choose wisely to give yourself the best possible start in the game.
Off-The-Shelf
For beginners, an off-the-shelf package set is a great option because it represents incredible value and when there are so many clubs to consider buying, it takes away all the guesswork. Golf equipment is expensive, a driver alone from a leading brand such as Ping or Callaway will cost around $650, but you can buy a 14-piece Strata package set for the same price with a golf bag included. To see our top picks in the package set market, read our guides on the best golf club sets for beginners, and best women's golf sets.
Basic Fitting
Whether you decide to go for an off the shelf set or instead build a more bespoke bag from driver to putter, we’d certainly advise leaning on some in-store expertise. At a retailer such as PGA TOUR Superstore, there is a team of experts on hand to provide valuable advice and they can take you through a very relaxed complementary fitting process, which can include trying clubs from all the brands including off-the-shelf package sets.
Opt For Forgiveness
Clubheads come in a variety of designs and colors to suit a woman’s ability and offer pleasing, confidence-boosting aesthetics. Large driver heads and oversized cavity-backed irons allow low and deep weighting for a high MOI (resistance to twisting) and a face with a large sweet spot.
These features make it easier for women to launch the ball and provide ultimate forgiveness, meaning even a poor strike has a chance of making it into the air. Whilst clubs with smaller profiles might look more aesthetically pleasing, irons with thicker toplines and wider soles and drivers with bigger footprints will usually be more forgiving. If you are choosing between the two, we’d suggest going for the more forgiving alternative.
Full Set Versus Half Set
A full set includes 14 clubs and a putter, which is a lot for a beginner to take on board. Depending on the outcome of a player’s fitting session, a simpler set might be suggested, such as four or five clubs - a driver, a hybrid, a 9-iron or 7-iron, and a putter - or a half set. As the player progresses and budget allows, more clubs of the same model can be gradually added.
Putters
This is the most personal piece of golf equipment you will buy. Players become very attached to their putters, often keeping the same one for many years. There are lots of different putter shapes and designs to choose from, but to keep it simple, the mallet style is most suitable for beginners as the larger head will give you the stability and confidence you need when making a stroke, and the head size means that there’s more room for a more significant alignment aid. Again, take advantage of a putter fitting session because as this is your scoring club it’s the most important one the bag.
Budget
You can spend anywhere between a few hundred to thousands of dollars on golf equipment. When you’re just starting out, set a budget and stick to it, don’t be tempted by a more expensive club because you like the look of it and believe it will perform better. At this stage in your golfing journey, you might buy clubs and then decide it’s not the sport for you, so spend your money wisely.
A common question at PGA TOUR Superstore is, “Are package set clubs of decent quality?” The answer is, “Let’s test it, see how you hit the ball, and we’ll take it from there,” emphasizing the importance of trying a variety of clubs because at the end of the day you need to find out what you like and what works best for you within your budget.
Once you’ve tried a selection of clubs, as a beginner, none of them will probably feel that comfortable, but you will have a good idea of those you like the look and feel of most, and along with your feedback, a fitter will be able to advise on the clubs that suit you best.
These stores are stocked with equipment from all the leading brands. You might already have a preference for Ping, Callaway, or TaylorMade, and it’s possible to try those specifically.
However, the key for beginners is to find forgiveness with their clubs, which means that they are effortless to swing and easy to get the ball airborne even on off-centre strikes. So while you might prefer the look of some of the latest models that you’ve seen advertised, remember that as a beginner you need a big-headed driver with a high loft, cavity-back irons with a thick topline, otherwise you will struggle to enjoy the game and make progress.
