Hi All! Callaway Golf Club Fitter, Amy Nicholas, here! As a fitter at Callaway Golf Headquarters, I am lucky enough to have done thousands of club fittings with all types of people and various golf games (Truly, ALL types of golf games!). I am hoping to provide some tips and guidance that might help a woman motivate to get fit, or get the most out of their fitting!
I get asked about this all of the time. One of the key differences between a men’s and ladies golf club is the length (1 inch) and weight. However, just because we are women doesn’t mean we need a woman’s club! Rather than the total height of the golfer, I tend to place more importance on the length of his/her arms as well as their posture at impact. As for weight, what if you have a faster-than-average swing speed? Maybe a slightly heavier club will provide better feel and control! The only way to know which exact length and weight a female golfer needs is to get fit and see what the numbers say.
One of the most painful things to hear in the fitting bay is “I’m not sure if I am even good enough to get fit for clubs”. This is simply not true! Callaway Golf has one of the most expansive and detailed lineup of clubs in the industry. I confidently know I have a Callaway club for every single player type that visits me at Headquarters. In fact, I encourage beginner golfers to come in for fittings! If a new female golfer learns the game with a club that is too long, heavy, or encourages the wrong shot shape- she might be forming some very difficult swing habits or injuries that will be hard to recover from and fix down the road.
The amount of discussion I have with female golfers about their gapping oftentimes surprises them. In your fitting- spend time hitting each club through the bag, looking for 7-10 carry yards between each golf club. If you don’t see the appropriate gapping, it is okay to simply skip that club and move on to the next one. This might be an opportunity to add an additional CB Wedge, or Opus Wedge to the bag instead! (See section on wedges below.)
Yes, hybrids are amazing! They are more forgiving than a typical long iron, and are designed to be hit with a steep attack angle (Think big divots). However, have you ever tried a 7 wood or 9 wood? They have similar lofts to the typical 4 or 5 hybrid, but are designed for the more shallow attack angle (little-no divot at all). Not to mention, fairway woods have more MOI/forgiveness and are designed to get the golf ball higher in the air. Callaway currently leads in both Hybrids AND Fairway Woods. In your next fitting, do yourself a favor and hit both! Keep an open mind when hitting these clubs and let the numbers, consistency, and feel do the talking.
Callaway Golf is dominant with their fairway woods. Key technologies such as Ai 10x Face and the new Step Sole Design make that happen. In general, 3 woods are typically the second longest club in the bag (behind driver) because they are longer in length and have strong lofts. However, if the strong loft of the 3 wood makes the ball travel too low to the ground (from a lack of backspin) there is a very real possibility that it won’t go far enough to beat your 5 wood! This is a very common occurrence, and is OKAY! Consider trying a 3HL wood, or see this as an opportunity to add a wedge to your bag to help with those dreaded bunkers… which leads me to my next tip.
Did you know that Callaway offers different families of wedges? You can match the wedge to you iron set, go for extreme finesse and spin control with both the Opus and Opus Platinum Wedge, or you can opt for the ultra-forgiving and bunker friendly CB Wedge. Many of the ladies I work with assume they need the same type of club for every wedge they have in their bag. However, ask yourself this: “Do I use every wedge in my bag the same way?”
Next time you get fit, critically evaluate what the role is for each wedge in your bag. Do you use your Approach wedge for full swings only? Try matching it to your iron set! Do you navigate your game around avoiding those dreaded bunkers? Replace your lob Wedge with a CB Wedge- it’s incredible! Need a wedge that you can use for every type of shot around the greens? Maybe the versatile and spin-friendly Opus Wedge is the right answer. Feel free to mix and match those wedges!
Callaway Golf offers a wide variety of golf balls. Why? All golfers are different! When you go get fit, it is misguided to assume all golf balls do the same thing. Yes, in the past I have been guilty of playing whatever freebee ball I found in the bushes as well. However, I encourage you to think of it this way: The golf ball is the only piece of equipment we use on every single shot. If we spend so much time dialing in the right golf club, shouldn’t we give just as much attention to the golf ball we use as well? If you are the golfer that needs to hit the ball higher, I encourage you to try the Supersoft or REVA golf balls. On the other hand, if you hit the golf ball too high and think you might be losing distance- try the new ERC Soft golf ball. You might be surprised with how much a difference the right golf ball can make.
