The main difference between ladies’ and men’s golf clubs is not the different brands available, but the difference in playing characteristics they offer. These differences in club characteristics such as stiffness, length, weight and others, allow club manufacturers to use the same quality of materials and manufacturing techniques for both men and women to produce different clubs for each.
Why Different Clubs for Men and Women?
Golf clubs are made differently for women and men because of their different physical characteristics. Women tend to be shorter, have less core strength and less muscle mass. This results in a slower swing speed, and therefore different club playing characteristics needs. Ladies’ clubs are more flexible (to provide more power), lighter (to help with swing speed) and shorter (to address height).
Shaft Flex
Ladies’ clubs are more flexible than men’s clubs in order to provide more power. If you were to jump on a diving board and then jump on the cement pool deck, you would see that the more flexible diving board would propel you farther than the cement. This is the same concept with flexible vs. stiff golf club shafts. Because of the need for flexibility and lightness in ladies’ clubs, graphite is more frequently used in their manufacture.
Club Head Loft
Ladies’ clubs have offer more loft than men’s clubs to help get the ball in the air. With slower swing speeds, a more pronounced loft adds needed lift.
Length
A longer length provides a faster swing, as more acceleration and momentum are created during the longer swing. However, the length of a golf club is relative to the person using it, and a “longer” club for a woman who is 5-foot-1 will be shorter than a “longer” club for a woman who is 6-foot-1. Clubs should be purchased or made taking into consideration a player’s height, and different-length clubs are available off-the-rack, as well as in a custom-made set.
Weight
Obviously, you can swing a 10-oz. golf club faster than you can swing a 10-lb. club. Faster swing speeds create more ball flight distance. Consider a child’s wagon sitting in the street as you approach with your car. If you hit the wagon while you’re driving 20 mph, the wagon will travel a shorter distance than if you hit with your car driving 80 mph. If you hit a golf ball with a swing of 115 mph, you will project it farther than if you hit it with a swing speed of 80 mph. Due to a lack of core strength, women often use a pull-through motion in sports movement (backing out of a tennis or golf or baseball swing), while men use a push-through motion (leading with the hips). Because the push-through motion generates less club/racquet/bat speed, a lighter implement can help increase swing speed.
Grips
Due to their smaller overall proportions (including hands), ladies will find clubs with shorter grips which are narrower in diameter than men’s grips.
Cosmetics
Ladies’ clubs come in a wider variety of shaft and grip colors than do men’s clubs.