Equipment for Women
What you need to get started
Many people think you golf is an expensive hobby. Sure, it can be, but it doesn’t have to be. I wanted to write this guide so that you know what you really need, and hopefully clarify a few important things regarding equipment.
Your First Club
To get started with golf, you need one club: a 7-iron. This is sufficient to start practicing on the driving range.
Oftentimes, the golf course has a few loaner clubs or you can usually buy one club from your local golf shop. In the San Francisco Bay Area, I recommend shops like Kepler’s Golf in Walnut Creek or Strong’s Golf Service in Santa Rosa. These shops are locally owned and have friendly staff that will help you find what you need based on your budget. So give your local shop a try first before heading to Golf Mart or Dick’s Sporting Goods.
If you find yourself thinking that golf is something you want to continue beyond an occasional driving range session, and want to purchase a few more clubs to get started, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Less is more.
Please consider that the quality of your equipment- even if you are new to golf-will have a significant impact on the rate of your progress. If your clubs are too long and too heavy, (very common) you will find yourself more exhausted and sore from practice than needed. It will also be less fun! I say this because I’ve seen way too many young girls and women struggle to hit their dad’s or partner’s clubs. Also, when your equipment is out-dated, (I’m talking more than 10-15 years old) you are also making golf much more difficult.
Newer equipment is lighter and designed to help you get the ball up in the air easier. Trust me when I say this- you want every advantage you can get!
Next steps
I suggest 5 clubs in your bag. Here’s what to keep in mind as you start to shop around:
-The length. If you are around 5’ 4”, you will most likely fit into a women’s length. If you are shorter, you will likely need a petite set or even a junior set. If you are taller than 5’ 5” , you might be fine with men’s length.
-The shaft. For most women, a graphite shaft is lighter than steel and will help you get the ball up in the air more easily. If you are taller and stronger, steel might be a good fit but most often a soft regular shaft is better.
-The weight. Most men’s clubs will be too heavy for women. I advise against hand me downs! Especially if they are older than 10 years.
-The size of the grip. Most women’s clubs come with a grip size called undersize. This is great if your hands are small and you have short fingers. However, I notice time and time again that a lot of women have grips that are too small! Luckily, grips are easy and not too expensive to change. About $5-10 per grip and a little extra to get them installed. There’s a lot of sizes: undersize, standard, midsize and jumbo. A larger grip can also be nice if you have arthritis or any other hand issues.
If you are considering a used set, that’s fine! But if the clubs have been sitting in your attic or garage for over ten years, I would suggest going to your local golf shop to get at least one club that’s modern.
Golf equipment has changed so much the last 20 years and made golf a lot easier. That doesn’t mean the game itself is easy. It just mean you should take advantage of the equipment that’s available now.
What to buy
I suggest purchasing clubs in this order:
7-iron: This club will be your go-to on the range as you start to develop a swing.
Putter: This is used on the putting green as you get closer to the hole. Most often putters are too long so make sure the handle of the putter doesn’t poke your belly. Putters generally age better than other clubs so an older version is fine. I suggest putting a fresh grip on the putter if you buy used. Please note the putter grip is flat on the front- it’s different than the grips used for other clubs.
Hybrid: This club is your best friend. It’s versatile because you can use it to start a hole and also for your second and third shot on a longer hole. Think of this as your transporting club that moves the ball in the direction you want to go down the fairway.
Pitching Wedge (PW) or Sand Wedge (SW): This club has a lot of angle (loft) to make it easy to get the ball up in the air a short distance.
Driver: This is the longest club and it has the biggest club head. You use this club to start a hole when you want to hit far! This is many player’s favorite club.
If you have these five clubs, you have enough clubs to play on the course. You also have less choice when you play, which will prevent you from overthinking what club to use. Most new golfers get a starter set with 10-14 clubs. That’s way too many! If you have a set like that, take everything out so you have the five clubs above. As you improve and feel more confident about how far each club goes you can add more clubs to your bag.
Brands
Golf clubs brands will generally offer different model clubs geared towards different levels of players. If you are looking to buy used, go for a quality brand such as Ping, Cobra, Titleist, Taylor Made and Callaway. For example, Cobra makes hybrids that are great for women. Most golf shops will also offer set of clubs that includes a driver, fairway metal, hybrids, irons, pitching wedge, a putter and a bag. Most of the time, these sets have 12-14 clubs, but they are not the best quality but can be great as a starter set.
Another route is to buy individual clubs like I described above and build your set that way. For example, if you want to have Ping irons, you can order individual clubs and add additional clubs later. This is nice option because Ping is a great brand and each club costs around $80-100.
Also, you can do something called a club fitting. This is where the sales person will fit the clubs to your height, arm length and swing speed. If you are buying new clubs, I would absolutely recommend this. If you are buying used, make sure the clubs are ok length and weight wise. Make sure to call and make an appointment if you want to get fitted.
Bag
When you start playing golf and go to the driving range, you don’t need a bag. However, when you start playing on the course you will. There are many sweet looking bags on the market. My favorite brands are Ping, Titleist and Sun Mountain. A quick internet search will give you an idea of styles, size and colors. I prefer a light bag that I can easily carry on my shoulder. Those are called stand bags or carry bags and run about $200-$250. I’ve had many Ping bags in my life and besides fading a bit in the sun the quality is great and will last you years.
Glove
Blisters can be an unfortunate part of being new to golf. To help alleviate this, I suggest wearing a glove on your lead hand. If you are a right-handed player, that means you would wear the glove on your left hand. If you are a left-handed player, you would wear a glove on your right hand. I don’t recommend wearing gloves on both hands because I feel like it makes it harder to feel the club. The glove should fit snug and not be too long in the fingers. The cheaper gloves are made from a synthetic material, and the pricier ones are made of leather. The leather glove is softer and breathable on a hot day but doesn’t wear as well as a synthetic. Gloves come in a variety of colors and sizes. Price range from about $15-$22.
Golf Balls
When you are new to golf, used golf balls are fine to get started. Please know that if a ball has a stripe on its side it it is a driving range ball and that ball shouldn’t leave the range. Please please please don’t use range balls on the course!
Common brands that you would find in a golf shop are Titleist, Taylor Made, Pinnacle, Callaway, Bridgestone and Top Flite. Each brand will typically have a higher-end ball and a lower-end ball. I’ve played Titleist for most of my life, and feel comfortable recommending their line of golf balls.
The biggest difference between golf balls that are more expensive is that those balls offer more spin and control around the greens compared to a ball such as a Pinnacle. That’s really what you are paying for! So again, if you are new, used balls are ok until you feel like you can keep the same ball for more than a couple of holes!
Tees
One of the challenges when you start hitting is that it seems like your club doesn’t reach the ground. Most new golfers do this- and it will take time to develop the coordination needed to contact the ball each time. That’s why tees are helpful. Tees will allow you to put the ball a little higher off the ground and that will make contact with the ball less elusive.
What to wear
Most public courses don’t have a strict dress code. Most country clubs do. If you are unsure, call the pro shop at the course you are going to and ask. To be safe, avoid tank tops, short shorts and jeans.
I recommend clothes that are comfortable and move with you. I would also recommend pants, shorts and skorts that have pockets so you can stash extra tees and a ball.
I personally like the skorts from Athleta because they are comfortable, have pockets and wash well without ironing. I also prefer to cover up a bit more compared to when I was younger. It is easy to get sunburned when you are on the driving range or golf course! A lot of women wear visors but I prefer a baseball hat or a bucket hat. If you get a hat that is too wide-brimmed it might interfere with your swing so you have to make sure it works for you.
Shoes
I recommend tennis shoes or other flat soled athletic shoes. Avoid slippery shoes, heels and even flats.
If you are into shoes, check out FootJoy, Nike, Adidas and Ecco. I like FootJoy because most styles can be ordered in a narrow, regular or wide. In my experience, Adidas shoes tend to be narrow and Ecco shoes tend to be wide.
I tend to wear mostly MyJoys when I play. I like those because I can order them in any colors I want, and I feel like I won’t slip when it’s wet. It is also really fun to design your own unique shoes!
Golf shoes can range from $50-$200.
How do you know when you are ready to play on the course?
If you can advance the ball about 100 yards on the driving range, I think you are ready to go play on the course. If you struggle to make contact, I don’t think going on the course would be much fun. When you are new to playing on the course, I recommend going in the late afternoon. It will be less crowded, and it is also cheaper. Most courses offer a twilight green fee rate which is usually significantly lower than what the Saturday morning rate is. It’s worth a phone call to find out.
When you go on the course, you realize that there are many shots needed to get the ball in the hole. I think going on the course earlier rather than later to learn is helpful because it gives you a sense of the game and it will make your practice more purposeful.
Pull Cart or Golf Cart
Before investing in your own pull cart, make sure the course that you would play most often is walkable. For example, Blue Rock Springs where I currently teach is a very hilly course. It is a hike to get the green on certain holes not to mention the walk from hole #2 to hole #3.
You can oftentimes rent a pull cart for $10-15 or rent a golf cart for $15-$25.
Valuables
If you are going to the driving range and don’t have a golf bag, bring a small purse or backpack. It’s better than leaving it in the car and you can bring a bottle of water and sun screen. If you have a golf bag, put your wallet in a zippered compartment. I personally don’t bring my purse on the course but if you do you can keep your purse in the basket at the back of the golf cart. If you are walking the course and are either carrying your bag or using a pull cart, try to minimize bringing extra stuff. The weight adds up quickly.
Final Thoughts
When I started playing golf, I didn’t love it. It took some time for me to really enjoy the game. Golf is a social game first and foremost. There are not a lot of sports (if any) where different skill levels and age ranges can play together and even compete. That’s the beautiful thing about golf. What makes golf fun for me now is spending time with family and friends on the course. One day I hope to introduce my daughter to the game.
I encourage you to invite a friend to go to the range. It makes practice so much more fun! And you get to catch up on how your friend is doing and spend time being active and outside. Enjoy the day and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Golf takes time to learn and it is oh so rewarding to see the ball fly straight and far in the air or to make a challenging putt. My wish for you is that you find golf enjoyable and that you also learn something about yourself in the process.
I hope this guide was helpful! If you have any questions, please reach out! I’m happy to help.
Rebecka