Whether you are a beginner or an avid player having the right equipment is very important in helping you to hit the ball better and further as well as making it easier for you.

The first hurdle I come across when speaking to my women about clubs, is trying to get them past the pink, purple or baby blue colour scheme. Which puts a lot of women off from buying the right clubs, as they mainly want a subtle plain shaft, grip and headcover. *Attention all brands, please stop making clubs with these colours for women! * However, there are a few brands like Titleist and Mizuno who make clubs to suit the player, without different colour schemes for men and women, fitting clubs to the player regardless of gender. So don’t fear, there are many options out there, ask your local professional for advice.

The Basics of club fitting.
Clubhead technology: There are so many different types of clubheads out there for all players. A couple of examples:
-Blade, a less forgiving clubhead, with a smaller clubface. Mainly for better players who compress & strike the ball well.
- Cavity back, a more forgiving clubhead which tends to be larger in size. A lower centre of gravity which helps launch the ball higher.

Correct club length: If the club is too long or short it can affect the strike quality.

The Shaft & Flex: Shaft technology has come a long way over the years and preconceptions that women use graphite and men use steel isn’t the case anymore. Choosing the right shaft is based mainly on clubhead speed and tempo. If the shaft is too stiff, it can lead to a low-ball flight and missing the shot to the right. Having the shaft too soft can cause the opposite effect. Find below what clubhead speed typically goes with which flex for a 7 iron:

• Stiff 80+
• Regular 70+
• Soft regular flex 60+
• Women’s Flex 50+ (depending on brand they don’t always label it *Women’s* it would just have the details on the shaft flex & weight. This should be the case on all equipment in my opinion. I have taught many men using this shaft flex)

Lie of the club:

The lie angle mainly influences the start direction of the ball.
Too Flat =can lead to a right-side miss
Too upright = can lead to a left-side miss.

Grip Size: The correct grip size is important to help with grip pressure, feel preferences as well as shot dispersion.

Above are the very basics of club fitting, there is much more that goes into finding the clubs that work for you. If you could take anything away from reading this, it is that we are all built and swing it differently and that is why there are so many options. You don’t need to know all the information, but it’s good to have little knowledge just to understand what you might be fit for, or it could explain some shot tendencies you are seeing in your game.

Love, Zoe x