If you’re a woman considering taking up the game, you may be wondering if you really need women’s golf clubs. Honestly, you could probably get away with playing men’s clubs. You just will not likely shoot your best scores if you do.
The best women’s golf clubs bring out the best in your swing. They are designed specifically for women, and they’ll help you play your best game. Our top pick, the Tour Edge Moda Silk complete set, delivers playability you won’t outgrow as your game improves, but all the sets on our list will play on the course.
Lightweight = Speed
Generally speaking, women tend to have slower clubhead speeds, especially when learning to play. Speed comes with practice, but the quickest way to get a faster swing is to use lighter equipment. It’s simple physics, really.
The benefits of lightweight clubs are obvious. Manufacturers know this, which is why they tend to make their ladies’ clubs much lighter than those meant for men. Using graphite shafts throughout the set (instead of steel) or lighter materials in the clubheads means you can use less effort in the swing.
Smaller Grips
Women also tend to have smaller hands than men, which is why ladies’ clubs normally have smaller (and lighter) grips. Using grips that are too large will silently wreck your swing. It becomes difficult to release the club, and blocks and slices are sure to follow.
All-In-One
The best thing about getting a complete women’s golf club set is that, once you purchase it, you’re done. No fretting over each club in the bag. Just make your choice and get out there and play.
True, you may find that you don’t like – or can’t hit – one club from the set or another. But in that case you can simply upgrade that one club when you’re ready. In the meantime, the golf course beckons and good times await.
Top Pick – Tour Edge Moda Silk Set
If you’re new to golf and you haven’t heard of Tour Edge, well, that’s not surprising. The company stakes its reputation on not spending money on marketing. It has also been a point of pride in not paying tour players to use its equipment. It makes clubs that work, though, and that’s enough.
Among the company’s lineup, which encompasses sister brands Exotics, Bazooka and Hot Launch), the Tour Edge Moda Silk complete set is positioned at the top of its mid-tier clubs. True, it is a starter set, but it’s one that does not force its owner to replace clubs unnecessarily.
The set consists of a titanium driver with 15 degrees of loft, 3 wood (18 degrees) and 5 wood (22 degrees). The numbers 5 and 6 hybrids (28 and 31 degrees), are a high point. The cavity-back irons run numbers 7 through 9, then there are the pitching and sand wedges (45 and 55 degrees).
Features
- Available in three shaft lengths
- Low kick point on shafts for higher launch
- Offset driver and woods reduce slices
- So much bang for the buck
- Attractive and functional cart bag
Everything Works Well
Positioned where it is in the category price range, it is fair to expect the Moda Silk set to force some compromises. The cool thing is, there aren’t any. Every component of this set does its job well, with no glaring holes in performance.
There is room in the lofts (between the pitching and sand wedges) for a gap wedge, but that’s easy to add and common among these starter sets. It’s also a great place to start adding clubs of a bit higher quality, but that would only be tour-level equipment.
Low Kick Point
The graphite shafts on the Moda Silk set position the kick point lower than many other clubs do. This essentially adds effective loft, so the clubface is pointing a bit more skyward that it otherwise wood. Adding effective loft is what better players do when they want to hit the ball high.
Extreme Perimeter Weighting
Like most modern golf clubs, Tour Edge has made every effort and taken every opportunity to shift mass away from the center of the face. Moving weight to the perimeter has two effects. First, it increases moment of inertia (MOI), meaning the clubhead twists less on off-center hits.
Second, and more importantly, perimeter weighting increases the size of the sweet spot, so less-than-perfect strikes don’t feel that way. Moving the center of gravity low and rearward (undercut irons) also helps get the ball airborne – especially important for slower swings.
Multiple Shaft-length Options
Not every complete golf club set offers the option of shorter or longer shafts, but the Tour Edge Moda Silk does. Players of average height (say, 5 foot 6), should go with the standard set. The longer set has shafts that are 1 inch longer, while the other is 1 inch shorter. In the age of club fitting, this option should be industry-standard.
Offset Drivers are Bandages
For those not in the know, the degree of offset is the amount the club’s face points to the left at address. Closing the face in this way automatically corrects for the open-face impacts that can cause slices. This isn’t the most elegant solution to a slice, but it’s far quicker than spending hours on the driving range.
If a player has an out-to-in swing path and a whippy swing, an offset driver may fix the issue. But for everyone else – and as said player improves – too much offset can and will induce a hook. Drivers with closed faces are bandages for slices, not cures.
Best Marqee – Callaway – Strata 11-Piece Women’s Set
When a product bears the Callaway moniker, it comes with certain expectations. One would also expect that product to come with a hefty price tag, but not so here. The Callaway Strata complete set is one of the most affordable sets available from a marquee name.
This set offers a titanium driver in a normal, 12-degree loft. The only wood is the 3 metal, and it’s also a normal (15-degree) loft. The rest of the set consists of 4 and 5 hybrids, then 6 iron through sand wedge (56 degree). These are close to the lofts on better-players clubs.
Features
- Carries all the cache of the Callaway name
- Roughly the same lofts as pro-level clubs
- Perimeter weighting and low CG get the ball up
- Doesn’t rely on strong lofts
No Patronizingly Strong Lofts
Manufacturers have a secret trick. They sometimes simply stamp a 6 on 5 iron (for example) and voila, a longer iron. Callaway doesn’t resort to such tomfoolery here. The lofts on the Callaway Strata set are the same as those found on game-improvement clubs. They’re strong, but not ridiculously so.
Garish Stand Bag
For most course walkers, the stand bag is a relic and should be swept into history. With the advent of maneuverable and portable push carts, players rarely carry their clubs. Sure, student athletes may have to do it in high school, but even collegiate players use the carts.
The legs on stand bags introduce one more element that can break. The style of bag also requires the use of the legs to stand securely, and it makes securing the bag to a cart problematic. To boot, the colors here are loud and proud. The bag should be the last thing you have to replace in a set.
Quality Not Becoming
The worst thing you can say about a golf club is that it has a reputation for breaking. It wouldn’t be fair to call the Strata clubs fragile or dangerous, but reports of snapped shafts are out there (if not prevalent). Callaway is a better company than that, and it’s hard not to wonder if these clubs are something of an afterthought in the line.
Best for Large Hands – Cobra XL Complete Set
Not everyone fits in the petite category, and that’s just fine. For women with larger hands, the average ladies’ golf clubs have grips that are simply too small. Regripping is always an option, but it is an expensive one. In steps the Cobra XL complete set.
This set includes a 15-degree driver and three woods (3, 5 and 7). The only hybrid is the 5, which has 23 degrees of loft. The cavity-back irons run from 6 (26 degrees) to sand wedge (55 degrees.) The included cart bag is functional and well-built without being garish.
Features
- Three woods – the classic ladies setup
- Quality clubs from a trusted maker
- Premium level cart bag with plenty of storage
- Curiously only one hybrid
A Great First (or Second) Step
Many new or returning players balk at spending this much cash on a club set, but with Cobra equipment, you’ll know where your money went. No one will mistake these clubs for tour-level equipment, but they are much better than serviceable.
Cobra’s care in material selection and attention to detail are obvious in the these clubs’ construction. The results are playable throughout the bag. Quality isn’t a question and neither is longevity.
Afterthought Putter
Cobra is a company noted for its longer clubs, especially the woods and hybrids. So it’s no surprise to see a lackluster putter included in this set. Underperforming putters and drivers are the bugaboo of most golf sets. Here, the driver is serviceable, but the putter is much less so.
While the XL flat stick is functional, thanks again to perimeter weighting, it lacks the feel of a putter from one of the better makers. The thing is, putters are such a personal thing that it isn’t apparent Cobra could have done much better. Needing a putter upgrade isn’t the worst critique of a club set.
Only One Shaft Length
Yes, many club sets share this shortcoming, but sheesh. It seems high time more companies start offering woman more fitting options. There is so much diversity in human body size that it seems apparent companies are forcing taller and shorter players to choose other brands.
Only One Hybrid
We say this set is built in a classic way because it has three fairway woods and only one hybrid. The higher lofted 7 wood was once a boon to women players because it eliminated the need for a 4 iron. Most players use a hybrid in that slot because it is easier to hit than a wood.
Conclusion – Best Women’s Golf Clubs
There is no such thing as a perfect complete set of golf clubs. They all require compromises. Some simply require more than others. The Tour Edge Moda Silk provides a female player with an entirely playable set, though, allowing her time to decide what club(s) to upgrade and when.
These issues aren’t unique to women’s sets. Men’s sets are rarely sufficient for any player through the bag. That’s why players get fitted and purchase clubs individually, but it’s also prohibitively expensive. Sets like these let players ease into the game and prove the adage: It’s not what you play, it’s that you play.