The game of golf is enjoyed by men and women alike, and there’s a growing interest in unisex golf clubs that can be used by both.
Initially, women used men’s golf clubs until manufacturers started to cater to both these markets.
Deciding on which set of golf clubs suit your swing as difficult as it is.
When your swing speed is low the question is often asked, can a man use women’s golf clubs?
The short answer is, absolutely!! It just depends on the performance of the golf clubs compared to your swing.
The Difference Between Mens and Womens Golf Clubs
Men and women’s swing generally differ vastly due to the power differences between the two genders.
Women often used more finesse, timing, rhythm, and hip speed to generate speed while men use raw power to generate higher swing speed.
Studies using Trackman indicates that the average driver swing speed a tour player on the PGA Tour achieves is 113 mph whereas the average driver speed on the LPGA Tour is 94 mph.
Although the clubheads used by all genders are similar, the main difference is in the shafts used.
LPGA Tour players use shorter and more flexible shafts for optimal spin, trajectory, distance, and accuracy.
📋 Keep in mind: Other areas where a difference is generally found are the grip thickness, center of gravity, and loft.
Are men allowed to play with women’s golf clubs?
It may hurt your ego slightly, but no regulation forbid men from playing with women’s golf clubs.
Difference between men’s and women’s golf clubs
Shaft Flexibility
The flexibility of a golf shaft affects the distance, accuracy, and trajectory of your golf shot. Flexibility is directly related to your swing speed and strength. The less flex available can impact for example, how far a woman hits a 7 iron.
Due to the higher swing speed generated by men and the raw power inserted into the swing, they require stiffer shafts.
Men, in general, will use regular shaft (R) for golfers with a swing speed between 90 and 100 mph, stiff shaft (S) for golfers with a swing speed between 100 and 110 mph, or extra-stiff (X) shafts for golfers with a swing speed above 110 mph.
📢 Need To Know: Senior men generally produce lower swing speed due to loss in their muscle mass.
A senior flex (A) shaft is more appropriate for seniors. Senior flex shafts are ideal for golfers with a swing speed between 75 and 90 mph.
Ladies flex (L) shafts have the most flex of all shafts. It is specially designed for people with low swing speed.
Women with a swing speed below 60 mph and men with a swing speed below 80 mph will benefit most from using ladies flex shafts.
When comparing ladies flex vs senior flex, it’s worth noting that men’s senior golf shafts and ladies golf shafts are remarkably similar, if not the same, in some shaft brands.
Choosing the best golf clubs for senior ladies would often involve selecting clubs with a ladies or senior flex shaft, given the typical swing speeds for this group.
💡 Golfible Tip: If your swing speed is lower than 60 mph, you will benefit most by using a lady’s shaft.
Shaft length
Golf manufacturers produce the shaft in a variety of lengths to suit your body type, length of arms, and strength to maximize swing power and ball control.
Are ladies golf clubs shorter? Yes, men’s golf has standard length shafts to suit men that are 5 foot 9 inches while women’s golf clubs are manufactured to suit ladies that are 5 foot 7 inches tall.
This results in shafts used on women’s drivers being between 1.5 inches and 2 inches shorter than the shafts on men’s drivers.
Shafts on most drivers for men measure between 45 inches to 45 ½ inches long while the shaft on most women’s drivers measures 44 inches.
This length difference is proportionally applied to all the clubs in your bag.
A question that comes up a bit is, ‘ Should a tall woman use mens golf clubs?’
Women that are taller than 5 foot 9 inches, or lower handicap women golfers, have the option to play with a standard-length men’s shaft.
Golfers that are less than 5 foot 3 inches will be well advised to invest in a petite option shaft that is approximately 1 inch shorter than a lady’s shaft.
Smaller Grip
The grip is the only contact that you have with your golf club during the swing.
The right sized grip is crucial to allow you to place your hands in the correct position and apply the right amount of grip pressure through impact.
Men generally tend to have bigger hands than women and therefore tend to play with a standard to midsize grip on their clubs. Women golf grips are generally noticeably thinner.
Irrespective of your gender, the grips on your golf clubs should fit your hands.
📋 Keep in mind: Should you find that the grips are too slim, it is possible to add a few layers of tape under the grip.
Clubhead
The differences between men’s and women’s muscle strength and clubhead speed are reflected in the clubhead design.
Women’s clubs are usually slightly larger in size and lighter in weight than that found on men’s clubs. Our Palm Springs Visa V2 review would show an example of this kind of ladies golf club set
The lighter graphite shafts have enabled manufacturers to produce the largest clubheads without sacrificing the overall weight of the club.
A larger impact area promotes extra forgiveness and an easier clubhead to swing to compensate for the shortage of power and speed. This applies to every club in a women’s bag.
📢 Need To Know: The additional power and speed generated by men enable manufacturers to produce heavier clubheads than that found on women’s clubs.
What Men Are Suited To Using Women’s Golf Clubs?
- Men with a swing speed of lower than 80 mph will benefit the most from using clubs designated as women’s clubs. If your swing speed is below 80 mph and you use clubs designed for men, you will in all probability end up losing height and distance.
- As men’s clubs are designed for golfers with an average height of 5 foot 9 inches, you will benefit from using women’s golf clubs if you are 5 foot 7 inches or shorter. The shorter women’s clubs will enable you to exercise more control over your shots and close your wrists easier than a longer club designed for men.
Can A Man Use Women’s Golf Clubs?: Final Thoughts
Although it is a generalization, men are normally stronger and bigger than women and therefore produce higher swing speeds.
This means that women require shorter and softer shafts on clubs that are lighter and easier to swing than the clubs that men require.
Can a man use women’s golf clubs?
Men with a swing speed lower than 80 mph will be well advised to consider a set of women’s golf clubs irrespective of the comments you may get from your playing partners.
At the end of the day, the golf ball only knows the clubhead speed at which it is struck, not your gender.
A drive in the middle of the fairway will always beat a drive in the rough.
Any questions or queries can be posted in the comments section below.
FAQ
Are mens and womens golf club heads the same?
No, men’s and women’s golf club heads are not the same. The heads on a woman’s club are created to be a lot lighter since most women have slower swing speeds than men.
How can you tell mens clubs from women’s?
A few ways to tell are by the size of the club heads, the length of the clubs and the weight. Women’s clubs usually have smaller heads, are shorter and are lighter.
