The Right Golf Clubs For Every Woman

Ping is a brand with a long and rich history of supporting women’s golf, engineering clubs packed with game-enjoyment technology tailored to benefit female golfers. G Le3 is the new family of custom-made clubs designed for women with a driver swing speed of 80mph or less and the line-up complements Ping’s existing G430 and G430 HL ranges, which would also be in the conversation when our three golfers travelled to Ping’s HQ in Gainsborough.

WATCH: Three female golfers get fitting for new Ping clubs

The concept of custom-fitting golf equipment isn’t new; in fact, it was introduced by Ping over 45 years ago. Female golfers have often shied away from made-to- measure clubs, especially those new to the game who feel their golf is not yet up to a standard that warrants this service.

This couldn’t be further from the truth, though, as three female golfers at different stages of their golfing journeys – beginner Gemma Pettit, the improving influencer Jasmin Crossfield (@golf_ fitness_girl) and experienced Alison Root – discovered when they visited Ping’s European HQ to enjoy its comprehensive fitting service. 

Jasmin Crossfield - Handicap Index 22

Alison Root - Handicap Index 14

Gemma Pettit - Handicap Index 38

To begin with, the fitter identifies ball flight tendencies, likes and dislikes of current equipment and what improvements the golfer would like to see in their game from new clubs. Using a 7-iron, height and wrist-to-floor measurements are used to calculate a static iron colour code (lie angle) and shaft length, while hand dimensions are used to calculate grip thickness.

That’s the easy bit because then it’s time to warm up, knock some balls away off the mat and get rid of any pre-fitting nerves before then hitting off a diagnostic board. This helps the fitter to understand how your set-up and swing affect the position of the clubhead at impact via a mark left on tape attached to the sole of the club.

From here, the process involves striking numerous shots that allow the fitter to assess data gathered from the Trackman launch monitor, including
club speed, ball speed, spin rate, launch angle, carry distance and dispersion. Following this analysis, the fitter experiments with, and refines, shaft and head combinations to find a match that instils complete confidence in the golfer. Consistent gapping was a top priority for Ping in the design of the entire G Le3 family and the brand’s clever gapping app works out an ideal set configuration based on the player’s data.

At the end of the day, all three knew they had the right clubs from any distance to suit their swings. It showed that beginners and experienced players alike can benefit hugely from custom-fit clubs, with Ping making some of the most user-friendly sets around. Read on for more details on each fitting and to see which clubs they ended up with

Nick Boulton

"Women are no different to men. They come in all shapes and sizes, so when they first come into the fitting centre, which clubs we’re going to fit them into is an unknown. A fitting doesn’t just come down to swing speed. There are several factors to consider such as ball speed, launch angle and spin rate. The feel of the club is also vitally important. You may experience similar results from two different shafts, but feel much happier with one over the other.

However, typically women have less physical strength compared to men, resulting in a slower swing speed. This usually means that our G Le3 family is a good starting point. These clubs are designed to help women compress the ball more so the face flexes, leading to greater ball speed, higher launch and more distance. Through Arccos data and extensive Ping research into golfers’ performances, lofts have been altered in the G Le3 line-up for better gapping, so we can provide women with the most efficient set of clubs.

It’s important to consider what stage the player is at in her golf journey. If they’re on an upward curve, be it technically or physically, then the G430 family could be a more suitable one and we have two options here, including the High Launch, which bridges the gap perfectly between G Le3 and G430."