A few days ago I was answering some questions on PPGS.com and read a question I was going to respond to until something interrupted me. I have not gotten back to that question as of yet, so I decided to answer it so everybody could read this.
The question came from a man who said that his wife was 4'9' and played with standard ladies clubs. He asked if I would agree that maybe she should choke up on them.
For starters, I really cannot point blank say yes or no without seeing her address the ball with her clubs and swing them to see how the fit looks. What I would be looking at for setup is how the iron heads are soled to the ground. I would check to see if they are soled in the middle of he head or toe or heel up. Considering her height, I would guess that standard ladies clubs may be too long if she grips them at full length and the clubs would be soled with the toe up in the air. This would tell me that either the clubs are too long for her or they are too upright. It could be both.
A recommendation I would make that could help decide if her clubs are too long is to try some shorter ones and see how they feel and look at address, especially how they swing and hit the ball. Since she is under 5 feet tall, shorter clubs would be junior clubs, likely in the longer lengths. US Kids clubs make great junior clubs and they are all based on fitting by height. They offer beginner, intermediate and an advanced line that includes their top of the line Tour Series model. All their clubs are fitted based on height to get the correct length, and driver clubhead speeds to get the correct shaft flex. You can check them out at www.uskidsgolf.com . Any pro shop or store that sells them and has the height fitting chart and all the different lengths makes it simple to figure out which set fits. Many of these golf shops and stores will also likely have demo clubs to try out.
The point here is that to play your best you need fitted clubs. Clubs are tools. The better your tools fit, the better they perform and thus the better you will hit them. Hit them better and you score better, which is what playing golf is all about, playing to your potential. The key here is to play with the clubs that fit and perform, even if they may be a size and or design that does not fit your age or sex.
A few weeks ago, I was discussing club fitting in our blog, especially zeroing in on the problem that so many readers wrote in saying they were having trouble hitting their driver and fairway woods. When I kept reading that so many were of you were hitting your irons and hybrids well, but not the driver and 3 wood, I deduced that for one thing it was not a swing problem that most thought it was. I felt that for many these clubs were likely too long and too heavy and maybe the shaft flex was not correct for them. I challenged all those men 5'8' and less and over 62 years old to try ladies woods and write back telling their results.
I was really pleased to see how many of you tried it and how you were amazed how much easier ladies woods were to swing and how much better you hit the ball. One guy said that he had been hitting ladies woods for over 20 years and beating the pants off his friends — they never knew he was using ladies woods.
Since I can't see this lady to make an accurate evaluation and recommendation, I would recommend that she visit her local PGA Professional or club fitter to have her clubs checked to see if they are the correct length, lie and shaft flex. The pro or fitter will also check to see if her grips are the correct size. I would guess that at 4'9' there is a high probability her standard ladies set is too long and likely is not a good fit in all the other issues mentioned.
When we play golf and make a good score on a hole that we actually played badly, and hit a lucky shot that went in, there is a saying that when you mark your score on the card, 'It doesn't show how, it just shows how many.' Let's apply this same saying to our playing equipment with this variation, 'It isn't what clubs you used, it's how you used them.'
Try the junior clubs. I have a strong feeling that you'll like them!
The Surge!