It was early March in the mid-1980s. I received a call in my office at the Pinetree CC golf shop in Kennesaw, Georgia. A member asked me if I would work with a young lady that his friend was thinking of sponsoring when she turned pro. She was from New Hampshire and was a really good player and would stay at his home for a week of instruction, if I had the time. A week later Jan showed up and after being introduced, we headed to my office to talk background, goals, strengths and weaknesses, and future playing plans. With the getting-to-know-Jan session completed, despite gloomy weather outside, which she was comfortable with, we headed out to the practice tee to start an evaluation of her swing.
Jan was around 5'6' to 5'8', looked very athletic, having done ballet or gymnastics for years, and she made a very athletic and powerful golf swing. The first thing I noticed was that she was playing with a standard set of men's clubs. The second thing I noticed when she swung was, that despite her athleticism and strength, she was laboring to swing these clubs. How did I know? For one, she was coming up on both toes at impact, which is a definite clue that the clubs are too long. And the grunts just before impact added to the length issue that she was straining to swing the clubs, which were too heavy.
After I watched around 10 swings, I had Jan run the set. This means she hit every club, starting with the sand wedge up to the driver, taking 3 swings with each. What I look for in running the set is that if the set is well matched, Jan would hit every club pretty good to well from the first swing. If she needed 2 or 3 swings to get a descent hit, then that club was likely not fitted properly to the set and needed adjustment to fix what was wrong or get a replacement.
The big thing I noticed was that, as the clubs began to get longer and from the 6 iron up, Jan was laboring more and more with each swing. She was coming up more on her toes and the grunting was becoming louder. I was not seeing good club speed and acceleration approaching impact. And by the time she got to the woods, the swing was looking slow, lethargic and like she was just lolly-popping it out there. I was convinced her clubs were too long, too heavy and too stiff. I asked her why she was using men's clubs. She said that she was told for her strength and swing she needed men's clubs. I told her to stop hitting and relax. I was going into the shop and would be back in a minute.
My wife, Susan, is 5'7' and her clubs were in storage. I knew the specs and was sure they were real close to what Jan's clubs should be, except maybe the shafts would be a little weak. I knew Susan would not mind me letting Jan try them. The key is they were 100 percent ladies clubs. These would give Jan and I the answer to whether her men's clubs were wrong for her and that she needed to play ladies clubs. But before I continue with the Jan story, let's look at some club fitting thinking as regards women that I think is wrong and hurts them.
Many PGA Professionals and club fitters believe that when they see an athletically fit and strong woman, and we'll also include teenage girls, who swing aggressively, they need men's clubs. I believe this theory still prevails as I still see many good teenage girls and women playing with men's clubs. Today, this is worse that back in the 1980s because standards for length have increased with clubs an average 1 to 2 inches longer over the years. The good news, if any, is that graphite shafts are better and more prevalent today and thus have less overall weight.
The basic issue we are dealing with here is physiology. Women have as much as 30 percent less upper body muscle and strength than a man their size, pound for pound. Add to this that there is a good probability that they are also shorter than the male. So, they have less strength and are shorter and we expect them to be able to swing the same clubs as a man who is stronger and taller. What is wrong with that picture? Common sense alone should tell us that's not correct. How much tip toeing and grunting do we need to see and hear before we see the light. Evidently not enough yet! Now let's get back to Jan.
I came down with Susan's bag and clubs and explained my position on her men's clubs being too long and heavy, and swinging my wife's clubs would confirm if they were. I handed her the 7 iron and the first thing she said was that it felt good and that she liked the size and weight. Good comments that led to building confidence. After a few practice swings that reinforced her first impressions, her first swing was smooth and balanced. She did not come up on her toes and there was no grunt. Best of all I liked the control of the club in terms of swing speed and acceleration to and through impact and on up to the finish.
We ran the rest of the set. Her feet stayed grounded at impact and she was grunt-less with every swing. Most importantly, Jan had a swing that looked well balanced, smooth and powerful and in complete control. She was the master of her clubs with less effort and energy. That is important because a round of golf is a long process, and to play well you have to be able to get to the finish with plenty of energy left in the tank.
With the demo completed and Jan hitting the ball well, with so much less effort and energy, I told her that she needed a new set of ladies clubs. I explained that even if she needed them a little longer, the key is that all components of ladies clubs (heads, shafts and grips) are lighter than men's clubs. Thus, the overall weight of ladies clubs will always be lighter than men's. This lightness means that they will be easier to swing smoothly and powerfully, while expending less effort and energy. She will hit them more solid, straight and longer. She liked that a lot and we went in and measured her up and ordered her a set of ½ inch longer with 2 wraps oversize grips. For the rest of the week's instruction Jan used Susan's set and her men's clubs were now retired permanently — to be sold to a man.
The Surge!