If you’ve landed here, you likely identify as a female golfer - or at least, you’d like to be a golfer, but you’re not sure what kind of clubs you should purchase. Surely you’ve seen the top search engine results for women’s golf clubs: ladies clubs in hot pink, grips wrapped in florals, golf balls that will empower you (whatever that means). And you might get the impression that the options for women in golf, well, suck.
At Stix, we refer to this still too common marketing phenomenon as “shrink it and pink it,” which describes talking a men’s product then making it smaller and slapping pink and purple or roses all over it to appeal to the “fairer sex.”
More than half of the Stix team identifies as female, and every single one had the same response when viewing the most popular club options for women:
“Gross.”
While we support those women who embrace femininity and traditional gender identities, there is a need for more gender neutral options for ladies clubs - even a better way to say “ladies clubs.” Even if it’s unintentional, the clubs the golf industry commonly sells to women reflects their opinion of women: they’re more fragile, more timid, and weaker than their male counterparts. Excuse us while we stifle our laughter.
Women aren’t fragile. Our Head of Growth Jen is a rock star in roller derby, a sport, if you’re unfamiliar, that involves speed and slamming your body into others on the regular.
Women aren’t timid. Our Content Manager Shannon has traversed jaguar-infested jungles and gone spelunking in caves used for Mayan ritualistic sacrifices.
And women aren’t weak. Head of PR Alex trained as a professional figure skater for most of her life, and never shies away from hardcore workouts that make her sweat. (Yes, sweat. Not shine, or glimmer, or glisten.)
So, why do we try to limit a woman’s strength and resiliency when it comes to golf clubs?
Every golf club includes technology that ideally helps the individual using them play as well as they can depending on their skill and experience. The fact of the matter is that when you really drill down to the basic components the difference between men’s and women’s golf clubs are minimal. Typically, golf clubs for both sexes use the same technology, but women’s clubs more often feature graphite shafts that are lighter than steel, with a softer flex that allows for greater speed and height.
However, the most obvious difference between men’s golf clubs and women’s golf clubs is the color. And for many sets, that’s the only difference.
We’re fans of all-black. And we’re fans of making choices that will allow you to feel more confident, which will help you play better. We also really believe that you have to find out what works best for you, not what the industry says works best for you.
One of the best ways to determine what you like is to go to your local golf store, step into their swing simulator, and have a pro measure your swing speed. After some initial research and feeling out your options, you may find yourself reaching for the same clubs as your brother or partner. A number of female golfers play with “men’s clubs” because their swings are faster, they hit farther, and the standard women’s set don’t meet their needs. Alternately, many men use clubs typically prescribed for women because they enjoy the greater flex and loft they achieve with these optics.
At Stix, we offer the same set of clubs to everyone, regardless of gender or age. All of our clubs feature graphite shafts with various flexes available: do you have a fast, powerful swing? Try stiff. Swinging slower and softer? You’d likely enjoy our A-flex. Clubs aren’t one size fits all specific to age or gender, and you should always choose what works best for your playing style.
As Tim Briand, Senior Vice President of True Spec Golf said, “At the end of the day, the golf ball doesn’t know anything about gender or age. It knows clubhead speed. If your clubhead speed and delivery pattern is within a certain envelope, just look at the numbers.”
If you are searching for women’s golf clubs, you’ve found them at Stix. With different flexes, heights, and dexterities available, you can customize your set to be perfect for your preferences - not the other way around.
