Ladies Irons - what to do?

I'm having a heck of a time finding a decent set of starter irons for my girlfriend at a reasonable price. I don't want to spend a fortune (since she's just starting) but I don't want to impede her success (i.e. enthusiasm) by getting her crappy irons. She's motivated and athletic and has been using a men's set (R shafts) for practice but it's still too early to spend a lot on clubs.

I thought I'd post here in case we might be able to get a set altered or made for her at a reasonable cost(?). She's 5' 7" and I've seen her drive a range ball 150-160 yds (airborne) and her swing is improving quite rapidly (in case that helps).

I also have 2 sets of reasonably decent mens irons that could be potentially shortened or reshafted(?).

Any feedback or suggestions appreciated. You can respond here or PM me. We live in downtown Ottawa.

Thanks in advance.

When my wife started we got a decent starter set at Pro Golf, now Nevada Bob's. When she was ready to move onto a better set, we got a good trade in price for the old clubs on some new clubs. You may want to go that route as an option.

IMHO the whole "ladies" irons thing is kind of silly. I never understood why they were always pink or purple.

What matters the most, is the flex / weight of the club and is that right for her. At 5'7" and athletic I'll wager she's probably swinging faster than a lot of men I see so if you can find a men's set that she likes, go with that.

If you go with the reshaft option, she should probably be in a soft R or A flex.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mznorth

I also have 2 sets of reasonably decent mens irons that could be potentially shortened or reshafted(?).

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Women's clubs typically differ from men's in the following respects:

1) Shafts are graphite - if your 2 sets have steel shafts, you probably want to get her another set or re-shaft.
2) Flex is softer - Ladies flex is softer than A which is softer than R. If she's athletic and has a good swing speed, she might be OK with an R in graphite.
3) Club lengths are shorter - generally about 1/2" or so (often the same lengths as steel shafts would be, but in graphite instead). At 5'7" she's probably OK with men's clubs, but it is actually the wrist-to-floor measurement that determines this.
4) Lofts might be weaker - not true for ALL women's sets, but many women seem to have difficulty getting good height on their shots so clubmakers often adjust accordingly.

Costco has a very inexpensive starter set for women if cost is your primary factor (I have no idea if they are any good). Jazz Golf makes inexpensive but decent women's clubs - I think you can get them at Tin Cup Golf in Bell's Corners. GolfWorks on Industrial has women's clubs and can advise you on reshafting (and do the work too) if you wanted to check out that route. Or you could buy used. Good Luck.

Thanks a lot for all your suggestions! This has been very helpful.

I think she will benefit from lighter, easier to swing, clubs for the time being. When her swing improves she can decide. I think I'll try and find a decent new inexpensive set or a good quality used set of ladies graphite irons.

Thanks again,

John

Many will laugh at this suggestion, but my wife enjoys playing about 6 times a year, wanted a decent set of clubs and didn't want to drop a huge amount of cash.

We picked up a women's set of Dunlop clubs at Sports Experts end of last season (right about now) for $149. Their regular (probably inflated price) was $499.

The set was graphite in ladies flex, 1-3-5-7 woods, 5-Sw irons. We still needed to have them shortened a bit, but my wife is only 5'0".

As others have already mentioned, a soft men's or even a senior set may be just perfect for an athletic 5'7" women.

I agree on not spending too much on a golfer starting out but why spend 199.00

or 299.00 when you can get a set of rac os in the ladies section of this forum for
around 450?
If you think she will take to the game and not give up,then why not?

Years ago I bought my wife a set of graphite shafted clubs about Sears. Yes, Sears. They were great and the price was fantastic. Just another possibility.