Equipment Guide: Women's Irons/Hybrids/Putters

By Stina Sternberg and Ashley Mayo

August 20, 2008

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Photo By: John Schulz Photography

CALLAWAY

PRICE: $200 per club*SHAFT WEIGHT: 46g to 49gEvery club in this eight-piece set—which includes a 420cc titanium driver, an offset fairway wood, a hybrid, three wide-soled irons and a chipper—is designed to be draw-biased to help prevent slicing and has a low CG to add launch. The putter is a women's version of the popular Odyssey 2-Ball.PLAYER COMMENT: "I love these clubs. I can really get down and through the ball with them. They are very forgiving." —Kim Hugentobler, Hcp: 25

COBRA

Price: $120 per clubShaft weight: 50gThe oversize, cavity-backed S9 has a wide sole, and the three-piece polymer topline and urethane sole insert allow for weight to be redistributed to the heel and toe, making the club even more stable and forgiving. The synthetic backing reduces harsh vibrations for a softer feel.Player comment: "The unusual topline helps me line up the ball. It's very forgiving, regardless of where on the face I hit it." —Mary Ochs, Hcp: 5

NIKE

Price: $100 per clubShaft Weight: 60g to 63gThe new Slingshot iron features a weighted bar in the back of the clubhead that's positioned low and wide in the long irons and high and narrow in the short irons to help you achieve optimal ball flight with each club. The sole is wider in the longer clubs to help them perform almost like hybrids.PLAYER COMMENT: "This is a heavier-feeling club, which works well for faster-swinging women like me." —Mary Ochs, Hcp: 5

TAYLORMADE

Price: $195 per clubShaft Weight: 45gA large clubhead body—infused with tungsten weights in the sole to add height—surrounds a super-strong, ultrathin face plate for maximum perimeter weighting and forgiveness. The thin face adds ball speed and distance, and an ultralight shaft makes it easier to generate clubhead speed.PLAYER COMMENT: "What a light-feeling club! It's more forgiving than most of the others, and the nice, rounded toe gives it a great look." —Jodi White, Hcp: 3

CALLAWAY

Price: $100 per club (with graphite shaft)Manufactured with high-handicappers in mind, this set integrates wide-sole, hybrid-like long irons with oversized, forgiving mid- and short irons to create a seamless progression of high-launching, easy-to-hit clubs. The offset clubhead designs help keep the ball from going to the right.

PING

Price: $135 per club (with graphite shaft)Made specifically for women, the large clubhead is perimeter-weighted with added toe weight to improve MOI, reducing twist on off-center hits. And the wide sole, which creates a deeper cavity, lowers the club's center of gravity and promotes high launch. As with all Ping clubs, custom fit for lie, shaft flex and type, length and grip size are available.

ADAMS

Price: $149*Lofts: 20°, 22°, 25°, 28°The square clubhead shape moves more weight to the corners of the club, raising its MOI and making off-center hits go almost as far as centered ones. A low, deep CG helps get shots airborne easily, and a curved sole allows the club to glide through any turf.PLAYER COMMENT: "This looks a little different, but I'd get used to it very quickly after seeing these results. It's a great club—forgiving, long, effortless." —Michele Yegge, Hcp: 32

NIKE

Price: $180Lofts: 17°, 20°, 23°, 26°, 30°, 34°Another square design that promotes stability and consistent results, even on toe and heel hits, the Sumo² has a generous offset to keep your shots from leaking to the right. The weighted rear edge of the club helps move the CG back for higher launch.PLAYER COMMENT: "A great club for lower-handicap players; it feels so solid when hit properly." —Sharon Royce, Hcp: 10

TAYLORMADE

Price: $240Lofts: 19°, 22°, 25°The triangular clubhead helps create stability on off-center hits to make your less-than-perfect shots more consistent. The CGB Max Rescue's shallow head profile makes it easy to get through thick rough, and the longer, lighter shaft adds clubhead speed and distance.PLAYER COMMENT: "This looks and feels better than most of the hybrids out there. The women's version is nice and light." —Mary Ochs, Hcp: 5

COBRA

Price: $175 (with graphite shaft)Lofts (in L-flex): 16°, 18°, 20°, 23°, 26°, 29°The Baffler's dual weighting system pushes weight to the corners to improve moment of inertia (MOI), and its clubhead slopes from front to back, which moves the CG low and back. This helps players launch the ball high and makes the club highly resistant to twisting at impact on off-center hits. The 465 Maraging steel face insert is larger than ever, maximizing ball speed even on mis-hits.

Photo By: John Schulz Photography

TOUR EDGE

Price: $300 (with graphite shaft)Lofts (in L-flex): 16°, 18°, 21°, 24°The first hybrid to fuse a light titanium cup face and crown to a heavier steel body, this club allows more weight to be transferred away from the club's CG for greater forgiveness. A four-way radius sole design minimizes ground contact and makes the XCG easy to hit from any lie.

PING

Price: $175 (with graphite shaft)Lofts (in L-flex): 26°, 30° and 34°Engineered exclusively with women in mind, the clubheads on these hybrids shallow out toward the back, giving them a deep CG that produces great height on shots from any lie. The compact head design makes it glide easily even through thick rough, and the myriad custom-fitting options makes it easy to match to any type of player.

PING

Price: $130Shaft lengths: 31", 32", 33", 34", 35", 36"The new version of the Craz-E has an insert-free face for purists who prefer the performance of steel; an elastomer insert behind the face enhances feel. An array of lie, loft and length options make this putter easy to customize.PLAYER COMMENT: "I was distracted by the look at first, but my putts are going very straight and the roll is pure, so obviously it works!" —Kim Hugentobler, Hcp: 25

NIKE

Price: $159Shaft lengths: 33", 34", 35"Nike's new IC putter is painted green from the grip to the clubhead, save for a stark white alignment aid on the top of the head. Visually, this makes most of the club blend into the grass at address, allowing the alignment aid to really stand out.PLAYER COMMENT: "I like this one a lot. The ball pops off the putterface and the roll is very true. It has an extremely pleasing feel." —Cindy Clemens, Hcp: 25

NANCY LOPEZ

Price: $100Shaft length: 33"This stainless steel putter comes in three models—blade, half-mallet and full mallet (shown)—all of which are weighted specifically for women. A milled aluminum face insert improves feel at impact and moves weight to the edges of the face, increasing the club's forgiveness.PLAYER COMMENT: "I'm not a mallet player, but this is a very nice club. It works so well, I could get used to it." —Susan Lane, Hcp: 24

PROFOUND

Price: $359Shaft lengths: 33", 34", 35"The Dark ACE features a double-layer alignment aid that's pretty genius: Line up the top bars so that they hide the pink lines on the bottom part of the club, and you can be sure your eyes are directly over the ball. If the pink is visible, you're either too far away from the ball or too close to it.PLAYER COMMENT: "This putter makes you confident in your setup; I also feel like I can really release it." —Sharon Royce, Hcp: 10

ODYSSEY

Price: $170Available shaft lengths: 33", 34", 35"The fangs on this funny-looking but effective putter displace weight to the club head's outer-most limits, which maximizes its resistance to twisting at impact, making off-center putts roll nearly as true as those struck with the center of the putterface. The large alignments aids make lining up putts easier, and the multi-layer White Hot XG insert offers soft feel. As a bonus, the Sabertooth does a great job of picking up balls.

TAYLORMADE

Price: $240Available shaft lengths: 33", 34", 35"A light but strong aluminum core and heavier "wings" make this clubhead extremely perimeter-weighted, which increases its MOI and adds stability. Movable-weight technology lets you make the putter head heavier or lighter to suit your personal preference. The insert on the putter's face has 14 polymer-filled grooves that help the ball roll forward immediately after impact rather than skidding.

NEVER COMPROMISE

Price: $300Available shaft lengths: 34", 35", 36"The GM2 comes with six interchangeable weights that allow players to tailor the putter's balance and head weight (between 330 and 360 grams) to their preferred feel and putting surface. The signature black toe and heel help you align the putter squarely at address.

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Equipment Guide: Women's Irons/Hybrids/Putters

Shop This Look

CALLAWAY

COBRA

NIKE

TAYLORMADE

CALLAWAY

PING

ADAMS

NIKE

TAYLORMADE

COBRA

TOUR EDGE

PING

PING

NIKE

NANCY LOPEZ

PROFOUND

ODYSSEY

TAYLORMADE

NEVER COMPROMISE

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