Two women’s golf sets that take performance – and aesthetics – to a whole new level.
PING G Le3
Sigmund Freud once said, “The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my 30 years of research into the feminine soul, is ‘What does a woman want?’”
It’s a question that has plagued golf equipment makers for years as well. Although some companies have made an earnest effort to dissect the swing of the female golfer and design clubs specifically for them, far too often women have had to settle for a lighter version of a men’s model with a different colour scheme (as noted opposite).
Ping’s latest iteration of its G Le model, the G Le3, eschews that mindset. “Our ongoing commitment to engineering lightweight, easy-to-hit, premium clubs for women is rooted in Ping’s long history of supporting women’s golf, dating back to the early 1970s. It started with my grandparents, Karsten and Louise Solheim, and continues today with the Solheim Cup and other game-growing initiatives,” said Ping executive vice-president Stacey Pauwels, who oversees the development of Ping products made exclusively for women.
The set includes driver, fairway woods, hybrids, irons and putters, and the full-swing clubs reflect the commitment to distance through a different understanding of how women players create swing speed and ball speed and how clubs can be manufactured to better line up with the speeds these golfers create.
The G Le3 driver (SRP: $930) is optimised for swing speeds of 80mph or less. Doing so required lightweight shafts and grips in an effort to boost swing speed as well as a 460cc titanium head with a forged face maximised to get the best results from slower swing speeds.
Fairway woods require not only distance-enhancing properties, but the ability to launch them high as well. This is particularly critical for slower swings that sometimes need a boost in achieving the proper lift. For G Le3 (SRP: $580) that meant creating a stainless-steel club with a maraging steel face wrap to foster face flex while reducing spin.
For many women, hybrids are a perplexing proposition. Yes, they often are easier to hit than irons, but often not as effective as a high-lofted fairway wood. Ping addressed part of that challenge by making the G Le3 hybrids (SRP: $330) a quarter-of-an-inch longer, making them swing closer to a fairway wood.
The irons and wedges (SRP: $330 each) are designed to work seamlessly with the hybrids, allowing players to mix and match irons and hybrids to find the proper set make-up. Available in 6 through 9-iron with three wedge options (PW, UW, SW), the stainless-steel G Le3 irons feature a low CG and a thin face that positions mass low and to the perimeter, assisting distance, forgiveness and launch – all desirable traits in an iron.
The four putters (SRP: $450, except for the Ketsch G which is $575) all check in at 33 inches in length and cover the gamut from slight arc to strong arc strokes as well as those with straight back and straight through paths.
All four putters are built with the new G Le3-specific, pistol-style PP59 grip, distinguished by an updated PU wrap that provides a better feel and premium look.
Speaking of aesthetics, the G Le3 family boasts a colour combination of navy, gold and silver accents, creating a premium look. The G Le3 line of clubs is available for custom fittings and via authorised Ping golf shops.
Callaway Big Bertha REVA
FAR too often in the past, golf clubs designed for women were not so much designed for them at all, but rather were simply a lighter version of a men’s model with a different colour scheme. Referred to as “shrink it and pink it”, it’s not that such clubs won’t work – they often will if fit properly – but Callaway Golf’s latest iteration of its Big Bertha Reva line for women was created through an earnest effort to dissect the swing of the female golfer and design clubs specifically for them.
Kim Johnson is the lead on the Women’s Task Force at Callaway and is passionate about the project. “We have a lot of different opinions based on a lot of consumer insights. We’ve done a ton of research with LPGA players all the way to women who are just starting in the game… This is a more aspirational product. This is the product for women who are ready to upgrade, ready for real technology that is specifically designed for them.”
The Reva driver features an XL face with a large sweet spot that was designed using artificial intelligence and includes a lightweight version of the company’s “Jailbreak” technology. The driver comes in three lofts, 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees, but with a triaxial carbon crown that allows for weight savings to boost the moment of inertia to help mitigate ball speed loss on mis-hits as well as position weight to help promote
a high launch.
The fairway woods feature a large head size, but a shallow face and more loft to help get the ball in the air. The carbon crown, Jailbreak technology and AI-designed faces are all part of the package, as are lightweight shafts. For lofts, the fairways are available in 3, 5, 7 and 9-woods along with a Heavenwood offering – a useful club for those seeking more height with their fairway woods. For those seeking to dial in their fairway woods even more, the 3 and 5-wood have an adjustable hosel.
The hybrids go all the way up to a 9-hybrid and feature a head shape with offset to help fight the slice. A high-strength 455 steel cupface with Jailbreak tech provides plenty of face flex with each loft having a face designed uniquely for that loft through AI Internal tungsten weighting is used to optimise the centre of gravity location for a high launch while assisting stability on mis-hits.
“You’re seeing more hybrids in the women’s game,” Johnson said. “We’re seeing more replacements in the 4, 5, and 6-hybrids, they’re easy to hit, they’re nice to look at and they’re forgiving… I love the adjustability, and that we’re taking it up to a 9-hybrid, it just gives women more options.”
The Big Bertha Reva irons have AI-designed cupfaces to produce higher ball speeds. Staying true to the Big Bertha iron heritage, the clubs boast offset along with wide soles and toplines to inspire confidence and help get the ball in the air. Tungsten is used both externally (up to 11 grams) and internally (up to 35 grams) to further give launch a boost.
An earnest effort indeed.
PRICE & AVAILABILITY: Driver: $899.99; fairway woods: $539.99; hybrids: $499.99; irons: $329.99 each (5-iron through sand wedge).
REVA golf balls
The Callaway REVA Golf Ball is engineered for women who want to improve their distance, ball flight and consistency. To promote easy launch and more forgiveness, Callaway has leveraged an oversized construction that conforms to the Rules of Golf. The oversized core and low spin characteristics are also designed for longer, more accurate shots. Try the REVA if you’re looking to hit better shots that fly on a straighter line. RRP: $44.99
