Fit for Me: My Experience with Custom Clubs
One of the biggest frustrations I’ve had with golf equipment is that standard “women’s” clubs simply don’t suit me, despite being a woman. These sets are typically designed around assumptions—shorter height, lower swing speed, less power and less loft—but those assumptions don’t reflect all female golfers. At 176cm, 33 years old and athletic with a strong sporting background in field hockey, I generate plenty of power, and those off-the-shelf expectations never matched my game.
When I first started playing golf three years ago, I was given a hand-me-down women’s set from my mother-in-law. They were too short, forcing me to crouch over the ball, and I regularly topped shots that skimmed low across the ground. Borrowing my husband’s clubs felt completely different—I could stand upright and swing freely—but constantly switching between sets made consistency impossible.
“My shots became straighter, longer and more predictable, mishits were less punishing, and most importantly, the game became far more enjoyable.”
That changed when I attended a custom fitting at Bonnie Doon Golf Club in Sydney with a fitter from Titleist. There I learned, as explained by Titleist’s Golf Club Business Manager for Australia and New Zealand, that poorly fitted clubs can significantly limit development, while properly matched length, loft, flex and lie angle can dramatically improve performance. Titleist also takes a different approach from many brands by avoiding “men’s” and “women’s” labels altogether, instead designing clubs for “golfers”, recognising that ability and swing characteristics matter more than gender.
During my two-hour fitting with a Titleist pro, I hit balls while each swing was analysed using TrackMan technology, which measured everything from ball speed to strike location. The data quickly revealed what worked: a combination of slightly longer shafts, stiffer flex and higher-lofted heads produced straighter, higher and more consistent shots. As we refined hybrids, drivers and irons, the right setup became obvious—clubs that matched my swing made good shots feel effortless and reduced my worst misses. My final specifications were sent off to be custom-built in Melbourne.
A similar experience played out alongside mine with another golfer, Tracey Leitch, who also rejected generic women’s package sets in favour of a personalised fit. She found she needed lighter, more flexible clubs, but experienced the same breakthrough feeling when everything clicked into place.
When my clubs arrived a few weeks later, the difference was immediate. My shots became straighter, longer and more predictable, mishits were less punishing, and most importantly, the game became far more enjoyable. As Tracey put it after her own fitting success, inconsistency dropped sharply and her best shots became genuinely impressive—even helping her win her first round with her new set.