In the 17th century, Mary, Queen of Scots, had this bit registered in the St. Andrews official city log: she buried her husband in the morning, then, "besported herself at golfe with a young knave." Women have taken up Mary's mashie niblick and today, except for a few isolated enclaves, are welcome to play anywhere in the world. Golf club makers have obviously begun to see there's a growing market for women's clubs, and we can probably begin seeing an increase in advertising to boost the female market.

Women's golf club design and manufacturing substantially trails the same factors for men. For quite some time, manufacturers have felt there wasn't enough money to be made to really zero in on producing clubs designed just for women. Some companies are beginning to see the light and women can one day expect to walk in a golf shop and find clubs that are just as carefully designed for men.

Most women need golf clubs that are built shorter than for men – "built shorter," not cut down to fit. Many women golfers don't generate great club-head speed, with the exception being members of the LPGA tour and well advanced amateurs. Women with swing speeds around 60 mph should consider acquiring a driver with a special titanium face. They aren't always easy to find but are worth the effort.

Women with slower swing speeds need to use fairway woods that have higher lofts. Other designs meant to help elevate a golf shot include having an offset hosel or using a club with a more flexible shaft. Another suggested requisite for slower swings is not to have any iron in your bag that plays longer than a six or seven iron. Only stronger players should include five irons and four irons as part of their arsenal. Think about using clubs that have a well rounded sole in order to help prevent chunking the club into the ground and leaving your shot well short of the target. Don't choose large headed clubs; instead, select irons with deep back cavities and perimeter weighting.

Hybrid clubs can be an excellent substitute for longer irons. Any number of golf club sets now contain hybrids that go up to seven irons, or can even replace all the irons except for pitching and sand wedges. Let your fairway woods determine the selection of hybrids. The Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood is one of our favorites. The longest hybrid should be hit within 10 or 15 yards of your highest number fairway wood.

Pay attention to your short game by acquiring wedges that fit your swing. The pitching wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge can contribute nicely to your scoring ability. Choose a putter that feels like it was made for your hands. Probably more so than any other club in the bag, you should develop a relationship with the putter that is built on trust and consistency. You've got your bag filled now – go play.