Choosing golf clubs that fit you to a tee

Abigail Vernon doesn't like to lose -- on or off the green.

So when the former pro golfer and 10-time Brookline Country Club champion first began mixing business with golf a decade ago, she was relieved to hear her boss didn't expect her to play ''client golf," a variation on the game that always allows the client to win.

Over the years, male clients and colleagues have greeted her prowess on the course with surprise (when she steps up to the men's tee rather than the women's), with apprehension (when she drives the ball 240 yards straight down the fairway), and by the 18th hole, with respect.

''It's a great business tool," said Vernon, 40, vice president of business development at money management firm Boston Advisors. ''You get to know how someone handles adversity and good fortune, if they are gracious in victory and in defeat, and if they are honest."

Of the nation's 26.2 million golfers, 22 percent are women, according to the National Golf Foundation. But Vernon typically finds a smaller sample of women at corporate golf events. Among 40 executives, it's not unusual for her to be the only woman. And when it comes to earning the respect of male colleagues, Vernon said, it helps to be better than they are.

Can a good set of clubs help? Within reason, sure. But there's no such thing as a magic club. Because of the strength and speed of her swing, Vernon uses men's clubs. She opts for graphite shafts because her swing isn't quite strong enough to warrant the stiffer steel shafts.

Most women are better off sticking with women's clubs, however, since the flexibility of the shaft is designed with the average female golfer's swing speed and strength in mind.

Vernon looks for a traditional club head on her irons because the smaller head gives her greater accuracy. Note to aspiring golfers: Depending on your skill level, you're probably better off with a fatter, more forgiving club head.

But when it comes to her woods, Vernon is all for the new technology. While she's hung on to her irons for six years, she replaces her driver every two years. Her TaylorMade R580 looks like a spaceship on the end of a metal shaft. When she drives the ball, it sounds more like a clunk than the ping of a well-hit ball.

''I hate that sound," she said. ''But all I'm looking for is distance, and with these new drivers, the ball does go farther."

Learning the game involves everything from honing your swing to knowing when not to walk across the green. It's not a game learned in a season, or for most people, even two. So before buying a set of clubs, Vernon suggests measuring your resolve.

Vernon took up golf as a junior at Smith College and played full time after graduation. She spent four years on the amateur circuit and four on the pro tour before returning to Boston for a career in financial management.

Even with a 3-handicap, Vernon does not rest on her laurels. She practices her swing daily in front of a mirror at her North End home, starts hitting at indoor ranges in January, and plays at least three rounds of golf a week during the season.

''You have to have the desire to get a level of skill where it's going to be worthwhile, or else you're better off doing something else that can enhance your job prospects," Vernon said.

Naomi Aoki can be reached at naoki@globe.com.