One of the most important aspects of introducing a young player to the game of golf is providing them with proper fitting
equipment. Poor fitting clubs can lead to swing problems that can be difficult to correct in later years, and even affect the
desire to play.
Clubs that are too long will cause the junior to compensate with a swing that is too flat, and clubs that are too short
will lead to a swing that is too upright. Both instances will make it difficult for the junior to make consistent contact
with the ball, resulting in needless frustration and an understandable desire to give up and try something that is
more fun!
The best choice is a club approximately 1.5 longer than an exact fit, which allows the junior to choke down during
initial play, gradually moving his/her hands higher on the grip as they grow over the next two seasons.
You can find a pre-packaged set that matches your child best by comparing your junior's measurements with those
recommended by the manufacturer. Typically, if the height range for the set is 44 - 52 inches and your junior stands
48 inches tall you would have a great match. If your junior is at the lower end of the scale you may want to continue
your search, as the clubs may be be too long. If your junior is at the very high end of the range you may want to
select the next larger size, or search for a different junior golf set with a more appropriate height range.
Bottom line: if your child's height is about in the middle of the manufacturer's suggested height range, you're safe. If
not, search for a different brand with a different height range. Always strive to purchase clubs a little long for your
junior - this ensures the junior will grow into the clubs and allows parents to maximize their investment.
Custom Built Clubs - we no longer offer custom built clubs - the club length chart below is what we used for
building custom junior golf clubs. This is for your reference only.
All Kids Golf Clubs - Recommended Junior Golf Club Sizing Chart by Height
Child Height
42"
43"
44"
45"
46"
47"
48"
49"
50"
51"
52"
53"
54"
55"
56"
57"
58"
59"
60"
61"
62"
Driver
31"
32"
33"
33"
34"
34"
35"
35"
36"
36"
36"
37"
37"
38"
38"
39"
39"
39"
40"
41"
41"
3 Wood
30"
31"
32"
32"
33"
33"
34"
34"
35"
35"
35"
36"
36"
37"
37"
38"
38"
38"
39"
40"
40"
3 Iron
31"
31"
32"
32"
32"
33"
33"
34"
34"
35"
35"
35"
36"
37"
37"
5 Iron
27"
27"
28"
28"
29"
29"
30"
30"
31"
31"
31"
32"
32"
33"
33"
34"
34"
34"
35"
36"
36"
7 Iron
26"
26"
27"
27"
28"
28"
29"
29"
30"
30"
30"
31"
31"
32"
32"
33"
33"
33"
34"
35"
35"
9 Iron
25"
25"
26"
26"
27"
27"
28"
28"
29"
29"
29"
30"
30"
31"
31"
32"
32"
32"
33"
34"
34"
PW
24.5"
24.5"
25.5"
25.5"
26.5"
26.5"
27.5"
27.5"
28.5"
28.5"
28.5"
29.5"
29.5"
30.5"
30.5"
31.5"
31.5"
31.5"
32.5"
33.5"
33.5"
SW
24.5"
24.5"
25.5"
25.5"
26.5"
26.5"
27.5"
27.5"
28.5"
28.5"
28.5"
29.5"
29.5"
30.5"
30.5"
31.5"
31.5"
31.5"
32.5"
33.5"
33.5"
Putter
23.5"
23.5"
24.5"
24.5"
25.5"
25.5"
27"
27"
28"
28"
28"
29"
29"
30"
30"
31"
31"
31"
32"
33"
33"
JUNIOR GOLF
RELATED LINKS
JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT AWARDS
JUNIOR CAMP DIRECTORY 2009
WEB EXCLUSIVE: JOHNNY MILLER'S ADVICE
ROTELLA: GET YOUR CHILD STARTED IN GOLF
MORE INFORMATION FOR JUNIOR GOLFERS
BY ASHLEY MAYO
July 2009
Seve Ballesteros used a cut-down three-iron to hit golf balls on a beach when he was seven years old. He later went
on to win 91 professional tournaments worldwide, and is arguably the greatest golfer in European Tour history. And
Andres Romero, a 28-year-old Argentinean and winner on the PGA Tour, began playing when he was six years old,
using a club his father carved from a branch of a Mulberry tree. While these nifty methods have proven outstanding
for Ballesteros and Romero, today's proper junior clubs are better than cut-down 3-irons and Mulberry branches.
Indeed, you may think there are just too many options, but it'll serve you well to put some thought into which clubs
and which pre-packaged sets best suit your junior golfer.
How many clubs do I really need to buy?
There's no need for a 5-year-old to carry fourteen clubs. Tony Dabbs, the product line manager for junior clubs at
Nike Golf, has a 5-year-old daughter who enjoys hitting golf balls. Dabbs has access to every kind of junior club, for
obvious reasons, but he began by giving her a wedge and a putter, and has slowly added a few irons, hybrids and a
driver.
"My 5-year-old only practices with a wedge," said Dabbs. "Longer clubs are harder to control and can create
frustration. Plus, she enjoys getting the ball up in the air, which is easiest to do with a wedge."
Even when kids venture onto the course, many have such slow swing speeds that 14 clubs become a pointless
abundance.
"Depending on height and strength, most junior golfers can only swing so hard," said Jose Miraflor, the product line
manager for junior clubs at Taylormade. "Because you need swing speed to create distance gaps between clubs,
distance gaps are usually quite small or unnoticeable with kids. Therefore, a driver, a hybrid -- which makes it easier
to get the ball in the air -- a 7-iron, a wedge and a putter are a perfect set. It makes sense to have 12-14 clubs only
when a kid becomes 10 years old, can swing harder and sees a distance gap that's larger than five yards between
clubs."
How much should I spend on a driver, and what's the ideal length?
Less expensive drivers are made from aluminum and stainless steel, while pricier ones are made from titanium. A
beginning junior golfer who isn't quite ready for tournament play will do fine with an aluminum driver. Because it's
a weaker metal than titanium, an aluminum head has to be thicker. This makes impact sound worse and won't help
launch the ball as far, but that won't matter much at this stage in the game. A junior golfer with a higher swing speed
who's ready for tournament golf, however, will reap more benefits from a driver with an all-titanium clubhead. It'll
be worth the extra money.
And do your child a favor: Don't buy a longer driver hoping your kid will eventually grow into it. Even worse, many
kids -- and their parents -- equate a longer driver with longer drives. But Dan Van Horn, the founder of U.S. Kids
Golf and the developer of the U.S. Kids measuring system, says that couldn't be farther from the truth.
"A driver that's longer than two inches below the sternum encourages improper technique and slower hand speed,"
said Van Horn, whose company offers the most comprehensive fitting system among all junior golf equipment
manufacturers. "And these early mistakes are tough to correct."
Miraflor understands that buying a new driver every time your child grows can become a financial issue.
"If they're struggling to swing with a driver that's a bit too long, it's okay to have them choke down on the grip," said
Miraflor. "But a junior should never have to choke more than two or three inches down. At that point, the driver is
too long."
When should my kid get professionally fit for clubs?
Tiger Woods got his first fitting at the tender age of four, and his clubs were rechecked every six months thereafter.
"It was a big part of my job to help Earl keep clubs fit to Tiger," said Rudy Duran, Tiger's first swing coach. "Earl
knew the importance of club fitting, and as a result we worked together to make sure that Tiger had clubs that fit him
every year."
Duran paid most attention to length, and also checked shaft flex, grip size and weight. But equipment companies
today have taken a lot of the guesswork out by offering pre-packaged junior golf sets that meet Duran's basic criteria.
Major manufacturers such as Callaway (callawaygolf.com), Nike (nikegolf.com), Ping (ping.com), TaylorMade
(taylormadegolf.com), Tour Edge (touredge.com) and Wilson (wilson.com/golf have pre-boxed sets of junior golf
clubs, designed for children of a certain age and height. And other equipment companies, such as Accu-Length
(acculength.com) and U.S. Kids (uskidsgolf.com), focus solely on building junior golf clubs. The sets cost from $80
to $400.
"With these junior sets, until the junior grows to more than 60 inches in height, there's no need to get them
professionally fit to each club in the bag," said Van Horn, who offers 10 different pre-packaged junior golf sets that
are tailored to kids who are 27 to 63 inches tall. "The best thing to do is to learn a company's philosophy and follow
it. The golf pro at your local club can help you decide which concept is best."
What kind of golf balls should my child use?
Unless your junior golfer is six feet tall and swings like Bubba Watson, chances are your child's swing speed is lower
than 80 MPH. It's tough for anyone with such a slow swing speed to maximize a golf ball's distance-enhancing
properties.
"Juniors with slower swing speeds don't compress balls and don't generate a lot of spin," said Miraflor. "So they will
benefit from a ball that has a softer cover and spins more, which will stay in the air longer."
Most of the pre-packaged junior golf sets come with two or three soft-compression golf balls, which are more easily
compressed by golfers with slower swings.
"We have two kinds of balls," said Van Horn. "One of them works for kids whose swing speeds are slower than 70
MPH. That ball's overall compression is in the mid-50s, which helps kids hit it farther. The other ball is for swing
speeds around 90 MPH."
But don't feel limited to balls made specifically for junior golfers. Rather, balls like Nike's Power Distance Soft and
Bridgestone's TreoSoft and e5+ have super soft cores that will help junior golfers maximize distance. Plus, the slew
of women's balls currently on store shelves will help any junior launch the ball higher. Check out Callaway's HX
Pearl, Nike's Karma, Precept's Lady IQ 180 and Srixon's Soft Feel Lady.
ASHLEY MAYO
Keywords:
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GOLF DIGEST,
JUNIOR GOLF: PICKING THE RIGHT JUNIOR CLUBS,
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Using the height vs. driver length chart above, this set of Dexton Big Driver Junior Golf Clubs would be appropriate for heights
of 36" to 42" with this 27" Driver.
The putter and iron included in this set (with the wood) are length appropriate based on the child's height of 36-42".
As Your Child Gets More Proficient At Golf and grows, you will want to purchase a junior golf club set with more clubs. This
Dexton Big Driver Junior Golf Set has a putter, 3 Wood, and a 5/6, 7 and 9 iron. The bag and club covers are also included.
This set is age appropriate for 9-12 years old. Based on the driver length of 39", this junior golf set is best for children of
heights 54"-57".
If you do decide to purchase a little longer set of clubs for your youth golfer to extend the life of the set, no
more than 1 inch longer is our recommendation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uebGDH5fbqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x01XstpraCQ
Decent junior golf clubs also come with a free golf bag. Just make sure that this bag fits well if it is a carry bag. If it is
a cart bag make sure that it fits snugly into your kids golf cart.
Color of Kit
Golf Brand
Amount of Clubs
Driver Material
Golf Ball Covers
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Junior Golf Balls Softer Cover Spins More and Greater Distance
A decent set of clubs is not much if youre buying the wrong sort of golf balls for your child. It is suggested that a ball
with a softer cover spins more at both ball launch (from the tee shot) to iron and pitch play and shots around the
course. A softer golf ball also produces better ball flight and distance which suits a junior better as it means they will
get more distance from their golf shots. You should consider buying at least 12 soft cover golf balls to go with your
youth golf clubs.
Putting with a softer golf ball is also fun because the putter to ball contact is reduced. This means your child is more
likely to hit over the hole rather than pulling a golf putt short of the hole. The result of this is that your child will feel
less frustration as they know they can get the ball in the hole with most putts, rather than missing by short putting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg9o8gCvAm8
Eye-to-hand coordination
Hitting a golf ball requires understanding how the eye and body function together. The ability to hit a ball means they
will understand the necessity of focus and accuracy, this can then be passed down to other sports your child may be
involved in such as baseball or soccer.