Instruction
BUYING JUNIOR GOLF EQUIPMENT
Junior golf equipment has come a long way in the past twenty years. Gone are the days of used adult
clubs that were cut down for junior golfers. It is fi ne to get a 2 or 3 year old child started with some
simple plasƟ c clubs, but as kids get older, they need a set of golf clubs that are made with their body
in mind. Today there are several manufacturers making clubs specifi cally for juniors. To help with
these choices, there are a few important things to consider when buying junior clubs.
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ength is the fi rst consideration. The
key is to fi nd a set of clubs that
is the right length for the junior
golfer, but also a set that the junior can
grow with. Remember that it is all right
for the junior to choke or grip down on the
club. You just don’t want them to move
their hands down the grip too much. The
basic rule is this: if the junior is choking
down more than 1 ½ to 2 inches, he or she
is choking down too much. If they choke
down more than 2 inches, the club is too
long and they may form habits that may be
diffi cult to change. A set of clubs where
the junior only has to grip down an inch,
allows them to make a normal swing at the
ball and probably get two seasons out of
the clubs. Try not to let your junior play
with a driver that is too long. Ideally, the
length of the driver should be 2 inches
below the sternum or less. At some point
they’re going to try and play with an adult
driver before they’re ready. A driver that
is too long can lead to timing problems
and coming into the ball at a fl at angle
which makes it hard to hit the ball on the
center of the face.
The next consideration is shaft fl ex. The
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main problem with the old cut down set
of golf clubs is the stiffness of the shafts.
When you take 4 to 5 inches of length off
a golf club, you make the shaft extremely
stiff. This is the reason that junior golfers
can’t hit the ball high with a cut-down
set of clubs. One benefi t of new junior
sets is that the manufacturers are making
shafts that are the right fl ex for a kid’s
swing speed. Using light-weight steel and
graphite has made junior golf clubs more
playable. The shafts of junior clubs today
are so fl exible that you can bend them with
your hands. So check and make sure that
your child’s set of clubs has a nice fl exible
shaft.
Does your child need to be professionally
fi t for clubs? The general rule is that until
they are 60 inches tall, they’ll be fi ne
with a set of junior clubs from a good
manufacturer. After they reach 5 feet,
experienced junior players really benefi t
from having each club fi t for their game.
The weight of the golf club is also very
important to junior golfers. If the club
is overly heavy, the child will struggle to
take the club to the top of the back swing.
The struggle to get the club back causes a
GolfPlus Junior November-December 2018
manipulation of the swing that will result
in inconsistent shots. A lighter club will
help the junior get the club in the correct
position at the top and lead to an easily
repeatable swing. Just like with shaft fl ex,
most club companies make junior clubs
with lighter heads and shafts. So before
you buy, make sure the weight of the club
fi ts your junior’s age.
Grip size for kids has become an important
consideration in the last few years. In the
past, clubs were cut down and any grip
that fi t the shaft was put on. The problem
of oversized grips is the same for kids as
adults. If the grip feels like a baseball bat,
it’s going to change the swing mechanics.
Look for junior grips on their new set of
clubs. If you’re changing grips ask for
junior grips with a core of 0.50. You can
also look at their hands while on the club.
The tips of the junior’s fi ngers should have
a little space or barely touch the palm of
the hand. If there’s a lot of space, like an
inch, between fi ngers and hand, the grips
are too big. These thinner grips will make
a difference in your child’s game.
There are now golf balls made for juniors.
Most juniors swing speed is less than 90