Junior Golf Clubs- What To Do?

30 years ago there weren't too many sets of real junior golf clubs to be found, and there weren't that many people buying components and making their own clubs either. I found a person who did make clubs and had some old ones cut down for my two kids. My son must have been barely 3 years old, and his 9 iron didn't show much of the metal shaft: it was all grip! The head was extremely heavy, and he couldn't really swing the club, he sort of picked it up and hacked down at the ball like the club was an axe! The kids both had fun, however, and they always lit up when I suggested going to the driving range to hit balls. These days parents have many more options, and they can find decent junior golf clubs at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Doing it Right

Earl Woods always made sure that Tiger had clubs that fit him when he was growing up. With clubs that are too long or too heavy and with grips too large, the junior golfer is going to have to make swing adjustments that will probably cause bad habits which will be difficult to correct later on

Club Length

This is the major consideration, and suffice it to say that your junior golfer should not be playing with clubs that are too long. Sure, you want your kids to "grow into them", but if they have to choke up more than 2 inches they will have to modify their swings. Your kids will probably only get 2 to 3 years maximum out of a set of junior golf clubs, so you should set that expectation if you want your kids to play and enjoy golf. Unless you purchase a Calloway junior set or a set from another major brand, new clubs can be acquired at very reasonable prices. More on that shortly.

Club and Club Head Weight

Don't do to your junior golfer what I did to my son. Get him or her clubs that are the correct weight. Junior sets normally have light and flexible graphite shafts and proper club head size and weight.

Grips

Youngsters need grips on their junior golf cubs that fit their hands. Fortunately thin grips for kids are readily available these days, and most decent junior sets use those.

Prices- New Clubs

A quick internet search showed an number of interesting options. AMF had a set of junior golf clubs for ages 3-5 for about $80. The set had a wood, a hybrid club, an iron, and a putter. The clubs had light weight flexible graphite shafts, and the golf bag and a few other accessories were included. They also had sets aimed at 5-8 year olds and 9-12 years of age for a bit more money. In contrast, I saw a junior Calloway set for 9-13 year olds selling for $240.

Why Not Ebay?

A quick search on Ebay for "junior golf clubs" resulted in seeing several hundred auctions, most of those for brand new clubs. If you find a reliable seller you can get some excellent deals. I saw a brand new set for the 5-9 age group that had a top bid of only $15, and there were only 15 minutes left in the auction! So to get that very first set to determine if the child will be interested in playing golf, Ebay might be a great solution.

Conclusion

My grandson is 1½ years of age right now, and I'm already thinking about taking him to the driving range in about a year. He'll be luckier than his uncle (my son) was at his age, and he'll have junior golf clubs that fit him reasonably well and which he can actually swing. I can't wait to see him hit a few shots that get up into the air a bit for the first time. The sooner he can accomplish that and experience some success, the more he'll enjoy playing golf not just as a youngster but throughout his life.