Children's Golf Clubs

Your son or daughter has shown an interest in golfing and you’ve reached the point where you need to decide about getting the youngster a set of clubs. Should you just have a set cut down to size or do you need to buy a set of children’s clubs designed specifically for young golfers? This decision often comes down to family budget and junior’s interest in the game, however, there are several good reasons to spend the money on a set of golf clubs made especially for children.

Shafts
Often called junior golf clubs, these clubs are made especially with a youth golfer’s size and swing in mind. When you take an adult club and cut it down, you increase the stiffness of the shaft, making it difficult for a child to get any height on the shot. And kids swing slower too. Manufacturers who make children’s golf clubs know how to adapt the design and materials to fit a younger swing.

Weight
Another problem with using adult sticks is that the club heads are heavier. This might be better in that the heavier weight will make the ball go farther. But this is only true if the child can handle the club easily. If the club head is too heavy, the youngster will not be able to control the club enough to develop or nice, smooth and consistent swing. Children’s golf clubs are usually divided into different age groups and the club head weight is adjusted accordingly.

Grips Adult grips can often be too large for a youngster. An oversized grip can affect how the child holds the club and hits the ball, just as it does for adult golfers. In fact, correct grip size is just as important for junior golfers because they often don’t have the hand strength to hold a larger grip and will either tighten up too much trying to control the club or will find that the club slips all over. These problems can be avoided with children’s golf clubs that are sized specifically for young golfers. Junior grips with a core size of .50 are best for the average child’s hands.

Length Last but not least, the length of the club is important as well. Many parents feel it is too expensive to buy children’s golf clubs because their child will outgrow them in a year. This can be minimized somewhat buy purchasing clubs that are slightly longer than what the child needs at the moment, thus allowing an extra year or possibly two out of the clubs.

Choking down on the club will not interfere with a golfer’s swing, as long as it is no more than 1 inch from the normal placement area. Any more than that and the child’s swing will be affected. Children’s golf clubs that come in different age groups give several different options for length to ensure a proper fit for your child. And once your son or daughter has outgrown the clubs, it usually is not difficult to sell them to another beginning youth golfer, provided the clubs have been properly cared for.

Over the past several years, many of the top adult golf club manufacturers have begun making children’s golf clubs. Some popular brands include Cleveland, TaylorMade, Northwestern, Golfsmith, Nike, Dunlop, La Jolla, Wilson and Golden Bear. You can typically get a good set of children’s golf clubs for under $100 but can pay twice that amount if want extra clubs or special design and high-end quality.

If your child is just chipping away out in the back yard or going along to the course a couple times a year when the family goes on vacation, you probably don’t need to purchase a new set of children’s golf clubs. But if junior is interested in the sport and golfs an average of once a month or more, you might want to look into a set of clubs specifically designed for a child’s size and strength level.