Golf Clubs for Kids

Filed in archive Golf Equipment on January 25, 2007

Courtesy: Jazz Golf

So, your kid is hooked on golf; he or she has been to a really good junior camp (see yesterday's post) and now it's time to buy some clubs.

Where do you begin? Kids are not like adults. First of all, they're still growing; second of all, they're usually all arms and legs with little upper or lower body strength.

So, it's easy to make a critical error in what you buy your budding PGA/LPGA star!

Enter Anne Chouinard, Director of Instruction at the Canadian Golf Academy in Prince Edward Island on Canada's east coast.

When she's not on the LPGA tour with Lori Kane as her swing coach, Anne is back in Charlottetown overseeing golf camps for adults and kids at Fox Meadow Golf Club.

She says, when it comes to club selection for kids, the length of the shaft is very important. And so is the weight of the club.

"Stay away from clubs that are too long and too heavy. Ideally, we do not recommend cutting down adult clubs. For kids aged 7 to 11, five or six clubs would do", she said. "They could have one wood with loft, one 4 or 5 iron, one 7 or 8 iron, a wedge, a sand wedge, and a putter". Notice these are all clubs that are fairly easy to downright easy to hit. Good tip for the adult duffer over 55, too.

And, as your child grows, Anne suggests switching to ladies clubs or a different size of junior clubs. Manufacturers, Anne said, offer 2 or 3 different lengths.

And the prices are reasonable, she maintains. That's a key point since kids grow so fast. They could be ready for adult clubs a lot sooner than you think. So don't mortgage the farm on kids' clubs. Save your line of credit for the adult stuff!!

And, speaking of adult stuff, Sandra Post has promised eagleparbirdie.com an inside look at what's hot at the PGA Golf Show in Orlando this week. Should be interesting...