OT: Youth Golf Clubs
I'm looking for some advice from those of you with children who play golf. My son recently completed a series of youth golf lessons, and I'm looking to buy him his first set of clubs. He's 10 years old, but he's short for his age, so he plays closer to 8 years old.
Any advice on a good set of clubs? A particular brand? I don't want to spend a fortune since he'll outgrow the set in a couple of years.
Any other words of wisdom you can provide to help me grow his enthusiasm for the game is also very much appreciated. Thanks.
Play it Again Sports? Not sure if there are any in your area, but knowing the attention span of most kids, used might be the way to go.
and Ping both make good kid sets...Depending on height, US Kids Golf offer starter sets that are more economical . I woul avoid the Nike Kids sets, the ones I saw were not well made. Play it again is a good option. Also, many better golf stores will have trade ins.
Then move into a set of women's clubs (length and weight) in a year or two.
US Kids clubs are fantastic starter sets. I would also agree that Ping makes very good sets for children as well. Not sure if they still make them or not, but I grew up with a children's set of Taylor Made clubs and they were excellent. I'd look into those as well. Most sets are pretty affordable and will probably last him a couple years, maybe more if he's not fully developed yet. I would also agree that moving into a women's set once he outgrows the first set is a good move. The clubs will be lighter and allow him to continue to practice good swing habits. Although I would caution you, that it won't be the popular thing, a boy playing with girl clubs, so tread lightly.
As for getting him more into the game of golf, I would just advice not to push him too much. Just let his love for the game come naturally. I would also recommend trying to get him into a junior program, so he can play with kids his age. This will help him feel more comfortable, especially because golf isn't exactly the most popular sport among kids. Hope it goes well. As a PGA apprentice, it's always great to hear of young kids getting involved in the game.
And that is the important thing here with the woman's clubs - Swing habits. Getting men's clubs too early will get the child into a habit of compensating for the extra lenght and weight. If a proper swing is learned young and developed properly, it is a thing of beauty as they get older.
If you look at people who learned to swing a club later in life, you typically will see all types of different ways to compensate for an inability to turn properly or just feel comfortable with the swing. In general these movements make it very difficult to square the club head at impact. Unless of course you are Jim Furyk.
Good luck and enjoy the journey.
Seriously, a had good experience with mine with US kids.
in your area or a course that really promotes youth golf, they may have sets of used kids clubs to purchase. At that age, not too long and not too heavy are the most important things to look at for buying clubs. You really want to invest in a good putter for him that is easy to aim with. Learning touch and putting / short game skills are things that pay off big time down the road. Also, it is fun to put the ball in the hole!!!!
PGA superstore (if you have one) has a large selection and a number of used sets. Take your son with you and have him try out 3-4 styles.
Thanks much for all of the advice. I'm really excited about my son learning to play. Its something we can do together, and as he gets better, maybe he can fix some things with my game ....
Well, a guy can hope, anyway.
FWIW, I tried to pick up a used set for my son via craigslist last year, without success--they appeared to be something of a hot item. Play it agains sports didn't have good used choices, either. I ended up buying a new set.
But when outgrown, I suspect you can get some of your investment back in resale. I know that's what I'm planning on.