Last week we talked about fitting players to Pro Series Irons or blades. That struck a chord with a few people. First, to clarify… Hardly anyone should be playing blades. A few more than hardly anyone should be playing the CB version in the Apex Pro series. These are for good players who are good ball strikers. You should check the signs before you put this in someone’s hands – how does the wear spot look on their current clubs? What is the players Index? What does face tape show? Just because he likes the looks of these doesn’t mean he can or should play these. Even if he’s a good ball striker, he may not want to play these – no point in trying to talk him into them. These are great sticks, but for the right player.

I had a few people ask about these clubs for juniors. They are fine if the player is good enough and strong enough.

I don’t remember ever doing a piece on fitting Youth and Junior players, so let’s dive in.

Before we start, a point of clarification. I call younger players (say 12 and below) Youth players, and older younger players (say 13-18) Junior players. How you work with them is similar, but it depends on their size and strength as they progress. An older beginner (say a 14 year old who is just starting), may be better off with a youth set because it’s lighter.

Youth and Junior players are really just little golfers that grow and develop into full size golfers. As such, they need clubs that are designed specifically for them as they grow. We make clubs specifically for Women, we’re starting to make stuff specifically for Seniors, so making Junior and Youth clubs is logical. Let’s dive in.

About me. I’m a certified Level 4 USA Hockey coach – this specializes in youth hockey. I’ve been through the ADM for both Hockey and Golf, and I worked for US Kids for about 7 years. I’ve spent some time in youth sports. I appreciate the process and the equipment that helps them develop.

About parents. First, parents seem to want to do several things. They want to get kids involved in every sport when they are in diapers, then make them specialize by age 4, overdose the poor kid on that sport to the point where the kid drops out of it by age 16. How we prevent this is a topic for another day, but let the kids be kids. Let them be athletes – not hockey players, baseball players, or golfers. Good athletes develop well into any sport they choose. Limiting the number of sports they are exposed to limits the athletic development of the child and will hinder his/her growth later on. Believe it or not, learning to throw and catch, or ice skate, or skateboard, or even jump on a trampoline are great for ANY sport. Let the kid be a kid. His/her interests will become clear to a parent by what he/she goes out to the backyard to do on his/her own. They’ll tell their parents how to parent them when it comes to sports.

I often see kids of golf Pros who become very accomplished players. This is not an accident – kids see what Mom or Dad does and they want to do that. They hang around the club and learn by being there. It happens whether it’s forced or not. Funny how the same thing happens with parents who were Hockey players, Gymnasts, Football players or anything else. Kids start by following in their parents footsteps, them maybe branch out. That’s OK!!

Parent issue #2 – Buy clubs that are a size too big and let the kid grow into them. After the cut down adult clubs, this is a monster fail. Parents are used to buying hockey pads (or any sport) that are one size too big, let the kid grow into them, then grow out of them, and when they are one size too small, they rinse and repeat. This isn’t OK, but it’s understandable. Hand-me-downs fall into this same basket. With golf? This is a major sin. 

So how to get them started with clubs? I’m going to throw this out there. If you are doing Youth camps and clinics with cut down adult clubs for the kids, you should be ashamed of your self. That head will be at least double the weight it should be and the shaft will be so stiff it’s off the scale. Call your board and get some money to buy loose irons from US Kids for your Youth program.

I want you to do something for me. Grab your driver, stand up tall and stand your driver up against your body – leaning towards your chest. How high does it come up on you? Mine is about an inch and a half under the center/base of my sternum. Guess what? That is standard for everyone… Got a guy who’s 6’8″ and thinks he wants an extra 2″ on his driver? Or a guy who is 5’6″? Have him stand up and measure. Got a woman who thinks her driver is too long? Have her stand up and measure. She may be right.

Let’s say your youth player does this with a driver and it comes 1″ over the base of the sternum. It’s only 2″ too long, no big deal (or, choke down – love that one). Proportionately to you, that kid is half your height. If it’s 2″ too long for him/her, relative to an adult, that would be 4″+ too long. No biggie, right? For your next adult beginner clinic, I want you to go out there an teach them with them hitting a 50″ driver. Ridiculous, right?? Proportionately, it’s the same thing!!

When you fit a youth player who is young – say 10 or under, length is critical. Use the driver example from above and start them with the set that fits them today. You are WAAAAAAAY better off fitting them to what fits them today and letting them grow out of that set (and playing them too short), than you are buying big, letting them grow into and out of them. Playing a club that is the wrong size is too long and too heavy. It will teach the player how to swing a club that is too heavy. The swing will evolve into using something like that. Once they have the right weight and size, you (as an instructor) will have to un-do everything that was learned to swing with the incorrect club. We all shake our heads when women struggle to swing their husbands old clubs. Kids playing the wrong thing is much worse…

Consider this… Youth sets are made progressively longer, progressively heavier, progressively stiffer, progressively stronger lofted, and with progressively larger grips as they get bigger. In English, this means that as the sets get longer, they are designed for a kid that is bigger – they will be longer, heavier, etc. They’re designed for an older kid who can swing them faster. 

There is nothing wrong with a good youth player playing youth clubs. No need to rush to get to Junior clubs, ladies clubs or men’s clubs. When they are way too short (driver is 3″ short), then make the move. 

When to make the move to Junior clubs? Simple, when the player has the right size and physical strength to swing it. Add in the ability to hit it better and farther, and that’s a great start. Remember, better to be too short than too long. Food for thought – a “Teen” set is roughly 5% lighter than an adult set. A junior player could play this all the way through High School depending on their size and development. (Pssst… need something smaller than ladies petite for a shorter woman?? Try a teen set). No need to rush to get into something bigger… 

I hope this helps!! Happy fitting, happy retaining, and happy selling.