23 replies to this topic

[yellowlover519]

Okay - so I keep going back and forth as I’m ready to build new woods for my son.  I know this may be better in the junior equipment forum but not sure how responsive that forum is.  I just measured and, my son who is 57” without shoes, plays the following setup:

Driver - 40”
5-wood - 38”
Hybrid - 36.5”

This is 2 inches more for driver than us kids suggested length at that height, 1 inch more than suggested for 5-wood and .5 inches more than suggested for hybrid.

My question is this: do you guys stay close to us kids suggested length or go longer/shorter.  For example, cobra junior shaft was 37” suggested for I think ages 8-9, which probably means height of 51-57” - way longer than what us kids suggested.

Any experience appreciated.  On one hand, I know shorter makes clubs play flatter and potentially easier to make better contact, whereas longer should gain swing speed.  But we all want our equipment to last at least a year and kids grow about 2-3” during the year.  

The easy answer may be to go longer and have him choke up, but he will struggle with consistent amount of choke up and I don’t want to say arbitrarily, you grew and inch, no need to choke up.  And I’m not sure if growing a couple inches should change length of club anyway.  Just want to know if everyone agrees with us kids suggested lengths.

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[jj9000]

I would stay close to USK lengths.

Then...when he grows...install a 1"-2" extension in the butt end of the club.

Regrip...and you're done with it.

[yellowlover519]

That’s what I’m inclined to do, but I know a 10-year old that is about 59” and he got fitted into PXG and that fitter only took 2 inches off across the board from standard.  And that’s a serious fitting.  I guess that’s where my confusion is.  Cobra had one suggested length, pxg another and us kids much shorter.

[heavy_hitter]

My son always swung an 1" to an 1 1/2" longer than US Kids recommended.

[jj9000]

yellowlover519, on 31 January 2019 - 09:30 AM, said:

That's what I'm inclined to do, but I know a 10-year old that is about 59" and he got fitted into PXG and that fitter only took 2 inches off across the board from standard.  And that's a serious fitting.  I guess that's where my confusion is.  Cobra had one suggested length, pxg another and us kids much shorter.

I would say US Kids has a better grip on fitting for kids than a garden variety PXG fitter.

Take a look at USK vs. PXG target markets...then...take a look at volume of Junior fittings for each.

Don't overthink it.

[Golfingdawg19]

yellowlover519, on 31 January 2019 - 08:53 AM, said:

Okay - so I keep going back and forth as I'm ready to build new woods for my son.  I know this may be better in the junior equipment forum but not sure how responsive that forum is.  I just measured and, my son who is 57" without shoes, plays the following setup:

Driver - 40"
5-wood - 38"
Hybrid - 36.5"

This is 2 inches more for driver than us kids suggested length at that height, 1 inch more than suggested for 5-wood and .5 inches more than suggested for hybrid.

My question is this: do you guys stay close to us kids suggested length or go longer/shorter.  For example, cobra junior shaft was 37" suggested for I think ages 8-9, which probably means height of 51-57" - way longer than what us kids suggested.

Any experience appreciated.  On one hand, I know shorter makes clubs play flatter and potentially easier to make better contact, whereas longer should gain swing speed.  But we all want our equipment to last at least a year and kids grow about 2-3" during the year.  

The easy answer may be to go longer and have him choke up, but he will struggle with consistent amount of choke up and I don't want to say arbitrarily, you grew and inch, no need to choke up.  And I'm not sure if growing a couple inches should change length of club anyway.  Just want to know if everyone agrees with us kids suggested lengths.

Great question. I have always gone with the US Kids lengths because they seem to be the standard for juniors. I know that Mike at Flynn golf has his own way of determining length but his clubs end up right at what US Kids says. My daughter is 11 and is 57" and when I bought her irons this past summer I went with adult irons (Cobra F8). I split the difference on the length between the 57" and 60" for US kids. I figured that if I was paying for adult irons, I wanted her to have them for awhile. She hasn't had any issues with them at all. She had the Cobra F7 driver and it had the 39" shaft. Her coach and our local pro told me that the driver looked a little short so I ordered the F9 with the 41" shaft. She hits it well at times but she doesn't have the consistency yet as she did with her old driver. For now, I'll probably have her choke down a little. My plan is to get some trackman numbers with it the next time she goes to a lesson. The Cobra website says to go with the 41" for her height but everyone else says she needs a 39" for her height. Tough call on what to do. The main concern for me would be the weight of the club and the child losing clubhead speed.

[darter79]

For reference Ping ProdiG lengths at that size are:

Driver - 39.5 vs 38
Fairway 37.5 vs 37
36.25 vs 36

their irons pretty much match was USKG is doing. I always say swing the longest you can control. I get tired of watching kids who are 7 that have 39 -41 drivers at the bottom of the grip and can never make great contact. at 57. I say 40 -41 should be the longest you should go.

[leezer99]

Y'all need to stop looking at overall height.  More importantly is the wrist to floor measurement.  Would you fit a kid that is six feet tall but has T-Rex arms into the same clubs as a six foot kid with Manute Bol arms?

[jj9000]

leezer99, on 31 January 2019 - 10:07 AM, said:

Y'all need to stop looking at overall height.  More importantly is the wrist to floor measurement.  Would you fit a kid that is six feet tall but has T-Rex arms into the same clubs as a six foot kid with Manute Bol arms?

Wrist to floor is important...but...it's still a static fitting...and far from the best fitting method.

If you really want accuracy...a dynamic fitting either using foot spray on the face or face impact stickers is much better.

If the 6' guy/gal with T-Rex arms can consistently deliver the longer club in the sweet spot...there's your answer.

Kinda why I suggested using USK as a base...and dropping a 1"-2" extension if/when needed.

[tiger1873]

The best most basic ones to is US Kids or something like the specs Tom Wishon put out for kids that you can search for.  Once they are tall enough to use Womens length  and swing it comfortably which is somewhere over 60 inches  for  most kids. You can pretty forget about kids specs and go with women specs if they're strong enough. You will  probably have to adjust lie as needed or even cut down specs from the club maker for petite women.  From then on it's pretty standard and much easier to fit.

Edited by tiger1873, 31 January 2019 - 10:38 AM.

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[darter79]

leezer99, on 31 January 2019 - 10:07 AM, said:

Y'all need to stop looking at overall height.  More importantly is the wrist to floor measurement.  Would you fit a kid that is six feet tall but has T-Rex arms into the same clubs as a six foot kid with Manute Bol arms?

based on this how would you fit a kid that is 57"

[yellowlover519]

I saw a wrist to floor for my son and a website suggested -1.75” from standard.  That is way longer than us kids and closer to pxg fitting based on the other kid I know.  

It’s all kid dependent, I get it.  Just want to start with a better base and work from there.  Ability to hit the sweet spot is less of a concern.  Making unknown compensations in the swing is a bigger concern of mine.  Distance is less of a concern as well, but don’t want to handicap him of extra yards too.

Edited by yellowlover519, 31 January 2019 - 10:58 AM.

[jj9000]

yellowlover519, on 31 January 2019 - 10:49 AM, said:

Ability to hit the sweet spot is less of a concern.

This should be at the top of your list of concerns.

It's a direct reflection of if the club fits or not.

[wildcatden]

We have played longer clubs only for driver, 3w and 5w as compared to USKG specs.  When he was playing UL48 at age 6-7, he used a TS51 Driver (34") and TS51 3W (33").  We then went to a Cobra driver with Flynn at 35" and Cobra 3W with Flynn at 34".

Currently at 52" tall with golf shoes on:
Cobra Driver with 39" Cobra shaft (sorry Darter79...he does choke down on this some...probably a 37" would be better )
Cobra 3W with 35" Flynn shaft
Cobra 5W with 34" Flynn shaft
USKG TS-51 Iron set

[yellowlover519]

Not if the kid can make adjustments to hit the sweet spot anyway at the cost of posture and other compensations.  I think the most helpful is what others have experienced.

[leezer99]

So here's the 'spec sheet' used on the Flynn site.  He's looking for just about everything you need to fit a kid online into a club.

• Height & Weight are going to give him a good starting point.
  
• Experience level is going to help him determine which head to use
  
• Swing Tempo is going to help him decide which shaft to put in
  
• Hand size is for the shaft + grip diameter
  
• Wrist to floor determines the majority of the actual length of club he's going to sell you
  
• The video of the swing is just his way to verify the info you're giving him

Also, here's a quick and dirty way to determine overall shaft length based on wrist to floor measurement.



But don't forget about lie angle!

[jj9000]

yellowlover519, on 31 January 2019 - 10:59 AM, said:

Not if the kid can make adjustments to hit the sweet spot anyway at the cost of posture and other compensations.  I think the most helpful is what others have experienced.

Fitting for kids is no different than fitting for adults.

If someone (either adult or kid) can consistently hit the sweet spot on the club...it means the club will generally fit.  If they can't consistently hit the sweet spot...it means the club will generally not fit.

Let's play golf...and not play golf swing.

Regardless of what others have experienced...there's not a single person on this thread that has a swing exactly like yours...nor do they have a kid with a swing exactly like your kid's swing.  Good to get feedback...but...from a fitting perspective...the input is irrelevant to your swing and your kids swing.

Keep it simple...and keep it unique to your kid's individual swing.

[tiger1873]

jj9000, on 31 January 2019 - 11:10 AM, said:

yellowlover519, on 31 January 2019 - 10:59 AM, said:

Not if the kid can make adjustments to hit the sweet spot anyway at the cost of posture and other compensations.  I think the most helpful is what others have experienced.

Fitting for kids is no different than fitting for adults.

If someone (either adult or kid) can consistently hit the sweet spot on the club...it means the club will generally fit.  If they can't consistently hit the sweet spot...it means the club will generally not fit.

Let's play golf...and not play golf swing.

Regardless of what others have experienced...there's not a single person on this thread that has a swing exactly like yours...nor do they have a kid with a swing exactly like your kid's swing.  Good to get feedback...but...from a fitting perspective...the input is irrelevant to your swing and your kids swing.

Keep it simple...and keep it unique to your kid's individual swing.

Very true you really can't ask a question and hope to get a standard perfect response. Kids are different then adults in the simple fact they are growing. There is no such thing as a perfect club unless you tweaking things as they grow. So you have to accept the perfect club will not fit next month perfectly.  Obviously different kids different rates of growth and time but I think that goes without saying.

So either you spend a fortune and check every month or like most sane parents you pick a target and hope it works out.  You have to think were they will be in 3 -6 months. In some cases this means you want a stiffer shaft. If they are growing like weeds you better buy a longer shaft.

Best thing you can do is take them out to the range and hit balls with different clubs period.  Get something too heavy, too light and what you think is just right. If you lucky you have somewhere you can demo clubs. If you not so lucky just go out on Ebay buy a few different clubs with specs you think and shaft and see what works. Once you spend a few hundred bucks buying different clubs and shafts doing you will find out that while clubs are important they are not going to improve your score much at all unless you go way out of spec.

[yellowlover519]

Okay - I’m someone that happens to care.  I assume anyone responding or posting on these forums all have kids that can play or want to get kids to a certain level.  Sweet spot can be found with repetition and compensation.  I just want a general idea on what guidance people are following.  

Also - are people talking shaft length on woods or finished length?

[mrshinsa]

My son just turned 11 and is 57” with shoes.  (Always measure with shoes on btw).  We did 2” longer on driver, and used Flynn lengths on wood and hybrid, which is actually slightly longer than US kids.  

What kind of woods is he using?  If adjustable kinds, the made for shafts might not be too expensive.  I purchased a whole bunch for $12~$13 on eBay and I’m not afraid to cut them to the proper length.  Worst thing you can do is to have him create bad habits by swinging long clubs and compensating.   Fairway Wood is toughest club to swing for most kids so you want to get the length correct.  If he can hit it, he’ll be confident and he won’t be afraid to pull it out of the bag it in a pressure situation.

Edited by mrshinsa, 31 January 2019 - 11:53 AM.

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[heavy_hitter]

mrshinsa, on 31 January 2019 - 11:50 AM, said:

My son just turned 11 and is 57" with shoes.  (Always measure with shoes on btw).  

Yep.  You certainly don't play with shoes off.

[kcap]

yellowlover519, on 31 January 2019 - 08:53 AM, said:

Okay - so I keep going back and forth as I'm ready to build new woods for my son.  I know this may be better in the junior equipment forum but not sure how responsive that forum is.  I just measured and, my son who is 57" without shoes, plays the following setup:

Driver - 40"
5-wood - 38"
Hybrid - 36.5"

This is 2 inches more for driver than us kids suggested length at that height, 1 inch more than suggested for 5-wood and .5 inches more than suggested for hybrid.

My question is this: do you guys stay close to us kids suggested length or go longer/shorter.  For example, cobra junior shaft was 37" suggested for I think ages 8-9, which probably means height of 51-57" - way longer than what us kids suggested.

Any experience appreciated.  On one hand, I know shorter makes clubs play flatter and potentially easier to make better contact, whereas longer should gain swing speed.  But we all want our equipment to last at least a year and kids grow about 2-3" during the year.  

The easy answer may be to go longer and have him choke up, but he will struggle with consistent amount of choke up and I don't want to say arbitrarily, you grew and inch, no need to choke up.  And I'm not sure if growing a couple inches should change length of club anyway.  Just want to know if everyone agrees with us kids suggested lengths.

Last year my son played 57 US Kids irons and I built him a driver, 3 wood, 5 wood and hybrid.

I had looked at height as well as wrist to length measurement.  It was pretty standard, so did not fret too much about that.

I can go home and measure his old clubs but I am pretty sure the driver was either at 40 or 1/2 inch more -- i then scaled every thing from that.

They worked out really and he never found them long and did not feel the need to choke down.

[kcap]

yellowlover519, on 31 January 2019 - 11:26 AM, said:

Okay - I'm someone that happens to care.  I assume anyone responding or posting on these forums all have kids that can play or want to get kids to a certain level.  Sweet spot can be found with repetition and compensation.  I just want a general idea on what guidance people are following.  

Also - are people talking shaft length on woods or finished length?

I am talking complete length.

[its_ikon]

When looking at setting up my sons driver and fairway lengths (callaway with women’s shafts) I started with US Kids recommendedation but found he did better with a slightly longer shaft with gripping down a little. Irons I went with Flynn Golfs recommendation and he’s been good.