144 replies to this topic

[golfnut-2X]

nice to see other guys helping their daughters with the game.  it doesn't get much better than this

my daugther is 7 so we are quite a few years behind you guys.  when she was little we used the ultra light uskg which were light but not well made clubs.  she now has a full set with 4 wedges in the tour series set.  the tour series wedges are very similar to my spin mill wedges.  through the last several years i tried a lot of different clubs - custom components, taylormade, etc.  the tour series so far are very solid clubs.  with the tour series they finally got the cor up to the max on the drivers.  thought it would be good to get the 460cc heads but she needs higher loft at this point.  her driver club head averages 62mph on radar so the adult lofts don't help yet.

any other clubs for serious players at this age?

[docurist]

golfnut-2X, on 27 April 2012 - 07:54 PM, said:

nice to see other guys helping their daughters with the game.  it doesn't get much better than this

my daugther is 7 so we are quite a few years behind you guys.  when she was little we used the ultra light uskg which were light but not well made clubs.  she now has a full set with 4 wedges in the tour series set.  the tour series wedges are very similar to my spin mill wedges.  through the last several years i tried a lot of different clubs - custom components, taylormade, etc.  the tour series so far are very solid clubs.  with the tour series they finally got the cor up to the max on the drivers.  thought it would be good to get the 460cc heads but she needs higher loft at this point.  her driver club head averages 62mph on radar so the adult lofts don't help yet.

any other clubs for serious players at this age?

How tall is she? My daughter got PING Rhapsody 16 degree when she was about 53-54 inches tall (without shoes). If cut off ladies flex is too stiff, you can replace it with flynn-golf.com's shaft.

Edited by docurist, 27 April 2012 - 08:56 PM.

[golfnut-2X]

she is 52 inches.  i will check out the ping driver.  do you special order 16* or can you guy higher?  is the face square or closed?

i have ordered special order component adult heads before but the heads were heavy not like current day name brand adult driver heads.  i beat ping is lighter and more forgiving.  

what did you do for club heads / shafts at this age / height?

thanks.

[golfnut-2X]

i just looked up ping.  latest female driver looks like "faith".  they only provide 12 and 14*.  to bad you can't just order the i20 or g20 special order with more loft.  googled rhapsody.  looks like the older version they made 12, 14, and some 16.  i may still be able to get the rhapsody online or ebay for 16*.

the uskg 57 tour series driver is 380cc - not very deep but wide and is 16*.  i have been looking to get a 460cc head with deeper face and higher loft.  

what did you do for a set of irons for this height and age?

[dpb5031]

golfnut-2X, on 28 April 2012 - 12:19 AM, said:

i just looked up ping.  latest female driver looks like "faith".  they only provide 12 and 14*.  to bad you can't just order the i20 or g20 special order with more loft.  googled rhapsody.  looks like the older version they made 12, 14, and some 16.  i may still be able to get the rhapsody online or ebay for 16*.

the uskg 57 tour series driver is 380cc - not very deep but wide and is 16*.  i have been looking to get a 460cc head with deeper face and higher loft.  

what did you do for a set of irons for this height and age?

Ping will customize to spec for you in most cases if their Moxie junior sets don't work.  The Moxie sets are very good though.  My daughter never had "women's" irons.  She went straight from the moxie set to a custom ordered set of g5 irons.  Because they have weight ports in their irons, ping can shorten the clubs for you and easily adjust the swing weights accordingly.  You can also order a 12 degree g20 driver, but ask for one digitally lofted closer to 14.  Another option would be to order the Faith driver head with whatever Ping shaft you want, and at your preferred length.  The Faith driver heads are quite good.

[docurist]

Rhapsody is ladies version of G10 and Faith is ladies version of G15.

http://www.golfwrx.c...or-rhapsody-16/

We got 16 degree Rhapsody (with Pershing 45 L flex) and cut it down to 40.5. She hits it way better than USKG 54 (37 inches). But she needs to chock it down at least 2 inches - always complained it.

I found Faith 14 with broken shaft from local shop few weeks ago. I replaced shaft with VT Max Level 2 (http://flynn-golf.co...id=63#TopAnchor) and made it to 39.5 inches.

Faith has slightly better ball flight - bit higher and bit straighter. But I'm not sure that's just my feeling or because of shaft. Only big difference is she prefers chocking down 1 inch over 2 inches.

For wood, we got PING Faith 5W (22 degree) and replace it with USKG 3W and 5W. She used cut down ULT200 shaft (chocking down 2 inches). We replaced it with VT Max and cut it to 37 inches. For 5 wood, both she and I agree VT Max shaft works better.

She used two hybrids (Rhapsody 26 and 30 degree) while she used USKG. We might add one more hybrid (34 degree) - will test it this week. All of them use VT Max Iron shafts. (4 head covers in her bag now, may go up to 6 if we add 3W and 34 degree hybrid)

Before she moved to adult irons, she got my eye 2 wedges (S and L). Shafts are VT Max shafts - tip trimmed 3 inches. Eye 2 wedges outperform USKG.

Craziest thing I did was G20. I ordered G20 7-U with C7 and C9 swing weight (2 steps lighter than standard) with regular steel shafts and replaced it with VT Max (trimmed tip little bit more than their recommendations with their head). Because she needs -3 inches on lengths, none of PING fitters have clubs to test. We went to local fitter with her 30 degree hybrid, Eye 2 sand wedge, and her USKG irons. Then the fitter estimates irons' lie angle. I ordered irons from them and replaced shaft (breaking warranty). Then she went through the fitting process and the fitter's shop adjust lie angle for free.

FYI: Here is head weights of her clubs:

Faith 1W: 200g
Faith 5W: 216g
Rhapsody 26: 245g
Rhapsody 34: 253g
G20 7: 260g (C7 swing weight with CFS R flex, std length)
G20 P: 284g (C9 swing weight with CFS R flex, std length)
Eye 2 XG S: 295g
Eye 2 XG L: 302g

and USKG tour series 54/57's head weight (54 and 57 series use same head)


Driver: 175g
3W: 185g
Hybrid: 207g
7 Iron: 237g
Pitching: 258g
Sand: 266g

Edited by docurist, 29 April 2012 - 03:15 PM.

[golfnut-2X]

@docurist - great info. appreciate it.  what age is your daugther and what is her CHS on trackman or radar?

it's been a challenge finding quality clubs outside of USKG ts where shafts and heads match.

when you said the ping eye 2 wedges out performed the uskg were you comparing to the newer tour series wedges or the ultra light?  in what way did they outperform?  i haven't tested spin yet on the launch monitor but the tour series wedges feel by touch very close to my spin mill wedges.  her wedges are non cavity back.  

have you tried the vtmax driver heads besides the shafts?  curiuos how they are?

clearly having a large 460cc head and face compared to the smaller 380cc uskg 54 ts faces should make it much easier on miss hits.

[docurist]

She's 10-year-old, 54 inches tall without shoes. CHS is 68 - 72.

Wedges: Big difference is bunker shots. She shots Eye 2 LW higher than USKG tour series SW, escapes from bunker almost 100% with Eye2.

And it's cavity back - makes her game a lot easier.

[Golfer1995]

Hello everyone! What an interesting thread to read through (I actually just skimmed, but I got the gist of everyones posts).

My Story:

I am sixteen and a junior in high school and I started golfing last year.  (I live in Northern New Jersey)  Previously, I had played competitive travel and club softball for 8 years and travel and club soccer for 6.  I quit because, quite frankly, I got burned out of both sports and I did not have a passion for either (I started because my friends were playing, so I wanted to play too)
Now I have this insane love for golf.
I'm not some fantastic golfer, but I am steadily improving.  The first time I went out on the golf course with my HS golf team, I shot a 69 for 9 hole whilst playing double par.  Pretty bad for a 15 year old.  I chuckle thinking of it now. A year , a week at golf camp and 10 lessons later my 9 hole scoring average so far for the season in a 45.
I have this pipe dream to play D1 golf at Georgetown, Lehigh or Tulane.  Not the most realistic of goals, but it's nice to dream big sometimes.
Golf in my town I'd say is so-so.  We have 17 girls on the golf team and 8 that compete for the 4-6 varsity spots.  It's nice to have 17 girls who have an interest in the game and we're all close friends who bond over golf and pasta parties etc.
Of the girls on varsity part of my golf team, there are only 3 girls who do not belong to some kind of golf or country club, one of them being moi!
I do find this incredibly frustrating because I dont have somewhere big enough to do chipping and pitching and practice my shots off of real grass unless I book a round at a local county course.

College Golf:
Realistically, It looks as if I am going to play DIII golf.  I am perfectly happy with this because a lot of the schools I am looking at also have DIII golf teams with coaches who care about the team and are knowledgeable about golf.  So far I'm not that far into the college golf recruiting process.  I am not a player who is good enough to be sought out by coaches, so I had to do the research about teams and fill out the forms and email the coaches.  My one tip so far is to be proactive. The coaches I have talked to so far like to see people who reach out to them and ask questions and show a high level of interest in their programs.  Just filling out a recruitment form usually is not enough.  I would suggest (this is what I did) filling out the forms and then emailing the head or assistant coach to ask questions like what is the scoring average he/she is looking for, how often the team practices, what the facilities are etc.  Although DIII golfing schools don't give out athletic scholarships, the coaches can definitely help with admission to the desired school and even with better financial aid packages.

Plans for the Future? Make it through senior year, apply to colleges and if I see a drastic improvement in my game over the summer (which I hope will happen) possibly enroll in a post-grad program (regular or golf based) after graduation (June 26th, 2013).

Golf Camps:
I have attended two golf camps in my life: one Nike one in California and a week of Hank Haney's IJGA in Bluffton, South Carolina.
The Nike one was about 4 or 5 years ago, and I have never picked up a golf club before and my parents and I just happened to be vacationing near the site of a camp so I enrolled.  I'm not going to lie, after that camp I decided I hated golf and it was boring and I never wanted to play again (given, I was 11 years old give or take a year).

I loved my time at IJGA.  It was one of the best weeks of my year! (and that includes meeting the glee cast )  I was surrounded by people who excelled at the game of golf (There was a boy who is ranked in the top 15 juniors in the world at the moment) and also people like me who still had a lot to learn.  The week I went there were not many people because the summer was starting to wrap up.  I was in a group with 5 other kids and 1 instructor.  I loved my group so much!  I happened to be the only girl because there were only 5 girls there that week (there were twenty the week before, though).  I met kids who I still talk to now and may go back to camp with this summer.  My coach was a recent graduate from college where he played DI golf, so he had a lot of knowledge about the game and tournaments.
Although the price of the camp is very steep, the facilities and instruction and even the social aspect of camp make it a very worthwhile week.

In the Bag!
Driver: Cleveland CG Black Driver
Hybrid: Taylor Burner Superfast 2.0 (A Flex)
Wood: Callaway Razr Hawk (Mens)
Irons: Taylormade HT Burner (A flex/senior mens)
Wedge: Taylor TP xFT 56 degree
Putter: Nike Method 4i
Ball: Taylor Burner Tour or Taylormade Penta
(i'm 5'6 btw)


Sorry this is so long, lol

Just wondering, Man in the Miura, what week(s) is your daughter going to IJGA? I'm going back this summer for two weeks and It would be pretty awesome if we were there the same week.

[docurist]

This may be out of topic..... We have 3 junior leagues around my neighborhood cities and they allow caddies for up to 15-year-old.

Any tips or advices for beginner golfer who becomes caddy for his daughter?

[dpb5031]

Golfer1995, on 30 April 2012 - 09:48 PM, said:

  
My Story:

I am sixteen and a junior in high school and I started golfing last year.  (I live in Northern New Jersey)  Previously, I had played competitive travel and club softball for 8 years and travel and club soccer for 6.  I quit because, quite frankly, I got burned out of both sports and I did not have a passion for either (I started because my friends were playing, so I wanted to play too)
Now I have this insane love for golf.
I'm not some fantastic golfer, but I am steadily improving.  The first time I went out on the golf course with my HS golf team, I shot a 69 for 9 hole whilst playing double par.  Pretty bad for a 15 year old.  I chuckle thinking of it now. A year , a week at golf camp and 10 lessons later my 9 hole scoring average so far for the season in a 45.
I have this pipe dream to play D1 golf at Georgetown, Lehigh or Tulane.  Not the most realistic of goals, but it's nice to dream big sometimes.
Golf in my town I'd say is so-so.  We have 17 girls on the golf team and 8 that compete for the 4-6 varsity spots.  It's nice to have 17 girls who have an interest in the game and we're all close friends who bond over golf and pasta parties etc.
Of the girls on varsity part of my golf team, there are only 3 girls who do not belong to some kind of golf or country club, one of them being moi!
I do find this incredibly frustrating because I dont have somewhere big enough to do chipping and pitching and practice my shots off of real grass unless I book a round at a local county course.

College Golf:
Realistically, It looks as if I am going to play DIII golf.  I am perfectly happy with this because a lot of the schools I am looking at also have DIII golf teams with coaches who care about the team and are knowledgeable about golf.  So far I'm not that far into the college golf recruiting process.  I am not a player who is good enough to be sought out by coaches, so I had to do the research about teams and fill out the forms and email the coaches.  My one tip so far is to be proactive. The coaches I have talked to so far like to see people who reach out to them and ask questions and show a high level of interest in their programs.  Just filling out a recruitment form usually is not enough.  I would suggest (this is what I did) filling out the forms and then emailing the head or assistant coach to ask questions like what is the scoring average he/she is looking for, how often the team practices, what the facilities are etc.  Although DIII golfing schools don't give out athletic scholarships, the coaches can definitely help with admission to the desired school and even with better financial aid packages.

Plans for the Future? Make it through senior year, apply to colleges and if I see a drastic improvement in my game over the summer (which I hope will happen) possibly enroll in a post-grad program (regular or golf based) after graduation (June 26th, 2013).

Golf Camps:
I have attended two golf camps in my life: one Nike one in California and a week of Hank Haney's IJGA in Bluffton, South Carolina.
The Nike one was about 4 or 5 years ago, and I have never picked up a golf club before and my parents and I just happened to be vacationing near the site of a camp so I enrolled.  I'm not going to lie, after that camp I decided I hated golf and it was boring and I never wanted to play again (given, I was 11 years old give or take a year).

I loved my time at IJGA.  It was one of the best weeks of my year! (and that includes meeting the glee cast )  I was surrounded by people who excelled at the game of golf (There was a boy who is ranked in the top 15 juniors in the world at the moment) and also people like me who still had a lot to learn.  The week I went there were not many people because the summer was starting to wrap up.  I was in a group with 5 other kids and 1 instructor.  I loved my group so much!  I happened to be the only girl because there were only 5 girls there that week (there were twenty the week before, though).  I met kids who I still talk to now and may go back to camp with this summer.  My coach was a recent graduate from college where he played DI golf, so he had a lot of knowledge about the game and tournaments.
Although the price of the camp is very steep, the facilities and instruction and even the social aspect of camp make it a very worthwhile week.

Sorry this is so long, lol

Just wondering, Man in the Miura, what week(s) is your daughter going to IJGA? I'm going back this summer for two weeks and It would be pretty awesome if we were there the same week.

Hi Golfer1995 and thanks for contributing to this thread.  I think it's great that you have developed such a passion for the game.  I have played many sports over the years, but golf is the best.  It is one of the few that can actually transcend age and gender.  You are embarking on a journey that you should  be able to enjoy not just in college, but for that rest of your life!


Although you may feel like you got a late start relative to many other junior players, you should not let that discourage you.  You are still plenty young enough that if you get some good instruction, work really hard, and stay focused, you will be able to bridge the gap substantially.  I bet that if you made it your #1 priority for the summer, you would improve your game dramatically and even get that 9 hole scoring average to 40 or below!  I recommend purchasing a net for your back yard, basement, or garage, so you can work on your swing and ball striking without having to worry about going to a real golf course or driving range.  (of course you will still need plenty of time at a real course or practice facility, especially to work on short game, but a net at home would help you get in the required reps.)


I have two daughters.   The one I have spoken about and posted a photo of on this thread is 13 (7th grade) and is an excellent junior player.  She started really playing when she was about 10.  I also have an older daughter who is 16 and a sophomore in high school.  I tried like crazy to get her into golf, but she wouldn't have it.  She played a bunch of other sports and is now primarily rowing crew.  She has a decent opportunity with crew, and it is an excellent sport, but it is also a physically grueling sport.  I think she is beginning to see that her younger sister is really going to go places with golf.  I think I am going to show her your post.  I would love for her to show an interest, but it will be tough for her to go through the struggles of learning the game knowing her little sister is so far ahead of her.  It's funny, my older one won't listen to a word I say when it comes to instructing her with any of her sports training, but my younger one hangs on every word, and is completely reliant on me for her instruction.  They are really opposites in that regard.


We have not really considered any summer golf camps.  Between my daughter's tournament schedule and family vacation there is only so much time and $$.  It does sound like a good experience though.  Please keep us posted on your progress with both your golf game and your college pursuits.  Sharing your experiences will surely help out some of the younger ones and their parents also.  


You sound like a really smart and motivated kid, so I'm sure you are going to do great!  Good luck!  BTW - we are also in NJ.

[dpb5031]

docurist, on 01 May 2012 - 07:05 AM, said:

This may be out of topic..... We have 3 junior leagues around my neighborhood cities and they allow caddies for up to 15-year-old.

Any tips or advices for beginner golfer who becomes caddy for his daughter?

How old is your daughter?  If she's taking lessons you can listen in and learn a few things about what she's working on, but mostly leave the instruction and golf swing up to her and her coach.  The best thing you can do is  just read up on the basic rules and etiquette of the game, and maybe get a laser range finder and learn how to use it.  When you caddy, usually just staying positive and light-hearted is best.  Your daughter will likely put enough pressure on herself.  For the most part you will simply be like a pack-mule, expected to dutifully carry the bag over hill and dale, and otherwise keep quiet.  

[Golfer1995]

dpb5031, on 01 May 2012 - 11:19 AM, said:

Hi Golfer1995 and thanks for contributing to this thread.  I think it's great that you have developed such a passion for the game.  I have played many sports over the years, but golf is the best.  It is one of the few that can actually transcend age and gender.  You are embarking on a journey that you should  be able to enjoy not just in college, but for that rest of your life!


Although you may feel like you got a late start relative to many other junior players, you should not let that discourage you.  You are still plenty young enough that if you get some good instruction, work really hard, and stay focused, you will be able to bridge the gap substantially.  I bet that if you made it your #1 priority for the summer, you would improve your game dramatically and even get that 9 hole scoring average to 40 or below!  I recommend purchasing a net for your back yard, basement, or garage, so you can work on your swing and ball striking without having to worry about going to a real golf course or driving range.  (of course you will still need plenty of time at a real course or practice facility, especially to work on short game, but a net at home would help you get in the required reps.)


I have two daughters.   The one I have spoken about and posted a photo of on this thread is 13 (7th grade) and is an excellent junior player.  She started really playing when she was about 10.  I also have an older daughter who is 16 and a sophomore in high school.  I tried like crazy to get her into golf, but she wouldn't have it.  She played a bunch of other sports and is now primarily rowing crew.  She has a decent opportunity with crew, and it is an excellent sport, but it is also a physically grueling sport.  I think she is beginning to see that her younger sister is really going to go places with golf.  I think I am going to show her your post.  I would love for her to show an interest, but it will be tough for her to go through the struggles of learning the game knowing her little sister is so far ahead of her.  It's funny, my older one won't listen to a word I say when it comes to instructing her with any of her sports training, but my younger one hangs on every word, and is completely reliant on me for her instruction.  They are really opposites in that regard.


We have not really considered any summer golf camps.  Between my daughter's tournament schedule and family vacation there is only so much time and $.  It does sound like a good experience though.  Please keep us posted on your progress with both your golf game and your college pursuits.  Sharing your experiences will surely help out some of the younger ones and their parents also.  


You sound like a really smart and motivated kid, so I'm sure you are going to do great!  Good luck!  BTW - we are also in NJ.

Thank you for your reply, dpb5031! Over the summer, my goal is to consistently shoot in the mid-low 80's for 18 holes. I do have some good motivation because a coach from a school I really interested in said he would actively 'recruit' me for the team if i could be in the 80's.
I saw the picture of her, love it! Sophomore year in high school is not too late to find a love for golf Even if she decides not to play golf competitively, it would be good to learn a little about it because golf is a lifetime sport and it's nice to know how to play in the longrun (Crew isnt as much as a longtime sport)
My golf accomplishment was shooting a team low 42 at our match today!
Thank you so much, go new jersey! I'm from Bergen, what part are you from?

Edited by Golfer1995, 01 May 2012 - 07:46 PM.

[dpb5031]

Congrats on your score today...that is great!  I think you will have no problem achieving your goals.  Having the desire and the willingness to put in the required work is half the battle.  We are in Northern Burlington, just outside of Mercer.  In "Jersey speak" we are just off of interchange 7 on the turnpike, and belong to a club called Old York at Chesterfield.

[Golfer1995]

dpb5031, on 01 May 2012 - 08:05 PM, said:

Congrats on your score today...that is great!  I think you will have no problem achieving your goals.  Having the desire and the willingness to put in the required work is half the battle.  We are in Northern Burlington, just outside of Mercer.  In "Jersey speak" we are just off of interchange 7 on the turnpike, and belong to a club called Old York at Chesterfield.

Thank you so much for your encouragement!
I've actually never been to central jersey that many times, but thats about 1 hr 45 minutes from Ridgewood according to mapquest

[dpb5031]

Golfer1995, on 02 May 2012 - 09:44 PM, said:

dpb5031, on 01 May 2012 - 08:05 PM, said:

Congrats on your score today...that is great!  I think you will have no problem achieving your goals.  Having the desire and the willingness to put in the required work is half the battle.  We are in Northern Burlington, just outside of Mercer.  In "Jersey speak" we are just off of interchange 7 on the turnpike, and belong to a club called Old York at Chesterfield.

Thank you so much for your encouragement!
I've actually never been to central jersey that many times, but thats about 1 hr 45 minutes from Ridgewood according to mapquest

The Trusted Choice " Big I" is one of the biggest junior tournaments each year.  This year the National championship is in Austin Texas, but the State tournament is at our club on July 2.  We have actually hosted the national championship twice in the past.  To get in to the state tournament you first have to play in a qualifier.  Here is a link:

http://www.bigigolf..../newjersey.html

[Man In The Miura]

Golfer1995, on 30 April 2012 - 09:48 PM, said:

Just wondering, Man in the Miura, what week(s) is your daughter going to IJGA? I'm going back this summer for two weeks and It would be pretty awesome if we were there the same week.

She'll be there the week of July 28-August 4.  It's her first time at that camp.

[Golfer1995]

Man In The Miura, on 04 May 2012 - 08:49 AM, said:

Golfer1995, on 30 April 2012 - 09:48 PM, said:

Just wondering, Man in the Miura, what week(s) is your daughter going to IJGA? I'm going back this summer for two weeks and It would be pretty awesome if we were there the same week.

She'll be there the week of July 28-August 4.  It's her first time at that camp.

Wow, that's awesome! I'll be there that week, maybe we'll be in the same group? or be roommates?

[Man In The Miura]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if you were roomates!  She'll be the girl with the UW Huskies bag.  Her friend from junior golf (state champion for her age) will be there.  Look out... they're a wild duo.

[docurist]

golfnut-2X, on 28 April 2012 - 12:19 AM, said:

i just looked up ping.  latest female driver looks like "faith".  they only provide 12 and 14*.  to bad you can't just order the i20 or g20 special order with more loft.  googled rhapsody.  looks like the older version they made 12, 14, and some 16.  i may still be able to get the rhapsody online or ebay for 16*.

the uskg 57 tour series driver is 380cc - not very deep but wide and is 16*.  i have been looking to get a 460cc head with deeper face and higher loft.  

I hope it's not too late.

Here is a photo of Faith (white shaft), Rhapsody (pink shaft) and USKG 54 (dark blue, I believe head size is same as 57 series).

Attached Files

•  photo-5.jpg   153.41K   3 downloads

Edited by docurist, 09 May 2012 - 05:52 AM.

[JBirdUt]

I've enjoyed reading this thread.  My daughter is 11 and plays in the local US Kids Tour.  She shoots in the low to mid 40's and hs a pretty decent short game.  What I like is her getting out and playing with other girls and making new friendships.

[dpb5031]

JBirdUt, on 11 May 2012 - 08:51 AM, said:

I've enjoyed reading this thread.  My daughter is 11 and plays in the local US Kids Tour.  She shoots in the low to mid 40's and hs a pretty decent short game.  What I like is her getting out and playing with other girls and making new friendships.

If you can afford to make the trek, the US Kids World Championships in Pinehurst is an awesome experience for kids...expecially the girls in my opinion.  The Optmist International in West Palm Beach is another to strive for.  We have done the Worlds the past 2 years and last year went to the Optimist.  My daughter absolutely loves these events, mostly because she meets so many friends who play golf and love the game, just like her!  She just does not have any local friends who play golf, so these events are priceless.

She looks forward to these tournaments all year long.  Sadly we will be missing the Optimist this year even though she won the district qualifier... dear old dad is scheduled for shoulder surgery the week before .  We are going to the teen Worlds in Pinehurstt though, and I promised her that next year we will try to get down for the Optmist again.

This weekend my daughter will be playing in her second IJGT event.  This one is in Hershey, PA.  Again, it's pretty expensive, but being within driving distance makes it a lot more affordable, plus the IJGT venues are terrific.  There are 23 girls in the field, some pretty highly ranked juniors capable of good scores based on their previous tournaments.  She really wants to win, but this is going to be a tough one...

[JBirdUt]

dpb5031, on 11 May 2012 - 01:06 PM, said:

JBirdUt, on 11 May 2012 - 08:51 AM, said:

I've enjoyed reading this thread.  My daughter is 11 and plays in the local US Kids Tour.  She shoots in the low to mid 40's and hs a pretty decent short game.  What I like is her getting out and playing with other girls and making new friendships.

If you can afford to make the trek, the US Kids World Championships in Pinehurst is an awesome experience for kids...expecially the girls in my opinion.  The Optmist International in West Palm Beach is another to strive for.  We have done the Worlds the past 2 years and last year went to the Optimist.  My daughter absolutely loves these events, mostly because she meets so many friends who play golf and love the game, just like her!  She just does not have any local friends who play golf, so these events are priceless.

She looks forward to these tournaments all year long.  Sadly we will be missing the Optimist this year even though she won the district qualifier... dear old dad is scheduled for shoulder surgery the week before .  We are going to the teen Worlds in Pinehurstt though, and I promised her that next year we will try to get down for the Optmist again.

This weekend my daughter will be playing in her second IJGT event.  This one is in Hershey, PA.  Again, it's pretty expensive, but being within driving distance makes it a lot more affordable, plus the IJGT venues are terrific.  There are 23 girls in the field, some pretty highly ranked juniors capable of good scores based on their previous tournaments.  She really wants to win, but this is going to be a tough one...

I would love for her to make the trip to Pinehurst, a few families from here do.  Unfortunately, this year isn't in the cards.  I'm planning on the Phoenix trip in February.  
Here's to her continued success and qualify for next year's World's.

[Golfer1995]

Man In The Miura, on 06 May 2012 - 08:50 PM, said:

I wouldn't be at all surprised if you were roomates!  She'll be the girl with the UW Huskies bag.  Her friend from junior golf (state champion for her age) will be there.  Look out... they're a wild duo.

Okay, I'll keep an eye out!  UW is one of my favorite schools! Cant wait

[Sean2]

Just an update. My friend's 14 year old daughter played in a tournament last weekend with girls up to 18. She shot a 65 on the first day and a 72 on the second day to win the tournament. It was a par 72 course and played about 5900 yards.

[golfnut-2X]

docurist, on 09 May 2012 - 05:51 AM, said:

golfnut-2X, on 28 April 2012 - 12:19 AM, said:

i just looked up ping.  latest female driver looks like "faith".  they only provide 12 and 14*.  to bad you can't just order the i20 or g20 special order with more loft.  googled rhapsody.  looks like the older version they made 12, 14, and some 16.  i may still be able to get the rhapsody online or ebay for 16*.

the uskg 57 tour series driver is 380cc - not very deep but wide and is 16*.  i have been looking to get a 460cc head with deeper face and higher loft.  

I hope it's not too late.

Here is a photo of Faith (white shaft), Rhapsody (pink shaft) and USKG 54 (dark blue, I believe head size is same as 57 series).

Thanks for the pictures!!!  The faith head looks so much bigger.  The USKG looks like the model prior to this years upgrade.  The new one this year has a thinner top to bottom profile and wider heel to to.

What is the max loft you can get on the faith and/or rhapsody?

Do you know the total weight of the two clubs (not swing weight but total weight in grams)?

Appreciate it.  Need to move to the big head drivers soon.  Just curiuos if they are a lot heavier and lower loft?

Thanks.

[Man In The Miura]

Sean2, on 13 May 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

Just an update. My friend's 14 year old daughter played in a tournament last weekend with girls up to 18. She shot a 65 on the first day and a 72 on the second day to win the tournament. It was a par 72 course and played about 5900 yards.

Isn't it amazing how some young ladies just get the job done?!  There are 2 15-year olds in our area that shoot lights out like that.  One miserable 38 degree rainstorm at Chambers Bay the then 7th grader shot a 65 from 6000 yds.  I thought my kid kicked butt with an 82... but 65s are in a whole different league.  ALWAYS on line, only misses are slightly short or long.  And they can read a straight putt, something I think most adults lose the ability/confidence to do.

[docurist]

golfnut-2X, on 13 May 2012 - 02:09 PM, said:

What is the max loft you can get on the faith and/or rhapsody?

Do you know the total weight of the two clubs (not swing weight but total weight in grams)?

Appreciate it.  Need to move to the big head drivers soon.  Just curiuos if they are a lot heavier and lower loft?

Thanks.

Faith: 14, Rhapsody 16.

Faith: 285g (39", 32g grip, ULT 200 shaft)
Rhapsody: 269g (39.5", 20g grip, Pershing 45 L shaft)

[dpb5031]

This weekend my kid played in another IJGT Major, this one in Hershey, PA.  We could not get out there the day before the tournament for a practice round because of her school and lacrosse schedule.  We drove out early on the morning of the tournament.

So, we get to the practice tee and she shanks the first 20 balls she tries to hit.  I'm talking absolute "dead righters."  Now of course she is freaking out because she never actually had a case of the shanks before.  I felt so bad for her and wasn't quite sure what to do.  She tried to work through it but the ordeal really rattled her confidence.  She ended up struggling to a 94 in round #1.  In the second round she hit the ball much better, gradually got her confidence back, and was able to finish square in the middle of the pack.  She was pretty upset because she wanted to win again, but I told her we'll just have to chalk this one up as a "learning experience."

[Sean2]

Man In The Miura, on 13 May 2012 - 06:44 PM, said:

Sean2, on 13 May 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

Just an update. My friend's 14 year old daughter played in a tournament last weekend with girls up to 18. She shot a 65 on the first day and a 72 on the second day to win the tournament. It was a par 72 course and played about 5900 yards.

Isn't it amazing how some young ladies just get the job done?!  There are 2 15-year olds in our area that shoot lights out like that.  One miserable 38 degree rainstorm at Chambers Bay the then 7th grader shot a 65 from 6000 yds.  I thought my kid kicked butt with an 82... but 65s are in a whole different league.  ALWAYS on line, only misses are slightly short or long.  And they can read a straight putt, something I think most adults lose the ability/confidence to do.

I agree. When I watch her play, or play golf with her, it's a real site to see. I played a round with her yesterday and her dad. It's a gift, talent, and a lot of practice. Her ball striking is nothing short of phenomenal.