Fitting your child for clubs?
Fitting your child for clubs? This is an important decision!
Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. We conduct 1, 2, and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993. We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.
Golf Blog by the Mel Sole Golf School.
Almost 50% of the juniors I teach have incorrect golf equipment. Fitting your child for clubs helps the child develop a correct golf swing motion. Clubs that are too long will make the child swing too flat. Clubs that are too heavy (cut off adult clubs) will make them get too "handsy" as they try to lift the club, and clubs that are too light for them will make them hit from the top as they try to create more clubhead speed.
What's the best way to select the right golf club size for your child? Different manufacturers of kids golf clubs provide different ways to fit your child: age range, height, and knuckle-to-ground measurements. We'll explore the pros and cons of each and determine which is the best.
Age.
Age is a good starting point. It's useful for fitting because it's the easiest 'measurement' to figure out. However, this is a flawed method of measurement because children of the same age vary in height. For example, one 8-year old child can be much larger than another 8-year .old. Almost all manufacturers provide age information on their kids golf clubs.
Height.
Height is the next best way to determine which club size is appropriate for a child. Most manufacturers provide height-ranges on their clubs. However, one limitation to this method of measurement is that children often have varying arm lengths.
Knuckle-to-Ground Measurement.
Some manufacturers, like Paragon, will provide knuckle-to-ground measurements for their kids set. Knuckle-to-ground measurement for fitting kids golf clubs will yield the best fit because this measurement takes into account height and differences in arm length..
A child with shorter arms may need longer clubs, and a child with longer arms may need shorter clubs.
Finding out the knuckle-to-ground measurement of your child is very easy. Have your child stand up straight and take a measuring tape and measure the distance between the ground and his/her knuckles. If you don't have a measuring tape available, have your child stand by a wall and mark off with a pencil where his/her knuckles reach, and you can measure that distance with a ruler.
It's important to get him/her clubfitted to ensure the correct shaft and flex. As they grow, you'll need to change to longer clubs and different levels of flex to fit their size.Hybrids are new for junior sets but they are very popular already. These are terrific for youngsters because they combine the accuracy of an iron with the forgiveness of a wood. And hybrids are much easier to hit than long irons.Choose a putter with an oversized mallet head and alignment lines. The length of the putter is critical as it will help them get into a correct putting posture with their eys directly over the ball and their arms hanging down vertically and relaxed.
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