How to Build a Complete Junior Golf Set: Which Clubs to Add and When

How to Build a Complete Kids Golf Set: Which Clubs to Add and When by AllKidsGolfClubs.com

It’s better to have fewer clubs that are the correct size than a lot of clubs that are difficult to hit or the wrong length for your child. Junior golfers need relatively few clubs. Starting with a wood, an iron and a putter is really all they need. However, once your child is getting better and becoming more consistent with their shots, it will be time to start adding clubs. The more practice your junior has on the course, the more accuracy they will develop. 

Step One: Know What’s In His/Her Current Bag

Before adding new clubs to your junior golfer’s bag, you’ll want to know which clubs are in their current bag, but most importantly identify their lofts. Knowing the loft of each individual club is important because when it comes time to add or substitute clubs, the 7-iron from one manufacturer may not be the same loft as the 7-iron from a different one. 

How can I locate the lofts of my kid’s clubs? First, check the actual club. Many woods will have the loft displayed on the bottom of the club head. If the loft isn’t found on the club, you’ll have to do some research. Simply search for the name of the golf club set online and most sites will list the loft of each club in the bag. Once again, it is important to note that there is no consistency for loft across manufacturers for any club. 

Step Two: Swap out the Clubs that Your Junior Struggles to Hit

The only clubs in your junior’s golf bag should be those that they hit the best and with the most consistency. AllKidsGolf Clubs recommends substituting difficult to hit clubs that are currently in their bag with clubs that are easier to hit. Below are the most common clubs juniors have difficulty hitting and our recommended substitutions:

If your junior isn’t finding success with his driver, try substituting it with a fairway wood or hybrid. Drivers are the most difficult club to hit in golf, so it's very common for juniors to struggle with their driver. A hybrid swing is almost identical to the swing of their irons, making it a smart substitution. Hybrids, in comparison to drivers, have higher lofts, are easier to control, have shorter shafts, and are engineered with a lower center of gravity.

If your junior golfer insists on including a driver in their bag then the solution would be to shorten the shaft length and select a driver with a higher loft. Be aware that with younger / newer golfers, they are likely to hit a fairway wood and hybrid farther than a driver.

If they aren’t hitting a long iron successfully, consider substituting it with a hybrid or a fairway wood that matches the loft of his current club. How come? Hybrids and fairway woods are much easier to hit because they have a much larger clubhead size. With a larger surface area there is room for mishits, as opposed to a smaller sweet spot that you have to hit. Hybrids are a direct replacement for long irons so that is your best bet. It's best to match the loft of the iron you’re replacing with the same loft on the hybrid, but it's a general rule of thumb that you can swap a 5 hybrid for a 5 iron and a 6 hybrid for 6 iron etc.

If your child doesn’t hit his mid iron well, we suggest swapping it out for a shorter or higher lofted iron. Learning to hit a 7 iron well is an important fundamental in golf. However, if your junior is struggling with that club, you might want to consider either substituting it with a higher lofted 7 iron from a different manufacturer, an 8 iron, or a slightly shorter 7 iron. Just half an inch difference can make a huge improvement in this game if his current club is too long. Additionally higher lofted irons are easier to hit more consistently than stronger lofted ones.

Step Three: Add Clubs to Their Golf Bag to Fill in the Distance Gaps

When Should a Junior Golfer Add a Club? With more practice comes consistency. Soon your junior will feel confident in the fundamentals and he will start noticing gaps in his distance. Start expanding the number of clubs in his bag by filling in these gaps.  

Which Club Should You Add First?

If your junior has 3-4 clubs in his starter set, a driver, hybrid, 7 iron and a putter, typically the first club to add would be a wedge.

The more experience your junior has on the course, the more ready he will be to evolve his short game with a wedge. Assuming there is no wedge in his bag, the best first wedge purchase for a junior golfer would be a pitching wedge. A pitching wedge is the most versatile wedge and can teach junior golfers the fundamental short game skills like basic chips, pitches, and bump & run shots. 

If my child already has a wedge in his bag, which wedge should I add next? This is where the loft plays a part. The truth about wedges is the opposite from irons and woods. The higher the loft of a wedge, the harder it is to hit. The easiest to most difficult to hit continuum for wedges goes from lowest lofted to highest lofted: pitching wedge, approach wedge / gap wedge, sand wedge then lob wedge. This is why it is important to check the loft of your clubs. Once you determine the loft of the wedge in your bag, if it feels too difficult we suggest swapping it out with a lower lofted wedge.

The Truth About Long Irons: Should My Junior Have Long Irons?

Generally speaking, AllKidsGolfClubs recommends avoiding long irons altogether in a junior golf bag. Every long iron can be easily replaced with an easier to hit hybrid. If they have success with the hybrid currently in their bag, just continue to add hybrids of different lofts to fill in the distance gaps. A good rule of thumb is that generally a hybrid can replace an iron of the same number. So for example, a 5 hybrid should have a similar loft to a 5 iron, a 6 hybrid should have a similar loft ot a 6 iron and so on. But as we've stated previously, you should once again check the loft on his current hybrids before adding more hybrids to makee sure you aren't adding hybrids with similar lofts to what is already in his bag. 

Does My Child Need a Fairway Wood?

The spectrum of woods from hardest to easiest to hit goes drivers, fairway woods, then hybrids. To determine if your child needs a certain club it can be typically answered by their age and skill level. Younger golfers, ages 3-8, generally don’t benefit much from fairway woods, as every club will generate relatively the same distance. Fairway woods for junior golfers are recommended only after you’ve mastered a hybrid or as a replacement for a driver. 

AllKidsGolfClubs is recognized for its unbiased opinions and expertise on junior golf clubs. Founded in 1999, we aspire to help millions of golfers find their perfect set. We are happy to help with any further questions or concerns you may have, here at AllKidsGolfClubs.com.