Identifying the best children’s golf clubs is not as easy as
you might expect.
Never has more time and resources been dedicated to
analysing the best golf clubs for adults, with column inches in magazines,
endless videos on YouTube, and thousands of reels on Instagram. However, when
it comes to advice on children’s golf clubs, the younger generation has largely
been left behind.
That is perhaps surprising, given that while today’s juniors might be penniless irrelevances to the equipment manufacturers, they are tomorrow’s driver-buying adults who will help shape the next generation of golf equipment.
We all remember our favourite trainers or football boots as kids.
Whether they were adidas, Nike, Puma, New Balance, Mizuno, or something else
entirely, that affection never leaves us.
So, it’s perhaps short-sighted for the world’s golf
equipment behemoths not to get junior golfers hooked on their gear and, indeed,
their brand. That, however, might be about to change.
In this article, we take a look at some of the recent advancements in children’s golf clubs, first focusing on the Ping Prodi G range.
The best children’s golf clubs
Ping Prodi G range
Ping has recently released a new range of children’s golf clubs—and a way of buying them—on a completely different level. And when Ping succeeds, you can be pretty sure others will follow.
The Prodi G range (get it?) boasts the same score-lowering technologies of its adult lines but also an app and website that recommends club specifications and set make-up based on the answers to a few questions about the player—namely, skill level, age, height, wrist-to-floor and average driver.
It’s not the same custom-fitting as you’d get from a trip to Ping’s hi-tech Gainsborough fitting bays, but it’s hugely beneficial and a giant step forward for children’s golf clubs.
You can order any combination of clubs, and there are two smart-looking Hoofer Prodi G carry bags (34″, 4.3lbs. and 30″, 4lbs) to choose from, too.
And here is the bonus—and a big one at that: Ping’s industry-first ‘Get Golf Growing’ scheme includes a one-time, no-cost adjustment to sets of five clubs or more. So the Prodi G clubs grow with the golfer, essentially meaning you can get two sets for the price of one. Re-shafting, lengthening, re-weighting, and re-gripping are all possible here.
Moving on from Ping’s Prodi G range (although it is tough to beat), below is a selection of other children’s golf clubs and club sets worth checking out.
The best children’s golf clubs: other top set picks
The Team TaylorMade Junior Set comes in three sizes for
juniors ages 4-12.
Size 1 has a fairway wood, 7-iron, wedge and putter. Size 2
adds in a driver and replaces the fairway wood with a hybrid, while Size 3 adds
the fairway back in as well as a 9-iron for a seven-club set.
The 400cc Titanium driver has a large flexible face designed
for maximum distance and forgiveness, the fairway and hybrid have ultra-low CGs
and an easy-to-hit profile, while the irons and wedges are designed for high
launch and playability.
This one boasts lightweight junior graphite shafts, ideal
for slower swing speeds, and includes a high-launch driver, hybrid, 7-iron,
putter and stand bag.
This set aimed at 9-11-year-olds is an ideal starter set comprising of lightweight equipment that is easy to swing and carry. It has a driver and a hybrid, a mid-iron, a wedge, a putter, and a stand bag.
Last but no means least, US Kids has long been the go-to
option in the States, but it’s now got a dedicated UK-based operation.
There are a wide range of options, including the UL7 set,
designed for the beginner to intermediate player. It has flexible shafts and
forgiving heads to help kids get the ball in the air.
This set includes a stand bag and includes a driver, a 4-hybrid
(both of which have headcovers), a 7-iron, a pitching wedge, and a ‘Sandhills’
putter.
The article below was written by Steve Carroll of National Club Golfer.
There are some golf etiquette questions that just seem eternal. Are you dress code or casual on the course? Loyal to the honour or playing ready golf? And are you in or out when it comes to the humble bunker rake?
Golf clubs put up signs, leave stickers on said rakes, and send out emails telling their members how they want it done.
National Club Golfer pulled together two writers, Max McVittie and Steve Carroll, to get their views. So whose side of the bunker rake debate are you on?
‘It helps prevent every golfer’s nightmare of slow play. I’m all for it’
Personally, I see no problem with leaving the rakes inside the bunkers, writes Max McVittie.
My home course, I grew up playing on, allowed it, so that’s the way I’ve always known it. I’d always leave the head of the rake inside the bunker with the handle resting on the lip.
This way I believe it helps to prevent every golfer’s nightmare of slow play. There’s no getting out and walking around the bunker to get the rake, the rake is always right there next to you. The round maintains its flow and everyone’s happy.
Additionally, it massively lowers the chances of the rake lodging the ball and interfering with its roll out.
So, there’s no gain or misfortune for the golfer. If your ball was to, by chance, hit the neck of the rake then that’s all part of the hazard of a bunker.
If courses were to have the whole rake in the middle of the bunker, I think that would be fine too. Balls that land in the sides of the bunker won’t be affected and will still be allowed to roll down into the middle. The bunker will remain a fair challenge for all.
It’s a debate that really comes down to personal preference, but for effectiveness and speed, I’m all for the rake being left in the bunker.
‘Golfers don’t treat the sand with respect – and it’s a pipedream to suggest they’ll change. That’s why I’m OUT’
I’m out. You will never convince me that a bunker rake’s proper place is in the sand, writes Steve Carroll.
Hear me out. If golfers treated said sand with any sort of respect I might have a different view. But they don’t and it’s a pipedream to suggest they will change their ways anytime soon.
If we’re playing golf in 1,000 years, clubs will still be pleading with players to leave bunkers in a decent condition. And they’ll still ignore it.
This is why it’s a problem. Golfers don’t place their rake in the sand, they chuck it back in. Even though this makes a right mess of the bunker they’ve just pretended to rake!
Hit one into the sand after that and you can end up in the craters left by the impact. That’s if they’ve even bothered to throw them somewhere towards the middle of the trap.
It’s not exactly a javelin but most can’t even get it that far. So it just sits in the sand inside the lip. Your ball creeps in and then you’ve got an impossible shot. So leave it out, I say. We’ll all be the better for it.
Golf is a sport that can easily confuse the newcomer with its weird and wonderful sayings. In this blog, we’ll look at some commonly used golf slang and explain what each term actually means.
Golf slang
Ace
An ace is a hole-in-one. Not many of us can claim to have had one of these, but the word stems from other games, such as the ace in a deck of cards representing the number one. The term ‘ace’ is believed to have been used in golf since the 1920s.
Army Golf
This comes up when a player is struggling to find a fairway and is hitting it all over the place: left-right-left, left-right-left—you get it.
Birdie
A birdie means one-under-par. It’s said that someone
remarked ‘that is a bird of a shot’ at the Country Club in Atlantic City in
1903, and a playing partner claimed they should double his money if he played
the hole in one-under.
So it became known as a ‘birdie’ all around the world. Similarly, an eagle is bigger than your average bird, and an albatross is very rare, much like its golfing version.
Bogey
This was originally accepted as the score that recreational
golfers should record on a hole. So, in the early days, there was no talk of a
score to par but rather a player’s aggregate score.
Now, a bogey is when a player finishes a hole over par. The word itself comes from the popular song ‘The Bogey Man’ from the early 1890s.
Dormie
The French for ‘to sleep’ is ‘dormir’, which lends itself
to the fact that a golfer in ‘dormie’ can relax given that they can’t lose the
match.
Dormie means that a player is leading by as many holes as there are holes remaining.
Cabbage
This can also be described as spinach, and refers to very tangly, gnarly rough. So, cabbage is certainly not something you want to get involved with on the golf course.
Chilli Dip
Again, this is not very favourable and refers to when a player mishits a shot so badly behind the ball that it barely moves or not even at all. This is also sometimes referred to as a ‘chunk’ or a ‘fat’.
Fore
According to the USGA, ‘fore’ originates from Scotland and is a shortened version of ‘before’ or ‘afore’.
The old Scottish warning, essentially meaning “look out
ahead,” most probably originated in military circles, where it was used by
artillerymen as a warning to troops in forward positions. It’s thought that
golfers used this as early as the 18th century.
Whatever the origin, however, it’s one of the most
unwanted words to be uttered or heard on the golf course, as it usually means a
wayward shot is heading your way.
This is fairly literal and refers to when a player chooses to use their foot to improve their lie into a better position. So, yes, basically, this is a cheat.
Fried Egg
This is when a ball is plugged into a bunker and simply does what it sounds like. For years, the difficulty of this shot has been exaggerated, but with some green to work with, there’s no need to fear it too much.
Gimme
Gimme is believed to have been coined in the early 1900s,
with the most likely derivation being a slightly shorter version of the phrase
‘give me’.
It refers to a putt so short that it is virtually unmissable. So, rather than making your partner roll it in, you essentially ‘give it’ to them without them playing the shot.
Whatever the origin, a gimme still seems to cause the odd argument with some golfers being very affronted by the lack of their playing partners’ generosity. There have been many famous flare-ups in the professional game over some unnecessary confusion over a short putt that hasn’t been conceded.
Inside the Leather
Back in the days of leather grips, this would refer to any
putt concession inside where the grip started. So, if you could get your putt
close to the hole, and it was measured to be ‘inside the leather’, you could
then pick it up.
Mulligan
A mulligan is simply a replayed shot. There are various
claims over the origin of the opportunity to replay a shot, but the most likely
is that Mr Mulligan, a Canadian hotelier from the 1920s, hit a shot and
impulsively hit another one.
Mulligan called it a ‘correction shot’, and it was agreed that it merited a better name.
Par
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, par derives from the Latin meaning ‘equal’ or ‘equality’. It took until the 19th century for it to come into golf, though, and in 1911, the USGA defined it as ‘perfect play without flukes and under ordinary weather conditions, always allowing two strokes on each putting green’.
Sandbagger
This was originally a term used to describe gangs who
would use a small bag or sock filled with heavy sand in the 19th century to
assault their victims. In golf, however, it refers to a bandit who plays off a
handicap which is too high for their relative skills.
Sandbaggers generally pop up when there’s a decent prize to be had!
Shank
This is an old English word and refers to the lower part
of a leg—think of a lamb shank.
It’s thought that it came into the golfing world in the 1920s and is the most feared shot in the game—so bad that many players won’t even say the word. For those lucky enough not to be familiar, a shank is when the ball meets the hosel of the club and heads sideways.
Snowman
This is when you record an eight on the scorecard, and whatever your standard, it’s not going to do you any favours.
Worm burner
This refers to a shot that is topped and barely gets off the ground.
Yips
Yips are involuntary spasms that can affect all parts of a golfer’s game—or indeed any sportsperson’s, for that matter.
Tommy Armour is the golfer thought to have brought the word into our consciousness, having suffered from the affliction despite being a three-time Major winner in the 1920s and 30s.
How much of this golf slang do you recognise? How many of these golf slang terms have you used yourself when playing? Get in touch via our social media channels and let us know!
The article below was written by Jack Backhouse of National Club Golfer.
Not everyone can swing the same way, so we shouldn’t try to, but understanding some basic principles of the golf swing can certainly make hitting better shots easier. In this video, PGA professional Jack Backhouse discusses 3 Things That Destroy Your Golf Game and how to fix them.
3 things that destroy your golf game – centred turn
Good contact is the key to low scores and enjoyable golf. Striking the ball before the ground rids your scorecards of any duff shots where the ball travels shorter than you can throw it, and incredible frustration. If you knew you would be on or around the green in two or 3 in every round, you would be breaking 90, no problem.
One of the keys to this is where your hips are located. At impact, the average tour player’s hips are 4 inches forward of where they start at the address, which is an awful long way forward.
Knowing this, when a golfer makes a backswing, it makes no sense whatsoever to have the hips move away from the target, especially at the top of the swing. Most PGA Tour players have actually begun to move their hips forward by the time they get to the top of the swing.
An amateur golfer should visualise pulling the rip cord of a lawn mower when making a backswing, pulling the trail hip and trail shoulder straight back rather than moving them across in any way.
Doing this gets the body in a position where it has made a big turn but hasn’t moved laterally at all, so is now able to shift forward into our desired impact position.
Use your wrists correctly
What to do with the hands in the golf swing has been a common question in golf lessons for a long time. Wrist hinge, wrist cock, passive hands, ulnar deviation, radial deviation, there are a lot of words there which are misunderstood.
Golf is primarily a hand-and-arm sport, so we cannot deny the importance of the hands and arms in the swing in returning the face to the ball appropriately.
We do know that we want our hands forward at impact with a flat or bowed lead wrist.
In the backswing, it makes sense to try to get our wrists into appropriate conditions that allow us to get into the desired impact position, so getting a flat or bowed lead wrist would be ideal.
A golfer needs to feel like their trail hand doesn’t cock 90 degrees straight in front of them, doesn’t hinge 90 degrees away from the ball, but a blend of each, feeling like the club moves out 45 degrees to their trailside.
This 45-degree angle adds the right amount of trail wrist extension to get the lead wrist into the desired impact condition, which you should then try to hold throughout the swing. This wrist action should happen early in the swing.
Swing depth
To get into the correct impact position, we must swing the club on the correct angle into the ball. The correct angle is from behind the player on a shallow plane.
The best golfers in the world do not swing the club down steep and in front of them as this would mean they lose power and have to manipulate the golf club.
The easiest way to ensure that the golf club is swinging into the ball from behind the player is to make sure the hands have enough depth going back.
As a rough guide, I like to see the hands above or behind the trail heel. This may feel flat or wrong to a player who has been above this plane, but getting the hands into this position will allow them to swing in on a shallower angle, bringing the club down from the inside, which allows for lag and a draw shot.
There have, of course, been exceptional players that don’t follow these rules, but don’t look at the outliers for advice, instead look at what the best players average and work towards those components.
Working on these 3 rules can help a player of any level improve their ball striking, their control of the golf ball, control of the club face, and help them hit the ball to the target more often.
Improving the conditions of the club at the moment of impact will never be a waste of time and will always improve your game.
The article below was written by Steve Carroll of National Club Golfer.
Hands up. How many of you think the fairway and the rough are two different parts of the golf course?
I had a recent ruling where a player was hindered by an abnormal course condition in the first cut of rough. Their nearest point of complete relief, and one club length relief area, would have allowed them to take their ball out of that longer stuff and drop in the fairway.
They asked me if they could do that, and it made me wonder how many of you out there have this on your minds when you find yourselves in a similar position.
The answer? Yes, you can. In the general area, the Rules of Golf do not distinguish between the fairway and the rough.
While Rule 16.1b puts limits on the location of the relief area for taking relief from an abnormal course condition in the general area, it only says it must be in the general area, can’t be nearer the hole than the reference point, and there “must be complete relief from all interference by the abnormal course condition”.
Drop in the fairway? Just keep an eye on those Local Rules!
The general area is defined in the Rules of Golf as being the area of the course that covers “all areas of the course” except for the teeing area of the hole being played from, bunkers, penalty areas, and the putting green of the hole being played.
The issue is complicated, I think, by various Local Rules that do make a distinction between the short and heavy stuff. You’ll often find, for example, the winter rule for preferred lies specifies “closely mown areas”.
It’s always worth just making sure before you take an ill-advised drop and find you’ve played from a wrong place.
But if the Rules do allow you to grab a slice of good fortune, take it! God knows we get enough bad breaks in this infuriating, yet mesmerising, game.
Once upon a time, any list of the best golf courses in
Europe would have been dominated by the usual hotspots of Spain and Portugal.
However, the European landscape has
changed dramatically in recent years, and as golfers, we’ve become more adept
at seeking out new challenges.
If you’re planning a trip to the Continent any time soon, you’ve
come to the right place. In this article, we highlight some of the very best golf
courses in Europe.
Note: The courses below are ranked alphabetically rather than in order of quality.
This is a French version of some of the fantastic UK heathlands we know and love, with holes winding their way through the pines, beeches, oaks and heather.
Fontainebleau isn’t the longest course, which matters very
little to most of us, but you can expect small greens and a tactical challenge.
You’re in for an absolute treat if you manage to tee it up here with the
fast-draining surfaces and sandy soil, making it the perfect turf to play off.
Natural rock features on and around the playing areas add to the charm of the course before golfers retire to the clubhouse, which oozes old-world charm and history.
Germany rarely gets mentioned for its outstanding courses,
but Hamburger Falkenstein is its leading candidate, and you’ll certainly hear
more and more of it in the coming years.
It was founded back in 1906 when it was a nine-hole course before being transformed into an 18-holer just under 100 years ago. We can thank Harry Colt’s design for this masterpiece, which very much resembles a Sunningdale.
Bernhard Langer won the first of his five national Opens
here in 1981, but that was the last we’ve seen of it on Tour. Expect plenty of
doglegs, incredible turf, huge variety and no water.
“Falkenstein’s routing is dynamic, taking full advantage of the natural, rolling terrain, presenting all manner of shots—uphill, downhill, side hill, drop shots and seemingly every mixture of these elements. The outcome is a wide variety of holes with challenging and memorable shot opportunities,” writes course architect Tony Ristola.
3. Les Bordes (New), France
Green fee: Need to play with a member
Les Bordes, in the Loire Valley, has two courses firmly
inside France’s top 10, but it’s the New which is #1 on the property.
The Old was designed as recently as 1987 before Gil Hanse led the design of the New in 2018, and already, it has been recognised as one of the very best golf courses in Europe.
The New used land of an existing course but is now on a different level, with firm fairways, large waste areas, incredible bunkering and vast greens. The par 3s offer a huge variety in length and style, which is also a feature in the longer holes, and there’s also a 10-hole Wild Piglet short course. Hanse also designed the world-famous Cradle short course at Pinehurst, so expect a lot of fun.
“It is amazing how two such different courses exist in the same estate but are so totally different. Even the soil is different—the Old is more like Valderrama while the New is sandy like a UK heathland,” one visitor recalls.
4. Lofoten Links, Norway
Green fee: £150
There’s a good chance you’ll have seen plenty of Lofoten Links thanks to the efforts of No Laying Up and many others that have visited. It opened in the summer of 2015 and is located in the upper reaches of Norway, where the summer months mean you can enjoy 24-hour golf.
This is pure bucket-list material in a stunning setting beside the ocean, and you won’t even mind losing a few balls as it punishes even the slightly mishit shot. The short 2nd is photographed more than any other hole, sitting on a rocky outcrop with a single pot bunker as its other defence. This is out of this world, and while it is tricky to get to, it’s absolutely worth the effort. It’s undoubtedly one of the best golf courses in Europe.
5. Monte Rei, Portugal
Green fee: €170
Generally speaking, most travelling golfers head west when
jetting into Faro. However, for Monte Rei, head east towards Tavira. Here, you’ll
find the North Course, now regarded as Portugal’s best golf course. There has
been some talk of a South Course, also designed by Jack Nicklaus, but we’re
still waiting to see this.
Right from the first tee shot, you appreciate that you’re in
for a treat, and the standard never deviates with a collection of water hazards
and outstanding bunkers. The greens here are near perfect, and it all comes to
a close with a sporty par 5 that’s played over water.
It’s tricky to pinpoint a signature hole (which is rare), but this just reflects what a consistently outstanding test this golf course is.
6. Morfontaine, France
Green fee: Need to play with a member
Golf dates back more than 100 years here. The property, ‘Le Grand Parcours’, has 27 roles and is regarded as one of the very best golf resorts in Europe. The original 9-hole course, Le Vallière, is also well worth playing if you get a chance to tee it up here.
The only problem is that this club, just north of Paris, is highly exclusive, and you can only play here if you’re lucky enough to know a member.
This old classic isn’t the longest at only 6,500 yards off
the back tees, but it represents a brilliant test of skill and strategy. You
can expect a picturesque tree-lined layout with large, sloping greens and
brilliant bunkering. It’s especially impressive just before the turn, with the
7th among the 500 greatest golf holes.
“The terrain dictates the challenge on this hole, as boulder-strewn tall grass gives way to an uneven fairway lined by white birch trees. First up is a semi-blind tee shot, played over a rise that slopes from left to right. Though the green is large, its undulating surface leaves few safe places for an approach,” writes GOLF magazine.
7. Real Club Valderrama, Spain
Green fee: €500
This one shouldn’t need too much of an introduction, as it’s
one of the most recognisable and best golf courses in Europe. That’s reflected
in the green fee, granted, but nevertheless, Valderrama remains one of Europe’s
must-play courses.
The course only dates back to 1975 but it has been a mainstay of the European Tour and now also features on the LIV circuit. Its most famous moment came when it staged the Ryder Cup, the first on mainland Europe, in 1997 when Seve Ballesteros captained the hosts to the narrowest of victories.
The very wealthy Jaime Ortiz-Patino was ‘the money’ behind
Valderrama as he helped transform it into what it is today—a
course all about angles and plotting your way around the gnarled old cork oak
trees. Condition-wise, this place is beyond anything you’ve ever seen before, with
the entrances to the greens better than most clubs’ putting surfaces. The par-5
17th is the signature hole, with players’ second or third shots very
often ending up wet before a ridiculously challenging tee shot at the
last.
Valderrama was afforded royal status in 2014, shortly before King Juan Carlos’ abdication.
8. Royal Hague, Netherlands
Green fee: €225
Royal Hague, or to give it its proper name, Koninklijke
Haagsche, is recognised as one the top two golf courses in the Netherlands,
along with Utrecht de Pan.
This is a seaside course with blind shots, uneven lies and
elevation changes aplenty. With Kennemer further along the coast, too, you have
all the makings of a fantastic links trip here.
It has held the Dutch Open 20 times but not since 1981, which is a pity, as it means not many of us have properly laid eyes on it. The course dates back to 1893, but Harry Colt’s design firm really put it on the map just before World War II. Frank Pont also oversaw another renovation this century which saw the rebuild of nearly all the greens.
One visitor said of Royal Hague: “I have been lucky to play Shinnecock, and I am not afraid to say this one has a very similar feeling in many of the holes. It may not have the quality in design Colt gave to Utrecht, but this amazing piece of land, together with excellent conditioning, makes all in one the very best courses I played in the Netherlands.”
9. Utrecht de Pan, Netherlands
Green fee: €175
This misses out on the title of oldest golf club in the
Netherlands by a year, just behind Royal Hague. There’s nothing too fancy on
arrival, but what lies ahead is a classic heathland that Harry Colt helped turn
into a Dutch masterpiece—again, tidied up by Frank Pont in more recent years.
It’s not as well-known as others, staging just three Dutch
Opens, the last of which was in 1982, but if you have been, then you’ll surely
be a fan.
There are a collection of blind shots—all in a good way—as it continues to pose a strong test to golfers. You can expect elevation changes, no water, and some well-placed bunkers, all of which make this one of the best golf courses in Europe, for sure.
As for the name—Pan is a mythological Greek God, and there’s a statue of him playing his pipes here.
10. Visby, Sweden
Green fee: €140
If you’re a viewer of No Laying Up’s ‘Tourist Sauce’ videos,
then you’ll already have been charmed by this incredible piece of land.
Visby (The One) was originally laid out in 1958, but former
Ryder Cup player Pierre Fulke’s alliance with Adam Mednick has now made this
Sweden’s #1 course. Located on the island of Gotland, a medieval town and UNESCO
World Heritage Site, it offers some incredible seaside and parkland holes. The
6th and 16th holes get a lot of the plaudits, and there’s
also a nine-hole course (The Other One) to enjoy here.
“It’s one of very few courses where you can easily describe every single hole in detail as you drive home. And not only because of its spectacular setting along the shore, but because each hole never blends in. Each hole has its own distinctive design and feel—from a rough but scenic seaside character to a more flamboyant forest park character, peaking with the spectacular 16th hole. I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat!”one visitor writes.
