Best Golf Clubs for Kids & Juniors: Fit Them by Height, Not by Age

Measure Height First, Age Second

Height drives club length, so measure your child without shoes and match them to a height-based chart instead of an age band. Junior sizing runs from roughly 36 to 66 inches of player height in about 3-inch steps. If your child lands between two sizes, size up rather than down — but never buy a set they’ll “grow into” by more than a season.

Hold a driver next to your child and it should reach about chest height — roughly two-thirds of their total height. A putter should sit near half their height.

That’s the fastest sanity check in a store. If the driver reaches their chin, the set is too long for now.

Suggested junior club lengths by player height. Lengths vary by maker — always check the specific set before buying.

For reference, an adult men’s driver is 45 inches and a 7-iron is 37. A 48-inch child using adult clubs is swinging a driver nearly as long as their own arm span allows — which is why cut-down adult sets fail.

The Three Secondhand-Set Faults You Can Spot in Seconds

Junior clubs fail in three predictable ways: too long, too heavy, and too stiff. Each one has a visible symptom. A helicopter spin on the downswing means too long; arms collapsing at the top of the swing means too heavy; a ball that never gets airborne means too stiff. Checking those three before you pay catches more bad sets than any spec sheet.

Three faults, three symptoms. Any one of them means the set is fighting your child instead of helping.

Cut-down adult clubs hit all three faults at once. They stay too heavy and too stiff after cutting, and shortening a club actually makes it stiffer — so the money you save costs your child a season of bad habits.

What you want instead is a junior-specific shaft: lighter graphite, more flexible, higher loft, and a grip sized for small hands. Those four things together are what make a junior club easier to swing than a short adult club.

What a First Set Should Actually Contain

A junior beginner needs four to five clubs, not fourteen: a driver, a hybrid or mid-iron, a wedge, and a putter. Fewer clubs means a lighter bag, faster decisions, and more energy left for the back nine. Add clubs only as skills and interest grow.

Junior sets scale up with age and skill — but they start well below the adult 14-club limit.

Two clubs in that short list deserve special attention, because cheap sets often leave them out.

• The sand wedge. Many budget junior sets ship with only a pitching wedge, which leaves a child with nothing to escape a bunker. A sand wedge around 52–56° handles bunkers and short chips both.
• The putter. It’s the club they’ll use most, and even young kids can feel when one is wrong. Look for a built-in alignment line — it trains straight aiming from day one, and a used putter is perfectly fine since they don’t wear out in a season.

One club worth buying early is a hybrid. Kids launch hybrids more easily than long irons, and many of them end up preferring it over the driver.

What Junior Sets Cost, and When to Move Up a Size

Junior sets run about $100 for a 3–4 club starter, around $150 for a 5–6 club set, and $500 or more for a full set built for a serious junior. Buy used without hesitation — kids outgrow clubs faster than they wear them out. Size up when your child reaches the top of their height range, or when the clubs start showing the three faults again.

Growth spurts don’t follow a schedule. Expect to replace a set sooner than the price tag suggests, which is another argument for buying used or mid-range rather than premium.

The mistake that costs the most is buying two sizes too big to “get more seasons out of it.” If a child has to choke down more than about 2 inches, they’ll change their swing to compensate — and that fix is harder to undo than it is to prevent.

If your child plays regularly or is on a school team, a pro shop can regrip or extend the set as they grow, which stretches the life of a good set considerably.

Which Junior Club to Use for What

Junior golf comes down to four shots: the tee shot, the long approach, the short game, and the putt. A driver or hybrid covers the tee, a mid-iron covers the approach, a sand wedge covers bunkers and chips, and the putter finishes. Teaching the four jobs is more useful than teaching fourteen clubs.

Notice the lofts are weaker than adult clubs at the same number. That’s deliberate. Higher loft helps a slower swing get the ball into the air, which is the whole game for a junior.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Should I buy junior clubs by age or by height?

A: By height. Two children the same age can differ by several inches, so age bands are only a rough starting point. Measure your child without shoes, then match them to a height-based sizing chart. Aim for a size where they sit at least half an inch above the minimum height in that range.

Q2: How many clubs does a junior beginner need?

A: Four to five is plenty — a driver, a hybrid or mid-iron, a wedge, and a putter. Fewer clubs keeps the bag light and the decisions simple. Add more as skills and interest grow, usually a club or two per size as they get older.

Q3: Can I cut down adult clubs for my child instead?

A: No, and it’s the most common junior equipment mistake. Cut-down adult clubs stay too heavy and too stiff, and shortening a club makes it stiffer still. Junior-specific clubs use lighter graphite shafts, more flexible flex, higher lofts, and smaller grips — all things cutting can’t fix.

Q4: How do I know if my child’s clubs are too long?

A: Watch their posture at address and their finish. If the club’s toe points up at address, they stand too upright, or they have to choke down more than about 2 inches, it’s too long. A child who spins around like a helicopter on the downswing is usually swinging something too long as well.

Q5: How much should I spend on a first junior set?

A: Roughly $100 for a 3–4 club starter set, about $150 for 5–6 clubs, and $500 or more for a full set for a committed junior. Buy used without hesitation — children outgrow clubs long before they wear them out, so a well-fitted used set beats a new one that’s the wrong size.

Q6: Should I buy clubs a size too big so they last longer?

A: No. If your child has to choke down more than about 2 inches, they’ll adjust their swing to compensate, and those habits are hard to unlearn. A slightly short club builds more confidence and better mechanics than a long one they’ll grow into.

Q7: What clubs do junior sets usually leave out?

A: The sand wedge and sometimes the putter. Many budget sets include only a pitching wedge, which leaves a child with no way out of a bunker. A sand wedge around 52–56° covers bunkers and short chips, and it’s worth buying even if the set omits it.

Q8: When should I move my child up a size?

A: When they reach the top of their height range, or when the old symptoms return — losing posture at the top of the swing, inability to get the ball airborne, or choking down on every club. Growth spurts are unpredictable, so expect to size up sooner than you planned.

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