Building a Driver

[Paul Verizer]

I'm thinking of building a driver for my junior golfer. Rather, acquiring the parts I need and having a clubsmith do the dirty work. Am I correct in assuming that I will need...

 

1. A driver club head that will accept an adjustable hosel

2. Said hosel that is the correct size to accept...

3. A junior flex shaft

4. And an undersized grip

[Mikeski]

Why not just go to Dick's and buy a jr driver. You can buy a Top Flite driver for $35.

[Paul Verizer]

Yeah, we've got the Top Flight driver. That's the set he's growing out of. We're looking to get into the US Kids Ultralite 54" set and it doesn't come with a driver. I thought it might be a fun project to supplement that set with something "special".

[Stuart_G]

The shaft tip size needs to match the adapter. And adapters are not required by any means. You could get a bonded head and glue the shaft directly into the head.

 

How junior of a player?

 

An adult driver head may be too heavy. You may need to find a lighter model or one that a lot of weight can be removed from (like the sliding weights). If the US Kids statement of 15% lighter applies equally to head and shaft, that means you'd need to be able to remove ~30 gm's from a 'standard' adult weight head. And that's not going to be easy. The TM m1/m3 probably has the most sliding weight that can be removed.

 

For shorter lengths and players, the large adult head sizes 460cc may also be too big and the lofts will generally be too strong. US Kids 54" ultralight "driver" is 320cc and has a loft of 16*. There is a reason US Kid's don't have a 460cc 10-12* club in the bag.

 

 

Regardless - just don't loose sight that the proper playing length, head weight and shaft weight are way more important than shaft flex. Too long or too heavy can cause swing issues and 'teach' bad habits with the younger kids

[Paul Verizer]

Thank you, Stuart. Good technical info.

 

The boy is 10yo, plays with the First Tee, has had a couple of lessons and has lots of camps under his belt. Nothing competitive yet, just friendlies. He hits his current Top Flight driver (getting a bit small for him) about 80 carry and it usually rolls out to 100, I believe. We tested a USK 42" driver and it added about 10 yards to each distance with less dispersion and a nicer sound.

 

I will keep your advice top of mind, for sure. I do NOT want any inadvertent bad habits. I may give it a go and if it doesn't work out, just chalk it up to an experimental summer project gone awry.

 

Thanks again!

[Stuart_G]

Maybe you can find an older TM r7 quad 11.5* in good shape (or refinish it yourself as part of the project). It's only 400cc and you can remove about 20-24 gm from it due to the MWT. Not ideal but if you keep the length a bit shorter and the shaft pretty light, you might be able to compensate enough. The loft still probably a bit low to get any gain in distance but that doesn't mean he can't have some fun with it.

[wkuo3]

Go slightly down the page to "quick navigation" for age group and suggestion to fit a junior golfer.

You could get into used market for budget price.

https://thejuniorgolfer.com/best-junior-golf-drivers/

[Paul Verizer]

Maybe you can find an older TM r7 quad 11.5* in good shape (or refinish it yourself as part of the project). It's only 400cc and you can remove about 20-24 gm from it due to the MWT. Not ideal but if you keep the length a bit shorter and the shaft pretty light, you might be able to compensate enough. The loft still probably a bit low to get any gain in distance but that doesn't mean he can't have some fun with it.

I actually have an R7 SuperQuad. I thought about using it and removing the weights but didn't want to because of the 10.5 loft.

[Stuart_G]

Maybe you can find an older TM r7 quad 11.5* in good shape (or refinish it yourself as part of the project). It's only 400cc and you can remove about 20-24 gm from it due to the MWT. Not ideal but if you keep the length a bit shorter and the shaft pretty light, you might be able to compensate enough. The loft still probably a bit low to get any gain in distance but that doesn't mean he can't have some fun with it.

I actually have an R7 SuperQuad. I thought about using it and removing the weights but didn't want to because of the 10.5 loft.

 

Yes. That's why I suggested the 11.5. If nothing else, you could try it to see how well he can swing it - and if it goes well try and find an 11.5 head.

[Coop_Scoop12]

For what its worth, I strongly recommending building it with your son! My dad and I built a hybrid together when I was in 7th grade and it remains one of my favorite clubs in my bag after all these years. It will be an experience he will never forget. I encourage any parents that come to me to build all of their kids sets because it is not that difficult to do and saves a lot of money in the long run as they grow.