Club upgrade - Complete set or different driver/irons?

[DMess18]

Question for those with experience. Do you buy complete sets (US Kids, Callaway XJ's, etc) or do you mix your sets?

 

You guys were a great help with the push/pull cart topic I started and after searching some old posts it seems like many of you buy clubs and then switch to an OEM driver/woods. My son is currently 52.5 inches tall with a slower swing speed (unknown). At this point I know I am holding him back due to equipment as his drives tend to just fall out of the sky and he is currently within 30 yards distance between his driver and 7 iron. I've been reading and looking at the Cobra F8 junior driver and like what I see but pro at the course that we mainly go to is suggesting the Callaway XJ complete set. How is the quality of the Callaway XJ's and would I be better off buying a set of the US Kids UL 54" and upgrading the driver/woods?

 

Also, the local club does not stock the US Kids clubs so I may try a different course to see if they have any demos he can hit.

[heavy_hitter]

Question for those with experience. Do you buy complete sets (US Kids, Callaway XJ's, etc) or do you mix your sets?

 

You guys were a great help with the push/pull cart topic I started and after searching some old posts it seems like many of you buy clubs and then switch to an OEM driver/woods. My son is currently 52.5 inches tall with a slower swing speed (unknown). At this point I know I am holding him back due to equipment as his drives tend to just fall out of the sky and he is currently within 30 yards distance between his driver and 7 iron. I've been reading and looking at the Cobra F8 junior driver and like what I see but pro at the course that we mainly go to is suggesting the Callaway XJ complete set. How is the quality of the Callaway XJ's and would I be better off buying a set of the US Kids UL 54" and upgrading the driver/woods?

 

Also, the local club does not stock the US Kids clubs so I may try a different course to see if they have any demos he can hit.

 

 

 

Callaway Junior Clubs are toys and usually don't fit properly. US Kids clubs are much better quality and they fit properly. Getting the proper fit is the most important thing. Everyone here recommends the F8 Driver. Never got a chance to try with my kid because they don't make it in left handed.

[BertGA]

Got my daughter the XJ 9-12 set a couple years ago. I’d say the quality of the clubs is comparable to the UL set. I originally chose the XJ over USK because I thought the driver with a Callaway name stamped on it, as well as the 2ball J putter would be better than USK. I was right on the putter, but all aluminum drivers are pretty much the same. Was mostly worried about driver and putter because at the time we were focused on DCP. Had a Flynn 52 and 60 we used to fill out the wedges. When she qualified for Regionals, got a 2016 M2 with a Flynn shaft. When she connects, instantly gains 20 yards on drives.

 

Fast forward, my daughter is now 9, 57”. Earlier this year we started playing tournaments. We needed more than just a 7 and 9 iron. Moved to USK TS, kept the XJ 3wood and hybrid, which she still hits well. The USKids 57 series is pretty much matched length with XJ 9-12 set. Went with the USK TS irons over her XJ set because she had noticeable gaps between the two irons. She needed a full set, 6-PW, which Callaway just doesn’t make. So right now, her bag is

Driver 2016 M2

3W, hybrid XJ

52, 60 Flynn

6-PW plus 56 si USK TS.

Putter XJ 2ballJ

 

She had tried a couple Flynn irons, I thought the quality of the new TS is a notch better. Maybe it’s just a little stiffer shaft than the Staeg 2 we bought. Also think the grind on the TS wedges is better than Flynn, btu not enough to ditch the 2 clubs she has now. Some of my opinion is cosmetic/personal preference. It’s hard for me to get my daughter to honestly give feedback and, frankly, consistently hit enough wedge shots to objectively compare the 2.

 

Bottom line, kids at this age tend to have mixed sets that grow with them at different stages. If you went matched set every time they grew, you would be throwing cash out the door. But I do think it is important to have some consistency at least with the iron set. I think where I went wrong with the Flynn set was using his irons to fill gaps in the XJ set. Despite measuring the proper lengths, I am certain the shafts had different flex, etc. tough to adjust your swing between two different irons like that. As she grows, I will probably get an old M2 3W and hybrid to replace the last two XJ clubs, but just reshaft the irons and wedges for the next growth spurt. An adult putter is on the list for this year, too. The head on those junior Odyssey putters is pretty small.

[DMess18]

Thanks for the responses. The support for junior golf in my area is unfortunately lacking so the opinions and experiences of those on this forum are minimizing my mistakes.

[wildcatden]

Question for those with experience. Do you buy complete sets (US Kids, Callaway XJ's, etc) or do you mix your sets?

 

You guys were a great help with the push/pull cart topic I started and after searching some old posts it seems like many of you buy clubs and then switch to an OEM driver/woods. My son is currently 52.5 inches tall with a slower swing speed (unknown). At this point I know I am holding him back due to equipment as his drives tend to just fall out of the sky and he is currently within 30 yards distance between his driver and 7 iron. I've been reading and looking at the Cobra F8 junior driver and like what I see but pro at the course that we mainly go to is suggesting the Callaway XJ complete set. How is the quality of the Callaway XJ's and would I be better off buying a set of the US Kids UL 54" and upgrading the driver/woods?

 

Also, the local club does not stock the US Kids clubs so I may try a different course to see if they have any demos he can hit.

 

Agree with Heavy that the OEM kids clubs tend to be toys. USKG is the likely way to go. You should go get your kid's driver swing speed measured (just go hit some balls) at your local golf mart. USKG has their swing speed system and height fitting guide here: https://www.uskidsgo...ide-final.pdf At 52.5 inches, technically in the UL51 or TS51 series for height but you need to know swing speed. Look on eBay for good condition used clubs if you are worried about growing out of the set quickly.

 

Cobra Jr Driver is good stuff. Perhaps look at last year's F7 Junior model. Try to find one in 39' or 41" brand new around $179. Register with Cobra and get whichever shaft you didn't get. Next, I would try to see if he can swing the 39"shaft (choked down). If not, then either call Flynn golf and get a junior shaft at 37" or 35" or find a ladies flex shaft and fit to one of those lengths. Kind of depends on swing speed on how much effort you want to put into it.

[darter79]

USKG or Flynn for irons hands down. Woods I would lean OEM with a shaft that you can fit to you kids swing. Flynn makes great shafts for that too.

[BloctonGolf11]

I bought my son a full USKids TS set in the fall last year when he grew to need a new set. In retrospect this is what I would do:

 

USKids Irons/Wedges/Putter

OEM Driver/Fairway/Hybrid with Flynn golf shaft

 

You can see that is now my son's bag makeup and it made a HUGE difference.

[tiger1873]

One thing to keep in mind is there are different US kids clubs. The UL are toys and really only good for kids just starting out. If you want to expand the set a sand wedge is probably ok for the money. If you feel they need a whole set go out and get the Tour Series set it will make a big difference.

 

I think the US kids driver on the new ts3 is okay if there making the transition from UL to tour series. If you start to do touranaments look at OEM drivers. I wouldn't bother going with a junior shaft in a OEM driver. If they can't handle the ladies flexes your not gaining much for distance.

 

My 7 year daughter transferred from the UL to the TS3 set and it made a huge difference. I am not looking for her to win the Drive Chip and putt so no need to look at OEM. My focus with her is putting and chipping right now.

[DMess18]

Thanks again everyone for the insight. I managed to find a local course where the pro had his daughter's old UL set that she outgrew to demo. He hit them decent, given the extra length, so I pulled the trigger on a set of the UL57's. I know in my original post I put his height at 52.5" but I had not officially measured him since December, before I broke my leg and had surgery. Apparently, he hit a growth spurt from December, where he was 52", to now measuring in at 55.5". I guess since I'm with him everyday and I'm still 2 feet taller than him I didn't notice the increase.

 

I also purchased the Cobra F8 Junior driver with the 39" shaft since the UL57 driver is 38". We spent this weekend at the range working through the bag and I would say, even with his slower swing speed, he is comfortably 15-20 yards further with the F8 over the UL driver. The F8 also appears to be much more forgiving on mishits in regards to yardage loss.

 

I will also say that his chipping and pitching has improved with the new wedges. He already had a good short game but he seems to able to check the ball better and his lag putting and alignment seem improved. I'm hoping after playing a round this week with the regional hot shoe, a DCP clinic Saturday, and a VSGA match on Sunday he will be more comfortable. Now if I can work an OEM hybrid into his bag I think think he will be set.

[leezer99]

I know in my original post I put his height at 52.5" but I had not officially measured him since December, before I broke my leg and had surgery. Apparently, he hit a growth spurt from December, where he was 52", to now measuring in at 55.5". I guess since I'm with him everyday and I'm still 2 feet taller than him I didn't notice the increase.

 

 

My boy grew 4 inches in ten months... hadn't noticed a thing other than his shorts started looking a little too short.

[wildcatden]

Do you have his swing speed measured?

[DMess18]

I know in my original post I put his height at 52.5" but I had not officially measured him since December, before I broke my leg and had surgery. Apparently, he hit a growth spurt from December, where he was 52", to now measuring in at 55.5". I guess since I'm with him everyday and I'm still 2 feet taller than him I didn't notice the increase.

 

 

My boy grew 4 inches in ten months... hadn't noticed a thing other than his shorts started looking a little too short.

 

Yep. We knew his pants were starting to look short but he has always been on the shorter side so a 3.5" jump was not expected.

[DMess18]

Do you have his swing speed measured?

 

No. I'm hoping to get it soon. He is definitely not the hard swing type. Currently he lacks distance through his whole bag but hits it pretty straight. His drives are around the 130 mark. His soon to be 8 year old brother swings much harder but he's lucky to make contact.

[heavy_hitter]

Do you have his swing speed measured?

 

No. I'm hoping to get it soon. He is definitely not the hard swing type. Currently he lacks distance through his whole bag but hits it pretty straight. His drives are around the 130 mark. His soon to be 8 year old brother swings much harder but he's lucky to make contact.

 

How old?

[DMess18]

Do you have his swing speed measured?

 

No. I'm hoping to get it soon. He is definitely not the hard swing type. Currently he lacks distance through his whole bag but hits it pretty straight. His drives are around the 130 mark. His soon to be 8 year old brother swings much harder but he's lucky to make contact.

 

How old?

 

He turned 10 in February. He's not the aggressive/physical type, like most athletic kids are, so trying to maintain form and add strength for distance has been a slow process. He has a great swing and gets a lot of compliments when he is at the course so I'm trying to not screw that up in hopes the power will come later.

[wildcatden]

Do you have his swing speed measured?

 

No. I'm hoping to get it soon. He is definitely not the hard swing type. Currently he lacks distance through his whole bag but hits it pretty straight. His drives are around the 130 mark. His soon to be 8 year old brother swings much harder but he's lucky to make contact.

 

How old?

 

He turned 10 in February. He's not the aggressive/physical type, like most athletic kids are, so trying to maintain form and add strength for distance has been a slow process. He has a great swing and gets a lot of compliments when he is at the course so I'm trying to not screw that up in hopes the power will come later.

 

This is an excellent presentation from Titleist Performance Institute (TPI). I think Heavy_Hitter first shared this here. http://www.authorstream.com/presentation/tpigreg-264945-parentnightvideo-tpi-junior-golf-parent-workshop-sports-ppt-powerpoint/

[heavy_hitter]

Do you have his swing speed measured?

 

No. I'm hoping to get it soon. He is definitely not the hard swing type. Currently he lacks distance through his whole bag but hits it pretty straight. His drives are around the 130 mark. His soon to be 8 year old brother swings much harder but he's lucky to make contact.

 

How old?

 

He turned 10 in February. He's not the aggressive/physical type, like most athletic kids are, so trying to maintain form and add strength for distance has been a slow process. He has a great swing and gets a lot of compliments when he is at the course so I'm trying to not screw that up in hopes the power will come later.

 

https://superspeedgolf.com/

 

Interestingly enough, my kid attended a Summer Group TPI/Fitness Session last night. I thought it was just a group workout session and was much more than that. He did a physical assessment on the kids in this session. He was trying to figure out their weaknesses for balance and stability so that he could work in those areas to improve swing speed and power. Without balance or stability, you can't have optimal power and speed. It was eye awakening.