Am I holding my kid back - US Kids Irons

[mbh922]

My son just turned 13.  Am I holding him back if he's still using US Kids Irons?  Have most competitive 13 year olds moved on?  And if so what are some of the most popular brands they are playing?  I greatly appreciate any help as my knowledge is far less than most on this site.  Thanks!

[MikekiM]

Not likely. By 13 most tournament juniors are probably playing adult heads, but I do still see some out there with USK and Flynn and others at that age.

It's not likely the equipment is holding the kid back unless he's like 5'10 and 140lbs swinging it 100+mph.  He could probably stand to gain a few yards with proper fitting equipment, but good players will always play well even with ill fitting equipment.

Proper equipment might account for a couple strokes, but don't expect to turn a 90's shooter into a 70's shooter.

 

Depending on his size and swing speed you might consider getting a proper fitting.  If he's at least 5' tall he could probably be fit into adult equipment, which opens up a world of options.

[MD_]

If he's still playing USK driver/fairway then you're definitely leaving something on the table from a distance perspective and an extra 15-20 off the Tee can make a big difference on what they're hitting for the approach shots. Irons probably not as much assuming we are talking TS3 and not the UL series. 

 

My son is 12 and we just moved on from our last set of Flynn Alto+ and went into adult heads. Did a full fitting, went with TM P7MC's with KBS tour lite shafts in regular flex. Will be a few months before we see what it translates to out on the course but at home in the simulator so far he's getting a higher ball flight with a steeper decent angle, spin is up about 1k compared to his old ones but distance gains are only about 3-5 yards per club.

 

For me really it was that he had out-grown his Flynns, so knowing I needed to buy new clubs either way I opted to go with the adult heads as he's now just -1" from men's standard length and we will be able to just extend or reshaft these as needed... he should be able to game them until he wears out the grooves.

[hangontight]

That depends on what you mean by "Competitive 13 year olds" ...  My son is 13 and in my observation with that, most "Competitive" juniors (plays frequently beyond the local level) have switched to adult irons by age 11.     Brand and selection are across the board, but I would say that one of hte most popular choices is Taylormade P790.  My son plays Titleist T200...which I see the T series a growing choice as well.   Shaft will be key....a stock off the rack 120g shaft is going to not be best fit for most 12-13 Year olds.   

 

Cliche and easy thing to say, but if they are 5' tall or more, a fitting will be worth it.   TIP - Bring a single USKG club to the fitting for comparison (they wont have them).  We borrowed a friends USKG 6&7 Iron (60" TS - my son was moving out of the 57" set) and used it at the fitting.  It was nice to clear that from the back of my head.  If you dont have one to borrow, I think its worth ordering as single for $49 to be sure...you are already spending $100+ on the fitting and prepared to spend $1,200+ on new adult irons.  TIP # 2 - do research on fitters to get one who has experience with competitive juniors (and viable lighter weight shaft options). 

 

Better get on that IG game , your equipment cost easily quadruples after the USKG set days!     😶

Edited December 14, 2023 by hangontight

[caligolfer2103]

My son is about to turn 13. We just moved him from USKids UL series to Titleist 150s. Has made a huge difference. Better dispersion and gained significant distance...30+ yards on driver (TSR2) and 10 - 15 yards on irons. Does it make him better? Not sure, but when you're playing 450 - 500yd par 5s and have a 40 - 50 yard shorter 3rd shot, it makes a huge difference.