Juniors Updated
Junior golf clubs by height
Buy a junior set by your child's height, not their age: every maker here sizes its sets in height bands a few inches wide, from 36" to 69" (5'9"). Measure them standing straight in their shoes, then choose the size whose band covers them. Prices run from $149.99 (Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Yellow) to $999.99 (PING Prodi G 51").
The set each maker sizes for your child
This is an example for a child 52" tall (4'4"). Choose your child's height and the sets below follow.
52" tall: 6 makers size a set for this height, lowest price first.
| Set | Height band | In the box | Hands | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Green | 52" to 58" | 5 clubs and a stand bag: driver, hybrid, 7/8-iron, 9-iron/PW, putter | Left or right | $229.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 51" | 51" to 54" | 7 clubs and a stand bag: driver (19°), 4-hybrid, 6-iron, 8-iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge, putter Also: 5 clubs and a stand bag: $319.99 | Left or right | $399.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| Team TaylorMade Size 2 | 48" to 53" | 5 clubs and a stand bag: driver (17°), hybrid (27°), 7-iron, wedge (54°), putter | Left or right | $399.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Callaway XJ Level 2 | 47" to 53" | 6 clubs and a stand bag: driver, fairway wood, 7-iron, 9-iron, sand wedge, putter | Left or right | $549.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| PING Prodi G 51" | 50" to 53.5" | 7 clubs and a stand bag: driver (15°), hybrid (28°), 6-iron, 8-iron, pitching wedge, wedge (54°), putter | Left or right | $999.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Cleveland Junior Set Medium | 44" to 53" | 6 clubs and a carry bag: driver (18°), hybrid (28°), 7-iron, 9-iron, wedge (56°), putter | Right only | $199 to $399 by size, checked 15 Oct |
Height bands and boxes are each maker's own. We do not score junior sets for forgiveness the way we score adult clubs: each maker builds every size for a junior's height and swing, and U.S. Kids Golf calls height the most important factor in sizing.
Every junior set, by maker
| Set | Height band | Maker's ages | Clubs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 39" | 39" to 42" | – | 3 | $179.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 42" | 42" to 45" | – | 4 | $249.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 45" | 45" to 48" | – | 6 | $329.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 48" | 48" to 51" | – | 7 | $389.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 51" | 51" to 54" | – | 7 | $399.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 54" | 54" to 57" | – | 7 | $409.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 57" | 57" to 60" | – | 7 | $419.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 60" | 60" to 63" | – | 7 | $429.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 63" | 63" to 66" | – | 7 | $439.99 at U.S. Kids Golf, checked 15 Oct |
| Callaway XJ Level 1 | 42" to 46" | – | 4 | $349.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Callaway XJ Level 2 | 47" to 53" | – | 6 | $549.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Callaway XJ Level 3 | 54" to 57" | – | 7 | $649.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Callaway XT Teen | 58" to 69" | – | 10 | $799.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Cleveland Junior Set Small | 36" to 43" | 4 to 6 | 3 | $199 to $399 by size, checked 15 Oct |
| Cleveland Junior Set Medium | 44" to 53" | 7 to 9 | 6 | $199 to $399 by size, checked 15 Oct |
| Cleveland Junior Set Large | 54" to 63" | 10 to 12 | 7 | $199 to $399 by size, checked 15 Oct |
| Team TaylorMade Size 1 | 42" to 47" | 4 to 6 | 4 | $249.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Team TaylorMade Size 2 | 48" to 53" | 7 to 9 | 5 | $399.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Team TaylorMade Size 3 | 54" to 59" | 10 to 12 | 7 | $499.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Yellow | 40" to 46" | 3 to 6 | 3 | $149.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Orange | 46" to 52" | 5 to 8 | 5 | $229.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Green | 52" to 58" | 7 to 10 | 5 | $229.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Red | 58" to 64" | 9 to 12 | 7 | $279.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Blue | 64" to 67" | 11 to 14 | 7 | $279.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| PING Prodi G 51" | 50" to 53.5" | – | 7 | $999.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
| PING Prodi G 54" | 54" to 56.5" | – | 7 | not listed at Golf Discount |
| PING Prodi G 57" | 57" to 60" | – | 7 | $999.99 at Golf Discount, checked 15 Oct |
A dash means the maker sizes that set by height alone. U.S. Kids Golf: 9 sizes; Callaway: 4 sizes; Cleveland: 3 sizes; TaylorMade: 3 sizes; Tour Edge: 5 sizes; PING: 3 sizes. Cleveland's US store prices its three sizes from $199 to $399 and does not show each size's price until you choose one.
Before you buy
- Measure again as they grow. 22 of the 27 sizes here cover three to six inches of height, so check the fit each season. U.S. Kids Golf also sells its clubs one at a time in every size, and PING adjusts a Prodi G set once at no charge as the child grows, when five clubs or more were bought together (you pay the shipping to PING).
- The smallest sets hold three or four clubs. A wood, an iron and a putter, sometimes a wedge. The larger sizes add a driver, a hybrid and more irons and wedges.
- At one height, prices differ by hundreds of dollars. For a child 52" tall the sets run from $229.99 (Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Green) to $999.99 (PING Prodi G 51"). The dearer sets add clubs, a titanium driver (Callaway's XJ) or clubs PING cuts to the child's height band (Prodi G).
Questions buyers ask
What size golf clubs should a 9-year-old use?
The size for their height, which is why the makers that print ages give a 9-year-old more than one size: Cleveland Junior Set Medium (ages 7 to 9, 44" to 53"), Team TaylorMade Size 2 (ages 7 to 9, 48" to 53"), Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Green (ages 7 to 10, 52" to 58") and Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Red (ages 9 to 12, 58" to 64"). Measure them in their shoes and use the height tool above; a tall or short 9-year-old fits a different size.
What are the best golf clubs for a 12-year-old?
A set made for their height, from the sizes that reach 12-year-olds: Cleveland Junior Set Large (ages 10 to 12, 54" to 63"), Team TaylorMade Size 3 (ages 10 to 12, 54" to 59"), Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Red (ages 9 to 12, 58" to 64") and Tour Edge Hot Launch HL-J Blue (ages 11 to 14, 64" to 67"). Over about 5 feet, the tallest junior sizes fit too: U.S. Kids Golf Ultralight 7 63" (63" to 66") and Callaway XT Teen (58" to 69").
Can my child use cut-down adult clubs?
A cut-down adult club keeps its heavy head and stiff shaft, so it is harder for a child to swing and to get the ball in the air. Junior sets lighten the head and soften the shaft for each size, and U.S. Kids Golf matches swing weight and shaft flex within every size it sells.
My child is between two sizes. Which one?
U.S. Kids Golf names each size after the shortest player it fits and recommends the smaller size when a child is between two. The tool above follows each maker's own bands, so a child exactly on the line gets the size that starts there.
Are there left-handed junior sets?
Every maker here but Cleveland sells its junior sets left-handed; Cleveland lists right-handed only. Callaway's left-handed XJ sets come in black only.
When does my child move to adult clubs?
The tallest junior sizes stop at 69" (5'9"), Callaway's teen XT set. TaylorMade also builds its adult clubs shorter and lighter for juniors from 4 feet to 5 feet 4 inches, through its fitters. After that, the beginner sets and women's sets are the next step; the club length chart gives the adult standard lengths.
Clubs for the rest of the family
For an adult starting out, the best golf clubs for beginners and the beginner sets compare the forgiving clubs and boxed sets we score.
The other questions
The most forgiving of each club
- Most forgiving irons
Every forgiving iron set scored and compared, with picks for slicers, slow swings, seniors and budgets.
- Most forgiving driver
The most forgiving head in each maker's line, scored, with the draw models for a slice and picks for slow swings and budgets.
- Most forgiving fairway woods
Fairway woods with the shallow faces and low centres of gravity that get the ball up off the deck.
- Most forgiving hybrids
The hybrids built to replace long irons, with lofts, flexes, hands and price.
- Mini drivers
The smaller driver heads between a driver and a 3-wood, by head size, lofts and draw setting, each price dated.
- Utility irons
Driving irons compared for forgiveness, lofts and hands, and when a hybrid is the better club.
- Forgiving wedges
Compare cavity-back wedge lofts, bounce, sole options and hands.
- Forgiving putters
Mallets and zero-torque putters scored, with lengths, hands and price, and a pick for each kind of miss.
- Most forgiving Callaway irons
Callaway's forgiving iron line, set against each other on offset, sole, loft, flexes and price.
For your game
- Best golf clubs for beginners
What a first set needs, a boxed set against a built set at the same money, and the picks by budget.
- Beginner golf club sets
Every complete boxed set scored, with its club list, flexes, hands and price, and a pick for seniors, women and budgets.
- Best golf clubs for beginners to intermediate
The second set: what to buy when a boxed set stops being enough, without paying for clubs you cannot use yet.
- Best golf clubs for high handicappers
Choose a replacement by bag role and check it against the clubs you keep.
- Best irons for mid handicappers
Game improvement and players distance sets for a 10 to 20 handicap, scored and priced.
- Best driver for slicers
Every driver with draw help, by how much it gives, its lofts and its price.
- Best driver for beginners
Forgiving heads with 12° in stock and draw help for a slice, for beginners and high handicappers, each price dated.
- Best putters for beginners
Forgiving mallets and zero-torque heads by price, stock length and hand, for a first putter, each price dated.
- Senior golf clubs
Every club sold with a stock senior (A) flex or as a senior set, and what senior flex actually changes.
- Best driver for seniors
The forgiving drivers sold in senior flex, by slow-swing help, loft and draw help, each price dated.
- Best irons for seniors
The forgiving iron sets sold in senior flex, by launch, sole and forgiveness, each price dated.
- Women's golf clubs for beginners
Women's lines and ladies-flex options, complete sets and individual clubs, with a pick for each.
- Best irons for women
The forgiving iron sets sold as a women's line or in ladies flex, with each 7-iron's loft and length, each price dated.
- Best driver for women
The forgiving drivers made for women or sold in ladies flex, by draw help, loft and price, each price dated.
- Golf clubs for petite women
The women's sets sold shorter, by how much, and the heights each maker names, each price dated.
- Golf clubs for tall men
The men's sets sold longer, by how much, and the heights each maker names, each price dated.
- Left-handed golf clubs
The most forgiving club of each type sold left-handed, and the ones that are not.
Paying less
- Best budget irons
Forgiving iron sets for less, new, earlier and used, every price per club and dated.
- Best budget drivers
Forgiving drivers for less: current heads at low prices, last year's still sold new, and used, each price dated.
- Used forgiving golf clubs
Check the exact used configuration, condition, contents and return terms.
- Used golf drivers
Every forgiving driver with a used price beside the new one, current and earlier models, each listing dated.
- Used fairway woods and hybrids
Every forgiving fairway wood and hybrid with a used price beside the new one, and each listing's club, loft, flex, condition and date.
- Used golf irons
Every forgiving iron set with a used price, current and earlier models, with the clubs, shaft and flex each price buys.
- Golf club deals
Forgiving clubs below the maker's list price, last year's models still sold new, and used savings, each price with the day we checked it.
- Black Friday golf clubs
The price to beat for the most forgiving club of each type, so you can tell a real Black Friday deal.
Lofts, gaps and wedges
- Golf club loft chart
Loft ranges from the driver to the lob wedge, then every forgiving iron set's lofts, current and earlier, in one sortable chart.
- Golf club gapping
Even loft steps from your longest club to your wedges, each set's uneven steps, and how to check them with your own distances.
- How many golf clubs
The 14-club rule in plain words, what a first bag of eight to ten needs, and how many clubs each boxed set really holds.
- Wedge lofts
Every iron set's pitching, gap, sand and lob wedge lofts in one chart, and the names makers give the gap wedge.
- 52, 56 and 60 degree wedges
What a gap, sand and lob wedge is for, and which lofts to add after your own set.
- Wedge bounce
What bounce does, drawn to the angle, which bounce suits your swing and turf, and the bounce on every forgiving wedge we cover.
- 9-iron vs pitching wedge
The loft, length and bounce between the two in every forgiving set, and which one to hit.
- Hybrid vs iron
Which hybrid replaces which long iron in each set, by the makers' own lofts, and when a hybrid is the easier club.
- Hybrid vs fairway wood
Which wood matches which hybrid by loft, which to carry, and every maker's stock lofts side by side.
How clubs forgive, fit and last
- What makes an iron forgiving
Offset, sole width, moment of inertia and loft explained with the numbers from this site's own table.
- Game improvement vs super game improvement irons
What separates the two classes in loft, offset, sole and price, with every set in each, and how to tell which one your strike needs.
- Cavity back vs blade irons
Why a cavity back forgives and a muscle back does not, with the makers' own offset figures, and how to blend the two.
- Senior flex vs regular flex
What the A flex changes, who it suits, and which clubs we cover offer it as stock.
- Shaft flex chart
Each shaft maker's own swing speed for every flex, side by side, and the flex each chart gives at your speed.
- Best driver shafts
Driver shafts for a slower swing, more height or a mid flight, with each one's weight, torque and flexes from its maker, and the stock shafts on every forgiving driver.
- Steel vs graphite shafts
What a graphite or steel shaft changes, who each suits, and every forgiving iron set's stock shafts.
- Golf club fitting for beginners
Prepare your shortlist and check length, lie, shafts and set makeup at a fitting.
- Golf club fitting cost
What Club Champion, True Spec and PGA TOUR Superstore charge for each kind of fitting, the free ones, and what the fee buys, each price dated.
- Golf club length chart
Every iron set's standard lengths as its maker prints them, and a calculator that adds the change a fitter gives you.
- One-length irons
Every iron built to one length: Cobra's ONE Length sets against its standard sets, club by club, and who still makes one.
- Standard driver length
Every forgiving driver's stock length from its maker, men's, women's and mini, why two makers' figures can differ, and when shorter helps.
- Golf club lie angle
What a wrong lie does to your shots, how to check yours, and every forgiving iron set's lie angles club by club.
- PING color code chart
What each PING dot color means, and every PING iron set's lie angles for the dot you have.
- Golf grip size chart
Your grip size from your hand length or glove size, on Golf Pride's and Winn's own charts, with the feel test and PING's grip colors.
- Best golf grips
The right grip for sore hands, sweaty hands or an all-round feel, with every grip's sizes and weights from its maker.
- Putter grips
Pistol, parallel, flat-front and claw putter grips in their makers' words, their weights and prices, and the stock grip on each putter we cover.
- Blade vs mallet putters
Which forgives more, which suits your stroke, a six-foot test for your misses, and the mallets we cover.
- Putter length
What length putter you need, checked from your own setup rather than your height, and the stock lengths of every putter we cover.
- Zero-torque putters
What a zero-torque putter does, the balance test, who it suits, and how each maker builds one.
- How long do golf clubs last
When grips and wedge grooves wear out, by the makers' own advice, what a regrip costs, and when a new club is worth it.
- How to clean golf clubs
Irons, woods, grips and grooves cleaned the right way, the grip care Golf Pride advises, and how to store clubs over winter.
- How to regrip golf clubs
Golf Pride's ten steps with a hook blade, tape and solvent, sizing a grip up with tape, and what a shop charges.