In this Wednesday Waggle we will look at how to get started in custom golf clubs for your daughter. A conservative approach is best when you venture into new territory so that’s how we will approach this. Let’s buy one!
If your daughter is like our son, she will be very excited when you even mention custom golf clubs. New equipment is always fun, but Mom and Dad must maintain a sense of reality. There is not any household budget that the game of golf cannot easily exceed. So to have a plan and maintain a bit of sanity we are going to begin your girl’s adventure in custom golf clubs by purchasing just one club. (golf digest.com)
How do you decide which club to get? If you adhere to the legendary Harvey Penick’s philosophy that the 3 most important clubs in the bag are the driver, wedge and putter, you now have 3 great options. Depending on the age, strength and skill level of your daughter, she may use something other than a driver on the tee.. So you can consider customizing her main club she uses to tee off with as an option.
Ask your daughter what she considers to be the strongest part of her game. Is it driving (again maybe with a 3 or 5-wood instead of a driver), approach shots, chipping or putting? Once the 2 of you have agreed on her strongest suit, go that direction. If you’re not sure or your junior golfer is at the beginner skill level, go the putting or chipping route. The fastest way to lower any golfer’s score is around the green, chipping and putting.
Please remember that parents of beginner level golfers can customize any and all clubs just by having them the correct length, weight and grip size. This is all you need to do for now. Maybe you could put a new grip on her putter, perhaps just a more fun color or different style. This is quite inexpensive and could have a very positive effect. It may just make putting more fun, but that means she enjoys practicing more and hopefully more balls go in the cup.
Intermediate and advanced players may take a different approach. If your girl is a good putter and chipper but is having trouble off the tee, you might want to address her weakness so she can be more competitive with her driving stats. Your family golf team will need to decide which approach is best for your daughter’s current situation. Addressing strengths or weaknesses?
S3 and our whole family got completely customized putters 2 years ago and they have made a world of difference. We all make more putts than we ever had before. These putters are totally worth the expense! So for your girl to change every other club in her bag, including what clubs are in her bag at 1 time is a big bite and not for the faint of heart. If you customize everything she will play much better, but needs to accept that it takes lots of range time to get used to the new clubs, not to mention the $ investment.
Have the family meeting today. What will the golf budget allow? Is 1 club the best path for now or can your daughter handle and will the budget support more than 1 club? The cost for doing 1 club could be from $10-15 for a grip change to $200 or more for a state-of-the-art new shaft, grip, etc. Parents be aware of the costs. It can be a ton of money and you must have a commitment from your daughter before moving forward. Customizing for beginners is basically length, weight and grips while customizing for intermediate/advanced players can mean dozens of options. It’s all fun!
See you on #1 tee looking customized… Sam
Parenting Junior Golfers... 