Junior Golf: 3 PreSummer Checks For Irons That Fit

In today’s Monday Mulligan we’ll look at 3 aspects of your junior golfer’s irons so you can be sure he/she has the correct equipment for maximum summer golf benefits.

Your youngster is growing, needing bigger shoes, new pants, shirts, tops and bottoms. Remember Mom and Dad, that getting taller, faster and stronger likely means different golf clubs.

Irons and all golf clubs that are mismatched to any golfer are a handicap. Your kiddo’s chance of success is poor if he/she is using improper equipment.

Start by asking for the name of the best club-fitter in your area. It’s best to ask the really good adult golfers, the ones who seriously compete and win in amateur events in your area. They know! Not being judgemental, but if you ask your swing coach, he/she will say they can do it. Now, this may be true or not. Perhaps they are the best swing coach around and are capable of doing a club fitting, but are they the best club-fitter, I don’t know. If you ask a junior or their parents, they may say they use their swing coach.

The swing coach will recommend that your child needs this, that and the other in the next set of irons, which should be soon. The club-fitter makes that happen with their own unique set of skills. And the best club fitter is a very talented and well-respected person!

Here’s what should be evaluated and acted upon now, with the current set of irons, to make the best use of your summer golf investment:

1. Iron shafts: are they the correct length, weight and flex? For example: “x” inches long, 100 grams and regular flex.

2. Iron heads: are they matched to the skill level. For example: lighter or heavier weight, cast or forged construction and best for beginner, intermediate or advanced skill level junior golfers.

3. Iron grips: are they correct for your young golfer’s hand size and “feel” preference? For example: too small/skinny, too big/fat, just right/perfect and do they “feel” hard/slick, rough/coarse or pleasant, meaning slightly tacky/grabby.

There will be more than one club fitter in your town. The reality is that most are ok, but one or two are genuinely talented. Those are the folks you want to find.

A simple equation is that as your child’s skill level advances, they require more highly-skilled professionals, including swing coaches and club-fitters. Find out who the best are so you can go to them when you need them. You will need them!

See you on #1 tee with a proper set of irons… Sam

Junior Golf: Parents This Inexpensive Rain Gear Is Your 1st Choice

In today’s Friday Flop Shot we will take the parent’s perspective on rain gear. Your son’s/daughter’s take on the most important piece of rain gear may be different from Mom and Dad’s. (image offcoursegolf.com)

Until you’ve been there, you haven’t. Yes, unless you, Dad and Mom and your junior golfer have had the very tough experience of trying to keep dry and continue to play golf in the rain but still ending up soaking wet and barely being able to play the game, you may not understand where I’m going.

Depending on whether you have a son or daughter playing golf, their desire for the 1st piece of rain gear may be fashion-oriented. S3, again this was before he got soaked in a tournament, would lean towards the latest really cool-looking rain jackets, understandable. Your daughter might go the same route or perhaps she would prefer a beautiful umbrella. Depends on your kiddo and their personality.

Parents, I assure you that the 1st time your child gets totally soaked, reality sets in. And that is that being wet and miserable is bad enough, but he/she can still function physically, even with the discomfort and inconvenience. So play continues and yes, your child will want to gut it up and keep playing until the round is completed or play is stopped by the officials.

Ready for reality? The 1 thing that will totally shut down your junior golfer’s game is not being able to hold on to the club. It is impossible to play golf if you can’t hold on to the golf club! Things we have personally seen is the club slipping so badly at impact that the ball goes nowhere or ends up in a totally horrific spot and then, the most dangerous and scary occurrence of all, the club flying out of the player’s hands and people ducking for cover. Even with snakes and alligators on some golf courses, the scariest thing Linda, S3 and I have even seen during a tournament is a golf club sailing uncontrollably toward some fans. When a golf club strikes a human, the golf club wins, every time!

Guess what the 1st thing was that we bought the next day? Yes, the wet weather golf gloves. Back then I think only Footjoy made them but now several brands are available including but not limited to, I think, TaylorMade and Callaway. Retail pricing is around $22.00 for a pair of gloves, so they are very inexpensive. And they work!

Phil Mickelson doesn’t hesitate to put them on in high humidity or when it’s raining. Obviously he practices with them, so he’s comfortable wearing them and plays great with them. Our whole family has a pair in our golf bags and we practice with them on the range. It’s fun, a nice change to the regular range routine.

Dad and Mom, we can’t emphasize this enough. These gloves are an essential piece of equipment and should be in your youngster’s golf bag immediately and at all times in the future. Take your kiddo to a golf store this weekend and try on some different brands and buy a pair. You’ll both be glad you did.

See you on #1 tee ready for a good grip… Sam

Junior Golf: What Is Wearable Technology?

In this Wednesday Waggle we will have a look at wearable technology and what it is. These 2 words will show up more and more in clothing, accessory and footwear items and it is a good thing to have a basic understanding of these 2 words.

Wearable technology definition from Dictionary.com: a small computer or advanced electronic device that is worn or carried on the body. While there are some more specific and slightly different definitions, this 1 is perfectly adequate for our junior golfers. (Dufner photo golfdigest.com)

With the rapid advances in digital technology and also the new materials and techniques being used in clothing and footwear, this amazing tech is appearing in more and more places. Perhaps the most common items we all notice are the golf watches/GPS systems that are made by a number of quality companies such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, Suunto, Callaway and more.

The next big offering will be smart golf shoes. Under Armour’s smart golf shoes come with a built-in accelerometer that tracks your steps, calories burned and game duration. Sounds pretty neat to me! They are based on the UA Drive One shoes that Jordan Spieth has been wearing and are expected to be on the market sometime this year.

Now let’s get really crazy! Samsung’s spinoff company, IOFIT makes a smart golf shoe that analyzes your golf swing and provides instant feedback through a mobile app to improve your game. Coming soon! Learn more at this link: IOFIT Smart Shoes.

Dad and Mom all this tech is coming to you and your junior golfer at warp speed. At some point this subject will come up. In the not so distant future all our clothes will be talking to each other. We will have the opportunity to be monitored from head to toe, 24/7, scary, actually. Oh, and there is some money involved. Currently few, if any of these items are less than $100.00. Get informed.

See you on #1 tee wearing rules compliant devices… Sam.

Junior Golf: Still Time To Buy Customized Golf Balls

In this Friday Flop Shot we’re helping you strategize your Christmas shopping over these final busy days. If you buy something on the Internet today and over the weekend, most stores can still guarantee arrival before Christmas. Starting Monday, you’re getting into high dollar freight rates.

Customized golf balls, and I mean custom numbers and custom names/words are still being offered on www.tgw.com at $39.99 per dozen (Pro V1’s, other brands may be cheaper) with delivery before Christmas. S3’s customized Pro V1x’s have arrived and they look amazing, he’s going to love them! This is the 1st time we’ve done the custom ball thing, but I fully expect it to become a new Christmas tradition. (photo offcoursegolf.com)

Linda has been fascinated with the Callaway TruVis Chrome Soft Golf Balls which come in yellow with black and also white with red. When we were in Golf Galaxy getting her new golf bag we wanted to see if we could find either of these color combinations in stock. It was our day as a delivery had just been unloaded and both were in stock. The yellow with black was what we bought, but the white with red seems to be easier for my eyes to see. Next time for white with red.

When I mentioned to the young man helping us that these balls weren’t all that easy to find, he said that they had been the fastest/best selling golf ball in America for the last year. They were flying off the shelves. (image tgw.com)

Our helper mentioned 1 man came in and asked for the yellow with black combo and the employee said they were bringing in 12 dozen off the truck and the guy said “I’ll take them all.” Those balls never even made it onto the display rack. They were gone! Can’t wait to get on the course and try these balls! Buy some if you can find them. Don’t know if customization is available for these.

A quick trip to www.amazon.com searching for customized golf balls brings up several pages of options including ladies balls, and brands like Callaway, Bridgestone-Tiger now plays their B-300S, Srixon, Wilson and more. There’s a great selection.

Dad and Mom, give this a try. Buy his/her favorite ball or experiment with a different ball. If your young golfer doesn’t like it, he can give them away as mementos. Have some fun! Do something different!

See you on #1 tee with a custom golf ball… Sam

Junior Golf: There’s Still Time

In today’s Monday Mulligan we will take a look at the calendar and see that we still have time to order a customized gift for our junior golfer.

There are several places offering Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls personalized with both name and custom numbers at no upcharge from the regular price. Mom and Dad, this is a great deal! This is something we have never done before and really I don’t know why. S3 has played Pro V1x’s for years, so this Christmas Linda and I ordered him a dozen with his special number and his nickname on them. He’s gonna love them! (jennleforge.com)

The Golf Warehouse, www.tgw.com, was where we ordered ours, but a quick glance around www.amazon.com, showed that Srixon, Bridgestone, TaylorMade and more also offered some type of personalization. If you aren’t finding your junior golfer’s specific ball offered for customization, buy a new brand. Just match it to your junior’s swing speed and compression requirements. These are so cool! Your kiddos will show these balls to their friends and everyone will want to get some! What fun!

Something else there’s still time to do is get some special monogramming or embroidery on a piece of clothing. Would your daughter enjoy a new cool weather golf vest, sweater, pants or windbreaker? It’s easy to get some special details put on these items and with most online retailers it only adds a day or 2 to the shipping times. Be advised that doing this to rain gear is likely to invite leaks, so let’s keep our good rain gear waterproof.

This next suggestion is just so simple and inexpensive, you’re going to certainly want to give this to your young golfer. For years we have had S3’s name or initials embroidered on his caps and visors. It looks great, is inexpensive and you can get everything done in your area. Buy the cap/visor, find an embroidery shop, select font, font size and color. Pick the finished product up in a couple of days. So easy!

See you on #1 tee looking customized… Sam

Junior Golf:2 News Tips For Cold Weather

In this Friday Flop Shot we’ll offer some new tips that can make playing in cold weather more enjoyable and help your junior golfer shoot lower scores in chilly conditions. (photo offcoursegolf.com)
Layering is the basic concept for dressing for cold weather but layering for golf has a couple of things that are different from normal. Your daughter’s swing will be encumbered so freedom of movement along with keeping warm and dry must be balanced. A good start is to use a sleeveless wicking base layer top next to her skin. This keeps 1 layer of sleeves off of her arms and allows a bit of extra freedom to the swing. Then she can add a regular turtleneck, sweater and finally a windproof/waterproof outer jacket.
The new tip here is the sleeveless top. S3 always used a base layer with sleeves and frankly we didn’t consider going sleeveless. He never complained about his swing being too restricted and by the 3rd hole he was usually taking layers off!
Extra bulk is an issue and we suggest you have your daughter try both sleeveless and sleeved layers next to her skin and see which she prefers, from a swing perspective.
Our 2nd tip today is so obvious that I can’t imagine why it has not been previously offered. Golf balls don’t fly as far in cold weather. The PGA has stats on this, but I don’t have them here. Why is your daughter’s distance decreased in cold weather? Several factors. 1st cold golf balls don’t compress as well as they do in warmer weather so spin and distance suffer. And your daughter’s swing is a bit hampered by the extra layers of clothes so she just isn’t swinging as efficiently as normal. And cold weather takes a subtle toll on the human mind and body, making it tougher to focus and play well. (image Carl’s Golfland)
What does a parent do? Buy a lower compression ball for cold weather. Lower compression means it is easier to compress for slower swing speeds, which your girl will likely have in bad weather, and it will more likely travel a similar distance to her replay ball in normal temperatures. There you go: cold weather, lower compression ball, nearly normal distance. Wow!
As the first really serious cold weather is hitting much of the country right now, try these tips and see what kind of results your daughter achieves. It may surprise you!
See you on #1 tee ready for cold weather… Sam

Junior Golf: Love Your Golf Ball

In this Monday Mulligan we will continue our look at golf balls and why your daughter needs to really like/love the ball she plays with. It’s her most important piece of equipment so let’s treat it as such. (image jennleforge.com)

Yes, if your girl is a beginner and struggling to make contact with the ball, please buy some inexpensive balls until she starts smacking the ball on the clubface, hopefully near the middle, and is getting it up into flight. Then it is the time to get some education for both of you in the world of golf balls.

Last post we talked some technical things and most of the balls for your beginner to intermediate skill level young lady would be the common 2-piece variety. At this stage of her golf development what would cause her to enjoy/like/love a particular ball? The easiest benefit to see is increased distance. 1 ball may stand out as going farther than the other balls she has hit. Buy some. Let her enjoy her new length. As she get used to this ball, ask her how it feels when she hits a good shot. If she says it feels good or I barely feel any contact, you have a ball to stick with for a while, at least until the more sophisticated area of spin levels comes into play.

Another thing that simply makes golf more fun is the color of the golf ball. I can assure you that my wife Linda, really enjoys playing with colored golf balls. It’s easy to see that it makes golf more fun for her. There are bright yellow, bright green, pink, deep-rose colored balls and more. Ask your daughter if she would like to play with a color other than a white golf ball. Buy her some. Please be aware everyone’s eyes are different. I personally still see white balls quicker than any other color. Then yellow and green and frankly the pink, deep-rose colors are very hard for my eyes to pick up.

A hybrid type of ball is the Callaway Chrome Soft Truvis Ball offered in red/white and yellow/black. These are easy for my eyes to see and the color pattern looks kind of like a soccer ball. They are pricey at $39.99 per dozen and may not be appropriate for your girl’s swing speed. It is incredibly easy however to see the spin with this ball. Buy 1 sleeve for putting and chipping practice. (image golf balls.com)

The bottom line here is buy her a sleeve each of several of the top brand names like Titleist, Callaway, Bridgestone, Nike-while you can get them, Srixon and TaylorMade. At some point she will tell you which 1 stands out to her. And buy her some colored balls for fun. Who knows what her final choice will be, but at least she has had the chance to audition a variety of quality golf balls. You’re putting her in a position to succeed!

See you on #1 tee with a golf ball you love… Sam

Junior Golf: The Right Ball-Better Golf

In this Friday Flop Shot we will discuss the positive difference that the correct golf ball can make in your son’s game. The right ball equals better golf and here’s why.

It was perhaps 6 months ago that Ryan Moore began playing considerably better on the PGA Tour. Something changed and he was finishing in the top tier, even top 5 or top 10 in almost every event. What’s going on? It turns out that 1 of the golf announcers, I can’t recall if it was Johnny Miller, Nick Faldo or who said, “He (Ryan Moore) has made some equipment changes and is now playing a ball which he is more comfortable with, and it is a better fit for his game and the golf ball is every golfer’s most important piece of equipment.” Wow, great stuff! (photo offcoursegolf.com)

I don’t know his previous ball but I think Ryan changed to Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x. Look at his record for the last few months including his dramatic Ryder Cup final round victory. The right ball makes a huge difference for the pros and it will for your son too.

Growing up there were Titleist, Maxfli/Dunlap, Wilson, Spaulding and a few other brands I can’t recall. I always loved Titleist, in fact if I wasn’t playing a Titleist I didn’t really feel like I was playing golf. In high school we jokingly called ourselves “Titleist snobs!” Yes, Titleist was that dominant during the 1960’s. There weren’t any lady’s or youth balls and you just played what felt good. We had no idea of our swing speeds or anything else, we just played what we could afford. I can’t tell you how many times we bought used golf balls from guys who were picking them out of hazards…for like
10 cents each or 3 for a quarter.

Today of course, there are golf balls for ladies, juniors, for any player young or old with a fast or slow swing speed. How do you find the proper ball for your junior golfer? Beginner to intermediate should be trying 2-piece or 3-piece balls if they even still make them. Read the box. Go with slower swing speed balls for 105 mph speeds or less or 95 mph or less. Basically, the younger your son, the slower his swing speed.

Stick with the name brands like Titleist, Bridgestone, Callaway, Nike, Taylormade and Srixon. Golf ball marketers change the names and designations of their balls all the time. It’s impossible to keep up with so you must read the labels. Unless your son is breaking 80 and has a swing speed of 105mph or higher, you will benefit him more if you buy the lower to mid-price balls. Titleist NXT Tour or Velocity are excellent. Bridgestone e5, e6 or e7 are good for swing speeds of 85-95 mph. Callaway has some balls in their Hex and Supersoft lines that would work. Srixon has some Soft Feel balls as well as their Q-Star ball that your son could try. I have a good friend who plays Taylormade balls and loves them. And don’t forget Nike. Their RZN balls have been favorites of S3 and mine for some time. The Speed Red or Speed White is great for me and S3’s swing speed requires the RZN Tour balls. (photo GolfWRX)

The bottom line is that your son must like his golf ball. And the 1st thing he must like about it is how the ball feels coming off the club face. This list of balls will get you started on a solid path. Have fun!

See you on #1 tee loving your golf ball… Sam