By Jason Helle (Father of Jack Helle)
"Jack is 6-years-old, and a Youth on Course member. His membership, and playing YOC facilities have been a significant part of his on-course development. YOC has connected us with kid-friendly places to play in Michigan. Without YOC, he would not be able to play golf on a weekly basis."
One way we save on clubs is by reusing the shafts. For example, if your player has a driver, 3-wood, 3-hybrid and a 4-hybrid in the bag, they don’t always need to replace these clubs with every growth spurt. Instead, (for the cost of labor at your local golf shop) the driver shaft can become a 3-wood shaft, the 3-wood shaft can become a 3-hybrid shaft, and the 3-hybrid shaft can become the 4-hybrid shaft. In this example, the driver shaft would be the only new item to purchase from a components retailer (ex. Flynn Golf). Rotating the shafts through the set can reduce the cost of a junior’s equipment by 45%, over a six-year period (minus the cost of labor).
The iron shafts in your junior’s bag can also be rotated. Though, you may notice in the chart below that often a 48-inch player’s club length doesn’t match the next shortest club in the 51-inch player’s set. To make sure the clubs are the appropriate length, we recommend also getting new grips on each club. When they are installing the new grips, have them add extensions to the end of each shaft, so that each club is a perfect fit for your player’s height.
Rotating the shafts through the set does have its limitations, due to the need for a heavier club head as the clubs get longer. It is recommended that a club’s initial head weight will fit for up to six inches of a player’s growth. Depending on your player’s preferences, six inches of growth will be at least two shaft rotations. After that point, you would have to either purchase new club heads from a components retailer, or a new set of clubs.
From our experience, every junior player will eventually have different needs, in terms of what is the right fit for them. It is very difficult to get junior club fitting correct, but just remember that the length of the club is the first step in the process, and it is possible to reuse the shafts to reduce your young golfer’s equipment costs.
Enjoy the journey!