SE Gamer

Putter arrived today. Trimmed to 27". Was even able to salvage the nearly brand new Super Stroke grip. Best of all, he loves it.

Weight was another thing that I considered would be an adjustment. Fortunately his US Kids mallet has a good bit of weight to it. So shouldn't be a significant shock/change. Will definitely keep an eye on stroke and everything. We've got 25 feet of putting turf in our one living room. So it's easy to find time to practice, while also allowing me to be able to monitor and provide feedback. Ultimately, I'm in the camp that putting is far more about confidence than anything else. So as long as he's getting the basics down (i.e., proper face control, pace, etc.), I'll be happy. Plenty of players with ugly strokes manage to sink a lot of putts. While others with objectively sound strokes can't putt worth a damn. Still, definitely will continue working with him and keep an eye out for any detrimental habits.

Thanks! I might be a little apprehensive about a 3d printed extension in a driver (i.e. something you'll really be swinging with some velocity). But for a putter, it's a great option. And ultimately should be pretty easy to remove if needed. I also blow all my grips on with an air compressor. Makes it a lot easier to avoid waste if mistakes are made, or adjustments needed. Growing up we didn't have a lot of money. But back then Golfsmith was a thing. So my first real set was one where my dad bought all the components. This was long before youtube tutorials, so he just kind of figured it out as he went. Got a lot of mileage out of that set. And he built quite a few other sets and clubs over the years. Very fond memories, and working on my own son's clubs is a cool way to remember him.

Yeah, how quick they grow out of the stuff is why I think the used market is the way to go. Fortunately, I have a 3d printer. So I can get a little more mileage out of some clubs. As you indicate, it can be hard to find an extension that fits a junior or cut down shaft. He actually has a US Kids putter from his 42" set that he kind of liked. But is a good 3" too short now. None of my shaft extensions would fit it. So I mocked one up in CAD and printed it. Printed in two halves for strength reasons. CA glued together and then "welded" along the seam with my soldiering iron. Then just a touch of epoxy on the tapered portion that slides into the shaft, and voila! Makeshift extension that took 5 minutes of design and cost about 10 cents in material. Still had already ordered the TM Spyder and will plan to use it. But the weight of this US Kids one is a lot better (heavier head) than his Top Flite. So if the TM one proves to be a bust, the extended US Kids one will get him through the competition.

Same. Didn't have launch monitors or nice putting turf growing up. But that didn't stop me. Still a small wedge sole mark in the basement ceiling at my parent's house. And I'm still the only one who knows how it got there. 😅

After a few years of casually (at best) playing golf, my 8 year old has finally got the bug following some success in his first competition (Drive, Chip, and Putt). Bought a new driver for him shortly after as I discovered his "junior" Tour Edge driver was actually way too heavy. Thanks to some recommendations here, I ended up getting him into a Titleist TS1, cutting about 70 grams vs. his old driver. And that's only made him more enthusiastic about playing. As he saw immediate gains in distance, accuracy, and consistency. Now he's wanting a new putter. Current one is a cheap Top Flite I got at Dicks a few years back. He likes mallets over blades. And was really hung up on playing the same brand that Scottie uses, lol. Fine by me. Putting is about confidence. So if that rationale helps him there, all good. Found a used spider in great shape for an absolute steal. But, I'll need to cut around 7" off it. Not concerned about the grip implications (i.e. core size being too large for the shaft). As I have a handful of options/solutions in mind if that were to be an issue. So, beyond shaft diameter/grip core, are there any other things that I should be concerned with? Perhaps trimming the shaft that much will stiffen up the feel? Ultimately, I'm sure I can solve for whatever. And it won't hurt to just try it, and go from there. But if there are any pitfalls to be aware of in advance, that might help.

100%. Just kind of have to figure out what works for your kids. Nice mix of failures and successes along the way, lol. It really is a bummer that the Augusta final wasn't a thing until more recent history. It's his first year competing. Even making it to the second round is already a great accomplishment. Considering he doesn't practice/play even remotely as much as he could. He has a good bit of raw talent. But I don't want to push him too hard at this age and end up having him hate it. Instead am just trying to find ways for him to organically, "catch the bug". Just bought him a new driver thanks to some recommendations here. Titleist TS1 (12.5 turned up to 14), with a Fuji Air Speeder (cut to 36.5"). His old driver was marketed as a junior club made by Tour Edge. But he always said it was heavy. Finally threw it on my postal scale and he wasn't kidding. Weighed nearly as much as my own driver. The new one cut around 70 grams in weight and he swings it so much better. And it's definitely lit a little spark in him seeing such immediate improvements in distance and consistency.

No worries. Mainly trying to get him to understand that it's not an "all or nothing". And that a good chip (point wise) doesn't mean that it needs to finish right next to the hole. While also working on speed control (primarily putting). It also provides him with a way to track progress. Has honestly made a massive difference with putting on the turf at home in just a couple days. It's not about him trying to aim for a larger circle. Instead about seeing the immediate result, and correlating that to feel when executing the actual shot. ETA: And part of it I think is mental too. In that it provides some structure to the practice. He's only 8 and tends to just rush through everything. Intentional or not, using the proximity circles has resulted in him being more intentional/contemplative with each putt/chip. If that makes sense.

Wasn't really sure what forum to put this in. Thought about the Junior/College section. As this little project was born out of wanting to help my kiddo get ready for the second round of Drive, Chip, and Putt (DCP) qualifiers. But the application/use of these aids could be relevant to any golfer. So why not throw it in the General section. As mentioned, this was prompted by wanting to help my son when practicing to visualize proximity to the hole. Giving him a way of clearly being able to know and track his performance. I know that there are some OEM type rings you can buy. But the sizes are limited, and a decent set is pricey. Thought of a couple different ways I might come up with a DIY solution. With the goal being something that'd be easy to set up and break down. Initially tested cutting some circles out of a white shower curtain liner. Sort of worked, but they were a little too flimsy to hold a decent shape. I've previously designed and 3d printed some "cups" for my putting turf. So I figured, why not just do that, but on a much larger scale. Given the size, I knew they'd need to be printed in segments. But I ended up turning that into an advantage. Might do some iterating, but this is what I've got so far. Currently have circles for 1', 2', 3', 4', and 6'. Not sure how large will be too large. But my hope is that I can also make an 8 and 12 footer. Construction couldn't be more simple. Roughly 10" segments, joined by a few wraps of tape at each connection. Each segment is 1/8" wide and only .03" thick. Making it so that there's no real impact on the roll as a ball crosses over it. As you can see below, I left a slight gap when taping the segments together. As this allows me to fold/collapse the circles when not in use or for transporting. Since all I have is black filament, I then hit them with some white spray paint... And here they are in use on my putting turf. The center "hole" is one of the cups that I designed and printed. Which are designed to be a little bit reactive. But as you can see, the proximity ring has basically zero impact on the roll. Super happy with how the rings turned out, and really eager to see if it can be successfully scaled to 12 feet. IMG_9604.mov

Maybe the last update, but went over to the course down the road this evening. Nice range and practice facility. Started to rain just as we got there. But that wasn't stopping him. What a night and day difference. He actually carried a couple drives 150+. Way longer than his sledgehammer Tour Edge. Swings it so much better. But the forgiveness is definitely the most notable thing. Even the drives he hit fairly poorly were in play and decent distance. He was soaking wet by the end of the range session and loved every minute of it. And what he doesn't know yet is that I snagged a full set of US Kids Tour Series clubs for $175 on ebay. Driver, 3w, 4h, 5-pw, Gap and SW. Probably will let him start with a half the set. Just think the full set will be a bit overwhelming coming from a relatively small set.

Got it cut down late this evening. For his height and wrist-to-floor, Ping's fitter would have put him in a 35" driver. US Kids would have been 34. And Flynn would have been 35". He's a bit upright with his swing, and we've been working to get a bit flatter with driver. He also for some reason really wanted it to be 36" (3 feet). So that's what we shot for. Ended up a bit over that target. Figuring he can choke down, and I can always remove more if needed. In spite of trimming a healthy amount, the weight didn't change much (just a hair over 260 grams). Think it's because the Tour Velvet junior grip weighs a bit more than the one that came with it. Which is fine, as it balances the club a bit better. In spite of it being nearly midnight, he convinced mom to let him go out in the yard and hit some. Man what a difference. I had a hard time getting him back in the house. Tomorrow will have him hit some on my LM to get some data. In his age group, putting and chipping is what wins Drive, Chip and Putt. He qualified in the first round only scoring 3 points in the driving portion lol. But with this driver that's actually fit to him, he'll be in great shape to at the very least keep up with the best of kids who are competing.

TS1 just showed up. Even before trimming the shaft, it's 55 grams lighter than his "junior" driver. Unreal. Really appreciate the advice from folks. He's so excited to try it out!

That's actually the exact blade I bought the other day.

Cool. Thanks!

Thanks! Just use a regular metal cutting disc?

Yeah, that's me lol. Interesting that you use a table/miter saw. What type of blade? Would think it'd have to be a pretty high tooth count. Disk sander makes sense as well.

I picked up a Titleiest TS1 driver for my 8 year old. Comes with a Fuji Speeder 35 R3 which I plan to cut down. Have done plenty of steel shafts, but not graphite. Bought a carbide rod for my hacksaw and tested it out on a US Kids driver shaft he recently broke. Seemed to work well enough. Although it wasn't a perfectly square cut. I was able to clean it up with a file though. Just curious if there are any tips folks would suggest? I still have a good bit of the broken shaft for further testing. And have pretty much any tool you could think of. So may try testing with a dremel cutoff wheel as well. Thanks in advance!

Definitely appreciate that you've saved me from making some other potentially poor choices. And that's my primary thought with the driver. Not that it will be significantly longer. But that his misses will be more consistent. Honestly, he hits the ball really well. He's just impatient and doesn't take just a few seconds to make sure his aim is right. Just get up and hit it lol. At the very least, it'll be more fun for him since he'll no longer be swinging thor's hammer.

That's really encouraging. I feel like he'll end up getting a lot of good years out of this club. It is interesting being armed with this knew knowledge re: his current driver. He tagged along this afternoon in my weekly league. Afterwards we went out and jumped around the course playing random holes. In spite of saying he shouldn't swing the current driver any more, he still would grab it out of habit. Best one he hit was around 100 carry. Finally got him hitting his 3 wood instead off the tee. Which is much better weight wise (US Kids). Yet is one series too small for him. Yet he was flying it a good 15-20 yards further than that "junior" driver. So excited to get the TS1 in his hands. Appreciate the insights and advice!

It was just crazy to see how it compared to my own driver. I made sure to post on Amazon as well with pics to hopefully help other dads and moms avoid it. And thanks for the suggestion on the TS1. Found one in decent shape with that R3 Air Speeder shaft. Should be here in a couple days. Will trim it down and let him enjoy a true junior weight club.

Appreciate the insight. Managed to snag a TS1 (12.5*) with a Air Speeder 35g R3 shaft for a little over $100. Thinking it'll be darn near close to 250g once I trim the shaft.

Good info as well. Thanks! Really thinking the way to go is a 12* OEM model with a lightweight shaft. Will be nice in that it can also grow with him via simply swapping shafts out.

Small, semi-related update. Was curious how heavy his current driver is. As it's around 2" shorter than our target playing length for his new one; yet he will often say his feels heavy. Mind you, this Tour Edge Junior driver was marketed as being for 3-5 year olds. Which was laughable when we bought it. He finally grew into it around 6-7 years old. Yet even at 8, it's still perfectly playable in terms of length. So, how much does it weigh? Drumroll please..... That's right. This 32.5" junior driver weighs 321 grams!!! So I just had to compare it some of my woods. First up is a Sim Max HL 3-wood. Tipping the scales at 322 grams. A measly 1 gram more than the junior driver. In spite of the 3-wood being nearly a foot longer. With the 3-wood being so close, I had to chuck my driver on the scale. A Sim Max (USA edition). Which came in at a cool 332 grams. Only 11 grams more than my 8 year old's "junior" driver. And if I took the rear weight off, I bet they'd be darn near identical in overall weight. This is absolutely wild to me. I didn't ever think that I was getting him some premium club when going with the Tour Edge driver. But it's laughable that this one marketed for 3-5 year olds weighs nearly the same as my driver. Guess my kiddo is as yolked up as he thinks he is. Like I'm genuinely impressed how well he can actually hit the thing knowing what I do now. Bottom line, I'm going to be immediately purchasing something that has a more reasonable weight. TS1 is at the top of the list. Which I'm thinking will come in a solid 50+ grams lighter than that garbage tour edge.

Good info. I actually had stumbled across the TS1 as an option. Didn't know a ton about it (I play TM drivers). But it sounded like it was one of the lighter heads out there. Actually found a good deal on a 12.5* one with a 40g shaft. But it's a regular flex and standard length. Don't think I'd want to try cutting it down that much. But wouldn't hurt to try, and then could just buy a junior shaft if it doesn't work out. ETA: Haven't necessarily decided to move on from US Kids. But like you say, their most premium driver is priced absolutely crazy. Did look at Flynn, but no experience with them. Seemed comparable to US Kids. But the value add of being adjustable/swappable. Can the Air Speeder be cut down to a playing length of around 35" without any significant effects?

Son has been playing for a couple years now. Has a US Kids set that he's just on the borderline of being too big for. Second round of Drive, Chip and Putt is coming up next month. So thinking about getting him a new driver. Found a decent deal on a Cobra F7 junior model. Curious what folks experience with this is. It's the 12.5* (stock) with a Jr 41 shaft. Only potential issue is that's too long for him. But, like other junior clubs, I presume I can trim it down a few inches (for reference, I talked to Ping and they trim their junior shaft up to 5.5"). I've also been looking at the following alternatives... US Kids JS5 (new and used) Ping Prodi G (1st Gen, used) PIng G812 (new old stock) He's got a smooth tempo. Currently just swinging a Tour Edge driver that I got for cheap (the US kids one from the set is too short). Carry around 100 yards (give or take). But would benefit from a little added forgiveness. Going to hold off on an entirely new set until next year; as he's right on the borderline and moving up to the next size in US Kids irons would make them a little too long. Any insight or advice would be appreciated!