Irons to transition out of junior clubs — what heads are the lightest and what shaft?

[Dallas]

For those who have kids transition away from U.S. Kids and Flynn clubs into adult heads, what irons did you go with? What iron heads are the lightest? What shafts did you end up choosing? I am looking for some recommendations to have a couple demo clubs built.

[wildcatden]

https://thejuniorgolfer.com/best-golf-clubs-for-teens-and-juniors-transitioning-to-adult-irons/

[Golfingdawg19]

I highly recommend recoil shafts.

[MB19]

17 hours ago, Golfingdawg19 said:

I highly recommend recoil shafts.

I was a little nervous about rolling with the recoil that came on my 9 y.o. (10 soon) daughter's Speedzone 7h, but it has been a good match for her.

[darter79]

On 9/1/2021 at 3:01 PM, Dallas said:

For those who have kids transition away from U.S. Kids and Flynn clubs into adult heads, what irons did you go with? What iron heads are the lightest? What shafts did you end up choosing? I am looking for some recommendations to have a couple demo clubs built.

lightest not always the best option. Can make the head feel like an axe. 

 

Recoil

Accra 

KBA Max

Ping has a stock shaft that's really good too. TFC 80 I think its called. Same weight class on above maybe even lighter. 

[tiger1873]

Dallas I am going to assume from you name you live in Dallas.  There is a guy in Plano that does a lot junior fittings you can't go wrong with him Bo Hodnet.  

 

https://golftechplano.com

 

There really is no way to know what will work well.    We have a few friends in Texas who worked with him and really liked him.

[BloctonGolf11]

Look at Cobra Airspeeds.

[ShortGolfer]

Callaway Women's Mavrik Max lite irons have 40g shafts.   Callaway's lightest SGI clubs are the Mavrik Max lites.  September 2021.

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by ShortGolfer

[DevilDog]

Take the kid to a very good fitter. Research fitters close to you. Makes a huge difference. Son’s first adult set was Callaway Apex the fitter put him in with about 100 gram shaft. Now he’s in 130 gram shafts and Titleist 620 MB heads at age 17. Kids grow fast and until about 16 or 17, they need club checks every 6 months to a year if they are competitive. 

[killer21]

My daughter has PXG Gen 3 P irons with Accra Tour 60i shafts.  They are working great. She is 12.

[prinsloopower]

This is a million dollar question. My son is an accomplished junior with 46+ wins, but at 11 years old has not hit his growth spurt yet (while many of his peers have). He is 4' 9" and 82 lbs, driver swing speed around 80 mph depending on the day. He has been in the Ping Prodi Gs for almost 2 years now, and has already gone through the free shaft upgrade.

 

We feel now is the time to go to adult club heads, as the Prodi G's would require yet a new set of shafts to account for his growth over the past year and what we expect for the next 6-9 months. The off season is coming up, which is the time to get used to new clubs. And honestly, the Prodi Gs just seem a little light at this point. He has already gone to adult wedges with steel shafts which has resulted in better consistency and longer shots.

 

We had an iron fitting, trying Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal, Cobra Radspeed, TM P790, Ping G425, and Callaway Mavriks, all with ladies flex shafts around 45-48 grams. The demos were all ladies length, so roughly 1.25 inches longer than his current set of Prodi Gs. Carry distance on most of the above was 7-15 yards longer, with the Cobra Radspeed being the longest in both carry and total. In essence, the Raspeed was about 2 clubs longer in distance than his Prodi G 7 iron. Part of that is because of the strong lofts in the Radspeeds (27 degree 7 iron vs. the Prodi G's 35 degrees).

 

Because of the lofts on the adult game improvement/distance irons, launch/ball flight was low on all of these. Remarkably, the Radspeed with the strongest loft of all was not much different from the other brands, which gives you an idea of how well Cobra has done to position the weight low to help launch the ball. 

 

The fitter's concern was holding greens, which is a valid issue. We are not just trying to keep up with kids my son's age who have now grown 6-12 inches taller and are hitting driver 230+, but we don't want to stop hitting greens because the ball is rolling off the back.

 

We ended up getting a Radspeed 8 iron with the UST Recoil ESX 440 F0 (lady light) shafts that play around 44 grams installed to try out on the course and range. Distance is still amazing, but with low landing angles and a lot of roll. And I can tell my son is struggling with the timing of the heavier club.

 

I know he will grow into these and get stronger the more he plays with them, but I want to know if there are any long term concerns (or benefits) in going to the heavier adult heads at this stage of his game.

 

Surely the PGA pros of today (not counting the ones barely out of diapers) did not play with lightweight US Kids clubs when they were 10-12 years old. I would assume most of them were already playing/competing by age 10. Didn't they just play with cut down adult clubs? Not everybody had access to custom clubmakers at age 10-12, so I would think that they either played with women's irons or cut down men's sets.

 

Would it not make sense that going to heavier clubs (within reason) would develop the small muscles necessary for developing a good swing? Some of my son's peers who are not much bigger/stronger than him have been playing adult heads for a year or more and most have had good results in doing so. Those who have switched say that they will never look back at the junior clubs again (per their parents).

 

Just wondering what the more knowledgeable readers or older teachers would have to say about this.

[leezer99]

I think all of these ultra light clubs are doing a disservice to strength and speed development. 

[kekoa]

check out www.igengolf.com

 

These can be built with different head weights according to shaft.  Solid clubs, forged, and very forgiving.

[ShortGolfer]

Many golfers have wives that only play once in a while with their husbands.  This means that there are plenty of lightly used clubs that  aren't anywhere near being worn out like the husband's set.

 

I just bought a new (head still wrapped in practice) ladies approach wedge from Callaway pre-owned for $87 plus tax.

 

The ladies Mavrik Max has a 50L shaft, while the ladies Mavrik Max lite has a 40LL shaft.

Edited October 27, 2021 by ShortGolfer

[leezer99]

7 hours ago, kekoa said:

check out www.igengolf.com

 

These can be built with different head weights according to shaft.  Solid clubs, forged, and very forgiving.

 

I reached out to Pat regarding these but he still hasn't gotten them on the USGA conforming list so I passed on them.  They might very well be conforming but with how strict the AJGA is I wasn't willing to take the chance.  Good for those kids that stick to US Kids events and don't challenge themselves further than that.

[darter79]

To be honest.... Adult heads are adult heads its different game vs Adult woods.. You need the speed and strength to handle them. That will be different at each age range. I did adult for my kid at 10 I didn't jump to the lightest head I picked the one she liked and worked and didn't get the lightest shaft. For reference did t200 with Accra shafts at about 58 grams. Its all relative. 

[tiger1873]

If you asking yourself how light an adult head needs then perhaps adult heads are not the correct heads.  I don't understand all this tweaking weight and trying to get a perfect club for a young kid.

 

Seriously the kid is getting stronger and growing every day.  I know some people like tinkering and more power to you. But seriously just use some common sense and you will be ok.

[mrshinsa]

16 hours ago, prinsloopower said:

This is a million dollar question. My son is an accomplished junior with 46+ wins, but at 11 years old has not hit his growth spurt yet (while many of his peers have). He is 4' 9" and 82 lbs, driver swing speed around 80 mph depending on the day. He has been in the Ping Prodi Gs for almost 2 years now, and has already gone through the free shaft upgrade.

 

We feel now is the time to go to adult club heads, as the Prodi G's would require yet a new set of shafts to account for his growth over the past year and what we expect for the next 6-9 months. The off season is coming up, which is the time to get used to new clubs. And honestly, the Prodi Gs just seem a little light at this point. He has already gone to adult wedges with steel shafts which has resulted in better consistency and longer shots.

 

We had an iron fitting, trying Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal, Cobra Radspeed, TM P790, Ping G425, and Callaway Mavriks, all with ladies flex shafts around 45-48 grams. The demos were all ladies length, so roughly 1.25 inches longer than his current set of Prodi Gs. Carry distance on most of the above was 7-15 yards longer, with the Cobra Radspeed being the longest in both carry and total. In essence, the Raspeed was about 2 clubs longer in distance than his Prodi G 7 iron. Part of that is because of the strong lofts in the Radspeeds (27 degree 7 iron vs. the Prodi G's 35 degrees).

 

Because of the lofts on the adult game improvement/distance irons, launch/ball flight was low on all of these. Remarkably, the Radspeed with the strongest loft of all was not much different from the other brands, which gives you an idea of how well Cobra has done to position the weight low to help launch the ball. 

 

The fitter's concern was holding greens, which is a valid issue. We are not just trying to keep up with kids my son's age who have now grown 6-12 inches taller and are hitting driver 230+, but we don't want to stop hitting greens because the ball is rolling off the back.

 

We ended up getting a Radspeed 8 iron with the UST Recoil ESX 440 F0 (lady light) shafts that play around 44 grams installed to try out on the course and range. Distance is still amazing, but with low landing angles and a lot of roll. And I can tell my son is struggling with the timing of the heavier club.

 

I know he will grow into these and get stronger the more he plays with them, but I want to know if there are any long term concerns (or benefits) in going to the heavier adult heads at this stage of his game.

 

Surely the PGA pros of today (not counting the ones barely out of diapers) did not play with lightweight US Kids clubs when they were 10-12 years old. I would assume most of them were already playing/competing by age 10. Didn't they just play with cut down adult clubs? Not everybody had access to custom clubmakers at age 10-12, so I would think that they either played with women's irons or cut down men's sets.

 

Would it not make sense that going to heavier clubs (within reason) would develop the small muscles necessary for developing a good swing? Some of my son's peers who are not much bigger/stronger than him have been playing adult heads for a year or more and most have had good results in doing so. Those who have switched say that they will never look back at the junior clubs again (per their parents).

 

Just wondering what the more knowledgeable readers or older teachers would have to say about this.

 

Whatever adult clubs he gets at that age will only last one year at most.  Better to wait till he's grown a bit more.  

[MB19]

12 hours ago, darter79 said:

To be honest.... Adult heads are adult heads its different game vs Adult woods.. You need the speed and strength to handle them. That will be different at each age range. I did adult for my kid at 10 I didn't jump to the lightest head I picked the one she liked and worked and didn't get the lightest shaft. For reference did t200 with Accra shafts at about 58 grams. Its all relative. 

 

5 hours ago, mrshinsa said:

 

Whatever adult clubs he gets at that age will only last one year at most.  Better to wait till he's grown a bit more.  

 

21 hours ago, prinsloopower said:

This is a million dollar question. My son is an accomplished junior with 46+ wins, but at 11 years old has not hit his growth spurt yet (while many of his peers have). He is 4' 9" and 82 lbs, driver swing speed around 80 mph depending on the day. He has been in the Ping Prodi Gs for almost 2 years now, and has already gone through the free shaft upgrade.

 

We feel now is the time to go to adult club heads, as the Prodi G's would require yet a new set of shafts to account for his growth over the past year and what we expect for the next 6-9 months. The off season is coming up, which is the time to get used to new clubs. And honestly, the Prodi Gs just seem a little light at this point. He has already gone to adult wedges with steel shafts which has resulted in better consistency and longer shots.

 

We had an iron fitting, trying Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal, Cobra Radspeed, TM P790, Ping G425, and Callaway Mavriks, all with ladies flex shafts around 45-48 grams. The demos were all ladies length, so roughly 1.25 inches longer than his current set of Prodi Gs. Carry distance on most of the above was 7-15 yards longer, with the Cobra Radspeed being the longest in both carry and total. In essence, the Raspeed was about 2 clubs longer in distance than his Prodi G 7 iron. Part of that is because of the strong lofts in the Radspeeds (27 degree 7 iron vs. the Prodi G's 35 degrees).

 

Because of the lofts on the adult game improvement/distance irons, launch/ball flight was low on all of these. Remarkably, the Radspeed with the strongest loft of all was not much different from the other brands, which gives you an idea of how well Cobra has done to position the weight low to help launch the ball. 

 

The fitter's concern was holding greens, which is a valid issue. We are not just trying to keep up with kids my son's age who have now grown 6-12 inches taller and are hitting driver 230+, but we don't want to stop hitting greens because the ball is rolling off the back.

 

We ended up getting a Radspeed 8 iron with the UST Recoil ESX 440 F0 (lady light) shafts that play around 44 grams installed to try out on the course and range. Distance is still amazing, but with low landing angles and a lot of roll. And I can tell my son is struggling with the timing of the heavier club.

 

I know he will grow into these and get stronger the more he plays with them, but I want to know if there are any long term concerns (or benefits) in going to the heavier adult heads at this stage of his game.

 

Surely the PGA pros of today (not counting the ones barely out of diapers) did not play with lightweight US Kids clubs when they were 10-12 years old. I would assume most of them were already playing/competing by age 10. Didn't they just play with cut down adult clubs? Not everybody had access to custom clubmakers at age 10-12, so I would think that they either played with women's irons or cut down men's sets.

 

Would it not make sense that going to heavier clubs (within reason) would develop the small muscles necessary for developing a good swing? Some of my son's peers who are not much bigger/stronger than him have been playing adult heads for a year or more and most have had good results in doing so. Those who have switched say that they will never look back at the junior clubs again (per their parents).

 

Just wondering what the more knowledgeable readers or older teachers would have to say about this.

It's the old game of do you buy the irons for your kid to hit now perfectly, or do you plan for 6-8 months up the road for Worlds or other big invites when you want them to peak?

 

For every dad who found success for their 10-12 yo in adult iron heads, you have a dad who didn't like the early results and switched back to TS-3, VT Max or Prodi G irons.  With a swing speed of 80, conventional wisdom could say your son is ready for senior shafts and adult heads.  But then again, maybe it is OK to wait for the next growth spurt before spending that $1200 or whatever you will pay for custom builds?  @darter79, @heavy_hitter and @Golfingdawg19 all went through fittings/builds with their (very competitive) kids, with age ranges from roughly pre-teen to mid-teen and had three very different experiences. 

 

 

[prinsloopower]

37 minutes ago, MB19 said:

 

 

It's the old game of do you buy the irons for your kid to hit now perfectly, or do you plan for 6-8 months up the road for Worlds or other big invites when you want them to peak?

 

For every dad who found success for their 10-12 yo in adult iron heads, you have a dad who didn't like the early results and switched back to TS-3, VT Max or Prodi G irons.  With a swing speed of 80, conventional wisdom could say your son is ready for senior shafts and adult heads.  But then again, maybe it is OK to wait for the next growth spurt before spending that $1200 or whatever you will pay for custom builds?  @darter79, @heavy_hitter and @Golfingdawg19 all went through fittings/builds with their (very competitive) kids, with age ranges from roughly pre-teen to mid-teen and had three very different experiences. 

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. Because he plays tournaments almost all year round, the Dec-Jan off-season is the best time for him to switch clubs. We live in Georgia, so we still get to swing clubs in the winter. We definitely do not want to switch right before Worlds. In fact, we are looking to be in the new set/lengths/weights soon so that he has 6 months to really get used to them for Worlds.

 

I install his shafts too, so if he hits a spurt in 6 months, all we have to do is change to longer shafts. A new adult iron set will last as long as the Prodi Gs he has been playing, which is 2 years now. Maybe even longer if he really loves them.

 

Leaning towards Apex DCB which he hit at a Callaway fitting this past weekend. Launch was much higher than the Cobra Radspeed, and he instantly liked the feel of the forged clubs. Trying to find a deal on a lightly used set on Ebay because at $185 per club new, it is ridiculously expensive for a kid. Way more than I spent on myself for new clubs. 

[wildcatden]

My junior will be turning 11 in a little over a month. Sometime within the next year (probably around May 2022), he will be due for a new set of clubs. Currently on the  USKG TS3-57 (steel shaft) and now just over 59" tall (golf shoes on).

 

We will be at this in between point of going OEM or staying with something like USKG TS3-60 or maybe go with the Prodi-G's.  What are the tell tale signs that a set of clubs is too heavy for them?  My thoughts:

 

1. Swing speed decrease

2. Ball flight suffers (height and distance)

3. They come out of posture

4. They develop "hit instinct" due to the weight

 

Also, besides just not being the correct clubs for them (ex: too heavy), do these then tend to develop permanent bad habits?  I just want to be prepared to "back out" of these clubs if needed. Perhaps, when he gets close to making the leap, I will buy just one club to try about a month or so before he really needs to move on to new clubs.

 

[darter79]

9 hours ago, wildcatden said:

My junior will be turning 11 in a little over a month. Sometime within the next year (probably around May 2022), he will be due for a new set of clubs. Currently on the  USKG TS3-57 (steel shaft) and now just over 59" tall (golf shoes on).

 

We will be at this in between point of going OEM or staying with something like USKG TS3-60 or maybe go with the Prodi-G's.  What are the tell tale signs that a set of clubs is too heavy for them?  My thoughts:

 

1. Swing speed decrease

2. Ball flight suffers (height and distance)

3. They come out of posture

4. They develop "hit instinct" due to the weight

 

Also, besides just not being the correct clubs for them (ex: too heavy), do these then tend to develop permanent bad habits?  I just want to be prepared to "back out" of these clubs if needed. Perhaps, when he gets close to making the leap, I will buy just one club to try about a month or so before he really needs to move on to new clubs.

 

Too heavy pretty easy to see. All of the above you mention. Assume they can make solid contact the ball flight is king with all fittings. But too light can be just as bad. There has to be the correct fit and that comes with trial and error. Before we went to adult I found a single and played with a few shafts and was floored at the results. I thought she was a year off at that time. None the less we moved after this experiment went well. 

 

Find an adult you can hit outside and look at the flight you will know. But to add one last thing. Also something that an adjustment period will be needed. 

[kekoa]

A very easy way to tell if a club is too heavy for a kid is to watch the ball flight.   I've seen kids transition into adult heads because their friends have them and the ball shoots very low off the face making it very difficult to hold greens.