How to Make a Kid's Golf Club

Creating a golf club that’s the right size for a young player is one of the best ways to get them started in the game. An ill-fitting club is frustrating and teaches bad habits, but a well-fitted club makes hitting the ball easier, more fun, and builds a solid foundation for a good swing. This guide will walk you through a practical, step-by-step method for converting an old adult iron into a perfectly fitted club for your child, covering the important details that make a real difference.

Why Not Just Buy a Junior Set?

While dedicated junior sets are excellent, especially as a child gets more serious about golf, a DIY project has its own unique advantages. It’s a cost-effective way to get a single club for a youngster who is just trying the sport for the first time. It's also the perfect solution for a child who is in an awkward "in-between" size where standard sets don’t quite fit right. Plus, it’s a fun project that can get your child more engaged with the equipment and the game itself.

The goal here isn't to build a professional-grade weapon, but to create a functional, encouraging tool that lets a child experience the joy of making a clean, solid strike at the ball. The most common and effective method is to cut down an old adult iron.

The Project: How to Cut Down an Adult Golf Club

We’re going to focus on turning an adult iron - a 7-iron is a perfect candidate - into a junior club. The process is straightforward, but paying attention to the details, like balancing the club’s weight after cutting it, is what separates a great starter club from a clumsy stick.

Safety First!

Before you start, get your workspace ready and prioritize safety. This project involves a sharp blade and possibly a saw. Always take these precautions:

• Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from any debris.
• Use a stable workbench or surface, preferably with a vise to hold the club securely.
• When using a utility knife to remove the grip, always cut away from your body.
• Work in a well-ventilated area, especially when using grip solvent.

Tools and Materials You’ll Need

Gathering your tools beforehand makes the process much smoother. Here’s what you'll want to have on hand:

• An old adult iron (a 7, 8, or 9-iron is ideal). Look for one at a thrift store, garage sale, or in your own forgotten bag.
• A pipe cutter or a hacksaw with a fine-toothed blade for metal. A pipe cutter provides a much cleaner, more professional cut.
• A bench vise with a rubber shaft clamp (to hold the club without scratching or crushing it).
• A utility knife with a hook blade (best for removing grips).
• A new junior-sized golf grip.
• Double-sided grip tape and grip solvent. You can buy these as a kit.
• A tape measure.
• Lead tape (available at golf stores) or small fishing weights and epoxy for rebalancing.

Step 1: Determine the Correct Finished Length

This is arguably the most important step. A club that's too long or too short will force poor posture. The best way to measure is by having your child get into an athletic golf posture.

1. Ask your child to stand up straight with their feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Have them bend slightly at the knees and tilt forward from their hips, like they are getting ready to hit a ball.
3. Let their arms hang down naturally and relaxed.
4. Measure the distance from the ground up to their wrists or fingertips. This measurement is a fantastic starting point for the finished length of their 7-iron.

If you can't measure your child directly, you can use this general height chart as a fallback for approximating 7-iron length:

• Child’s Height 40-43": Club Length ~26-27"
• Child’s Height 44-47": Club Length ~28-29"
• Child’s Height 48-51": Club Length ~30-31"
• Child’s Height 52-55": Club Length ~32-33"

Remember this is for a mid-iron. If you're building a pitching wedge, make it slightly shorter. If they grow, you can always build them another one next year!

Step 2: Remove the Old Grip

With the club secured in the vise, it’s time to take off the old grip. This is where the hook blade shines.

1. Hook the blade under the bottom edge of the grip.
2. Carefully pull the knife up toward the top of the club, away from your body, cutting a straight line through the rubber. The grip will peel right off.
3. Once the grip is off, you’ll see the old grip tape underneath. Peel and scrape this off completely. You might need a little grip solvent or heat from a hairdryer to help dissolve the old adhesive. The shaft needs to be clean and smooth for the new tape to adhere properly.

Step 3: Cut the Shaft Down to Size

Now for the main event. Measure twice, cut once!

1. Using your tape measure, mark your desired finished length on the shaft with a permanent marker. This is where the butt end of the new grip will be.
2. If using a pipe cutter (recommended): Clamp the cutter onto the mark and slowly tighten it in increments, rotating the cutter around the shaft. Continue this process until it snips through cleanly. This gives you a perfect, square cut.
3. If using a hacksaw: Make sure the shaft is clamped securely. Wrap a piece of masking tape around your mark to prevent splintering and give you a straight guide. Use a fine-toothed blade and apply light, even pressure to saw through the shaft. Use a file to smooth off any sharp burrs after cutting.

Step 4: The Pro Tip: Adjusting Swing Weight

Simply cutting down a club dramatically changes its balance. By removing a significant portion of the shaft's weight from the grip end, the clubhead will now feel exceptionally light and be difficult to control. This is the step most DIY guides miss, and it’s what will make your custom club feel like a "real" club.

Why It Matters

Swing weight is the feel of the clubhead's weight during the swing. For a child to develop a sense of rhythm and tempo, they need to be able to feel the clubhead. Our job is to add weight back to the head to restore that feel.

How to Add Weight

• Lead Tape: This is the simplest method. Start by adding strips of lead tape to the back cavity of the iron. Begin with around 10-15 grams (most strips are 1-2 grams). Have your child give it a few gentle swings. Add more tape until the club feels balanced and they can feel the head throughout the swing without it being too heavy.
• Internal Weighting: For a cleaner look, you can add weight inside the shaft. Drop a few small lead fishing sinkers (or a piece of a threaded screw) down the open shaft tip before you install the head (this method is for component assembly). In our case with a cut-down club, this is not an option, making lead tape the best solution.

Step 5: Install the New Junior Grip

The final step is giving the club a grip that a child’s smaller hands can hold properly.

1. Wrap the new double-sided grip tape around the butt end of the shaft. Wrap it spirally, making sure there are no gaps. Leave about a half-inch of tape overhanging the end of the shaft, and then twist and poke this excess tape down into the opening to seal it.
2. Pour a generous amount of grip solvent inside the new junior grip, covering the vent hole at the bottom with your finger. Swish the solvent around to coat the entire inside of the grip.
3. Pour the excess solvent from the grip out over the grip tape on the shaft. This activates the adhesive.
4. Working quickly while it’s still slick, align the grip with the clubface and push it all the way on until the butt end of the shaft hits the end cap of the grip.
5. Make any final alignment adjustments. Let the club sit for at least a few hours (preferably overnight) for the solvent to evaporate and the grip to set completely.

Final Thoughts

You’ve done it! Creating a custom-fit club for your child is a truly rewarding project that provides them with a great tool to start or continue their golfing journey. It demonstrates that with a little work and attention to detail, you can create something that not only works well but also carries the special pride of being a joint project.

With an ideal club now in hand, the next component is building confidence through understanding the game itself. We designed Caddie AI to be that on-course and off-course partner, providing instant guidance on strategy and judgment-free answers to any golf question, 24/7. It's meant to take the guesswork out of tricky situations, helping new players make smarter decisions, swing with conviction, and most importantly, enjoy the game more.