How to Size Kids for Golf Clubs

Getting your child a set of golf clubs that actually fits is the single best thing you can do to set them up for success and fun on the course. Well-intentioned mistakes in club fitting can lead to frustration and bad habits that are tough to break. This guide walks you through exactly how to measure your junior golfer, understand sizing charts, and choose the perfect set of clubs that will help them learn and love the game from their very first swing.

Why Proper Sizing Matters More Than You Think

As a golf coach, the most common issue I see with struggling junior golfers isn't their swing - it's their equipment. Handing a child a set of clubs that is too long, too short, or too heavy is like asking them to write a sentence with a pen that’s a foot long. They might be able to make a mark, but it won’t be easy or effective.

Clubs that are too long force a child into an overly flat, "handsy" swing. To accommodate the extra length, they have to stand too far from the ball and swing the club around their body. This often leads to topping the ball and makes it nearly impossible to develop a proper, athletic swing motion. They learn to compensate, and these compensations become bad habits that a coach will have to undo years later.

On the other hand, clubs that are too short cause their own problems. They force a child to hunch over too much, creating a steep, choppy swing. This can lead to digging the club into the ground behind the ball (hitting it "heavy" or "chunking it") and robs them of any real power. Neither scenario is fun, and when golf isn't fun, kids don't want to play.

The right-sized clubs promote a fundamentally sound setup and swing. They allow a child to develop good posture, proper swing mechanics, and most importantly, they make it easier to hit the ball solidly. A solid shot is the best feedback there is, and it's what keeps kids excited about coming back to the course.

Start with Global Measurement: Your Child's Height

Forget about age for a moment. Whether your child is 5 or 10 is almost irrelevant. Two eight-year-olds can have a height difference of six inches or more. That's why the number one, most important measurement for sizing kids' golf clubs is their total height.

All major junior club manufacturers, like U.S. Kids Golf, Top Flite, and Tour Edge, base their entire sizing system on the child's height. Getting this number right is your first and most critical step.

How to Measure Height Correctly:

• Have your child stand up straight against a wall, with their back and heels touching it.
• It's best to have them wear the type of shoes they'd typically wear to the golf course (sneakers or golf shoes).
• Place a flat object, like a hardcover book, on their head horizontally until it touches the wall.
• Mark the spot on the wall with a pencil.
• Use a tape measure to measure from the floor to the mark. This is the number you'll use.

Once you have this measurement in inches or centimeters, you can confidently consult sizing charts from various brands. They will directly correlate your child's height to a specific club set.

Understanding Junior Golf Club Sizing Charts

Nearly every company that sells kid's sets has a sizing chart on their website or on the box itself. They make it incredibly simple. You find your child's height, and it tells you which set to buy. They often feature colors or numbers to designate different sizes.

You’ll notice that these charts are based on height ranges. This is where parents sometimes get into trouble. The natural tendency is to see that your child is near the top of a size range (e.g., their height fits a 48"-51" set, and they are 50" tall) and think you should "buy up" to the next size up (the 51"-54" set) so they can "grow into it."

This is a mistake. Always buy the set that your child's current height fits into, even if they are at the very top of the range. A club that is perfect today and becomes a little too short in 6-8 months is infinitely better than a club that is too long today and will be just right a year from now. You have to fit them for the present, not the future.

Sample Manufacturer Sizing Chart (Example Only)

This is a simplified example of what you might see. Always refer to the specific brand's chart you are considering.

Player Height Range Recommended Set Typical Club Count Under 39" "First Swing" Set Wood, 1 Iron, Putter 39" – 42" Yellow Series (Size 42) 3-Club Set 42" – 45" Blue Series (Size 45) 4-Club Set 45" – 48" Orange Series (Size 48) 4-Club Set 48" – 51" Red Series (Size 51) 5-Club Set

The "Wrist-to-Floor" Measurement for Fine-Tuning

While height gets you 90% of the way there, the "wrist-to-floor" measurement can be a great tie-breaker if your child is right on the line between two sizes. It accounts for a child's arm length in relation to their height, which is a key component in finding the ideal club length for good posture.

A child who is tall for their age but has a shorter torso and longer arms might need a slightly shorter club than another child of the same height with a longer torso and shorter arms.

How to Take a Wrist-to-Floor Measurement:

• Have your child stand straight and tall in their shoes with their arms hanging relaxed at their sides.
• Do not let them reach down or shrug their shoulders. Just stand naturally.
• Locate the major crease in their wrist where their hand bends.
• Measure from this wrist crease straight down to the floor.

Some more advanced fitting systems, especially from U.S. Kids Golf, use this measurement to fine-tune recommendations. Even if the brand you are buying doesn't specifically ask for it, it’s a good number to have. If your child is between sizes, and their wrist-to-floor measurement is long for their height, you can feel more confident sticking with the smaller size. If it's shorter than average, you might edge towards the larger set, knowing they have slightly less arm length to work with.

Avoid This At All Costs: Cutting Down Adult Clubs

It seems like a thrifty, old-school solution: take an old 7-iron out of the garage, saw a few inches off the bottom, and you've got a kids' club. While the idea comes from a good place, this is one of the worst things you can do for a junior golfer's development.

Purpose-built junior clubs are engineered differently from adult clubs in several ways, and simply chopping down an adult club fails to address any of them.

1. Total Weight

Adult clubs are heavy. Even the head of an adult ladies' club is significantly heavier than the head of a junior club. This excess weight makes the club difficult to swing, control, and get airborne. The child will naturally develop a slow, weak, heaving motion just to get the club around their body.

2. Shaft Flex

Adult shafts are much stiffer than junior shafts. When you cut down an adult shaft, it becomes even stiffer. A child’s swing speed isn't fast enough to make this stiff shaft bend or "load" properly. It will feel like swinging a piece of rebar, providing no helpful feel and robbing them of both distance and height on their shots.

3. Grip Size

Adult grips are too large for a child's hands. An improper grip makes it impossible to correctly hold and release the club. Junior clubs are fitted with thin, junior-sized grips that allow for proper hand placement, a fundamental for any good golf swing.

4. Lie Angle

When you shorten an adult iron, the clubhead becomes dramatically "flatter," meaning the toe of the club will be pointing down toward the ground at address. This encourages a flat, handsy swing and will likely cause shots to slice off to the right (for a right-handed player). Junior sets have an appropriate, more upright lie angle that matches a child's stature.

Simply put: avoid cutting down adult clubs and invest in a proper, inexpensive starter set. Your child's enjoyment and development will thank you for it.

Final Thoughts

Sizing your child for golf clubs is straightforward when you focus on what matters. Use their current height as your primary guide, consult the manufacturer's chart, and resist the temptation to buy a size up for them to "grow into." Fitting them for the here and now gives them the best possible chance to find success and, more importantly, have fun.

Getting the right clubs is step one. Step two is navigating the course yourself. This is where a tool like Caddie AI comes in. When you and your child are standing on the tee trying to pick a target, or you don't know the best way to play a tricky shot out of the rough, our app gives you immediate, expert-level advice. It’s like having a personal coach and caddie in your pocket to answer all the questions that pop up during a round, making the game easier and more enjoyable for everyone.