I started playing golf at seven with an old cut 7 iron. It wasn’t fancy and it wasn’t plastic and no one was going to make the game “kid friendly” for me. I just liked it. I liked it because my grandfather, father, uncle and the neighborhood all liked it. That’s how golf passes from one generation to the next and that’s why I had a hard time with the Lil’ Legends Learning System from Performance Golf, a $199 set marketed for ages 3 to 6.
What do you have?
The set includes three oversized orange plastic clubs with yellow shafts, three foam balls, three tees and a See & Stand Mat that folds into what the company calls a carry bag. The product page says “not a plastic toy”, but out of the box it looked like one. Before even hitting the driver, I could see a gap along the seam of the club head. Maybe it’s just the set I was sent, but it’s a pretty obvious flaw out of the box.
The set also warns against using real golf balls as the swing speed increases which tells you what these clubs are built to handle. After testing the clubs with plastic balls, I don’t see a performance benefit that justifies the price of this kids set.
The purse counts
When my kids were really young, they cared more about accessories than clubs, a towel they chose, a head cap they liked. Kids buy in the property before they buy in the game and a real bag with a zipper and bags for ball markers, tees and a rock from the third hole is part of it.
It’s also part of the fun for adults. A suddenly rolled rug gives a child none of this; it does not work as a golf bag.
Real doesn’t mean boring
We started to assume that real golf is not fun for kids and that it should be turned into a toy first. Vice does a great job of showing that’s not true. make it real, kids-sized clubs the colorful balls my kids love and their junior set for ages 4 to 8 is a legit set of golf clubs at $249.99.
Fun and real are not opposites.
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Where do I put my money instead
If you’re going to spend around $200 on your child’s first set, you’d better put in clubs built to last long enough to be passed down to a younger sibling or cousin and to be enjoyed along the way. A few good options:
- Tour Edge Max-J$169.99: ages 3 to 6, with a fairway wood, 7/8-iron, putter, stand bag and headcovers.
- US Kids UL7-39$179.99: a 3-wood, 7-iron, putter and carrying bag. This is what my children started.
Real clubs mean you have to watch. Teach your children to be careful and show them what each club is for. If your the child is not readyhang on.
The background
I have always been passionate about junior golf and growing the game. Golf only survives if each generation passes it on to the next, and if we want that to continue to happen, we have to do a little better than this Lil’ Legend Learning System.
The place The next generation of golfers deserves better than this $199 set appeared first MyGolfSpy.