Menu
Dubbed the ‘big dog’, the driver is the largest, most powerful club in the bag. With its sizeable head and long shaft, the driver can generate superior force that drives a ball long distances from the tee towards the green. So given that it is pretty powerful, it’s not the easiest shot to master. No doubt, when you were starting out, you might have had a little trouble with the driver yourself. How much harder would it be for a child to be able to master this tricky golfing tool?
If you’ve been playing with your junior golfer for a while now, you might think they're ready to start wielding that driver. But to make sure they're not discouraged when trying to get the hang of this difficult swing, you need to make sure you equip them with one of the best junior golf drivers to make the learning process more accommodating of their skills.
Ready to dive into the market to find the right driver for your little golfing buddy? Keep these pointers in mind.
Junior golfers don’t have the same strength or skill level as adult players. So giving them a set of clubs that follow adult standards can be counter-intuitive. Make sure to consider these factors when buying a golf driver for your junior golfer to make sure he or she can get the best out of its use.
Generally speaking, longer clubs are harder to control. Because drivers are designed to be much longer than most other clubs, they can be confusing and difficult to use, especially if you’re a younger golfer who doesn’t necessarily have the most polished technique. It’s important to make sure you’re getting just the right length that allows maximum power without frustrating your junior golfer in the aspect of control.
Adults tend to equate a heavier, beefier club with more power, and thus longer distances. But experts assert that that’s not always the case. Heavier drivers can be difficult for junior golfers to master, and may result to a clumsy swing. The heavier the head, the harder it will be for a junior player to be able to maintain the club in the proper swing plane. If you’re hoping to get a driver for your child, be sure to consider his level of strength and his capacity to wield something that’s slightly on the heavier side.
Even the best junior players won’t have explosive tempo. So even if they hit that ball as fast as they can, they might not be able to get the distance they thought they were aiming for. To help rectify that issue, you should be keen on finding a junior driver that has a bit of flex to its shaft. Graphite shafts are the ideal shaft material for juniors, beginners, and high handicappers because they’re lightweight and flexible, allowing you to swing at max speed while optimizing energy transfer for superb distance.
They say that every golfer is different, and choosing clubs depends more on your preferences and needs than it does on anything else. In the same way, junior golf clubs are not a one-size-fits-all deal. To help ease away the confusion of choosing the right golf driver for your junior golfer, consider these tips.
What you’ll notice about drivers for junior players is that they’re typically clustered together by age group. There are toddlers, 6-9 year old, and 10- 13 year old drivers available on the market. Of course, as a parent, your first instinct would be to purchase clubs in your child’s age range. But that won’t always result to the ideal length.
As a rule of thumb, you should measure a driver based on your child’s actual height. If he/she chokes the shaft a maximum of 3 inches from the end of the grip, it might be good enough. But if they try to grip lower than that, you should definitely consider getting something shorter. To help figure out the proper length, a junior driver should be no more than 2 inches below the sternum.
Remember, with children, it’s more important to get a comfortable driver than one that abides by every rule in the book. As long as they can use it without feeling confused or frustrated, then it can work fine to establish the fundamentals.
The way by which a club’s weight is balanced will affect how it feels when it’s swung. If the head is too heavy, it will feel strange and clumsy when swung. This could dampen the strength and distance of a shot, or even impede the learning of proper technique.
Consider the head weight of your chosen junior club relative to the weight of the shaft and grip. If it feels too much like a pendulum, it might not be a viable starting club for your little golfer. Sure, the head should be heavier in relation to the rest of the club, but if it’s too significantly weighted, it becomes harder to maintain the club on the right plane during swing.
The way you hold a club will have a large impact on the performance you get out of it. A grip that’s too large for a junior player to grasp will be difficult to hold on to, and risks flying out of their hand if they try to give it hundred percent. Check for an undersized grip, and make sure to have your child hold on to it for size just to make sure it’s a comfortable fit.
It comes as no surprise that Paragon has snatched the top spot on our list of the most impressive junior golf drivers. Their Rising Star Kids Junior Driver features an oversized club head that’s still pretty lightweight, offering a massive sweet spot to give your little learner a better chance at landing a reasonable shot even if they're not quite as polished just yet.
What makes the Paragon Rising Star Driver great is the fact that they don’t just measure their drivers based on the age of the users, but also by their average height. For instance, this specific driver intended for children ages 5-7 years old is intended to reach between 18 to 22 inches from the knuckle to the ground. This smaller range helps make it easier for parents to make sure the driver will properly fit their children’s size, eliminating a lot of the guesswork that goes into finding the right club.
Affordable and efficient, the Orlimar Golf ATS Junior Individual Club Driver can be a suitable pick for parents who want a budget-friendly club that doesn’t sacrifice quality. Built with premium composite and steel, the flexible club lends superb speed and strength to each swing, giving impressive returns for all of your young golfer’s efforts.
The design boasts a flexible shaft, a large yet lightweight club head, and a forgiving face that encourages kids to keep trying, minimizing the frustration of working with a club that doesn’t provide the results your kid was expecting. Other than that, the Orlimar Golf Junior Driver is exceptionally affordable. So for parents watching their budget, it makes for a very smart and practical purchase.
With such a large market for junior golf equipment, it’s no surprise that even brands like Nike have jumped in on the bandwagon. Fortunately though, the company doesn’t disappoint with their Junior Driver which features an intuitive lightweight design that makes it easier for kids to understand the technique required to perfect the driver.
The head on the Nike Junior Driver boasts a carved out texture along the sole which maintains the surface area on the face without adding to the weight of the head. The flexible graphite shaft is light and responsive, significantly improving speed and strength upon impact.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the Nike Junior Driver also features a few grooves along the face which help decrease spin and improve control. So if you’re trying to get your kid to improve his drive without making it too challenging, the Nike Junior Driver makes a suitable choice.
PowerBilt is another premium brand that’s big on junior golf club equipment. Their Junior Driver for boys is a great example of just how impressive their designs can be. This specific junior driver boasts a flexible composite shaft, a textured face for better control, and an oversized, lightweight head that provides a large sweet spot for more accurate off-center hits.
It’s durable, efficient, and easy to use, making a smart solution if you want to help your junior golfer learn the drive more effortlessly. On top of all that, the PowerBilt Driver is also very reasonably priced, so parents who don’t want to overspend on a club that will be soon outgrown can find it to be a smart choice.
Designed to be slightly lighter than the boys variant, the PowerBilt Girl’s Golf Driver boasts a higher lofted face that better suits the typical swing that female junior golfers typically have. The driver lends impressive height, and its flexible shaft improves distance and speed to bring the ball much farther.
Other than that, there’s not much else that’s different between the PowerBilt Girl’s Driver and the Boy’s. Of course, it does come in a very appealing light pink and sliver colorway that can be particularly eye-catching for little girls. But in terms of performance and price, you can expect pretty much the same thing.
The big dog isn’t easy to master - so make sure you get your little golfer started on it early. There are lots of junior golfer drivers out there, and the best ones are those that provide speed, distance, and accuracy without having to be too demanding on your little golfer’s level of skill.
We’ve done the research and compared countless options, and the very best of the best junior golf drivers has to be the Paragon Rising Star Junior Golf Club Driver. Designed to be a miniature professional club, this specific design takes pride in its intuitive and efficient silhouette, perfect for kids who are really serious about stepping up their game.
