How to size kids’ golf clubs
and adjust their grip as they grow.

1. Size kids’ golf clubs by height, not age alone.

A birthday is not a fitting measurement. Two eight-year-olds can be different heights, and a set marketed for an age range may not fit both of them. Start with a height measurement, then check the sizing chart for the exact brand and model you’re considering.

U.S. Kids Golf, for example, asks parents to measure the player in shoes and uses player-height ranges. That is its fitting system, not a universal chart for every junior brand. [1]

How to measure your child

1. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions about shoes. For a shoes-on chart, use normal golf shoes or sneakers, not thick platform soles.
2. Have your child stand upright on a level floor beside a wall, with feet flat, arms relaxed, and no hat.
3. Place a flat book level on the crown of the head and mark its underside on the wall.
4. Measure from the floor to the mark. Record the height, whether shoes were worn, and the date.

Example: a child who measures 51 inches is about 129.5 cm tall. Look for that player height on the maker’s chart. If the maker labels a size “51” by player height, that does not mean buying a 51-inch-long club. Each club in the set has its own length.

For a more detailed fit, a fitter may also use wrist-to-floor measurements and information about the player’s game. PING’s junior fitting approach includes those inputs. Height helps you start; it does not describe everything about a golfer. [4]

2. Check the club with the child, not just the chart.

Have an adult supervise in a clear practice area. Start without a ball and without swinging. Ask your child to take a relaxed setup with a junior iron: a small bend from the hips, softly flexed knees, and arms in a comfortable position.

• Look for a natural reach. Can they place the clubhead behind an imaginary ball without an exaggerated crouch, locked knees, or hands held awkwardly high?
• Check the handle. Can both hands fit comfortably on the rubber grip?
• Ask how it feels. Does it feel manageable, or does the child struggle to hold and control it?

These observations are reasons to investigate, not a diagnosis from one pose. A coach or fitter can help separate equipment issues from a beginner still learning to stand and swing.

Length is only part of the decision. PGA guidance also emphasizes suitable club weight, junior grip size, and shaft flex. Shortening the playing length with your hands does not make a heavy adult club into a lightweight junior club. [3]

3. Should kids hold the club higher or lower?

“Higher” means closer to the butt end of the grip, the capped end farthest from the clubhead. “Lower” means farther toward the clubhead. It does not mean lifting or lowering the arms to force the club to fit.

Gripping down, also called choking down, means moving both hands together a short distance down the rubber handle. It reduces the effective length of the club. Keep the hands together and securely on the rubber; do not slide the lower hand onto the bare shaft.

How much grip-down is reasonable?

First Tee – Greater Seattle suggests only a modest amount of extra length, roughly half an inch to one inch, with the player gripping down to fit. Treat that as a small adjustment to check, not permission to buy several sizes ahead. [2]

PGA guidance warns against needing more than about 1½–2 inches of grip-down. That is a sign the club may be too long, not a goal to work toward. [3]

4. Let the grip change as the child grows, within limits.

Suppose an appropriate junior club fits today with a small amount of grip-down. Later, as your child grows, check their setup again. They may be able to move both hands a little closer to the butt end while keeping the same comfortable posture.

Do not move the hands higher just because another month has passed. Recheck the actual golfer. Once the hands are already near the end, leaving fingers hanging over the cap does not create a longer club.

A simple family routine is to record height about every six months, as the U.S. Kids Golf parent booklet recommends, and check sooner after a noticeable growth spurt. Recheck when the child says the clubs feel awkward, too. [5]

5. Know when to change size instead of changing the swing.

Arrange a fit check if the child needs a large grip-down, cannot hold the handle comfortably, or repeatedly changes posture to reach the ball. Also check when clubs feel difficult to control despite a manageable length.

Look at the set, not one favorite club. An iron that seems comfortable does not prove that the driver or putter fits. There is no guaranteed “two-season” lifespan for every set: growth, the original fit, and the model all matter.

To keep costs sensible, compare suitable used junior clubs, local loan or rental options, and the actual replacement terms offered by a seller. Do not buy oversized equipment solely to postpone the next purchase, and do not assume a future trade-up program exists unless the seller has published its terms.