My wife and I are expecting our first child about five weeks from now.
One of my first thoughts early in the pregnancy was, “I can’t wait to get him his first set of golf clubs.”
This made me rack my brain OWN first set of clubs as a junior. They were shortened PING i2s that my dad played that day. Although the height was correct, the weight was excessive. It was like trying to swing a dumbbell.
I would soon be picking up new clubs, but it wasn’t until I was nine that I confirmed I was interested.
I wonder how many kids have been given clubs and given up on golf altogether because contact with the ball was too difficult. Fortunately, I continued, but there must be many who are too frustrated to continue.
Wouldn’t it be great if young children – even just one or two years old – could start getting used to the feeling of being rich real club in their hands with a set of children’s golf?
A not cheap plastic set you can get on Amazon for $30. No abbreviated clubs for adults.
We’re talking about a legit junior set that can give little munchkins the universally amazing feeling of firm contact.
Does this exist? It does now.
Creating high quality kids golf clubs
Max Franklin’s oldest child, Max Jr., moved into a club, with obvious natural talent, since he could walk.
“I told my wife he has a one-in-a-million kind of golf swing,” Franklin said. “Even adults say, ‘He swings better than me.’
Talk about a lifelong golfer in the making. Younger Max spends hours in his yard or at the local park hitting foam balls, while older Max tries to give him as many opportunities as possible to swing a club.
Finding him without a club and ball is a rare occurrence.
Now four years old, the little boy regularly goes to the simulator and can hit his driver over 100 meters.
He is so obsessed with golf that the cheap plastic sets of clubs his father bought him kept breaking. From time to time, Franklin had to order new clubs for his child.
The smallest children’s clubs in the US that Franklin could find were for children 36 inches tall. The height was reasonable, but the weight of the club was still too heavy for a small child to use effectively.
“With all the metal clubs, it’s just not a good way for them to have fun at that age,” Franklin said. “They’ll hold it like a hockey stick or grab it by hand because it’s too much for them to lift. Imagine playing golf with a sledgehammer. That’s what you’re asking your 30-pound toddler to do with even a 1-pound club.”
Needing something lighter, Franklin built a series of prototypes for his son in 2023. It was never meant to be a business – he was just a good dad.
“We started going to the park and people kept coming up and asking what we were using,” Franklin said. “That’s when I thought, ‘Maybe this could become a product.'”
This was the origin of Tot Clubs, a high-quality, ultra-light plastic golf set for kids that looks and feels like legitimate golf clubs. The small family business from Dallas officially launched this August.
“It went from a DIY passion to thinking, ‘Wow, these clubs can withstand all the rage of a baby, and they can hit them pretty well with a plastic or foam ball,'” Franklin said.
The gap in the market that Tot Clubs fill
Most kids won’t be strong enough for metal youth clubs—or can’t be trusted to use them—until they’re about five years old.
Tot Clubs bridge the gap, providing a short-term solution for children as young as five or six. The hope is that children will be inspired to want their first full metal kit.
Clubs come in four sizes and you can start your little one very early—even as young as a year old in some cases.
One of Franklin’s neighbors has a son who is only 10 months old and has already started using them.
“If he’s awake, the clubs are with us,” the neighbor told Franklin.
So what’s the difference between Tot Clubs and the typical set of plastic clubs you’ll find on Amazon?
The three-club set (driver, iron, iron) has internally weighted plastic heads, no-bend wood shafts for durability, and actual rubber grips. You can order Golf Pride gloves at the clubs.
Most importantly, they are as light as a club can get (140-180 grams, less than half a pound).
Other plastic models you find online are usually heavier and break more easily, according to Franklin.
“Those clubs don’t really simulate a shot very well. It’s just a club to hit a ball and not a lofted iron, for example.”
Each set comes with seven plastic balls and a sleeve to keep everything in one place. Safety is paramount with a small child, so all materials included are light enough to avoid injury.
There isn’t much formality involved in “teaching” a young child how to play golf, but the feeling of hitting the ball with the club – and making the ball go in the air – is an addictive feeling, even at that young age.
There are eight color combinations and left versions of clubs are also available (no guarantee on junior golf clubs). The price for all sizes is $75 a set, more than reasonable considering the quality of the sticks. You can only buy through the Tot Clubs site.
Franklin was nice enough to send me a set for my son to use in the future. I’m amazed at how strong the clubs feel despite the lack of weight. I’ll report back with a more comprehensive review when the time comes.
Tot Clubs has been completely dependent on word of mouth up until this point, so let’s help spread their story.
Do you have a young child who might be interested in golf? Or at least one who wants to hit the ball with a bat?
Give Tot Clubs a shot. For more information, visit their website.
Post This kids golf set gives little ones legit clubs appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
