With an entire range of choices in woods, irons, wedges, and putters, young golfers can get everything they need.

More young people are playing golf than ever before. But they face a dilemma. Like anyone, they want to maximize their game. But standard golf equipment is designed for adults. Fortunately, in every area, there is junior golf equipment to help them get the most out of their efforts.

Shoes are the most obvious item. But that problem was really solved centuries ago, since shoes have always come in multiple sizes from baby to behemoth. Adapting the unique features of golf shoes for the younger set was a natural and shoemakers moved into that market a long time ago.

The result today is a full line of models and styles for girls and boys. With appropriately set spikes and materials adapted to their needs, any young golfer can find just the right shoe.

Less obvious, until they get on the course when the problem becomes clear, are golf clubs. But it doesn't take long to realize that a standard wood will be far too long for duffers under 50 inches tall. Yet, simply reducing the shaft length is only one consideration. The whole physics of the swing changes for shorter, less powerful golfers. And since their weight, strength and height can vary so much as young golfers mature, manufacturers knew they had to deliver options to suit a much broader market.

Golf club makers have stepped up to the challenge. With an entire range of choices in woods, irons, wedges and putters young golfers can get everything they need.

Starter sets with 25% lighter heads suit those ages 6-8 perfectly. Designed for those 3'0" to 3'8", these clubs get them going in the right direction from the very beginning. For those 3'8" to 4'4" tall and others there are sets that contain only the three clubs (3 wood, 7 iron and putter) they need for the majority of shots. A flatter lie angle helps junior golfers prevent closing the clubface at impact, minimizing frustration as they learn.

Other options include wedges specifically geared toward those not yet 50 inches tall. With lighter headweights and greater offset for optimal clubface angle, they've been designed from the ground up to match the style of the developing duffer.

But those clubs have to sit in something when they're not being swung. Junior golf bags accommodate these shorter clubs perfectly. With durable material and super strong straps, they'll stand up for years to the punishment they'll get. With modified stands and easy to use telescope controls, they're ideal for the younger crowd.

Gloves, hats and the whole range of apparel have also seen special treatment to fit the younger golfer. Junior golf clothing and accessories provide them with all the accoutrements they need to optimize their experience on the course.

Don't leave the kids at home when you want to play a few rounds. Take them along and you'll quickly find how eager they are to learn and how well they do with equipment designed just for them.

Materials and design are so advanced today that even modest cost balls are typically superior for most golfers.

The golf ball has evolved considerably over several hundred years from its early use in Holland and Scotland.

Centuries ago the 'featherie' was designed, a leather pouch stuffed with wet goose feathers. As it dried, the feathers expanded and the leather shrunk, forming a very hard semi-elastic ball that could go quite a distance by historical standards. Around the turn of the 20th century, the gutta percha came into widespread use. Dimpled and made of Malayan rubber, it was the first major advance in golf ball construction and revolutionized the game.

Today, materials science and golf physics has brought the golf ball to new heights, figuratively and literally.

Covered with Surlyn (a special DuPont rubbery plastic) the ball comes in various forms. A 1-piece is essentially just a uniform hard plastic ball. They're cheap balls used only for practice by beginners. The 2-piece is a solid plastic resin core wrapped with Surlyn. The 3-piece uses a core wrapped with elastic windings that are then covered. A 4-piece adds another layer but is the same basic design.

All these changes in material and geometry helped improve flight and distance characteristics. The dimples break up airflow around the surface, reducing drag and providing longer flight times. That maximizes distance. A smaller proportion than you might think results from the compressive feature of the golf ball.

Weights today are not to be greater than 1.620 oz (45 g) and the size no more than 1.680 inches (38 mm) and the ball must be spherical. Even the maximum initial velocity is determined by professional golfing regulations, as is the maximum permissible distance it can travel on a drive.

When choosing a golf ball, golfers will examine the size and construction to meet their own goals, though. Some prefer the greater control afforded by a 3-piece, others will want the durability and lower cost of a 2-piece.

Knowledgeable golfers will also look to the compression value, a number that ranges from 0-200. All 3-piece balls and some 2-piece ones carry this number. A ball that has zero compression is rated 200 (not zero - go figure). A ball that will compress under load by 2/10th inches or more is rated zero. For every 1/1000th inch of compression under load they receive one lower point, starting from 200.

Golfers shouldn't put too much emphasis on the compression number. Surface geometry and material play a much larger role than elasticity in flight character, including distance traveled after impact.

Whichever you choose, it's hard to go wrong these days. Materials and design are so advanced today that even modest cost balls are typically superior to the average golfer. How they're struck has a much bigger effect than the exact size, weight, or construction.

Choose a golf ball based on your budget and whether you enjoy the way it feels and flies and you'll soon discover that's the one for you.

By JC Campbell – Because golf can be such a difficult game to master, players are always on the lookout for ways to make it easier and some have resorted to tampering with their clubs in order to gain extra distance or extra spin. The R&A and the USGA have regulations in place that govern the construction of clubs and those who wish to adhere to the rules and the spirit of the game, play golf according to these directions. This precludes using golf clubs considered illegal or tampering with golf clubs to gain an unfair advantage.

The regulations cover the materials used, the construction of the club and the kind of grooves that are used on the face of clubs. There are numerous illegal golf clubs out there and many recreational golfers will happily use them because they are not involved in club or amateur competitions of any kind. For those who play golf seriously and participate in tournaments or club competitions, it is imperative that they use only legal golf clubs.

Some want to use drivers with forbidden materials in order to get more spring off the face, giving them added distance off the tee. Others opt for irons deemed illegal due to the groove pattern, designed to impart more spin on the ball. There are also some chippers that are illegal in competition, clubs that are more like putters with extra loft. Illegal clubs are either manufactured as such or are adjusted in some way to make them illegal.

Making adjustments to standard, legal golf clubs can turn them into illegal clubs and some do this again to give their club head more weight in order to gain extra distance. When all is said and done, the key to good golf is the swing and if we feel we need to tamper with clubs or buy illegal ones, it may reveal we need to spend more time on our game. Resorting to the use of illegal clubs reveals a flaw in our golf game and would perhaps indicate that we do not have too much confidence in our own ability to play well.

Illegal clubs may be acceptable within our little golf group where there is nothing at stake. However, when we choose to play in some kind of tournament golf or club competition, we need to conform to the rules of the governing bodies who determine which clubs are illegal. Rather than seek an unfair advantage, we would be better served trying to improve our overall game, ensuring that the scores we post after eighteen holes are genuine. Play by the rules and enjoy!