Ping Prodi-G junior set review

The Ping Prodi-G junior set is perhaps the highest-quality junior equipment you can buy. So how does it work and is it worth the investment?

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NCG SUMMARY

You can only admire the workmanship that has gone into these clubs. Frankly, it’s a lot more than you normally get with junior equipment.

If you’re looking to equip your son or daughter with some serious golf equipment then there is no other option that matches the Prodi-G.

PROS

• The build quality is just as high as in any club in the Ping range
• You can buy the clubs individually or put a half-set together to suit
• When your child outgrows their Prodi-G clubs, you can get them re-shafted for no additional charge
• Ensure your child has equipment that will help rather than hinder them to develop their golfing skills

CON

• It’s a sizeable investment – does your child play enough golf to justify the investment?

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Ping Prodi-G junior set review: First impressions

Many things paused during the pandemic but kids never stopped growing. My eldest son got his first set of Prodi-G clubs in 2018 and they have been a huge hit. However, I noticed at the start of this season that they were the equivalent of half-mast trousers. He was having to stoop over the ball and our local pro showed me how this was actively hindering his technique.

Off we went to Gainsborough to see what could be done. Now almost 12, I wondered if Fred would be moved out of Prodi-G and perhaps into the women’s range. In fact, there was no need and he has plenty of wriggle room in the Prodi-G range still despite being over five feet tall.

Ping Prodi-G junior set review: NCG verdict

In the Prodi-G range you can get a driver, a fairway wood, a hybrid, irons from 6 to PW, speciality wedges and an Anser-style putter. To complete the look, a special Junior Hoofer bag is ideal.

Of course, there is nothing to say that your child needs a full set, or even anything close to it. My own experience is that Fred uses his driver and hybrid all of the time and then, more often than not, reaches for his 56˚ wedge and his putter.

All of the clubs have special lightweight graphite shafts and this allows them to do the swinging rather than get swung by the club. This is such an important element with kids – ask any PGA Professional and they will tell you the same. The swing habits that children form will stick with them throughout their (hopefully long) golfing careers. The last thing you want to do is build in some bad habits from the get-go because they are using clubs that are way too heavy for them.

While we were waiting for his newly lengthened Prodi-G clubs to arrive, we had to a borrow a wood for him to hit at his regular lesson. It was a cut-down men’s driver. I could see how it was teaching him bad habits and resulting in him pulling the club down too steeply. That was just in one week.

The following weekend, armed with his new Prodi-G driver and he was back to normal. Quite a thing to watch first-hand.

It took a week for the clubs to come back, complete with new grips and shafts, and they are as good as a new set. This is a revelation – you buy the set once and then you effectively get a new set a few years later. I can’t remember seeing anything like this in my 20-odd years working in the golf industry.

I reckon you can bank on getting at least four years of use from your investment, if not five or six. So even though these clubs are a sizeable investment, you are ensuring your child is using the right equipment for pretty much the whole of the formative years of being a junior golfer.

To me, if you have high hopes for your child becoming a golfer for life then it is well worth the investment in setting them off on the right foot.

I love the commitment Ping are making here to offering junior equipment that is every bit as well made as their G425 range.

I think for the serious golfer, as long as you are confident your kid is enjoying their golf, investing in a Ping Prodi-G junior set is money well spent.

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Ping Prodi-G junior set review: The details

Available: Now

SRP: £599

Standard lofts: 3 – 18, 4 – 21, 5 – 24, 6 – 27, 7 – 30.5, 8 – 35, 9 – 40, PW – 45, GW – 50

More information: Ping website