As the saying goes, “golf” is a four-letter word for a reason.

Golf is hard.

Hell, it’s even hard to start playing golf. You not only need at least a bare minimum of skill to even make contact with the ball, you need a ball. And a club. Preferably several clubs. And some place to play. And…and…and….

This fall, my 14-year-old son decided to go out for his high school golf team, and my heart soared. I have experienced the gamut of what this amazing, vexing, quixotic, beautiful sport offers its players: stunning courses, lifetime friendships, indelible memories, thrilling great shots, embarrassing shanks, and profound lessons drawn from hard work and both good and bad luck.

But first you need a ball, clubs, etc., etc.

So, how does one go about outfitting your aspiring junior golfer with sufficient kit to have a fighting – and enjoyable – go at a game you hope they’ll play for the rest of their lives? The list of necessities is long, and the list of accessories is even longer. (And this article will cover a lot of it, so be prepared.)

As a 20-year member of the golf media, I will admit that we had a HUGE head start in collecting the gear upon which my son would begin to build his playing career. I’ve been testing and reviewing golf equipment and accessories for, well, 20 years, so I had a pretty good idea of what would not only fit, but also appeal to his teen sensibilities (if that’s not an oxymoron).

Let’s start this how-to guide from the bottom up: Shoes.

I have to say that if golf shoes were still all leather wingtips with steel spikes torturing the soles of your feet, my son would not have even considered playing golf. Kids take their shoes very seriously these days. In fact, when he thought his only option would be footwear from a company called “FootJoy,” he said he’d just wear sneakers. Happily, golf shoes are now designed for performance, rather than for the country club grill room.

When I showed him the Puma IGNITE PWRADAPT ($150) shoes, he changed his mind. The PWRADAPT are ultra-lightweight with a breathable mesh upper that is still waterproof. The foam insole cradles your foot from heel to toe. And, especially importantly for juniors, they look cool.

Once he tried them on, my son was even more enthusiastic. “These are the most comfortable shoes I have!” he said.

PUMA PWRADAPT

Next, socks. Now, no matter how cool the PWRADAPTs look, they do not nullify the acrid stench that is generated by teenaged feet. (I mean, what manner of evil chemistry happens in a teenager’s shoes?) So socks are super important not only for the junior golfer’s comfort, but also for parents who would prefer not to dry-heave every time their kid gets into the car after a match.

Swiftwick offers socks specifically tailored for a number of sports, including golf ($11-$18). They also come in a number of heights, from booties to above the ankle. My son prefers Swiftwick’s Maximus socks in ankle-length. They are designed to help circulation and to prevent blisters. And, I think, they stink a bit less than the cheap-o box-store socks.

OK, now that your junior golfer has a firm foundation, we move to the big-ticket items: Clubs. I get a lot of clubs every year to test and review, and I could have saved myself a good chunk of change and just told my son to use a set I already had. But I know how, as a golfer, uncertainty can kill your confidence, and subsequently throttle your game. I didn’t want my son to be wondering if his bad shots (and there are countless bad shots when you start out) were because of his swing or because of his clubs.

So I splurged. There was a Callaway Golf fitting at our home course, Lake of the Woods (Mahomet, IL), and I signed my son up. Sure enough, given his rapidly increasing height and yet-willowy frame, the clubs I had at home were too heavy for him. The Callaway fitter recommended some light shafts paired with the Rogue irons and woods. In the fitting, my son smoked a number of shots, and he was sold.

These clubs are not cheap, but the Lake of the Woods head pro (and my son’s golf team coach) was able to get us the lowest possible prices we could find. We went with an Epic driver rather than the Rogue, as it was much cheaper, and the Rogue 3-, and 5-woods, with Rogue irons, for a grand total of $1550. Yikes.

Callaway Rogue Woods & Irons

Happily, however, my son had been putting for years with an Edel Golf E-Series 3 putter I reviewed in 2014 ($295). Edel’s Pixl insert delivers what might be the best feel in any putter on the market, and my son loves it. So we saved that expense. And I had kept a pair of 3- and 4-hybrids from Akira Golf in the basement since I reviewed them in 2007, as they are still some of the sharpest hybrids I’ve ever seen. After a few swings with these, my son was sold. (He has good taste, because way back in 2007, they were priced at $400 each.)

Edel Golf E-3 Putter

Akira Golf U-Series Hybrid

To round out the set, Cleveland Golf offers Junior Spec Wedges ($100) for young golfers. These wedges come with all the top-shelf tech of Cleveland’s normal wedges (RTX-3, CBX, and Smart Sole 3 models), but with shorter and/or lighter shafts. My son’s RTX-3 gap and sand wedges are perfect for those scoring shots within 100 yards, and they’re the perfect weight and balance for his swing.

How about balls? My son is a big Srixon fan, and for the money, there’s probably not a better ball tee-to-green than the Srixon Soft Feel ($20/doz.). The 2018 model boasts an all-new design that maximizes both distance off the tee and touch around the green. Best of all, when my son dumps one (or two or three) into a pond during a round, it won’t chip away too much at his college fund.

To carry all those valuable sticks and stones, the hottest new line of bags on the market is by Under Armour. This is another brand that junior golfers identify with, and UA’s new line of golf bags, manufactured by venerable golf bag company Sun Mountain. The UA Storm Match Play 14-Way bag ($235) is ideal for players who like to (or have to) walk. 14-way full-length dividers protect clubs and built-in lumbar support and padded straps protect young backs and shoulders. The carbon-fiber legs are lightweight yet super-strong. As a freshman, my son doesn’t yet get one of the team logo bags, but frankly, he enjoys carrying a bag that is much nicer and lighter than they are.

Under Armour UA Storm Match Play 14-Way

To save the hassles of hauling his clubs back and forth from the course, we got him a locker at Lake of the Woods. Now, along with acrid foot odor, teenagers tend to have leaky memories. And we worried a bit that retaining yet another locker combination might fill my son’s cranium to overflowing. Enter Tapplock. Tapplock has innovated the first fingerprint padlock ($99), which opens with just a touch of your finger. My son thinks it’s one of the coolest things he owns. But best of all, not even he can forget his fingerprint.

Tapplock

Finally, he’ll need some energy for his rounds, which seem to take forever as high school players tend to lose and look for a lot of balls. They also wander around apparently aimlessly as their parents repeatedly ask each other, “What the hell are they doing now?” Elemental Superfood offers some gourmet seedbars packed with organic, gluten-free, dairy-free ingredients ($29/doz.) rich in protein and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. To be honest, some of the ingredients in these snacks – like mulberries, hemp seed, spirulina, and lucuma – are not things he would voluntarily choose. But he likes the crunchiness, and they all have enough dark chocolate to disguise most of the healthy flavors. Even though the packages say to keep them in the fridge, they’re fine in a golf bag during a round.

Elemental Superfood Seed bars

Well, this is all enough to get him started on his high school golf career, at least. Seems like a lot, I know. But if, in 60 or 70 years, my son is still enjoying this glorious, infuriating sport (and maybe remembering his long-gone dad now and then), it will be worth every penny.