Accu-Length Junior Golf Clubs

There has always been one drawback inherent in most every set of junior golf clubs: while your child keeps growing, the clubs stay the same size. That means if your child is growing fast, his or her junior clubs are quickly being outgrown. And for parents, that means spending money on new sets of clubs. Accu-Length aims to fix that problem by introducing junior clubs that grow along with the children who are using them.

The secret to the "Accu-Length Expandable Pro Quality Junior Golf Club System" lies in its "Spacer technology." The shafts of the Accu-Length clubs can be unlocked and unscrewed at a point just below the grip. The one-inch-long spacers are inserted and locked into place. And voila, you've got a golf club that is now one inch longer.

One of the lead designers of the Accu-Length clubs was Ernie Vadersen, President of Vadersen Design Group, and the founder of Snake Eyes Golf (a brand now owned by Golfsmith).

"It is the most unique product I have ever worked on," said Vadersen. "This is the first truly extendable club that was designed for the junior player. When I got into the picture, I said to them that the only way I would do it is if you allow me to design something that is extremely first-class because I'm known for quality golf clubs. I'm not going to design a pot metal head with some cut off shaft to jab into it and have some floozy type of golf club. They said that's not what they want. We want the best."

The "we" in question is On-Track Sports, LLC, the parent company of Accu-Length.

"All of our competitors have an average fit for their junior clubs," said Rick Rutter, President, COO and Co-Founder of On-Track Sports. "As the kid grows, his clubs are literally shrinking on him and his swing motion and muscle memory are also changing. That's not good! Muscle memory and swing motion should stay the same for the best learning results. Because our product is the only golf equipment that grows as the child grows, it allows swing motion and muscle memory to stay the same."

The Accu-Length system comes in four different models, designed to start with children fitting four different height ranges. The 500 Series (Purple) is designed for the youngest players, children 39-47 inches tall. The 1000 Series (Yellow) is for kids 45-55 inches who are just learning the game. The 2000 Series (Red) is for children 51-59 inches and features a stiffer shaft with proper loft for maximum trajectory and loft. The 3000 Series (Gray) is for kids 55-62 inches; its clubs bear a strong resemblance to adult clubs, but with more forgiveness for ease of use.

The 1000, 2000 and 3000 series come with a wood, 7-iron, pitching wedge and putter. The 500 series is the same, except that the pitching wedge is optional. All sets include a dual-strap stand bag (whose colors match the series color) that also grows as the clubs in it are lengthened; an instructional CD-ROM; 12 1-inch spacers; assembly tools and locking screws; a pouch that holds the spacers, tools and screws; and a sizing chart for proper fitting.

Optional clubs, sold separately, include a high-lofted driver and a 5-iron.

The 500 Series carries an MSRP of $139.99; the other three series, $199.99.

Put it all together, and what do you have? Does the Accu-Length junior set deliver on its promises?

We took an Accu-Length set to one of the strongest junior golf programs in our area, and left it with the program instructors for a month.

Their conclusion: The Accu-Length clubs are big-time winners. "It's a fantastic idea," one junior instructor said. "I've really enjoyed using them, and I think they are a good investment for the parents of any young golfer."

The instructors told us that the clubs are high-quality to begin with, regardless of the spacer technology. But throw in the spacers, and you've got something even better.

"Parents should save money over the long run with these," one pro said. "We sell other junior sets that come with the same basic components (4 clubs and a bag) for around $130. These are more expensive, but they last a lot longer because they are expandable."

Inserting spacers is very easy, the pros said, and clubs feel very solid after spacers are inserted. The only complaint: some felt the Accu-Length clubs were a bit on the heavy side for younger players in the size ranges listed - but that's an issue that solves itself as the child grows.

Overall, the Accu-Length clubs proved a major hit.