Accuracy is everything in golf, and it's particularly important in junior golf because very long shots are difficult for younger players. They have to rely on their precision to keep their scores low. Their long games will develop as their muscles develop, but the time before this happens is a great opportunity to help your junior golfer develop their shorter game. To do this, they're going to need some quality kit.

Junior Golf Wedges

Let's quickly recap on what a junior golf wedge is, what it does and how it does it. Junior wedges are simply extensions of the rest of the irons in the golf bag, except that they have much shorter ranges and much higher lofts than the rest of the irons. Junior wedges generally have a loft angle of over 44 degrees, higher than any irons. The wedges can be exceptionally effective in the right hands; they offer the junior golfer a high, short trajectory, and they apply large amounts of backspin to the golf ball, so that when it lands it descends nearly vertically and the backspin keeps it as close as possible to its impact point - which is necessary for accuracy.

A serious junior golfer's bag should really include at least two wedges. These are:

• The Pitching Wedge - a junior pitching wedge will have a loft of between 44 and 50 degrees. The pitching wedge is a transition between the other short irons in your junior golfer's bag and the loftier wedges.
• The Sand Wedge - with a loft angle of between 54 and 68, the junior sand wedge is designed specifically to help the child golfer climb out of bunkers and deep rough. The junior sand wedge has a bottom which bounces over the surface of the ground, which means it won't 'dig in' to the sand or grass when the golfer swings down into it.

These two clubs should offer a junior golfer the versatility he or she needs to play confidently around the green, even if the wedges take concerted effort and practice to master. But child's golf as a whole has benefited from the proliferation of junior wedges, to the point that some junior golfers have recently started to adopt more than two of the clubs and thereby boost the accuracy and completeness of their short game. Other junior wedges available include:

• The Gap Wedge - a junior gap wedge plugs the 4 degree hole between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge, so that the transition between those two clubs is not so sudden. The junior gap wedge usually has a loft of 50-54 degrees, and is often also referred to as the 'Approach Wedge', the 'Dual Wedge' and the 'Utility Wedge'.
• The Lob Wedge - the lob wedge is the steepest of all the wedges, offering a loft angle of up to 68 degrees, and is the club of choice over very short distances. Lob wedges though are for very serious young golfers only, and their use is very specific.

These two wedges are for kids who are taking their golf a little more seriously. For the casual junior golfer, a pitching wedge and a sand wedge should be enough. A sand wedge in particular is useful because it can be 'opened up' easily; meaning that the loft angle can be increased by lowering the shaft closer to the ground.

If you're in the market for an entire golf club set for a junior golfer, bear in mind that not all sets include wedges. The Jaxx Junior Package for instance includes all of the fundamentals of a junior golf kit, but the wedge is absent. This isn't through negligence, it's simply because the bigger manufacturers of children's golf clubs are aware that children use wedges in different ways, and they trust you as a parent, or your child as a golfer, to pick the right wedge separately.

But there are also many full junior golf club sets which do include a wedge. The Cobra J Speed Junior Set, for example, includes a driver, a 7-iron, a wedge and a putter - the perfect combination for where you and your child golfer will spend your time practicing; at the driving range and on the pitch-and-putt.

Buying Junior Wedges Individually

For whatever reason, whether it's because the set you bought your junior golfer doesn't include one, or because they've outgrown their old one, or their game has improved enough to progress into new areas, you'll eventually end up shopping for individual wedges. Generally speaking, wedges are pretty reasonably priced, between £10 and £20, and they rarely stray above that price.

Despite the reasonable prices, junior wedges are certainly not overlooked in terms of technology. U.S. Kids, one of the most prominent junior golf club producers in the world, fields a junior wedge which is made 25% lighter than comparable irons and rival wedges through the use of the a lightweight 'Kidsflex' graphite shaft and a cleverly engineered clubhead. This wedge is called the U.S. Kids Ultra-Light Wedge.

The same company, U.S. Kids, also offers a club simply called the Kids Wedge, which is a club designed to deliver backspin to the golf ball, teaching the junior golfer to control the motions and flight of the ball after it has left the clubface.

So to sum up, there are only a handful of things you need to consider when you're choosing a junior wedge.

• Consider your budget - wedges are inexpensive, and by spending just a couple of pounds more you can ensure your child golfer has the best possible golf club in their hands.
• Consider the Size - all good manufacturers use a standardised sizing system which should be detailed on the product's page. Use that to gauge the size of the club you'll need.
• Consider their playing ability - take into account your child's playing ability. If they seem to have potential, buy the best you can afford, and consider a lob wedge if they're near competition level. If they simply play for fun, then you'll certainly make do with a simple pitching wedge/sand wedge combination (and you can probably do without the sand wedge at first too).

Taking these factors into account, and listening to what your junior golfer wants and observing their game, you should find it difficult to go wrong. And golf clubs make excellent presents for kids, even if they only show partial interest in golf.