How to Get Your Kids Started in Golf

Kids can learn to love – or hate – golf. The key is how it’s presented to them.

By Neil Wolkodoff

As parents, we all have dreams of seeing our children excel in various fields, and golf is no exception.

Whether it’s just for fun or with the hope of seeing them become the next golf champion, the journey of introducing your child to golf is a special one. It’s a journey that should be guided by principles that foster a strong parent-child bond and a love for the game that lasts a lifetime.

Entertainment plus golf: An excellent way to start is a driving range or Topgolf, where there can be an introduction to swinging the club. When you are not playing a course, it’s all about contact and sending the ball. Any ball that goes reasonably far forward is a good shot and reinforces the experience. They see success as whacking it as far as they can. Kids will have limited endurance for something new with this level of muscular control; 30 minutes is likely all they can reasonably perform and maintain focus.

Kids learn differently: I have observed parents feeling they need to be complex in teaching their children the game. They use too many words and concepts and give too much feedback. Even if you are an accomplished golfer, teaching golf, especially to kids, is another universe. Get them into a golf camp or group lessons with someone tuned to their needs.

Kids want to have fun, experience success, and be with other kids. A few times each week will let them get a taste of the game. Group camps have a more relaxed approach than you will as a parent, with less formal instruction. Ask your PGA/LPGA pro what group opportunities are available in your area. And this is really important – when they come home ask them: “Did you have fun?”

More sports are better than fewer sports: The research and experience are clear – multi-sport athletes growing up perform better than those who specialize at a very young age. Each sport has a particular set of physical and mental skills that are developed and will enhance any one sport later. Serving in badminton or tennis is a directed activity with a target, like a golf shot. Respect injury potential from constant use of the same motions and play what is in season. Let them chime in on what they like best and what they enjoy.

Worry about conditioning later: If your child is 15 years old or older, introducing them to conditioning and training outside of golf can be a positive. The key is an age-matched program where they learn about conditioning, exercises, and progressions. While they will get something physical out of weekly sessions, a key is for them to understand that if they want to play collegiate golf, this will be a part of their weekly schedule.

Because growth plates at the end of significant bones have closed on average for girls by age 15 and with boys by 17, heavy training loads should be avoided until after these age marks. A balanced program with moderate-level resistance training, cardiovascular training, and agility exercises is the best start.

Play short-course golf: When you play with a child, start with a short course, a limited number of holes, and a shorter distance. Keep instruction out of it unless they ask, and up the fun quotient. It is difficult to go wrong with having them focus on hitting it as far as they can and keep hitting until they get to the green. A bit of praise for a good shot, silence on a miss. Encouragement and support, ditch the instruction.

So your child feels free of tee sheet pressure, try afternoon or evening golf with less demand. Re-teeing a ball for another try is more manageable when no one is pressing on the hole. Resist the temptation to keep score; that helps the fun quotient.

Their golf clubs: You simply cannot shorten adult clubs to fit a child. They are too stiff, too long, overly heavy, and have too big grips. Once they have tried golf a time or two, a child’s starter set can be had with a bag for less than $200. Even less if it’s been used. Kids like their own stuff, and their own set is a motivator and a source of belonging. Remember that adult golf balls are too dense for kids, so find some extremely low-compression golf balls that will help their performance.

 

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Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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