Budding Junior Golfers

[KD1]

My 7 year old has requested to go play golf with me. So we're signed up for a few jr group classes with a local pro... I'm at least smart enough to know I have no business to try and teach a proper golf swing.

 

Any tips & tricks you all have used to keep your juniors interested / engaged? What's your process for getting them from the range to hitting balls on an actual course for a few holes?

[Wasted_Talent]

My 10 year old is just now showing any real interest.  He has his first lesson on Thursday.  I used to take he and my daughter on the course to do whatever they wanted.  Sometimes hit form the tee box, sometimes iron and sometimes putt.  It was completely up to them.  After a hole or two we would just ride in the cart and go feed the fish in the ponds.  My goal was to never force them to do anything they didn't want to.  

 

This is drastically different than my Godchild who was 100% golf since he started.  He lives and breathes golf.  He is now a junior in high school and fired his second 63 in a tournament this year yesterday.  He will be playing competitive D1 golf.   

Edited April 26, 2022 by Gawbage_man

[Warrior42111]

Just some thoughts as someone who's coached football from ages 6 through HS.

 

1. Have a plan but be flexible. The mind of the young ones goes really quick from one thing to another. BE ready to go from the driving range, to putting, to pick weeds, and repeat.

2. Initiate but don't force, ask if wants to go to the range, or watch you play and maybe hit a few shots, but do not force them to.

3. Let them play other sports too. I'm huge on this as I think one thing from a sport can help in another sport and vise versa. Also just prevents burnout IMO.

4. If they have a good coach, let them coach and you can reinforce what they teach at practice time, but don't tell them conflicting things.

5. most importantly HAVE FUN IT'S ABOUT THEM AND NOT YOU. I see way to many parents, family members etc berating their kid or their kids teammates for a mistake in a practice let alone a game. Are there times to be serious and teach certain things, you bet, is it the end of the world if your 7 year old 5 putts from 3 feet, nope. 

[MonteScheinblum]

5 hours ago, KD1 said:

My 7 year old has requested to go play golf with me. So we're signed up for a few jr group classes with a local pro... I'm at least smart enough to know I have no business to try and teach a proper golf swing.

 

Any tips & tricks you all have used to keep your juniors interested / engaged? What's your process for getting them from the range to hitting balls on an actual course for a few holes?

Be careful with overwhelming them with a proper swing.  Ideas should be directed at avoiding movements that put undue pressure on their growing bodies.  Smash and have fun should be first and foremost.

 

My son is 13.  He has heard the flowing from me.

 

1.  I didn’t let him grip it like a hockey stick.

 

That’s all he got from his first swing at 7 years old until last summer when he was 12 and got more serious.

 

2.  Last summer I suggested some more backswing wrist hinge because he was unloading properly and hitting a lot of fat shots.

 

3.  This summer he was hitting wipes and I suggested not keeping the right arm under the left past impact.

 

That’s 6 years worth…lol

 

 

[Abh159]

The fact that HE asked you to go is a good first step. Hopefully he'll continue to do so!

 

The others pretty much summed it up, but just don't force him to do anything. Ask him if he wants to go play, but don't make him go. Ask him if he wants to practice putting, but don't make him. Ask him if he wants to hit his driver of this tee, but don't make him. Hopefully you're getting the picture at this point...

 

Adding in some fun "games" is always a good idea also. Maybe drop a ball 10 feet away from the cup and tell him if he can get it in the hole in 3 or less strokes then you'll get ice cream later. Just make sure to get the ice cream regardless of whether or not he wins the "game" 😉.

[getitdaily]

I have a 8 and 4 yr old boys. Both started hitting plastic balls inside with plastic clubs at about 14 months old.  My 4 yr old is now ready to go out with me on the course. My 8 yr old has been going with me, off and on, for 4 years. 

 

8 yr old hits from my tee unless there's a forced carry. We pick up and he hits again from where I play my next shot. He does that for about 5 holes then hangs out in the cart and playing around the cart while I hit or chip/putt. He rarely putts, tho that's changing. On about the 15th hole he'll start hitting balls again. 

[KD1]

2 hours ago, Warrior42111 said:

5. most importantly HAVE FUN IT'S ABOUT THEM AND NOT YOU. I see way to many parents, family members etc berating their kid or their kids teammates for a mistake in a practice let alone a game.

 

I volunteered to umpire a little league baseball games once, parents ruined it for me after day 1...

[KD1]

Thanks everyone for the tips!

[Warrior42111]

6 minutes ago, KD1 said:

 

I volunteered to umpire a little league baseball games once, parents ruined it for me after day 1...

You should see U12 football parents haha

 

It's either their baby is a superstar and should play where they want...90% of the time their a minimum required plays player

 

or

 

When I'm telling them not to go into that late hit, trash talking crap some teams do, or when I take 9 minutes of the clock pounding the run game for a TD I'm a loser that doesn't know how the game is played today because it's boring, despite playing in college.

[HitSomeMissSome]

If you can find a little posse of golfers who can have fun together, that is fantastic. Some coaches focus on kids programs and they help develop groups so kids can play on their own. Dad/child golf is great, but mixing in some peer golf is better for them. I'm a big fan of PGA Junior League. If there is a team in your area, sign up your child. Low pressure competitions and the kids usually have a blast. 

[leezer99]

Visit the Juniors/College Golf Talk forum here on WRX for more advice.

[KD1]

2 hours ago, leezer99 said:

Visit the Juniors/College Golf Talk forum here on WRX for more advice.

 

Oh thanks. I wasn't aware of that forum. I guess I posted in the wrong place. But on the instruction side of the equation it is very helpful to know that even Monte has only given a minimal number of tips to his kid.

[phillyspecial]

A lot of my friends ask me how I got my kids so hooked on golf, and my stock reply is that all those Friday afternoons and weekend mornings I wasn't out there with you guys, I was taking my kids out to play and order snacks to their hearts content.  I see a lot of parents at my club very happy to drop them at our Jr academy, but not so willing to sacrifice their own golf time to get those reps in.  They'll figure out the swing on their own as Monte says.  You're the one that's got to get them out there having fun on weekly basis, the earlier the better.  

 

For younger beginners (<6ish), this thing was a godsend.  This club and a putter was all I have them their first season.  

https://www.uskidsgolf.com/rs2-39-yard-club

Edited April 27, 2022 by phillyspecial

[MonteScheinblum]

19 hours ago, Warrior42111 said:

You should see U12 football parents haha

 

It's either their baby is a superstar and should play where they want...90% of the time their a minimum required plays player

 

or

 

When I'm telling them not to go into that late hit, trash talking crap some teams do, or when I take 9 minutes of the clock pounding the run game for a TD I'm a loser that doesn't know how the game is played today because it's boring, despite playing in college.

I have coached a youth flag team for the last 6 years starting when the boys were 7.  I’ve been lucky to have gotten a core group of boys that me me look smarter than I am.  
 

We have become unpopular because we win.  In this years city championship tournament, one of the teams couldn’t stop our crossing routes that end up in a sideline scamper for a TD.  So the coach started telling his players to body block our kids out of bounds if they couldn’t get the angle and pull the flag.  After it happened 3 times I asked nicely if they would stop that, as it wasn’t tackle football and I didn’t want anyone getting hurt on either team.  
 

The coach and one of the fathers literally wanted to fight me right there and called me a p***y.  I laughed at them, which made them more mad.

 

I told my players if they tried it again to protect themselves, as the refs weren’t, and lower their shoulder or stiff arm.

 

Same two guys started crying bloody murder and complained to the league.

[Warrior42111]

4 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

I have coached a youth flag team for the last 6 years starting when the boys were 7.  I’ve been lucky to have gotten a core group of boys that me me look smarter than I am.  
 

We have become unpopular because we win.  In this years city championship tournament, one of the teams couldn’t stop our crossing routes that end up in a sideline scamper for a TD.  So the coach started telling his players to body block our kids out of bounds if they couldn’t get the angle and pull the flag.  After it happened 3 times I asked nicely if they would stop that, as it wasn’t tackle football and I didn’t want anyone getting hurt on either team.  
 

The coach and one of the fathers literally wanted to fight me right there and called me a p***y.  I laughed at them, which made them more mad.

 

I told my players if they tried it again to protect themselves, as the refs weren’t, and lower their shoulder or stiff arm.

 

Same two guys started crying bloody murder and complained to the league.

I kept my stories tame for the forum, sadly and also humorously  I have worse.

 

As for body blocking I know different flag leagues have difference rules but some allow a body block or shove if down the sideline to knock OB. I've seen the older age flag leagues and it can get rough 14 year old full speed shoving another 14U full speed etc. 

[MonteScheinblum]

26 minutes ago, Warrior42111 said:

I kept my stories tame for the forum, sadly and also humorously  I have worse.

 

As for body blocking I know different flag leagues have difference rules but some allow a body block or shove if down the sideline to knock OB. I've seen the older age flag leagues and it can get rough 14 year old full speed shoving another 14U full speed etc. 

I’m sure you have some great stories, would love to hear them.  I had to run across the field and separate 10-15 people, when the boys were  10 years old, to prevent an all out brawl where fathers and mothers were squared off ready to throw down….it’s crazy.

 

In our league that’s totally illegal and usually enforced where a second incident results in test player getting ejected.

 

You know this better than I, any play is not dirty or that dangerous if you expect it, and/or see it coming.  It’s when you don’t expect it that you get injured.

[KD1]

1 hour ago, phillyspecial said:

all those Friday afternoons and weekend mornings I wasn't out there with you guys, I was taking my kids out to play and order snacks to their hearts content.  I see a lot of parents at my club very happy to drop them at our Jr academy, but not so willing to sacrifice their own golf time to get those reps in.

 

Oh man, you've struck a nerve... In reading your response I've just realized that's exactly the way my own dad did it with me when I was a kid. (your way, not the jr academy baby sitter way). That said, it didn't quite work on me as I didn't catch the bug until my 30s lol

 

Well, I took her to her first group class lesson yesterday evening. She seemed to have a great time and enjoy the coach so so far so good.

Edited April 27, 2022 by KD1

[mikpga]

Keep It Fun and Simple…

 

Find coaches who are good communicators…

 

 

[nikeblades00]

I'll add find a coach who meets your expectations. There's alot of coaches out there who will treat your kids even very young like they are training to be on tour one day. We've been thru it. Both of my kids golf is not their favorite sport and that's ok. After a couple years we found them a coach who legit just kept it fun. And my kids enjoyed that. 

So not knocking any parent that takes junior golf very seriously, it just wasn't for us.

[Ballcoach35]

I’m the worlds worst at this…but coaching without words is one of the best ways to help some one improve. Coaches can lead a horse to water but can’t make them drink. 
 

I say this as a former football coach, not a golf coach but, your job and his swing coaches job is to guide his development and to help him learn/apply. His job is to build habits and to enjoy the results. I personally believe, if you train the body right, the body will figure it out. 
 

I train QB’s now privately and I start them out in a great pre-pass position, then set their body in the “perfect” post pass position, then say, okay idc how you get from here to hear, just do it and be the athlete that bc you really are. Then we throw and their body figures it out. When I see something or when I want to focus on something specific, I’ll create a drill for it but in reality, I want them to be athletic not robotic and overly thinking. 
 

sorry, kinda got off topic but this is my two cents/sense.

[KD1]

So far she's enjoyed her first session and it seems to have made an impression. We were at a park the other day with our wagon of balls, sticks, jump ropes, etc. and I found her giving back swing tips to a random group of 6ish year olds 🤣.

 

I will say this coach does have "his swing" that he teaches, it is a positional check point system. I actually took a lesson from him a couple years ago myself and knew his style wasn't for me. I thought with a jr, a clean slate, that maybe it would be good to start off with some decent fundamentals. I think coach manages expectations well, on day 1 he just wanted her in a good back swing position then just let her rip it. Where as with the middle school aged kids next to us he had them lined up and would call out the positions in sequence, and they would all follow along in sync... its fun to watch anyway, it's like a golf dojo lol

 

As long as she keeps having fun we'll stick with it... unless you guys see giant red flags with this type of style. It's not lost on me that several replies in this thread have said don't get too technical.