Golf has long been a civilised, noble and
respectable sport. It breeds a calm and serene
personality, and encourages forward thinking and concentration. Who wouldn’t want these traits to be features
of their children’s character? These
benefits are all by products of an enjoyable and healthy way to stay fit and
active, whilst having more than a little fun also. I personally think that this all comes
together to make a good case for getting your kids into golf at an early
age. They’ll thank you for it someday.
Mini
Golf and Crazy Golf
These activities seem custom designed to
achieve this purpose. Crazy golf will be
an instant access for a young child; with loops and bright colours, squirting
water and moving parts. Crazy golf
requires timing and ingenuity to master and it’s a great way to start close
range putting. Don’t expect a great surface,
but expect a great day.
Mini golf should be considered as a natural
graduation from its wackier little brother.
Mini golf does away with a lot of the parts of the course considered
more ‘fun’ or ‘crazy’ and instead opts for more skill and golfing know-how. Curves and hills are introduced in a
strategic sense, rather than for enjoyment.
Many mini golf courses are now also featuring an artificial turf
equivalent of ‘rough,’ in which you incur a penalty for entering. This is a good way to highlight the horror of
disappointment when landing in the rough!
Pitch
‘n’ Putt
This is probably the first real chance that
kids will get to taste what real golf can be like. A lot of towns and cities now have Pitch ‘n’
Putt courses, open to beginners and veterans alike. These are almost always non-membership (pay
to play) courses which offer a scale more similar to that of a real course, but
with the gentle learning curve and recreational feel. The name comes simply from the two types of
clubs that you are loaned whilst playing; one for pitching and one for
putting. This is a good way to teach
your children the basics of selecting a club and how to use them. The other players are often patient, and it’s
polite to let a waiting group pass you if they are in smaller numbers or are
clearly better players. Breeding this
golfing etiquette into children is key if they hope to one day play on
membership courses.
First
Set Of Clubs
When the big day comes and you feel that
your kids are ready for a real course, you’ll want to celebrate by buying them
their first set of clubs. Each
manufacturer produces different types of clubs and professionals will be able
to pick up on the minute differences.
But for a beginner, you should opt in buying them an all-in-one set from
a medium level brand. Go for the hybrid
irons and avoid being talked into the big brand names. By all means dream of your kids appreciating
the difference between a set of Callaways and Clevelands, but don’t waste your
money on it. That day will come eventually,
and you’ll feel the dent in your wallet when it does!
When
To Step On To The Course
This is a big point. Golf courses are exclusive sites and you want
to keep the proprietors and other players happy. Don’t take your kids on unless they can drive
the ball well. A waiting party will
quickly grow impatient if they see amateurs in front of them, taking up their
time. Teach your children of a driving
range, and then you can teach them putting at home. An 18-hole course will feel like a very long
day if you keep hitting turf.
The most important thing is to have
fun. Golf is a sport, after all. Teach your kids and guide them well, and
you’ll likely find that they’ll soon be carried away by the passion of it. Even likelier is that they’ll be giving you a
handicap before long.
Colin Knight is an avid golfer and father
of two budding (and soon to be better) golfing sons. He currently works for Belmont
Lodge, a beautiful 3 star golf hotel on the riverside in Herefordshire.
3 comments:
I am currently in the driving range stage with my 4 year old son, but I can't wait to graduate him to the golf course so we can spend more time together.
Jeremy
If I follow those steps for my future kid, he'd probably be way better by me by the time he's good enough for the country clubs on long island.
The information you provided about country club san diego CA is really helpful & there are many other Golf clubs in the area which provides world class facilities to their members.
Thanks for providing this helpful information.
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