September. School holidays are coming up and summer is just around the corner. It’s a great time to introduce kids to golf and in the next three issues, I’ll highlight ways to ease your young ones in so that it’s a game they play for life. We might even improve your game in the process. Here’s a start:
1. Embrace the mini-golf revolution. New mini-golf courses are popping up at golf clubs across the country and they are a great way to show your kids that they’re welcome at the club and that it is a fun place to go. Let them play, keep score if they insist and shout them a treat from the pro shop on the way out.
2. Rolling and tossing balls is a great way to introduce the concept of speed control in the short game. You can do this in the backyard at home, down at the park or at the putting green at your club. Start with rolling balls to a close target – such as a hole – and gradually lengthen to longer targets. The same with gently tossing balls. Pick a target you where want the ball to land and let the ball roll out. Challenge each other to see who can get closest.
3. Give them a putter – preferably one their size – and putt balls uphill and then downhill. The distance we take the putterhead back is the equivalent in inches of the length of the putt in feet. For a five-foot putt, take the putterhead five inches back and five inches through. Set up a 10-foot putt and place a tee 10 inches in front of the ball and one 10 inches behind. This will give your child the concept of the distance we want the putterhead to move both back and through.
Take your time, be patient and, most importantly, make it fun. They’ll be dragging you to the course in no time.
If you have any questions or are interested in undertaking some online lessons, e-mail me at [email protected]
Feature image: Getty images – Douglas P. Defelice
