Introducing Your Kids to Golf - Tips?

delaloi · April 14, 2010

My daughter will turn 4 this summer. She's big and strong for her age, and says she wants to golf with me. I'd like to introduce her to the game.

Would be interested in hearing the experiences of others. For starters, I know: just have fun, don't force her, etc. I think I'm ok there. I'm more interested in hearing specific advice about teaching a 4-year-old. Like, what are the first fundamentals a child of that age should learn? Should we start with putting only (or should we avoid putting until later)? Are there any specific drills (or rather, learning games) that people have had success with?

Also, a specific question. She is right-handed (for drawing etc) but in swinging little plastic clubs in the backyard, she seems to want to golf left-handed. I understand that a generation ago, the general rule would probably have been to force her to play right-handed, but I assume that this is no longer the case and that I should let her play left-handed if that seems more natural for her. Right?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

**Gioguy21** · April 14, 2010

It'd prolly work out better for her to learn righty since lets face it, it's easier to come by women's clubs in a righty. I think if you started her with putting she'd enjoy it alot...besides working on her normal iron swing it gives her the ability to first experience 'feel' in a stroke. little kids love to putt...as for her swing, i'd say get her to just swing in a comfortable manner, hitting the ground at the bottom and continuing the swing to her follow through...then put a ball in the way. that's how i was taught. get her to experience the swing first...then hitting the ball kinda thing...otherwise like most kids, she'll try to hit AT the ball, and not through it.

**saevel25** · April 14, 2010

If she wants to swing naturally left handed, then let her go left handed. You might have to get custom clubs for her, but it probably wont be impossible. But i would start her from the green first then to the tee. So let her putt around, get her chipping, then work out to longer irons and then driver. A good foundation is putting and shortgame. Good luck..

**FX(TM)** · April 14, 2010

As others have said, get the putting and short game down first. Let her do whatever is comfortable to her, if she wants to go left-handed let her, don't force her to go right-handed, or she may not enjoy it.

Just get her a few cheap clubs, and let her see whether she actually likes playing full golf. If she does, then congrats!

bucklateral · April 14, 2010

I started both of my kids last year on golf. My daughter was 7 and my son was 6. They still go golfing with me at least twice a week over a year later.

I got some advice from some of the guys at my course and it has been good so far. All I taught them was how to grip the club, some basic etiquett, and had them play every hole as a 3 par. This way they were about 1 shot from the hole and then got to put. Usually the kids want to play from a little farther away and I just leave it up to them. Some holes they just want to putt, some they want to start close and some they want to start far away. The only issue is they sometimes don't understand that we need to go faster if the course is busy.

The biggest mistake I made was buying an off-brand set of clubs. It didn't even occur to me that there were name brand kids clubs. The ones I got my kids had the bags fall apart in a few months, the clubs have started to rust, and the grips are falling apart. I had to buy new sets for them once the other ones literally fell apart. I bought my daughter the Wilson brand and she is really happy with them and my son has Cleveland clubs. They were both good prices. Check out TGW.com or ebay.

**FX(TM)** · April 14, 2010

Another thing, around here we have a whole course of 3 par three's, called the Three Hammers Golf Course. If you have one of them nearby, that'd be a great starting course for her to just play over and over.

Also, a pitch and putt course is fun and a good way to get them into it. A lot of par 2s and 3s, and just a fun day out and a good way to improve the short game, even if the courses aren't top notch.

**NI4NI** · April 14, 2010

I started a thread on this subject a little over a year ago in this forum regarding my now 6 yr old son. My advice, given her age, is to simply focus on the fun factor. It's all about her making a connection between golf and fun (and of course, her Daddy). You can find age appropriate games for her - my son loved to putt, so he had a junior putter so that he and I could spend time on the putting green. We would go around in a circle, putting into each putting green hole. The swing came later - my son is a lefty, but has taken up a preference to throw with either hand, to bat (baseball) as a lefty, and to swing a golf club as a righty.

Another thng you could do, in order to determine hand preference, is to figure out her hand/eye dominance - google how to do this as it is straight forward enough. Or, just let her grab the club however she chooses, and then go have some fun.

My son and I still go hit the local Par 3 together, and have a blast. It's been a great bonding experience for us - I let him pull me to the course versus my pushing it on him - it's more fun when he wants to go and gives me a good excuse with the wife to golf.

Have fun, and take pics/videos. :)

**LeftyTrevor** · April 14, 2010

My son is 7 now and has been playing with me since he was 4. Here is how I introduced it to him. Like said above, start with a putter. I would play the hole and when we got to the green we would throw a ball out for him to putt out. This went for about 2-3 months. I have a practice net in the backyard so we would work some on the swing and hitting a ball. After 3 months where he was having fun but wanted more I would tee him up from my ball inside 100 yards or so. At 6 I moved him to the 150 marker and this year when he turned 7 we moved to the 200. The main thing is to keep the "course" realistic for the age. Im sure there are some prodigies out there that may play the forward tees at that age but this way it was good distances for my boy. Kept him challenged and at the same time he could still hit those good shots and have a chance at the occasional par or bogey. Also, make sure to spend time with your daughter on ettiquite (sp?) My son reminds my fiance' (2 months new to the game) when to be quiet and where not to walk on the greens etc... Actually quite funny to see a 7 yr old stopping people from walking across your line. Most importantly, keep it fun. I have had several rounds I did not really get to play due to spending time working with him. It was a slow few months when we moved off the greeens and were hitting the ball but I can tell you from experience she will become your favorite golf buddy in no time. Good luck with the training and have fun. BTW, at my home course we have a junior golf clinic that was great for my boy learning the basics.

**Taggsy** · April 14, 2010

I'd insist she read The Golfing Machine before picking up any clubs ;)

Joking aside I saw a programme on TV a few months ago about pushy parents. One of those featured was a 9 year old lad who was a touring pro in the making. He was awesome, but his dad when nuts when the kid missed putts or fluffed chips. I suppose the main thing with teaching kids (in anything, not just golf) is making sure it's fun and not a chore.

**retexan599** · April 14, 2010

I have been introducing my grandkids to golf for a couple of years now. It is more about encouragement than anything else. And learning about the etiquette & courtesy of the course (rake the sand trap, replace your divots, furthest away plays first, etc.). I also spend time with them looking closely at the ball,why dimples and markings, and learning the parts of the club, like the grip, shaft, face, why grooves, what the numbers mean, etc.).

And don't forget the post-golf food stop at their favorite fast food place, they remember that as much as anything.

**Wet Doggg** · April 14, 2010

My son just turned 3 in February and he started going to the course with me last summer. Last week was the first time I let him hit any balls on the driving range. We mainly work on having fun...and he asks if we can go golfing almost everyday. If not, we play in the yard with some yellow practice balls. I am not working on grip or anything with him yet...that will come next summer.

His favorite thing to do is go putt on the putting green. We mainly head to a local course that does not get a ton of play and even less practice guys so we essentially have the place to ourselves. So in the event he does not listen or remember what etiquette we are working on it is not a big deal. My main goal is for him to have fun. I found a set of kids clubs on Craigslist for $10 and that included a bag. They were still a little long so I cut them down and regripped them. He is just having so much fun. Have not taken him out on the course yet...that will come later in the summer. Again...make sure they have fun.

**WUTiger** · April 14, 2010

At age 4, I would say start out with putting, a little bit about golf etiquette. Also, you might show her the golf course as an ecosystem with its trees, grasses, greens and watershed as an ecosystem. She's in the green generation, so she might like this. Also, tell her that golf courses provide places for squirrells, rabbits, and chipmunks to live.

Golf courses actually do make a positive impact on the environment, although the radicals who flunked science class can't figure this out.

Also, ask experts how much golf swing a 4-year-old can handle. Some pediatricians worry that pre-school children can injure their backs if they hit lots of full shots, because of the whipping action on follow-through. Sorry I'm not an expert on this, but you might ask someone who is.

**zeg** · April 14, 2010

I've been taking my 3-1/2 year old with me to the practice areas lately. We usually putt until he gets bored with it (10-15 minutes or so, tops) and then go to the chipping area where he plays with his other clubs, again, until he gets bored and stops playing. He's got a little set with a driver, 7 and 9 irons, and a putter. He can hit any of those on the chipping area without risk, so I haven't taken him out to the range yet. I occasionally help him with his grip and try to encourage him to aim, but other than that my approach is just to let him have fun. He's coordinated for his age, but not to the point that you can really "coach" him beyond the very basics.

He also likes to go into the sand trap, but mostly just to play with the rakes. If it's got lots of footprints in it to start with, I think he's a net improvement...

I haven't yet taken him out on the course, and probably won't until I can completely trust him not to stop if he runs off. He gets a little crazy sometimes. There's a very short par 3 course near here, but their junior rate is silly. I think it's a dollar off the full rate, which is pretty cheap (maybe $13 for 18 holes), but still a bit out of whack. The full 9-hole course is $3.75 for him on a weekend, so it's tempting, though I'd have to take a cart I'd imagine.

**drglew** · April 15, 2010

US Kids Golf, one of the more popular junior brands makes plenty of lefty clubs (i've got lots in my garage for my boys), so if she wants to be a lefty it's not a major obstacle if you have a larger golf shop nearby.

Our local course had a "Wee-Linksters" program for little kids. I was shocked when my youngest decided to spend half of his group lesson time to sit and play in the giant range buckets of balls without the instructor caring. When i asked afterward, the instructor reiterated (and as many other posts also say) the most important thing at that young age is for the kids to associate golf = fun. Once they know they'll have fun, they'll be a lot more receptive to actual instruction.

Upchuck · April 15, 2010

Last year my 8 yr. old started with a girls golf league that is in part run by USGA & LPGA called Girls Golf. They have girls ages 6-18. I was really impressed. They start with a free clinic in which the girls are broken down into groups & taught basics of chipping & putting. Then they had a weekly clinic where they showed grip, stance & hitting balls. After this they started playing a few holes @ chip & putt course.

When the summer started they had weekly 9-hole league @ par 3 course. They alternated formats & parents played along in scrambles a few times. They really stressed things like introducing yourself to your playing partners, marking the ball & other rules of golf. It is nice because this place has mini golf, range, chip & putt & par 3 course. You paid $15 to join & $6 each week you could show up for the league.

They had a few outings at reg. golf courses where they either set up kids tees or scramble with an adult. My daughter loved it but was bummed the glow golf was cancelled due to weather. Every Thursday she was excited about going to play in her league. My wife said she seemed like me on Sunday. Best part is my 6 yr old wants to start this year. I hope they stay with it because someday I can get family membership at loacal club. What other sport can you play with your dad when they get old.

**IcemanYVR** · April 15, 2010

Mostly posting to subscribe to this thread

My son is 2 years and 4 months... and he really likes to play with the putter. He knows it has to go in the hole, and right now, I'm happy that he likes doing that. I was very surprised to see all the toddler and pre-school clubs at GolfTown (Canada's Golf Superstore) so next summer I'll get him some clubs that can work with him but for now, just going to stick with the putter

delaloi · April 15, 2010

Thanks everybody. Some good stories and thoughts.

I think I'll start out with a 2-way putter (so she can play lefty or righty, whichever feels better), a couple of pink golf balls (anything pink is normally a good bet with her), and a nice golf hat and golf shirt. We'll go look around the course, sink a few putts, start learning some etiquette, and get an ice cream afterward.

**NI4NI** · April 15, 2010

Thanks everybody. Some good stories and thoughts.

And, if someone asks her the next day what she did, $10 is on her remembering the ice cream first. Unless, the hat and golf shirt are coordinated and also pink. :)

Enjoy the time as it goes by so quickly.

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