DirtCheap

That's been the opinion of my son's golf coach too. He's not happy that my son plays in tournaments because he says they (the kids) get into the "put the ball in the hole at all costs" mindset and they are not receptive to learning new things. It's a tough call. I think if you wait until they're 10, they're already so far behind that unless they're exceptional, they're going to struggle. On the other hand, kids who start out in a learning mindset probably end up better golfers over all.

So 5 weeks into our tour, I can now offer this advice. I can't really speak for ijga, but I can compare US Kids Golf to The First Tee. US Kids Golf is mostly about golf. Kids learn the game, and they learn how to win and lose and how to deal with it. The top 5 receive medals and if their scoring is good enough, they get an invitation to play at the next level. At The First Tee, golf is secondary. The kids learn life lessons and how to be good citizens while learning the basics of the game. When I went to explore The First Tee for my son, I made the mistake of asking what kinds of scores kids in his age group were putting up. I was politely told that scores didn't matter, and that the program focused more on producing good citizens than good players. They also told me that they actively recruit executives from surrounding businesses to teach the kids both about golf, and about what they will need to succeed in their careers. It's a very impressive program! While this is a fantastic program, I quickly learned that my son was too far advanced for it. At this point, he would probably lose interest if I made him sit in a classroom and learn things like making eye contact while shaking hands. He was already putting up scores that were getting him consistent third place finishes in his US Kids division, but he was getting frustrated and wanted better scores. In my opinion, it's all about the kid's competitive nature. If your kid has that desire to compete and win, US Kids is the way to go. If your kid just wants to play a game while being social, The First Tee can't be beat. For us, I found my son a USGA certified golf instructor that had time to teach him twice a week and build his game in US kids. My daughter, on the other hand, will be joining The First Tee next season. She's far less competitive and enjoys the social aspect more. I hope this helps. Keep those kids playing! D,C.

My seven year old has his first tournament this Sunday, and every sunday after that for eight weeks. He can't get enough golf, and I want to give him every opportunity to be the very best he can be. Gear wise, what training aids would you recommend for a beginner that young? There are hundreds of training aids out on ebay but I have no idea which are good and which are junk. We have a net set up in the house with a chipping/driving mat so he can practice his swing any time. I'm considering adding a putting mat of some sort. Other than that, I was considering getting him one of those lasers that goes on the end of his club grips to help him with his backswing. Any ideas are appreciated. DC.

I can't offer you anything constructive right now, but I have my 7 year old signed up to play in an eight week tour of Tulsa, Oklahoma later this month through US Kids Golf. The "Daddy Caddie" aspect appealed to me too.

'Cuda.. As in Barracuda. 'Cuda Clark

I am so glad I came and read this. I just signed my seven year old up for his first 9 hole tournament and we were planning to get him an embroidered bag with his nickname on it. Now I'm wondering if it's a bad idea.

Don't really have any fairway woods. I have a $20 driver from Wal-Mart and I go straight to my 4 iron after that. I don't have any problems with older models. This is encouraging! I'm excited again. Thanks guys!

My wife had me all excited by saying she was going to get me a matching driver, 3 and 5 wood set for my birthday. I started looking around and getting ideas, then she told me my budget would be about $200. I had planned to spend $200 on the driver alone. Do I stand a prayer of getting any sort of good, matched set for $200.

I just bought my precious, four year old little girl a pink JR clubs set that she instantly fell in love with. The only problem is, I bought a set that was meant for ages 8-12. Is there any chance I can cut a couple of inches off each of the three shafts and make it fit her better? TIA.. DC.

I used to buy a dozen before each round and I would come home with 3-5 left over that I would throw into a bag in my garage. The kids have raided my stash bag leaving most of them out in the sun/rain so the dozen or so balls in my bag are all I really have.

The courses I play all send a cart around at the end of the day to make sure no one is left on the course before they close. Assuming I haven't already realized that it am missing it and gone back for it myself, the course employee will snag it and give my cell a call. That's the hope anyway.

I think there are a lot of liars here.

This thread got me to thinking about losing clubs. I got on ebay and looked at club/ shaft labels that have your contact info printed on them. They are less than $8 for a set of 20 labels. I can't speak to their durability, but I'm planning to buy a set for my clubs A.S.A.P.

I never touch anything I find on the course.If it doesn't belong to me, I have no business putting my hands on it. I can't control what the people behind me do, but I can do what I would hope people would do for me, and that is leave my club where I left it so I can come back and find it instead of having to try and chase it down in someone's cart or hope it arrives in the clubhouse. They also make really cool labels that you can wrap around your clubs with your contact info on them. As the value of my clubs continues to rise each year with upgrades, I'm considering using these.