The importance of Junior Golf Programs?

[watrboy4]

I wanted to throw this topic out and see where it goes. I teach a junior golf program at one of the country clubs I am a member at. I am interested in finding out concerns that you all might have with junior golfers and possible remedies. I am a firm believer in the fact that these juniors are the only way that this country club will survive. This is an open thread and I don't care if you get off subject. Have fun and I hope to learn some stuff and maybe teach also.

[Dent]

Are you looking at the juniors concerns or the members concerns about the juniors?

As far as I see it, im 16 and I think the biggest concerns are the juniors respecting the course, and knowing the rules properly. Teach the kids how to mark their ball, and general rules around the course. Many older members will appreciate that.

When i went to junior camps that was almost the first thing we learned.

[watrboy4]

Are you looking at the juniors concerns or the members concerns about the juniors?

Thank you for pointing that out I guess I should have picked one. I really want both the concerns juniors and members.

I like to start with etiquette and course rules and then touch on it throughout the lessons. I have a different type of junior program than most in my area. I do a 6 week course with a tourney on the 7th week. The ages range from 6-17. Thanks again for your input it is very helpful for me to try to understand what the juniors want. Drew

[Dent]

Hi there!

It all depends on the age ranges of the juniors and their skill level, for instance, the 6-12 year olds really like to worry about distance, so that would be their concern, They want to hit the ball well and far. From my perspective when I was little all i wanted to do was hit the ball far and straight. I can assure you thats what most kids want to do, they don't care much or even know about course management yet and just want to crush that ball.

The older kids are the same, but are more about accuracy. Try to teach them it's not all about distance if they really want to perform well.

[watrboy4]

Yeah you are exactly right. I have a 3 year old that I have been taking a lot and the pro and I have been telling him to grip it and rip it. He hits the ball pretty good even if he is looking at me...lol

What I try to do is seperate them into groups based on experience more than age. But that comes with some problems too. I have a 10 year old that can readily beat everyone in his age group. But if I put him with the older kids than he feels a little intimidated, so I have been torn with what to do with him. My number one rule, after safety and etiquette, is that this is a game and it is supposed to be fun.

[watrboy4]

Dent, forgot to add that my last class of the day is for the advanced class. If you have some ideas for me on that class that would be awesome. Like what would you want to go over at your age? What would you be interested in?

Thanks for your help

[907golfer12]

I hope this will help:

I am 15 and in the advance classes that I go to help us with hitting different shots, learning to work the ball, flop shots, other harder shots. Also we talk about course management, and how to handle pressure situations.

[watrboy4]

Thanks I appreciate your input. Hey how is the weather in Anchorage? I lived there for 5 years. Man I miss it a lot sometimes. I played Eagleglen mostly. But I like O'malley a lot. I mainly played it in the Alaska State Amatuer. The best Amatuer I have ever played. Just wanted to throw that out there. Have a good one.

[907golfer12]

Well the weather is god...now, we got this HUGE snow last month and it made me sad, but like I said, it's good now. Eagleglen is a good course, and O'Malley (actually Anchorage Golf Course) is my home course, and I live a few minutes from it. This year I am playing in the State Am, and the State Match play. Little info for you. Just this year (few weeks ago) Rich Sayers (head pro there for years) bought AGC from the Alyeska corporation so now it is independently owned

[watrboy4]

Hey if you get around to it can you post some pics for me. How is the couse in Wasilla? I was one of the first to play it. Good luck in your tourney's. I plan to get up there again to play the State Am.

[907golfer12]

Yeah, at AGC we are on all temps. (welcome to Alaska golf )

But I can take pictures, and by the course in Wasilla do you mean Settler's Bay or are you talking about the Palmer course?

[Devinsq]

I finally got done with courses last year, My instructor always does this, I did it for three years and for everyone (usually on the sake of new members) he would start with rules/etiquette, then we discuss the reasons of what club and when you use what, we then hit the range, putt, then go on the course for 5 holes, end up with an exam, and then get a free dinner and free 9 holes. Then we have the opurtunity to play a tourney later on.

Sorry, Kind of a list, but I thought it might help you.

[watrboy4]

What kind of exam was it? Questions on what was covered in class? I try to get a lot of donations from the local golf stores and use the final tourney as an incentive to learn and practice. What do you think?

[JustMe]

Well I'm a golf mom...so if I may.....Rules...rules...rules.

I've watched many junior tourneys. The one thing that always stops the group is a rule question. Now they can't ask the parents, and usually there isn't an official nearby, so hopefully there is at least one kid that knows the rule/rules. When to take a drop, how many stroke penalty, when to hit a provisional, lost ball, drop area, I'm sure you get the idea.

Cute story. We were at a big jr tourney last year, the officials request that the parents stay a shot ahead, anyway, this kid hits the ball it hits the cart path behind my cart and the ball shot up into the battery compartment. When the kids got up there they had to make a decision on the ruling. I'll tell you this much, it made the kids think.

[watrboy4]

Thanks a lot for the input and the great thing is that I get most of my good input from MOM's.....lol
The rules are hard to teach to the little ones but I try to start them with it. Sometimes we even have to stop class and take a lap around the driving range......lol
Thanks again

[Harold]

I wanted to throw this topic out and see where it goes. I teach a junior golf program at one of the country clubs I am a member at. I am interested in finding out concerns that you all might have with junior golfers and possible remedies. I am a firm believer in the fact that these juniors are the only way that this country club will survive. This is an open thread and I don't care if you get off subject. Have fun and I hope to learn some stuff and maybe teach also.

New blood is always a step in the right direction. The other step is the conservation of the local public munis. Most golfers, junior or otherwise get their start at munis. Many who are considered casual golfers (8 rounds or less per year is I think the cutoff) tend to continue to play munis for a variety of reasons that I won't discuss here. Especially in built up urban areas developers eyeball municipal golf courses and if they can convince the owner or the city that owns the property to sell than obviously the course closes. Owners, whether they be city or privately owned also get tired of running the land and sell. So what is popping up in it's place? Certainly not any municipal golf course. Exactly the opposite. You now have the 100.00+ round, 7000 yard from the tips, packed to the gills with low handicap golfers and it's a recipe for a slow lingering slide into where only the most wealthy and dedicated players will be playing the game. Junior programs are only part of the answer. They aren't coming back if the only playgrounds are private courses or what I call "upscale munis" are the only places to play.

[watrboy4]

That is a very good point. The problem is that most cities like you say are not holding onto their courses and even the semi-private courses around here are only offering that 3 day 200.00 course, which has a 100 kids at the same time. This is not a learning environment for any person.

[Dent]

I'd say another thing at my age, well, for my experience is just shooting well.

If you have some good players and they are really worried about score, teach course management. Most kids love shooting well for the bragging rights and the confidence to show them that they can really do well in this game.

Teach contact, hitting the ball square, etc etc.

Im sure your doing a great job.