Soon to be new HS golf coach, please help!!

[Wet Doggg]

Here are my few suggestions. Make it fun...but also make sure they know the importance of doing their best and trying to win. We are not talking about 5 year old kids here. Learning to win with grace and LOSE with grace is a big deal and I run into a lot of kids who are just sore winners and losers. You are right, swing coach you may not be. But you can teach etiquette and the rules. Remember that the course you are practicing and playing are doing so out of the goodness of their heart and either charging your school nothing or very, very little. Real easy way to lose that privilege is to have a bunch of loud and obnoxious hooligans running around while people who are paying good money to also use the facility are getting upset. Good luck...you should have fun.

[WUTiger]

But you can teach etiquette and the rules. Remember that the course you are practicing and playing are doing so out of the goodness of their heart and either charging your school nothing or very, very little.

Along the same line, teach them to keep their voices down, and not yell and show off. The practice range I go to has two HS golf teams which use it. One team is friendly and businesslike, and the other has players that diss each other and do major trash talking. From the level of noise, you'd think it was two 0-8 NFL teams battling for the cellar.

[weavej2]

Are you a spring season or fall....how did the team do last season...I have a ton of ideas. 2 great books Pelz Damage Control, Bill Madonna Coaching Golf Successfully. Alignment sticks from Home Depot "It is not what feels like square but what square feels like" Trying to pull parental involvement..take the load off driving by arrangeing carpools. I think physical fitness would be important, developing stamina for coming down the last few holes, Yoga for muscle tone and control and grace. Make sure the kids have water and have food in thier stomachs. THe lightest carry bags available. You have accepted some legal responsibility to have in place a few plans incase the unforeseen would happen, contacts info for each player, your "disaster" plan if you need ambulance etc. You should carry Liability insurance at 1 mil and up. Check if you are covered under the school policy, if not add to Homeowners. Do not use your vehicle to transport students if at all possible, you would take on additional responsiblity, try to have a driver or at minimum the schools vehicle. Make a small poster that can fit into their lockers, assign multiple goals, ;;;shoots 40 or under, has a birdie, no 3 putts and after each match hand out stickers (like football helmet stickers) Practice anywhere, open fields, indoors, putt on carpet or hardwood floors. Make a google group so the kids can stay in touch and arrange thier own outings, post scores or tell what they are practicing on. When hosting an event have one player meet the opposing team bus/van to make sure the visitors are shown the restrooms, changing room, food/water etc. Practice 100 yards and in..make a "elite" team of players that show proficiency in the short game. Putt at home swing at home...think golf. Have a preseason Ice Cream social INCLUDING THE FAMILIES..have a post season awards banquet. Have your mid season results printed in the football program. How about 3 mini camps in the summer, start Sunday Afternoon, sleep over and practice play all day Monday. Practice in a baseball field, chip/pitch to the top of the fence rail, closest to the bottom, who can flop one closest to the fence rail ON THE OTHER SIDE , Throw out a blanket, a plastic pail who can hit it first. Quality practice, not tons of balls. Ladder chips who can go the furthest w/o flubbing. Before the 1st match have veterans explain every step to the new players, this is exactly what will happen before during and after a match. You tube for Rules... Barry Rhodes has some of the easiest explainitions I have seen. Create Yardage books with small spiral notebooks(I can get 3 for $1 at Family Dollar) , make them an item that Srs pass down to the next generation. Play the course not against the opposing team...teach them to be kind to the other team irregardless of outcome. If you play 9 holes break the scorecard into 3 ...3 hole matches. create the mindset to leave the last 3 hole behind and move forward. If you play 9 holes you really need to stress that there isnt time to work out the kinks, you have to come out swinging right on the 1st tee. I would give each Sr a "turn" at being the captian. Watch for grades...make it very clear on what behavior is acceptable, have player and parents sign a "contract" of what is expected and when, If I were practicing at a baseball field I would accept casual attire T shirts cutoffs etc...at a course i would not, shirts in , hats forward, yes sir no mam..to everyone..including the waitress at the resturant. Photos of practices, tryouts and events. Get a loop prepare to run at the awards dinner.

[aca247]

Wait, 1 more thing: MAKE SURE THEY KNOW THE RULES!!!!

we did that one day this year mainly because there are about 3 or 4 new players who dont know the rules one on the jv because we didnt have enough people and the rest on the brand new girls team

[Cussin hacker]

Very cool!! Teach them well and good luck.

[jurban05]

I was never on a golf team but I know from the many other sports I played that the main thing I always wanted from my coach was to learn something. Sure you can run match play and scrambles and have a great fun practice but when the kids leave the high school team what did they really get out of it? I like the ideas of a time for learning the rules, course managment, behavior. If one of the kids is weak in an area maybe have a 30 minute time frame where everyone works on there weaknesses. Buncker shots or whatever. Then go into match play. Me personally I would rather have less fun and walk out of my 4 years in high school with some knowledge and a better understanding of the game than just the memory of how fun practice was.

[ks8829]

John Wooden a successful basketball coach for UCLA Bruins had many great quotes about life that can be used on and off the course:


A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.
John Wooden

Ability is a poor man's wealth.
John Wooden

Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.
John Wooden

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
John Wooden

Be prepared and be honest.
John Wooden

Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.
John Wooden

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
John Wooden

Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
John Wooden

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
John Wooden

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.
John Wooden

I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.
John Wooden

If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?
John Wooden

If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.
John Wooden

It isn't what you do, but how you do it.
John Wooden

It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.
John Wooden

It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.
John Wooden

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
John Wooden

Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.
John Wooden

Never mistake activity for achievement.
John Wooden

Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
John Wooden

You have a great opportunity to mold these young minds and golf is only a vehicle to accompolish this with.

[telfordtodd]

Holy Moly my head just exploded!! :)

Thanks to you and everyone else for all the good suggestions. Since I last posted, it was made official that I am the coach. Should be a fun ride, I hope it doesn't interfere too much with my day job!

Are you a spring season or fall....how did the team do last season...I have a ton of ideas. 2 great books Pelz Damage Control, Bill Madonna Coaching Golf Successfully. Alignment sticks from Home Depot "It is not what feels like square but what square feels like" Trying to pull parental involvement..take the load off driving by arrangeing carpools. I think physical fitness would be important, developing stamina for coming down the last few holes, Yoga for muscle tone and control and grace. Make sure the kids have water and have food in thier stomachs. THe lightest carry bags available. You have accepted some legal responsibility to have in place a few plans incase the unforeseen would happen, contacts info for each player, your "disaster" plan if you need ambulance etc. You should carry Liability insurance at 1 mil and up. Check if you are covered under the school policy, if not add to Homeowners. Do not use your vehicle to transport students if at all possible, you would take on additional responsiblity, try to have a driver or at minimum the schools vehicle. Make a small poster that can fit into their lockers, assign multiple goals, ;;;shoots 40 or under, has a birdie, no 3 putts and after each match hand out stickers (like football helmet stickers) Practice anywhere, open fields, indoors, putt on carpet or hardwood floors. Make a google group so the kids can stay in touch and arrange thier own outings, post scores or tell what they are practicing on. When hosting an event have one player meet the opposing team bus/van to make sure the visitors are shown the restrooms, changing room, food/water etc. Practice 100 yards and in..make a "elite" team of players that show proficiency in the short game. Putt at home swing at home...think golf. Have a preseason Ice Cream social INCLUDING THE FAMILIES..have a post season awards banquet. Have your mid season results printed in the football program. How about 3 mini camps in the summer, start Sunday Afternoon, sleep over and practice play all day Monday. Practice in a baseball field, chip/pitch to the top of the fence rail, closest to the bottom, who can flop one closest to the fence rail ON THE OTHER SIDE , Throw out a blanket, a plastic pail who can hit it first. Quality practice, not tons of balls. Ladder chips who can go the furthest w/o flubbing. Before the 1st match have veterans explain every step to the new players, this is exactly what will happen before during and after a match. You tube for Rules... Barry Rhodes has some of the easiest explainitions I have seen. Create Yardage books with small spiral notebooks(I can get 3 for $1 at Family Dollar) , make them an item that Srs pass down to the next generation. Play the course not against the opposing team...teach them to be kind to the other team irregardless of outcome. If you play 9 holes break the scorecard into 3 ...3 hole matches. create the mindset to leave the last 3 hole behind and move forward. If you play 9 holes you really need to stress that there isnt time to work out the kinks, you have to come out swinging right on the 1st tee. I would give each Sr a "turn" at being the captian. Watch for grades...make it very clear on what behavior is acceptable, have player and parents sign a "contract" of what is expected and when, If I were practicing at a baseball field I would accept casual attire T shirts cutoffs etc...at a course i would not, shirts in , hats forward, yes sir no mam..to everyone..including the waitress at the resturant. Photos of practices, tryouts and events. Get a loop prepare to run at the awards dinner.

[weavej2]

Holy Moly my head just exploded!! :)

Sorry...you asked for suggestions...I didnt know it was limited to 2 suggestions per posting...anyway..good luck.

[TidePride50]

I've been the golf coach at the high school I work at for the past 5 years. In that time, I have given very little swing advice. I organize tournaments and try outs, and try and keep it fun. As said, I stress etiquette and knowing the rules, and my teams have always been classy at tournaments.

Bingo. Sounds alot like me. This past season was my first year and that is what I pretty much believed in doing. One main reason is because all the older golfers were much better than me. Make sure they know the rules and golf ettiquete. I also stress the importance of being honest with their scores. If I catch anyone cheating they are cut immediately.

[Trek3]

I played HS golf. Many kids that are good can fix their own swings. I recommend that you teach 4 things.
1. Rules
2. Integrity
3. Mental Toughness
4. Course Management

[masterzj]

I was on a golf team in high school and had a great coach who i still play with a few times a year. He wasnt pushy on changing our swings he just wanted us to know what shots we had and what we didnt. But there was a few things he did that made us a great team.

1. Our format is a foursome with 2 from each team. He encouraged us to help each other out on the course, i.e. reading greens, wind, yardage, and such.

2. He knew our families. The first weekend of the season we have a saturday get together where each player brought a family member to play, and he would hop around the course to meet everyone and play a hole or 2 so the relations are always good with family members of the players.


3. Make it fun, have a day when you do something cool and enjoyable, like match play where if you win a hole you take a club from the other players bag.

Hey it works, 3 NYS state championships in the past 10 years.

[ryebread442]

I think it's great that you are getting into coaching golf. I played all four years in high school and had an amazing coach so I'll try and give you a student's view.

In regards to the game, don't try and change a player's swing too dramatically. Give them easy fixes such as keeping their head down or using a line to aim their puts. My coach called them "band-aid fixes", things that are easy to do and will have a profound effect on a rookie player. Next, you want to go over rules. No need to teach them the entire rulebook, just everything they will have to deal with in a typical round of golf. This goes hand in hand with integrity/sportsmanship. Make sure you are encouraging honesty and respect toward other players. Lastly, and most importantly, point out how difficult the game is and make the kids understand that they will hit bad shots, have bad rounds, and may be expecting too much of themselves. Let them know they are still young and experience plays a huge part in golf. It's ok to make mistakes.

From a coaching standpoint, take an interest in the kids and think of them as your own. For example, instead of holding a meeting, my coach would drop by my house and drop off the required paperwork and chat for a bit. I'd get invited out to a couple rounds with him and my tennis coach...ect. Make practice a reasonable length and encorperate different competitive drills. To get the players to aim at a target when on a range instead of just pounding balls, hold a "closest to the pin". On the greens, start with a short game lesson of the day, have the players practice it, and hold a quick short game match play tournament where the winner gets a gatorade or soda from the clubhouse.

Finally, there's one overlooked inevitability of being a coach. Bureaucracy. You'll have to make sure the students all have their paperwork in (I know in Maryland we needed a parent permission form and a physical), keep track of their grades so they can be elligable, and deal with other coaches and your athletic director. You might have to keep a tight budget because all the money always seems to go into football and never the niche sports, so just be aware of that.

Sorry about the wall of text, but if you go in there with the best intentions (and by your first post it certainly seems like you are) you will be a great coach and maybe even an inspiration for your students. Good luck!

[weavej2]

whats new here...getting ready for the fall??