Any advice for my 6 year old hearing impaired son getting into golf

[atanum]

My son is 6 years old and I have just started getting him into golf.

Unfortunately, he is a moderately hearing impaired and so getting to communicate to him is a challenge.

Put him in a kids golf clinic, but he got frustrated as he feels out of place and its difficult for him to understand.

So, I usually take him out to the range and I must say when he gets into it he hits about 100 balls non-stop. I was also quite amazed to see him hit bunker shots out into the chipping green.

He also played a 9 hole with me a couple of times and seems to enjoy it.

Because, it's difficult to get through to him - he gets frustrated at times and gives up.

Any advise people...

[carpediem4300]

physically show him then,

i.e. stand behind him and make the swing with him, stopping at key points to point out where he is going wrong, like at 3/4 back swing

if he is swing with the club to far behind his hands, make the 3/4 swing and then indicate this is wrong, move the clubhead forward and indicate this is right, then do a few 3/4 swings on the correct path,....

be inventive, dont try explaining to him, show him

[inthecup]

You might also try slow motion video, get a casio camera that does a high frame rate, it costs around $200.  There is a program I have called V1 that many pro's use to teach.  They have a version called V1pro home

http://ifrontiers.stores.yahoo.net/v1homesoftware.html

It is $40.  With it you can put his swing next to a pro swing and stop it at at any point in the swing.  It is easy at that point to see the difference.  It may sound extreme for a 6 year old but I think this is a special circumstance and worthy if you are looking for a win for him.  I have a son that is different.  It took a long time for us to find something he liked and was good at in sports.  When we did it was a great thing for him and us.  His self confidence was boosted and he made friends because of the common interest.

Good luck.

[carpediem4300]

EPIC, well done

Originally Posted by inthecup

I have a son that is different.  It took a long time for us to find something he liked and was good at in sports.  When we did it was a great thing for him and us.  His self confidence was boosted and he made friends because of the common interest

[atanum]

That's a great idea inthecup , In fact I do have the Casio FC-100 for my swing analysis, I guess that's the one you are talking about. I will get a copy of the v1 pro home and get going. I sure do understand and commiserate with you, seeing some of the frustrations my son goes through day-in, day-out without being able to express himself. I hope he loves golf and becomes a confident young child and a future great golfer. Thanks much,

[The Tin Man]

Young children learn by watching and copying. I remember a golf instructor mentioning that when teaching children he keeps swinging the club rhythmically while talking. What the kids pick up on is not what he's saying.......it's what he's doing.  Like Tiger Woods said: "You can't tell an 8 year old to swing at 80%."

I wouldn't bother with golfing videos unless Mr. Rodgers or Sesame Street made it. Keep it simple. Keep it fun.

PS: There must be material out there on how Tigers father gave him lessons.

Also there is You Tube. Kids learn fastest watching other kids. "If he can do that, so can I."

PSS: At 6 many kids bodies are not mature enough to do anything smoothly.

[atanum]

Visuals and motion based assimilation is one of the best ways to get kids going, especially the ones with auditory handicaps. Couple of things that he has gotten to like is watching the PGA tour telecasts with Dad. The other thing is the golf games on playstation with the motion controllers. This is great with the kid avatars which he can relate too. I think the video with the v1 pro will also work great, as he can see his swing and compare with other swings. Maybe got to search you tube to see if there is anything out there.

[golfdu]

Wait, seriously? I'm kinda deaf, too! I can't hear high-frequency and such (chipmunks, birds, etc.) and I have a difficult time kinda joining in with the crowd, too. Just tell him everybody's different in their own ways, and he shouldn't give up ever, because golf is a great game. I advise in the future when he's in high school, don't do a thing called "closed captioning" with a captioner in his classes with your kid's IEP (if he has one) Trust me, he'll hate it. Have fun teaching him how to play some golf! :-)