Anyone Else Golf with a Junior?

[Vinny Cap]

So my son is 13 and is really getting into golf.  He started a few years ago, playing a couple times a summer and it has grown into golfing on every vacation during the summer to us doing a Myrtle Beach golf vacation.

He has a goal of playing on the High School golf team so to help this I have joined a local club and have signed him up as a junior member.  We have full access to the driving range, chipping area and putting greens.  I plan to try and get us out a couple of times a week to help him grow his game.

We have moved from only playing 9 holes, around 20 - 9 hole rounds when he started, to playing 18 holes.  He really likes playing 18 and we have around 5 rounds so far together.  I plan on getting him into the summer program at the course so a Pro can help him dial in his swing and learn other golf basics and fundamentals.

When we play, he hits from the Red tees and I keep his actual score and then after the round I factor in his handicap I made up to even us out a bit.  I give him 1 stroke on the par 3’s, 1.5 strokes on the par 4’s and 2 strokes on the par 5’s.  This currently works pretty good as we have tied a few times, he has won one and I beat him a couple times.

He hits his D and 4h real good!  Is good with the 6i through 52 and has made good progress with his putting… it was horrible a couple summers ago but keeps getting better.

So I started this thread for input on things I can do to help my son get better and for others to share some junior golfer stories if they wish.

[DaveP043]

Congratulations, it sounds like at the very minimum you're going to have a golf buddy for life.  It sounds to me like you're doing all the right things, getting him a chance to practice and play, and arranging for instruction.  Good luck to both of you going forward

[Vinny Cap]

14 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

Congratulations, it sounds like at the very minimum you're going to have a golf buddy for life.  It sounds to me like you're doing all the right things, getting him a chance to practice and play, and arranging for instruction.  Good luck to both of you going forward

Thanks Dave.  I like the sounds of "golf buddy for life".  That sounds so cool.  I often wish I got to golf with my dad but he never brought us out.  It was actually my son who got me into golf around 6 or 7 years ago.  Hooked for life!!! 

[TN94z]

My son is 16 now and plays for the high school team. He has been playing golf with me since he was probably 7 or 8. The summer programs are fun and then progress to a good teacher will get him the best chance. It kind of depends on the kid though. I've seen some kids along our way that seem to be forced into getting lessons from their parents and don't really enjoy being there. I would not go that route. For me, it was all about making it fun for him at first and then he just gradually fell in love with getting better. He has been getting lessons off and on for a while. I love the fact that we always have each other to golf with. He has his friends that he plays with and I have some buddies I play with, but most of the time, it's me and him. It's really cool to have something like to make memories with. As @DaveP043 said, it looks like you are on the right track. I hope your son reaches his goal of playing on the high school team! Jacob has a blast playing for his school!

[DeadMan]

Some advice from when I was about your son's game and playing golf:

1. Make it fun, and
2. If he wants to get better, find a good pro to improve his game.

I gave up golf when I was about 13 because I wasn't getting any better and that made it not fun for me. The problem was that the pro I was using was not a good teacher (and I was not very patient back then). If you can find a pro that he likes and improves his game, then that will be the best thing to do for him. Looking back, I really wish I had gotten good instruction when I was younger, so I could have focused on improving when I had more time as opposed to now, when I have adult responsibilities that get in the way of golf.

[Vinny Cap]

Thanks for the reply @TN94z  Good story and it is cool that you and your son get to play together.

I totally hear you about parents who force something on their kid.  Have never done that and never will.  My son is the one who wants to play now and in High School.  He is into us playing and wants to do the Summer programs.  I will go with the flow and keep supporting him as I have a ton of golf buddies to play with but cherish our rounds so much more no matter the scores.  If he is having fun, I am having fun.

I will keep updating this thread to share his journey and enjoy the ride with him.

[Vinny Cap]

@DeadMan Thanks for the reply.

I always try and make it fun.  We even have fun putting around the house and some chipping games we play in the neighborhood with foam balls.

I hear you on the instructors and thanks for sharing.  Hindsight is 20/20 but its great when people share and it help someone else out so they don't have/see the same issue years down the road.  I will do my best to get him good instruction.  Will check him out before signing my son up.  It is best if you like your teacher, that makes learning so much easier.

[davechen]

Yup, I golf with my son all the time.  He's 14 and is hoping to play high school golf next year.  

He has played for a number of years now.  For the last 3-4 he has done the PGA Junior League with our local municipal course.  He enjoys the team aspect of it.  He has also done a few tournaments, although that hasn't gone as well.  Also he's done the Drive, Chip and Putt, although he's never advanced out of the local qualifying.

He's taken lessons from several pros, and we've settled on one that he likes and seems like a very good instructor.

This year is he has sprouted up, and is now out hitting me.  I'm still more consistent that he is, so he's only out shot me once. 🙂  Don't know how long that will last.

[Vinny Cap]

@davechen  Thanks for the reply!

That's great to hear about you and your son.  Golfing together is so much fun.  I am glad you have found an instructor he likes.  I think that helps so much in the learning process... just like school.  My kid always does better with a teacher he likes.

We never tried D, C & P, would like to get to go to Augusta but the kids in his age bracket were hitting it 240+!  He couldn't compete with that.... yet!

I think the tourneys can be tough unless your kid has been playing from a really young age.  As long as he is having fun, that's what it is all about.  Let him relish in the win.  My son has laminated any card when he beat me.  Always make me take him out for an ice cream too.  Fun day and night together.

Keep up the fight!  You guys sound like you have some fun and it's good competition.

[davechen]

Yeah, at the DC&P there were boys that could kill it 250+.  On the other hand, my son came in second in driving because he kept all 3 of his 210-220 yard drives in the fairway.

[Vinny Cap]

Second is good and he should be proud.  That competition is pretty fierce for youngsters.

3 between the trees is good.  Some weekends I can't do that 3 holes in a row!

I wish him luck with the HS golf team!

[RustUK]

I started playing golf with my 13 year old daughter last summer and she is already addicted to it!  When she first started playing, I was hoping that within a year she could get to a standard where we would be able to have a round together without holding up other people too much, but in 10 months she has improved so much that she's not far off being able to beat me.  She nearly broke 100 last night for the first time shooting a 103 on our par71.

As others have said, its just so nice to be able to share a hobby with my daughter, especially where she is as passionate about it as me.   It's a great way to spend the evening after work in the summer.

[Vinny Cap]

@RustUK  Thanks for the reply. 

That is some improvement!  You should be proud of your daughter. 

It is great when you can get a youngster off their electronic device and out into nature to have some fun with you.  The first time my son realized how quite and peaceful it was out on the course he fell in love with it.  Enjoy the trees, the sunshine and all the beauty that mother nature has out there for us.

I was worried about slowing other groups down at first but we just let them play through and they all appreciated it and thought it was nice... a dad out teaching his son the game.  Now he keeps right up with anyone we are playing with.

[Buckeyebowman]

Good for you, Vinny Cap! My Dad took up golf late in life at the urging of some of my Uncles on my Mom's side. Of course, some old clubs and balls started laying around the house and garage, so I had to dig a "cup" in the back yard and start chipping to it.

One day, I started wondering what would happen if I took a "real" swing at a ball. What happened was that I rifled a crisp 2 iron through Mr. Ross's garage window! I fessed up and had to do some "work" for him to pay off my debt. As I worked, I heard Mr.Ross, who also played, and my Dad talking. I heard Mr. Ross say, "It seems like your boy wants to play".

And that's where it started for me. Glad to see you've infused the love of the greatest game ever invented by man into your Son.

 

[Vinsk]

I’ve taken my 11yr old boy out a few times. Not pushing hard but I wish he’d show  more interest. Damn baseball takes up so much of his time....

[SmiterofPV1x]

I read the OP only prior to this comment, will go back and read the rest after I post, but I have a lot to say here. 

I have 3 Jr golfers growing up, 14, 13 (as of today) and 6. The 14 y/o has played football every fall from 3rd grade on. He's making the switch to HS golf this fall because 1. He enjoys golf more and 2. His High School football program is one of the worst ran in the state. I'll give him credit for sticking it out this far, his 7th and 8th grade team went a combined 1-15. This is after going 4-3, 5-2, and 5-2 his 4th, 5th, and 6th grade years. Playing the same kids. His school coaches were an absolute joke. The youth years records were without even trying to win really. Full disclosure, I was his coach those years but we only tried to win in the 4th quarter and everyone saw plenty of playing time. The problem as I saw it was they tried to fit a round peg into a square hole, namely they ran the HS scheme which didn't fit this group of kids. All well and good until their HS coach resigned after last season and there is no scheme. He's tired of being embarrassed and I don't blame him. Sad state of affairs that you can take the most pro football kid out there and make him so he doesn't care if he sees a football field ever again. Pathetic effort by the school system, but I digress. Their loss is the golf teams gain. 

Tyler, my 14 y/o is not a great or even good golfer. He is adequate and is giving this a one season try. He might go back to football and he has my blessing either way. He wants to see how good he can get with a full season to play. I gave him the full "you have 4 more years to play football and a lifetime to play golf" speech and he chose golf. Good on him. His game is such that I could easily see him being a low 80's shooter by the end of the year. He has a 110 SS at 14. Wild as the day is long. Makes a ton of great shots but hits a ton of bad too. I'm interested to see if he improves with me as a spectator. He has all the tools but is very inconsistent. 

Colin, my now 13 y/o is good. He's shot low 80's already despite 210 being as deep as he can go off the tee. He beat me at The Old Course a few months back, straight up. Not much phases him and he was hitting 3w closer than I was hitting 9i. He has a shot at being very good. He's still over a year off from playing HS golf. He was going to play football in the fall but he decided he wanted to focus on golf. Again, I'm a spectator in their lives as far as decisions go. For him though, it's the 100% right call. He has the skills to be very good. He just doesn't swing hard enough (best measured SS was 94 and usually plays upper 80's SS at this point). He's growing into his man body and I don't doubt he's going to be very good/maybe great. He needs to get to a reasonable swing speed in the next year and if he doesn't lose his touch he'll be fine. More than fine. I fully expect him to eclipse me in every way on the course soon, once he can hit mid irons or less into par 4's my days are numbered. He'll be a great high school golfer if he doesn't lose his athleticism. If not more. 

Finally, my little guy. Holds a world record that'll never be beat. Went 18/18 for holes in one. Granted he drops the ball 12" past the hole and putts only, but more over Kim Jong Ill. You can't top 18/18, ever. He was my only witness to an albatross HIO, and was my best little golfing buddy for several years. Now in school and I miss like hell my midweek round with him. 

[Buckeyebowman]

22 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I’ve taken my 11yr old boy out a few times. Not pushing hard but I wish he’d show  more interest. Damn baseball takes up so much of his time....

Oh, I don't want to hear about "damn baseball"! The only damn I want to hear about is video games!

[Vinsk]

2 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Oh, I don't want to hear about "damn baseball"! The only damn I want to hear about is video games!

Lol! Well that’s true. But I don’t care much for how little league is run around here. But yeah , better than video games.