Starting on the Tee Block
Like most parents, the process of starting out in a new sport can be terribly intimidating and down right overwhelming. You ask yourself, where do I start? Your kid has shown interest in golf, but besides watching awesome highlights of Tiger Woods playing in the Masters or reels of over excited fans at Phoenix Open, you’re a bit perplexed on how to move forward in this new sport.
We are a multi sport family, but lean hard towards volleyball. Club teams, coaching, traveling , snacks etc…you name it and we did it when it came to our love of volleyball. When my daughter began to show interest in golf, this mama had to roll up her sleeves and figure out how this game ticked. Luckily for me, my husband is a avid golfer and the idea of his little girl joining him on the links, almost made a grown man cry.
The First Tee
A great place to start your child out in golf would be the First Tee program, which is an international organization that works with youth to introduce them to the game of golf. What I love about this program is that not only do they teach golf skills, but they emphasize First Tee 9 core values in their lessons. Such values as respect, perseverance, integrity through the game of golf to name a few. These core values are great life skills that will follow child throughout adulthood. For more information about First Tee check out their website to find a local chapters to sign up your child. The yearly fee is really quite reasonable.
Getting on the Putting Green
Practice, practice, practice is the best way to sharpen your junior golfers (junior Gs) skills. Get them putting and making shots from various distances can improve their confidence plus, getting all the unsolicited advice from seasoned golfers is priceless. Putting the work in to improve their putting and short game can make all the difference come tournament times for your junior Gs. I found that purchasing brightly colorful golf balls or superhero themed balls to use makes putting quite fun. I’ve linked a great putting drill for the kids to try. http://www.golfworkoutprogram.com
Over to you- what ways do you make golf fun for your junior Gs? Share with me in the comments below!
Junior Golf Mama 