Pro Tip #6

PGA Pro Tips: Top 10 Reasons Kids Should Learn Golf

Getting your juniors started in golf will be one of the greatest and most valuable gifts you ever give them. Here are our Top 10 reasons to get kids involved in golf:

1. It's FUN!
2. It's a great way to spend quality time with family and friends
3. They will learn important life lessons and practice personal responsibility
4. It is time spent outdoors, in a safe and positive environment
5. They will learn social skills and establish friendships that will last a lifetime
6. They will learn self-discipline, and how to manage their emotions and behavior
7. It will prepare them for business
8. They'll have a chance to earn a college scholarship
9. Golf helps develop healthy habits and wellness for life
10. Anyone can play!

Golf is one of the most difficult sports to master, and the later they begin the harder it is to learn. In fact golf is much easier to learn than unlearn, which is why most adult lessons and golf schools focus on correcting flaws. For kids it's worth learning golf the right way at the outset so they develop proper technique and build foundational skills.

So how do you get your kids started? Here are four essential requirements for a good start:

1. Find a coach. Someone who is kid-friendly, understands skill progression, and to talks at their level. Literally. Going down on one knee to be at their eye level establishes friendly communication.  
2. Get the right equipment. Clubs need to be the right length and weight. Cut-down adult clubs are too heavy, and clubs that are too long force swing compensations that have to be corrected later. Clubs are not like clothes: you don't want to start big and grow into them. Start with the right size, and have kids grow out of them.
3. Learn from the hole backward. Start with putting. Then go to chipping. Then pitching, then half-swings, then finally full swings on the range. Learning putting first is the best way to introduce the three fundamentals of golf: hitting in the middle of the club face, aiming at a target, and controlling distance.
4. Lastly, make sure that having fun is the #1 objective. Fun is why they play. Let them learn their own way at their own pace. Play games, have rewards - anything from stickers to popsicles - and celebrate successes often.

Start kids early in golf. After all, have ever heard an adult say "I wish I'd started later?"