I’m often asking young families why their kids aren’t they playing golf.  The answer is usually that golf takes too much time.  They usually don’t really understand the time commitment and that getting kids into golf requires some good planning and thinking about how to go about it.  Parents should think about the potential value of golf as a developmental and fun activity for the kids, and an activity they can all do together.

I’ve been playing golf with my son for the past 40 years.  I got him started at age 6 as a way for me to spend time with him.  The approach to this initiative was that it had to be a low-key such that interest would develop through experience rather than an edict.   My opinion is that parents should never force the child into trying something, and should never behave as instructor/teacher (unless they are a golf professional).  I got my son started through a group of kids that met every Saturday for no more than an hour at the local driving range, where they received professional instruction.  The instruction was fun for the kids as there was no pressure on them to perform and the focus was really on having fun with golf serving as the integrator of the activity.  What usually happens is that the kids start hitting good shots, which reinforces positive vibrations and the desire to hit even more good shots.  We continued at this activity until age 8, when he graduated to the golf course, and played the ladies tees for the first time.  Golf brings unsolicited and unexpected behaviors of etiquette, respect and emotional control for the child without having to preach about it.  Another unexpected benefit is the relationship between parent and child is reinforced as communication outside the home and school taking place in a neutral orientation of the driving range and/or the golf course.   In some cases, additional relationships will be developed among the kids and competitive juices begin to flow with some betting over sodas and candy bars.  I would also recommend getting the kids their own clubs as starter club sets are pretty reasonably priced.  Kids develop responsibility and accountability for their equipment, which is another value that ends up as a development tool.

There are other programs for youth involvement including The First Tee, which teaches golf and additional life lessons on a local supervised level.  The First Tee is a national organization dedicated to teaching and developing young people using golf as the common tool and has a beacon of community success for golf and the development of youth.

Our Experience

We moved to England in 1989 and we continued to hit the local driving range together and eventually started to play every Sunday at a private club I joined in West Sussex- Mannings Heath Golf Club.     We had a 30 minute drive from our home to the golf course and there was a required food stop about halfway to the course, whereby double-decker sandwiches were inhaled.  We played in all kinds of weather including rain since you really don’t get to play much golf in England, if you don’t learn how to play in the rain. you aren’t going to be much golf.  Our residency and contacts in the UK enabled us to play together all over Europe.    In 1990, we arrived at the Old Course to play and the starter looked askance at this 4’10”,mite and asked me if I had a handicap certificate for this lad.  Without a thought, I reached into my back pocket and retrieved a document from our club pro certifying that the handicap index for this kid was 9.0. He than proceeded to drive it right down the middle in the widest fairway in the world about 225 yards.  We would lose complete sight of him when he landed in Hell Bunker on the backside but this round was the culmination of his first five year journey into the sport.  By time, he was 14, he had played in England, Portugal, Scotland, Ireland and Japan .

He is now 46 and he plays only occasionally now.  He has to play with me on my birthday, Father’s Day, Black Friday and during the Christmas holidays.  We play match play all the time and the rounds are always competitive.  When you play with your son, you win all the time.  When you beat him, you can go home and brag to his mother and when you lose, you’re happy that he still has the skill and the drive to improve to get better and grab those family bragging rights.  Right now, he is holding those bragging rights.

We are now on the road to introduce grandson Adrian (age 7)  to the game of golf.  We’ve been using the same ideas that I developed with my son.  Adrian has received professional instruction in a kids environment and for him the game is fun, especially when the teacher lets him drive the golf cart for a bit.  Adrian lives in San Francisco and Dad takes him to the Harding Park driving range every Sunday for about an hour with a friend just to hit balls and have fun.  Adrian has picked things up quickly and likes the game especially with his Sonic the Hedgehog driver cover.  The goal is for the three of us to tee it up together this year.