What age to start your kids at Golf? and How?
by Chris Smeal, PGA

I have had the opportunity to start hundreds of kids to take up the game of golf and have seen many kids start at all different ages.
What age is the right age?

I don't think there is one right age to start your child with golf. I have worked with kids as young as 2 and for them that was a great time to start.

Things to Know:

- There are athletes and there are those not as athletic. I have never worked with any kid that I didn't think could get very good at golf. Obviously for some it can be a much easier path. Sometimes an instructor needs to be more patient and find creative ways to help a student improve but I feel all kids can get better at swinging the club and playing the game.

- Kids under age 5 generally lack in patience so golf must be taught in short spurts and then allow for play time and other activities. Those rare kids under 5 who have the focus and are determined to improve at golf can become very good very quickly. I have had so much fun working with kids under age 5 who posess a lot of talent and many of these kids are doing very well at age 6 and up now.

- Kids ages 6 to 10 all are on somewhat different development stages and may look at golf in different ways. They may be interested but come from seeing golf as something you grab the club and whack at a ball, and thats the whole game. These kids should watch golf videos, watch the game played in a real setting, or watch a parent play, before trying again so they understand that their is a reason to take your time and figure out a little checkpoint system for how to swing the golf club. If not into that "HIT IT HARD".

- Some of the best players start the game later in their teens after playing baseball or other sports when younger. This is also an excellent path becuase of years spent hitting amoving object, developing hand eye coordination, speed in your muscles, etc. These players generally catch up pretty quickly to others as they have so much desire to improve and are mentally more patient and focused people. The only think they lack is golf experience so as they develop they need to compete a lot and learn a lot of lessons a player who started younger may have learned. These players also need spend more time than they think on short game and playing short course learning how to score.

How to introduce your kids to golf?

I have asked a lot of parents how and why they bring their kid for a golf lesson and the answers range from the following:

- Playing Video Games (Wi)
- Watching the Golf Channel
- Watching a Parent Play
- Friend at School
- Went to the Buick at Torrey (or US Open in 2008)

I think that with anything that you become interested in there needs to be a reason for that interest or a desire. Good positive experiences are key to developing long term golfers and I hope this is one of the reasons why their are so many young golfers in San Diego. It started with the Tiger Woods Boom in 1997 making golf cool and more interesting than ever before. From there you need programs that help foster that desire and programs that keep the kids interested and wanting more. Golf is a game that you play within yourself but at a young age that needs to be created and then nutured so that Golf does not become work or not fun anymore.

Future Champions Golf National Tour / Academy

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