At what age should I...

[Rooter]

I took my lad at 3 months to the driving range, he quite liked it. well he didnt cry anyway! As for them hitting balls for fun, about 3 years was when i first took my eldest lad, he is starting to ask to go again now and wants a golf birthday party for his 7th!

 

[Tashyboy]

Seems good advice.

I will wait a few years more. He just seems to love watching me do things and I was wondering if anyone else takes a very wee one to watch.

Not even contemplating him playing for at least 3 years if not more. Leaving that to the pro and I'm not getting too involved.

It's great how babies watch you, taking in so much. He won't even nap till I have gone to work!

Daughter is doing fitness training to get into firearms. Anyway she and hubby went to gym to do a " bleep test run" her six month old daughter was in carry cot. They put her in the middle at the side so she could see them run. after a minute they had to stop looking at her coz they were laughing at her watching them run up and down. Said it looked like people watching a game of tennis with heads going left right left right.😁

 

[Three]

That's the sort of sane advice I needed!

Lol, glad you take it in good heart.

Seriously, speaking as someone who has seen a zillion kids pushed into golf lessons by their proud parents, there is only one thing that will dictate whether they take a longterm interest or not, and that is how THEY feel.

The coach can make it as fun and exciting as they possibly can, and normally kids love it, but we are all different, some kids will take to golf, others will get bored with it at some stage.

My advice to parents is that the best thing you can do for your kids is to give them a variety of opportunities to try different sports and activities. Something will click, and hopefully one of the opportunities will give them a lifelong passion. Maybe it will be golf, maybe it will be ballet, volleyball, martial arts, violin who knows what? Ideally it would be more than one thing.

I have a bit of an issue approaching, I had a call from a dad yesterday who wants me to arrange a "season long training programme" for his 9 year old daughter.

Doom and gloom.

I've taught her before, she's a great kid, but frankly she doesn't share his desperation for her to be the next big thing, as soon as he disappears she sometimes starts messing around, saying she's cold, sometimes making any excuse to go into the clubhouse. He's pushing too hard for her to get really "serious" about golf as a competitive sport, she just loves chatting with her girlfriends whilst hitting the ball around the grass.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Sound advice from Three there.

A driving range is a VERY dangerous place for young children.
Consider a range bay in the same way as you would a road kerbside with folk swinging battleaxes close by.

[Whilst you give your total concentration on a golf ball.]

 

[Tashyboy]

Lol, glad you take it in good heart.

Seriously, speaking as someone who has seen a zillion kids pushed into golf lessons by their proud parents, there is only one thing that will dictate whether they take a longterm interest or not, and that is how THEY feel.

The coach can make it as fun and exciting as they possibly can, and normally kids love it, but we are all different, some kids will take to golf, others will get bored with it at some stage.

My advice to parents is that the best thing you can do for your kids is to give them a variety of opportunities to try different sports and activities. Something will click, and hopefully one of the opportunities will give them a lifelong passion. Maybe it will be golf, maybe it will be ballet, volleyball, martial arts, violin who knows what? Ideally it would be more than one thing.

I have a bit of an issue approaching, I had a call from a dad yesterday who wants me to arrange a "season long training programme" for his 9 year old daughter.

Doom and gloom.

I've taught her before, she's a great kid, but frankly she doesn't share his desperation for her to be the next big thing, as soon as he disappears she sometimes starts messing around, saying she's cold, sometimes making any excuse to go into the clubhouse. He's pushing too hard for her to get really "serious" about golf as a competitive sport, she just loves chatting with her girlfriends whilst hitting the ball around the grass.

Apart from the odd comma I would not disagree with a single word of that. 👍

Young grandson tash loves his golf and his swimming but take him to mini kicks football and all he wants to do is mess about. You can see that he bogs off other kids and parents and I have said don't take him.
it is that messing about that I don't want to see at the golf course and especially the range.

 

[Three]

Sound advice from Three there.

A driving range is a VERY dangerous place for young children.
Consider a range bay in the same way as you would a road kerbside with folk swinging battleaxes close by.

[Whilst you give your total concentration on a golf ball.]

When you're teaching on a range, you can see more or less everything that is going on.

I find it very very distracting when a dad is whacking balls and they have their young kids standing behind them, either also hitting balls or, worse still, not hitting balls and just playing around.

When the dad is hitting balls, all he is focused on is just that, ie just hitting balls. I've often found myself more concerned about the safety of the kids, getting too close to dad's fast-moving 6 iron, running forward to pick up a ball, or running right behind another golfer, than I have been on the person having the lesson.

So dads, a plea, if you do take your youngsters to golf, ALWAYS please keep them in front of you within clear eyesight. Please make THEM your priority, and if you want to focus on your own golf, either get someone else to closely supervise the kids, or come on your own.

Golf clubs and balls can kill.

 

[pokerjoke]

When you're teaching on a range, you can see more or less everything that is going on.

I find it very very distracting when a dad is whacking balls and they have their young kids standing behind them, either also hitting balls or, worse still, not hitting balls and just playing around.

When the dad is hitting balls, all he is focused on is just that, ie just hitting balls. I've often found myself more concerned about the safety of the kids, getting too close to dad's fast-moving 6 iron, running forward to pick up a ball, or running right behind another golfer, than I have been on the person having the lesson.

So dads, a plea, if you do take your youngsters to golf, ALWAYS please keep them in front of you within clear eyesight. Please make THEM your priority, and if you want to focus on your own golf, either get someone else to closely supervise the kids, or come on your own.

Golf clubs and balls can kill.

Sound advice.
I have been taking my son to the course since he was 6 although we have been to fields to hit balls before that as he started hitting balls at 2 years of age.
I taught him where to stand and the dangers and I have taught him etiquette and I can safely say if I take him with me now he is better behaved than some playing partners.

Teach them early by all means but teach them right and you wont go far wrong.

 

[Billythefish]

My lad was ten when i first took him for his first coaching at my club. He had been down the range previous.

Upon completion he asked if we could play a hole. Ok. Teed him up on the ninth and told him, look mate, don't worry where it goes, just try and hit it.

He proceeded to smack it, straight down the middle, with a bit of draw on it. Ok i says put ya clubs in the car.

I went home and smacked the wife! (Joke of course).