To coach or not to coach... it is a dilemma..

[vkurup]

Jr (4yr old) has been watching a fair bit of golf on the Telly since BMW. He loves Rors and over the last few days he has started swinging in anger. He has always had plastic clubs/wiffle balls & has been to the range with me to hit a odd few balls. On Saturday, I was in charge of childcare and got pestered by him to take him to the range.

I thought it was going to be the usual 4-5 balls and I could get some practice. But he ran thru the full 60 in the box and some. As we have automatic ball dispensers, he turned it into an arcade game

[video=youtube_share;kdRuR6OqHCA]http://youtu.be/kdRuR6OqHCA[/video]

After about 10 balls, he managed to bend his plastic club, so had to go and borrow a kiddie club from the pro shop (that is being used as a hammer in the videos)



Then we did some putting which was a bit of a laugh. As it was twilight and the course was quiet, we went to 'play' 3 holes armed with a borrowed 7 iron and his putter. Great fun but had to run behind him as he was a kid in a candy shop

http://youtu.be/jHHHeQwLHBA

We played our opening 3 holes, P5, P3, P5 - so just over 1k yards. Came off the course and he wanted to go back to range!!! Had to put my foot down and bundle him into the car all kicking and screaming. Woke up on Sunday with demand for going on the range after breakfast.

I want him to discover and enjoy the game, but am in two minds as to whether I should sign him up for some coaching. Might just be a passing phase

 

[pbrown7582]

I'd Just let him choose if he wants to whack some balls let him if he's not bothered just go yourself, then ask If he wants to have some lessons.

 

[nemicu]

It's great to see youngsters enjoying the game - that's what it's all about.
Maybe the answer is to ask the lad himself what he would like to do? Trying to push them into something that they don't really want could have a negative effect on what is an enjoyable game at the moment. And I would say that once they show an aptitude in taking the interest a bit further, then maybe look into taking lessons - at the moment though, just let them have fun.

 

[CMAC]

not yet is my advice- let him get engrossed in the FUN of golf first, plus their attention span is zero for instruction but high for fun activities at 4 years old. Plenty of time to turn him into a Rory number 2 but he has to enjoy the game first.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Let him get older and a bit stronger first. Keep doing what you're doing and hopefully he'll get the bug, love being on the course and you can then get some lessons in a couple of years time and he'll stick with it.

 

[Jabba]

Love the flourish/pose when he hits one he really likes. It's great to see youngsters playing ANY sport and clearly loving it.

Good on 'im :cheers:

 

[Jensen]

He's got a fantastic set up/posture. Nice technique and hitting some really good shots. I agree let him enjoy it.

 

[richart]

Brilliant. I love the fact he is waiting ready to hit, and some real style. Not sure where he picked up that ?

I would just keep going to the range, and see if the initial enthusiasm wears off. If it doesn't then perhaps look into some group lessons with other youngsters.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

The range near me is excellent for kids. One of the pros has published this advice.

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/junior_golf/hunter/lesson_0.html

 

[palindromicbob]

Anyone doing SNAG programmes near you. Probably worth keeping an eye out for these as they often kick in over the summer. Keeps it fun with mini games but learning fundamentals at the same time.

 

[Foxholer]

not yet is my advice- let him get engrossed in the FUN of golf first, plus their attention span is zero for instruction but high for fun activities at 4 years old. Plenty of time to turn him into a Rory number 2 but he has to enjoy the game first.

Is the right approach!

 

[JustOne]

I would take him again - when it suits you. It's easy to think you should be there every evening and that's when they lose interest. Lessons and all that can wait another year IMO.

 

[DCB]

The range near me is excellent for kids. One of the pros has published this advice.

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/junior_golf/hunter/lesson_0.html

Good advice regarding the age ranges. Having had a stint as our Junior Convener I can say it's hard work helping the Pro coach the younger juniors, too many other distractions to grab their limited attention span. You have to keep the activities/games short and move on to the next one to keep them interested.

My own daughter has had clubs since she was quite young. We just let her hit balls until she wanted to try out the wee course near us. She eventually joined our Junior Section and took all the coaching going. She played until last year but peer pressure about golf being uncool eventually stopped her. Shame as she could hit a nice ball.

Don't foce them into it, keep it fun and simple until they are old enough to be able to understand what they are being told. Remember, the ling we as adult golfers talk means nothing to the youngsters.

 

[vkurup]

The range near me is excellent for kids. One of the pros has published this advice.

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/junior_golf/hunter/lesson_0.html

Interesting one for the age range.. I think our club starts at about 5, but I see a few younger kids tagging along with Daddy - it is a great childcare option.

Anyone doing SNAG programmes near you. Probably worth keeping an eye out for these as they often kick in over the summer. Keeps it fun with mini games but learning fundamentals at the same time.

My club does Snag, so earlier this year, he attended a half day session with other kids. It has been his only real exposure to the game, but the best part was the ice-cream at the end.

Brilliant. I love the fact he is waiting ready to hit, and some real style. Not sure where he picked up that ?

I would just keep going to the range, and see if the initial enthusiasm wears off. If it doesn't then perhaps look into some group lessons with other youngsters.

For some reason he like Rors..


I agree with the general comments, I just want him to have fun and improve his hand eye coordination. Having said that, I can see kids of his age having started lessons. Another reason to wait would be because there is hardly any kit. He had plastic ones which he destroyed on Saturday. Got a Dunlop 7i from Sports Direct, but it is too heavy for him. The pro shop lent him a Masters 7i which is just about ok. If he gets into the game, might ask a pro to cut a cheap graphite shaft and make two clubs out of it.

Finally, success does go to a man's head.. While he was smashing some balls with the plastic club, someone passing by stopped to watch him (thats the guy praising it in the background). What he did on the next shot (0.13s) is a gem that will be used to embarrass him in the future.. (spoiler: Not really a Rory into washing machine moment)

[video=youtube_share;hEI7Ae1Es44]http://youtu.be/hEI7Ae1Es44[/video]

 

[CMAC]

is rors actually Rory?

 

[vkurup]

is rors actually Rory?

Yup.. Rory.. He like him very much. I suspect the reason behind it is because there is a cartoon series called 'Rory the Racing car' - which he watched a fair bit when younger. I will be happy if he can pick up any swings tips from Rory..

 

[DCB]

Best kit we found was the USKids golf equipment. Pricey but excellent and sized and weighted for different age ranges

 

[garyinderry]

scouser used to do that trick all the time!

 

[Rooter]

Best kit we found was the USKids golf equipment. Pricey but excellent and sized and weighted for different age ranges

I will second their kit, about £18 for an Iron, my lad has a 7 iron, graphite shaft, he loves it. I can get about 80 yards with it on my knees!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

He does look like a natural player which is great to start with.

I have had a lot of experience with junior development and coaching and IMHO 4 is far to young to start coaching.
They get bored easy and will give up.
Just keep him hitting balls as often as he [not you] wants to and make it fun.
Try to get him to keep his hands together in a baseball grip is the only coaching he needs.

Longest drive is great on a practice ground. When he hits a good one pace it out and that is his 'record drive'. He will always try to beat it. Putting is also good in small doses, again trying to beat his 'record' score. No pressure though.

Around 8 years old is ideal for soft coaching and playing in 9 hole comps.

Keep him interested in other sports.
My daughter excelled at golf but she was also a very good tennis player that the County coach wanted to sign up.
She chose golf aged 12 and played for the County ladies aged 13.

So to sum up 8 to 12 years are the important ones......before that keep it interesting and fun.