The Morgan Golf Academy

You may have a youngster that wishes to play golf. There are many questions that arise when the little one wants to be like a golfer on TV or like a parent. How should you proceed? The best answer to that is simple. Each child and each parent has a unique relationship and how you go forward needs to hinge on how the relationship works. Some children can learn well from a parent and some do better with a pro one-on-one. Still others will do well in a group lesson or a family lesson. Lets cover these types of issues and a couple other points and see how you may get your child started towards a lifetime of golf.

The first thing when considering teaching any child golf is safety. I was a kid once and after having two of my own we all know things happen. A child will be excited to learn and anxious to hit the ball. Even children’s golf clubs and golf balls hit by a child can cause serious injury. Pay attention to the area around the student and where the golf ball may go. Golf balls have a tendency to go all sorts of ways during the learning curve. A larger than normal area of separation between an early learner and anyone else is a great idea. Ranges with separate hitting areas divided by a partition is ideal. Most people will start with some of the basics at home. This is fine but you can expect some issues to creep up unexpectedly. Broken glass, poor unsuspecting pets and dents in the family car may all happen. Steps taken to prevent this are wise precautions. One last thing about teaching kids is they have short attention spans. Kids can and will get bored quickly so frequent breaks help them to actually focus better and learn faster. Fifteen minutes of teaching is plenty and keeps them interested in the game of golf.

A lot of golf courses these days have some sort of program to introduce children to the game of golf. The First Tee program is probably the most well known. Call the local course and ask what they offer for children’s golf programs. Some research will give you the information to make a solid decision on where to take your golfing prodigy. Ask about group rates, the programs they offer and who teaches the course and the schedule offered. Apply these details to your expectations and if they match your requirements, ask if you can observe one of the lessons before you decide. This will do a couple of things. First, if your child is scared of a lesson this may allay their fears. Second, you can watch and check on safety, teaching style, and other pertinent issues.

After safety and matching up the other issues, the next thing to address is having fun. Golf is a game and most of us would be wise to revisit this basic idea. I try to make a lesson fun for all involved. The more fun the child has the more they learn and will look forward to the next lesson. There are few things more rewarding than watching a new golfer hit a golf ball solidly for the first time and seeing the smile spread from child to parent to pro.