Most golfing parents want their children to take up the sport.
Golf teaches your kids perseverance, patience, and discipline while also providing them some exercise and fresh air away from video games and television screens.
But, should you take them to a driving range or golf course: Read on!
So, Can You Take Young Children To A Driving Range Or Golf Course?
The answer is yes! You can absolutely take young children to a driving range or golf course. This is one of the best ways to get your kids involved in golf. Allow them to observe and ask questions.
Take them to the practice green on the driving range or the actual golf course when it’s not very crowded. You can start teaching them the basic golfing etiquette, such as remaining quiet when a person is playing and player utmost from the hole hitting first.
Your kids will probably want to take up golf because they see how much you enjoy the game, and they want to be a part of the same.
The driving range is an excellent way of giving your children a taste of golf. Here, you can test them out before taking them to the real golf course.
The best thing about driving ranges is that you don’t have to walk or collect all the balls after hitting them.
Some of the driving ranges have kid’s clubs for hire, while some don’t, so it’s essential to confirm before the visit.
So, try and enjoy each moment of golf with your kids, as it is a fun experience that will be memorable to all of you in the future.
Golf offers a delightful bonding experience for parents and kids.
However, you should allow your kid to decide how involved they want to be in golf instead of pushing them.
How Can You Encourage Your Kid To Start Golfing?
Encouraging your kid to play golf is a timid matter. However, these tips will help you get them into golf.
1. Follow Their Lead
Just ensure the time you spend with them on a driving range or golf course is happy and memorable.
You should not make golf feel like a chore or force it on them.
Children are always curious and will eventually start asking golfing questions.
This is the chance to explain the swing, the stance, or the grip.
2. Keep It Fun
Adult golfers understand the benefits of determination and hard work.
However, the kid’s attention span is fleeting at best.
The best way to keep them interested in golf initially is nurturing the aspects they are most captivated with.
They will have a lifetime to learn the proper technique and rules of the game.
Just stick to the simple pleasures of golfing before your kids find their feet.
Golf is a mental game of geometry and physics, but young children aren’t required to know these mechanics right away.
3. Make Proper Arrangements
Golfing should always be fun, but this won’t occur if you are stressed.
To avoid this, you should consider taking your children with you when the driving range or golf course is relatively quiet or when the local club has assigned time for kids.
This way, your golfing buddy can enjoy golfing without worrying about holding other individuals up.
You can consider taking them to family-friendly courses where you can practice with your kid.
4. Get Them The Appropriate Equipment
When you take your kids to a driving range or golf course, they will not have fun using clubs intended for adults, and the grip will be very long for them.
You should hence hire child-sized clubs from the driving range or club for them.
You can also consider purchasing a set of clubs made to the right size for them.
A surprise golfing equipment from you will help connect them to the game.
5. Give Them Rewards
We all love receiving rewards, especially children.
Tips can serve as a driving force to have them interested in golf. Set up golfing challenges to try and get the best out of them.
If they know a pizza is on the line, they will be more than motivated to concentrate and try their best. The reward will undoubtedly reinforce their relations with golf.
6. Inspire Them To Make Friends
The same age group friends usually have a superior influence on your child than you do.
If your kid makes a new friend out on the golf course, it is likely to encourage them to keep playing.
If you know another parent keen to have their kids join golf, you can try to arrange playdates together.
You can also try and enroll your kids in golf group classes where they have a chance to meet young golfers with similar interests.
7. Let Them Enjoy The Golf Cart
You cannot keep hiding the golf cart from your kids forever.
They will soon see one on the golf course and will start begging you to get them one. You can’t blame them because the golf carts are toys.
So although you might feel the cost, hiring a golf cart will be a whole new experience for your child, which will add to the appeal of golf.
On the other hand, denying them the fun of a golf cart can turn them off on the whole golfing experience.
8. Avoid Being Critical
Nothing brings down your enthusiasm for something other than if we think we are not good at it.
It’s hence essential to keep encouraging your children that they can do it.
However, you don’t want to give them unnecessary credit, and on the other hand, you don’t want to put them off golf completely.
Knowing that they have done something well will go a long way in developing a healthy sense of self-confidence.
When sometimes things aren’t working out, you should not make the impression of failure.
Try and put more emphasis on the things they did well instead of criticizing what they did wrong.
What Is The Perfect Age For Kids To Start Golfing?
There is no perfect age or time to begin golfing. One can learn to play golf as early as two years all through to the nineties.
There are golf clubs for kids aged one and a half to three years.
According to research, children that begin playing golf in their early years have a higher probability of golfing as adults.
A good example is Tiger Woods, who showed his golfing interests as early as two years old.
If your child needs to take golfing lessons, it is best to preserve that until they are five years old, when they can understand the basic golfing etiquette and rules.
All children develop their golfing skills at different rates, and what is suitable for your child might not be right for the other.
So, as a parent, you should observe your kid’s interests and know what is best for them.
Conclusion
It is okay to take your young children to a driving range or golf course.
So, immerse your children in the golfing world by taking trips to the driving range and going shopping for junior golf equipment with them, and register them for junior golf tournaments.
They will benefit from the time they spend on the golf course and will also be a perfect chance to have quality time together away from the screens.