More and more youngsters are starting to play golf and that’s great! Not only is golf a fun healthy hobby, but the game can teach young people important lessons about life itself - the most important rule in golf is you have to ‘play the ball as it lies’. Just as in life we have to cope with whatever problems face us – in golf you have to knuckle down and play the next shot no matter where the ball is. You can’t just kick the ball out of the rough!
Golf teaches: self discipline, patience, the importance of preparation, the importance of hard work, and crucially golf is not always fair - just like life! What more important lessons could you wish for your kids?
Unfortunately, many youngsters give up golf in the first couple of years because they don’t improve and keep hitting the ball in the trees, the lakes or out of bounds – pretty depressing stuff. The following tips are designed to help a junior golfer build a solid swing that will mean more enjoyment and a hobby that will last for life. The tips might seem too basic to make much difference, but the golf grip and the stance are the foundations of the golf swing!
The Golf Grip for Juniors
Most golfers dismiss the grip as relatively unimportant, yet it is vital if you want to build a swing that works. If you want to help a junior play better golf it’s crucial to follow these three PGA grip tips.
- The’V’s’ created by the index finger and the thumb of each hand must point to the right shoulder, as indicated by the arrows drawn in the picture below.
- The left hand must not be turned round to the left too much in what is referred to as a ‘weak’ grip (see picture)
- The hands must mould themselves together into a unit and not separated from each other on the club. This is particularly important when teaching very young kids.
These tips might seem overly simplistic but it’s very important to realise that the golf swing is a chain reaction – start off correctly with the correct grip and stance and a good swing will be almost automatic.
The Golf Stance for Junior Golfers
Balance is the key for junior. Sometimes advice from well meaning adults can make a junior golfer look uncoordinated when standing to the ball What’s really important is good balance. Look at the junior in the picture below. The stance looks neat, symmetrical and balanced - this is the type of stance that every junior should be trying to emulate.
Lessons from a PGA Pro
The initial cost of a lesson from a PGA pro might put some parents off from getting good help and advice for their kids. But if you want your children to really get the golf bug, the best idea is to fix up a few lessons with the local PGA pro. This can be done on a one to one basis, but the best idea is to book a series of group lessons where other juniors will be at the same learning stage. Not only will your kids have an opportunity to make friends but group lessons are cheaper!
If in the meantime if you want to help teach your child, look carefully at the photos attached to this article and make sure your they copy these. Then have some fun!
John Hoskison - John is a class 'A' member of the British PGA and author of the acclaimed book 'Inside - One Man's Experience of Prison'.
