Youth Golf-Introducing Your Child To The Links

When we first introduced our son the game of golf we made a very typical first timers mistake. We took an old set of adult golf clubs and cut down a few of them to fit. Then we essentially just handed him the clubs and let him "have at it". This is a big mistake and one that can make the difference between your child learning how to enjoy the game of golf or getting frustrated with it.

The weight of the heads of adult golf clubs are not suitable for youth golf and can completely throw off their swing. It's important to choose the correct junior golf clubs for your child.

You should first make sure to pay special attention to the length of the clubs. It's extremely tempting to purchase a junior golf set that you think will last for a few years, but this will cause your child to have to choke up several inches on the shaft. There are many sets of youth golg clubs that are height appropriate and affordable enough that you can purchase new clubs after a couple of years.

Today's junior golf clubs have become extremely sophisticated and built with the child in mind. They are build with the right club head weight and grips and have graphite shafts which make it much easier for the child to swing the club.

When purchasing a youth golf club set parents need to keep in mind the child's hand size. Purchasing golf clubs with too large of a grip can be very frustrating for your golf junior. Most manufacturers today tested grip sizes for various ages, so choosing an age appropriate set of clubs with the correct grip size is much easier today than it was years ago.

Dexton Kids carries a line of junior golf clubs for ages 3-5, 5-7, 7-9 and 9-12, such as this set of red kids clubs for the little 3 through 5 year old. As your child grows they have developed their golf sets with the appropriate shaft lengths, grip sizes and add additional clubs to the sets for the more experienced junior golfer.

The appropriate shaft length is important to the correct posture and balance, and the head size and weight help your child on the backswing to have the proper height at the top of their swing. The grip size of the club determines how well your child is able to control the club also.

Our grandson Colton turned 3 on Saint Patrick's Day, and of course as a family of golfers we HAD TO HAD TO get him the Dexton Big Driver Junior Golf Clubs for 3-5 year olds. Of course,as you can see from the photo, he still needs to figure out what he's supposed to with the clubs). They were absolutely perfect. The image above shows the real red color vibrancy of the junior golf bags much better than our photo (which looks a little pink) but the bag really is the perfect golfer red color.

This little youth golf clubs set for 3-5 year olds really fit him perfectly. Based on the club lengths, they should last him another couple of years.

Okay...now with lots of parental and "grandparental" instruction, Colton gets the hang of it.

The junior golf bags don't show up well in our photos due to the lighting, but it is a really nice brilliant red bag with all the zippers and pouches you would expect with an adult golf bag. The bag is nylon and lightweight for carrying, with the built in kick-stand. The clubs are weighted perfected for 3 year olds and have a professional look and feel. They even have great head covers (which our grandson loved putting on and off, off and on, etc. etc.).

Here's a few ways to make golf a much more enjoyable experience for your junior golfer:

1) Introduce your child to golf on television. Kids love spending time with mom and dad and watching golf tournaments on TV together is a great way to spend time with your kids, interact with your kids, and teach them about golf. No pressure here...just enjoy the experience of sharing something together.

2) If your golf course or golf club allows it, take your kids out with you for a round or two while you play. Let them be the one to pull the flag out of the pin, take your balls out of the cup and drive around in the golf cart with you. Make them your scorekeepers and involve them as much as possible, within certain boundaries. Of course at the same time you want to make them aware of the rules of the course and good golf etiquette. Golf is a game full of rules and discipline and this is a good way to introduce your kids to those boundaries before they actually get out on the course to play.

3) Take your kids out to the putting greens and driving ranges where the rules are a little more lax than on the actual course. This gives them a good feel for their clubs and they are not so restricted in these areas of the course.

4) If they are ready and excited and up to it, get them a short set of junior golf lessons. Don't push though...we tried this one three years in a row before it finally took! Start off with a session that only involves a few lessons, and if they enjoy it move on to more.

5) Don't be critical or expect too much of your youth golfer! In other words, no soccer moms on the golf course. If the experience is frustrating or your children feel like they're not living up to certain expectations then they will not enjoy the game and give up on it very quickly. Your little 3 year old is not going to start off with 100 yard drives and they most likely will require in excess of 5 putts to get the ball in the hole. Reasonable expectations are required!

6) Consider purchasing an indoor/outdoor junior putting green such as the one shown here for practice off the course. As with any other sport, practice makes perfect!

7) Most importantly...relax and enjoy the game of golf with your child.

It's difficult for me to remember my life without golf. My parents were both avid golfers and I basically grew up on the golf course. Admittedly my favorite thing about the game of golf as a child was the golf cart. Same thing held true for our daughter. She didn't quite take to playing junior golf as well as our son did, but man oh man she loved driving the golf cart.

Youth golf has grown so much in popularity, that today your child can even drive their own kids golf cart. There are single seat kids golf carts and two seater miniature golf carts for your little junior golfers (such as the one's shown below). These are battery charged ride ons that have up to 5 hours riding time and are easily recharged. They go in forward and reverse and are easily manuevered in small spaces. Virtually maintenance free and will provide hours of fun for your little golf junior.



You can view more details of these battery operated golf cart ride ons and other kids ride on toys here All Child's Play