Children and Golf
Dean Totten, Head Professional, Sechelt Golf & Country Club
Parents always ask me ” 1. What age should I start my child in golf?” 2. What do I need to do?” These two questions are among the most common questions I hear. I will try to answer and discuss these questions to the parent out there reading this.

1. Kids should start the game when they develop an interest (Keep in mind it is one of the few non-team sports that your child may ever participate in). Between the ages of four and ten should be an appropriate age to introduce the game to your child. All kids should be entered into a structured junior clinic, program or camp and not be taken to the driving range to hit balls. All golfers whether young or old must learn about the game, some rules, etiquette and most importantly that it is a game of honor, respect and it requires the utmost sportsmanship.

The junior golfers that excel quickly are those who have learned the game and have not been taught. Most children learn through mimicking or watching others. They do however need to be in a fulfilling environment that has some proper rules and structure. So as you can see by this it is not the age that matters but the interest level of the child and the enjoyment he/she receives will be dependent on the type of program, the CPGA professional and the facility that the student learns at. Whether your child excels at the game or not is not important and should not be important to you because golf can and will always continue to be enjoyed by all levels and all ages. What sport do you know of that you can start at age 10 and play until age 90?

2. Okay, you have decided to enter your child into a golf program, clinic or junior camp. Most programs supply equipment and if they don’t suggest that a 7 iron and a putter should be sufficient. The program you decide on should be dependent on the individuals who teach it (CPGA qualified professionals), the structure and content of the program and most importantly the FUN factor (what games do they play, how much fun have past students had, etc.). A little research will result in your child having an enjoyable first experience in the game of golf and perhaps result in a lifelong enjoyment for the greatest game on earth.

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Tags: GENERAL GOLF TOPICS by kikod
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The Grip
Rob Anderson, Associate Professional, The Harvest Golf Club
As long as Golf has been around, there has been much debate over the many styles of gripping the club that have evolved over the centuries and its importance in the swing. These days we think of interlocking, baseball or overlapping (Vardon). No matter what your personal style is, your grip plays a marquee role in the performance of your swing.

Much time and effort has been spent in detailing the exact position of the hands on the handle of the club. (I will not try to detail the technical points yet again!). For instance, in ‘The Modern Fundamentals of Golf’, Ben Hogan devoted the entire first chapter to his views on ‘The Grip’. We have seen many poor grips on Tour, (Lee Trevino or Paul Azinger), and the poor swings they result in. Unlike these two excellent players, the very natural grips of players like Ben Crenshaw or the late Payne Stewart produce more fundamentally sound swings.

Rarely do you see a poor gripper of the club have success at the highest levels. David Duval and Tiger Woods both have slightly strong, but very comfortable grips. Their hands are close together on the handle and act as a single unit. Their grip pressure is neither too loose nor too tight and the positioning of their hands, (along with a sound back-swing), allows for the left thumb to comfortably support the club at the top of the swing by being underneath the shaft. This is a hard position to create if you have to compensate for a really strong grip!

An often overlooked notion is the size of the grip on your club. Like a golf glove, the grip must fit your hand in order to be effective. Most players these days have grips that are far too big. They feel better to the player because they can be squeezed a bit harder and are a bit softer. Unfortunately, a larger grip will take some of the natural rotation of the hands and wrists out of play and will result in a ball flight that is more left to right for a right handed player. If you are a senior or have arthritic hands and enjoy the feel of a large grip, try having one of your clubs re-gripped with a much smaller grip. Work on the positioning of your hands and loosen the tension. If your hands have less tension, your entire swing will feel more free and easy going yet produce straighter, longer hits. Whether your grip is technically perfect or not, build some consistency to your swing by ensuring that your grip is the same for every shot, with every club. Your nearest BCPGA Professional will gladly show you the technical points of a sound grip. Remembering that the grip is a key ingredient to the swing will help you overcome the desire to return to a Motorcycle Grip or something previously unknown to the game!

Good Golfing!

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Tags: GENERAL GOLF TOPICS, Wrist Control by kikod
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Elite juniors

Tom Jackson is General Manager of OslerBrook Golf & Country Club in Collingwood, Ont.

Elite junior players can often hit the ball longer and more precisely than adult golfers, but youngsters require a much different approach on the lesson tee.

This is due not only to the different way that youngsters learn—as well as their shorter attention spans—but also juniors have less history with the game.

Because juniors have been playing the game a relatively shorter period of time, they generally have fewer ingrained swing flaws than adults who have developed their swings over years or even decades.

Since juniors don’t have a lot of history and given that their bodies are still changing, I don’t have much history to change to teach what I believe is the correct method to swing the club.

Therefore, swing changes can happen fast, and if you are not careful, juniors can overdo them. We have a saying in teaching: “Not enough, too much, just right,” which means that not enough or too much of a good thing can be equally detrimental.

In order not to overload a young student and to effectively manage the pace of change, I strongly believe that they should have shorter and more frequent coaching sessions.

A week-long camp once a year or a lesson once a month is not sufficient. Elite juniors require constant attention and a detailed building plan if they are going to play at the highest level.

Based on their historical experiences and influences, adults are unlikely to adapt to change as quickly as juniors. Therefore, they require longer lessons with more time between to unlearn their history while incorporating changes that lead to improvement.

Whether I’m teaching juniors or adults, I have to change the student’s belief system before I can make a fundamental and lasting change in the way they swing the club and play the game.

Change the past and you change the future for the student.

Note: The teaching methodology presented solely reflects the views of the author.

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Tags: GENERAL GOLF TOPICS by kikod
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