How to Encourage Your Kids to Start Golfing

“How to Encourage Your Kids to Start Golfing” by Brandon Capaletti

There’s perhaps nothing more relaxing and enjoyable than spending a beautiful summer afternoon outside playing a round of golf with your buddies. However, if you have kids, these beautiful afternoons that you used to spend golfing are now likely spent driving to and from soccer practice, walking to the park, and hanging out with family.

While it can feel impossible to enjoy golf while raising children, contrary to what you may believe, it is possible to keep your golf game alive and raise a family at the same time. How? By taking the kids with you on the golf course and involving them in the game. While it can be a bit challenging, it can also be very rewarding for your family.

How do you get your kids into golf? Here’s a look:

How to Encourage Your Kids to Start Golfing

Golf is far from an easy game. In fact, it’s arguably more mental than it is physical; and it’s this mental moxie that is often tested on the course. That’s one of the toughest things to overcome in terms of introducing kids to the game — keeping it fun and not frustrating. Here’s a look at some tips and suggestions on how to combat this:

• Keep things fun: This can’t be emphasized enough. Golf is a game, and games are meant to be fun. If your child isn’t having any fun on the course, chances are he/she won’t like it and won’t want to join you on the course. How do you keep it enjoyable, especially when the game has a tendency to be so agonizing? By constantly praising his/her efforts and encouraging his/her progress. Even if your child hits a bad shot, always strive to highlight the positives.

• Play during nonbusy times: Chances are, your child isn’t going to want to be hurried while playing golf — he/she will want to learn the game in his/her unique way. Take him/her to the course to play during nonbusy times so you won’t have to worry about other golfers always being on your tail. This will make things more fun and far less stressful for you and your child.

• Be flexible with the rules: Don’t be a stickler when it comes to your kids and the rules. If your child duffs a shot, toss him/her another ball and have him/her try again. You might even try to come up with a unique, fun new scoring system for your child to abide by until he/she really starts to understand the game.

• Make golf cool: Just because your kids aren’t quite up to pace yet with the golf rules and haven’t yet mastered their swing doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy certain things about the game. For instance, you’re outdoors — let them explore the ponds and woods. You’re riding in a cart — let them sit on your lap and drive it. Even if they don’t quite comprehend golf, there should be plenty of fun activities on the course that will want to make them come back for another round with you in the future.

• Get them appropriate equipment: Finally, another key to getting your kids into golf is to purchase the right equipment for them. Buy clubs specially designed for youth players and take them to the driving range so they can practice with them. You might even purchase some whiffle golf balls and let them play with the clubs in the backyard. Be creative with how you introduce them to the game.

Just because you have young children doesn’t mean that you have to put your golf game on hiatus for several years — simply find a way to include your children. Then, once they’re hooked, they’ll be no stopping how muchthey’ll want to play golf, and that’s a win for everyone.

Brandon Capaletti is the Vice President of Cisco Athletic, a Maryland-based athletic apparel manufacturer of custom golf uniforms, along with 18 different sports including volleyball, basketball, and baseball.