My daughter’s first round of golf happened before she took her first steps.
Well, the first round she sat through at least.
Since she was born, and even before, I had been thinking a lot about how to keep golf in my life while having a young one at home, and eventually, how to get her interested in playing, too.
I started by purchasing a club holder for her stroller so I could walk her to our local driving range with my clubs in tow. I sit her behind me and she hangs out happily for up to an hour.
My fellow range-goers smile when they hear her laugh as they hit balls, and I don’t have to book a sitter just to practice.
That said, I hadn’t taken her out on a course yet because I wasn’t sure she could handle a round or if she’d end up disrupting everyone else’s.
The Clutch at South Seas, a short course designed by Beau Welling is growing the game from infancy
The Clutch, the 12-hole par-3 walking course at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island, felt like the perfect place to find out.
As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. It was a success.
At nine months old, she spent most of the round looking at the trees, watching my bright pink golf ball roll across the greens, listening to birds, and taking in the scenery.
A Beau Welling design, The Clutch isn’t just family friendly, it’s family (and beginners) encouraged. It’s an ideal loop for those intimidated by 7,000-yard championship courses, while allowing more competent players to get some real and worthwhile short game practice.
If you have young kids at home and have been wondering how to get them into the game, it’s a great place to start.
South Seas has undergone a transformation since Hurricane Ian devastated the area a few years ago. But aside from new accommodations, amenities, and even a new and massive waterpark, the team also evolved the whole vibe around the course. Now it’s closer to a social hub than a traditional golf facility. The putting area is free, and so is the coffee every morning. Happy hour draws golfers and non-golfers with daily BOGO cocktails and appetizers. There’s yard games daily and Glow Golf on Saturdays. It’s become the resort’s backyard gathering place
Infants, like mine, can hang in their strollers or crawl around, toddlers can take their first swings, and older kids can play the course and actually enjoy doing so. If they get a little rambunctious, fussy, or loud, that’s okay. Kids are allowed to be kids here.
Sure, it’s not an 18-hole championship course like what we typically feature on our site. But if you hope to one day play those bucket-list courses with your older kids, you have to start with something more approachable when they’re young.
And of course, The Clutch is only one piece of the South Seas experience. The resort sits on 330 acres at the tip of Captiva Island. When pitching this vacation idea to the family, you can lead with the pristine beaches (which are world famous for shelling!), pools, children’s club, lazy river, water sports, fishing, 6 different dining options and bars, tennis, pickle ball, and more. The brand new villas sleep up to six and home rentals sleep up to 12!
I loved South Seas the first time I visited.
The beaches are still spectacular. The sunsets are still worth planning your evening around – and definitely follow up with dinner at Beach House, another post-hurricane addition, for gulf views and fresh margaritas.
But this time, I left appreciating something completely different about the property.
Golf resorts usually ask families to work around golf. South Seas found a way to make golf work around families.
I’m looking forward to bringing my daughter back when she’s finally had those first steps and is ready for her first swings.
Note: Always book directly through South Seas. While there are privately owned accommodations scattered throughout the property, guests who book through the resort receive access to the amenities, activities, and programming that make South Seas feel like a true destination resort. It’s an important distinction that’s easy to miss while scrolling vacation rental websites.
Book direct: here
Featured Post
0
