Kids Golf Tips for Parents

What Age can I Start Teaching
My Kids Golf?

We’ve all heard the legends about how great Tiger Woods was at golf seemingly moments after being born (and there is that documented footage of him going on a late-night talk show demonstrating his skills as a preschooler). Obviously Woods is an outlier, but anyone with a small child who has shown an enthusiasm for the game has wondered how soon is too soon to take them to the golf course?

Pick Up the Game in Stages

Every child is different, but most do best picking up the game in stages. It never hurts to put a kids’ club or a plastic putter and ball in the hands of a toddler if they are interested in your golf clubs – that both gets them early exposure to the sport, and keeps them away from your presumably more expensive sticks. A set of plastic clubs and balls from a toy store can be a great backyard toy, and give you an excuse to join them for “bonding time” and working on your short game. When the child is in preschool, go ahead and take them to the putting green if they are interested. Or take them out to the local miniature golf course so they can see what that is like.

Associate Golf with Fun

Keep in mind that the younger the child is, the shorter the attention span usually is. Don’t expect miracles, or for instant adherence to your kids golf tip instruction: the goal is simply to associate golf with fun. It is more about having fun with the process of playing golf than the results of the outcome. We sometimes need to be reminded of this as adults in our own golf outings. That is great golf tip that will last a lifetime at any skill level.

Kindergarten Age Golf Lesson

Once the child turns five or six, they may be ready to take a golf lesson. The golf pro is going to want to see that your child can pay attention to golf instruction and perform the necessary physical moves including being able to maintain their balance after the stroke. After that, you’ll probably have a sense of what should come next. Perhaps a group lesson or camp with other young golfers in the same age group, or some more time riding in the golf cart with their parents.

Mentally Focus on the Positives

The best kids golf tip to remember is that even though they are learning a grown-up game, they are still children. Golf instruction should mentally focus on the positives, and be mindful of the different emotional and physical tendencies at each particular age. But it really is never too early to expose a child to the game of golf.