Conference 7.286::golf

    
    
    I started playing young, my parents were members at a club that did
    allow kids with parents to "caddy" not play. My father shortened
    the shaft on an old 3-wood and put it in his bag. When out of sight
    of the clubhouse and with noone close behind he would drop a ball
    and let me hit. When I started hitting the ball consistent (around
    9 years old) my Mother bought a new set and gave me her old one.
    The most important thing for a kid to learn at this point is .... 
    control your temper !! don't get frustrated and mad about hitting
    bad shots, a kid will need alot of reinforcement and support from
    you !! And don't let him see you lose it !!
    I thank my Father for his patience with me and hope I have some when
    I get my 2 boys out on the links soon !!
    
    Randy
    

        Randy,
    
              You have a good point about being cool. I think that at this
    young age his first experiences on the course should be FUN. Harping
    on and on about do this and do that will ruin interest real fast.
     It would be a good time to begin to introduce him fixing your divots,
    etc. 
     Since I not a member of a club, I wonder how willing the public
    courses would be to letting him out ?
    
    
                    Ken

    I can remember my early days... my dad played in a tuesday night
    league and he used to take me along to caddy (pull the cart).
    My uncle played in the same league and gave me my first putter
    and my first putting lessons. From there I picked up a five iron
    from someone else and my dad used to throw it in his bag. A few
    holes into the course I was allowed to hunt the woods for balls
    and take the five iron and hit to a green as long as no one else
    was trying to play up.  After, I'd usually hitch up with my dad
    for the last few holes and get a coke and a hotdog out of the deal.
    He had first dibs on any balls I found. I remember it being fun.
    That's what it should be for kids...
    
    
         Tom

    Six years old is very young but of course not to young to be introduced
    to the game. I have two ideas.
    
    1. start on a par three course. you would have no trouble with the
    course as far as is it okay for him to play and the course would be
    managable for him, fun and less expensive for you.
    
    2. if you take him to a regulation course. let him hit off the tee. i
    let my boy hit off hthe ladies tee after convincing him it was a kids
    tee not a ladies tee. of course he didn't hit the ball very far so we
    would pick it up and he would hit one from were i had hit my ball and
    play the whole round that way. he got to hit alot of shots and we
    didn't hold up play at all. 
    
   don't try to teach him how to play on the course. find a field and teach
    him there
    
    pete

Last night the Globe had the results of the Massachusetts Junior
Championships at Indian Ridge.  I remember seeing something about a 13 year
old shooting in the seventies, and others the same age playing quite well. 
I wonder how old they were when they started. 

I have a 2 1/2 year old son.  He has had the Fisher Price plastic clubs
since he was 3 months, which he played with in the house quite regularly.
Right now he is at the stage where he wants to emulate everything I do.
He informed me ~6 months ago that he "wanted to throw them away." He said
"daddy, I want real clubs, like yours."  Well, I'll tell you, he really
sent my heart rate sky high.  I immediately got a hold of an old Patty Berg
putter and a Spaulding #6 "rock" iron that I cut down for him.  Other than
miniature golf, which we've played a few times as a family, we haven't hit
the course yet -- and probably won't for quite some time.  We do, however,
enjoy hitting wiffle balls together on the lawn. 

Jeff

        Tom,
             your happy memories is exactly what I hope that I can give my
    kids.
    
    
        Pete,
              Good ideas, thanks. I did suggest that we go to a par 3 type
    of course and showed him one. Interestingly, his answer was "That's not
    a real course, Dad. A real course is the one where we saw the
    tournment." I had some difficultly explaining why PV would not let us
    play ! Actually, I think that with some convincing I can get him there
    because it really would be a good place to start. 
     Your second point is also very good. Depending how things work out at
    a par 3 course and what I have to pay( hopefully nothing) at a public
    course, I may also try the suggestion.
    
     Jeff,
    
           You have many things in store for you. I have a 4 hole course
    set up in my yard this year that suitable when using a Fisher Price
    set. It has a bunker, a pile of leaves, and a water hazard, last
    year's pool. Somehow shots into the water are big this year. I lost a
    match this weekend to him. Seems he birdied every hole. 7 on a
    par 8 ??? He has an interesting way of coming up with pars !
     I have let my 2 use my clubs in yard for a couple of years. You have
    to be careful, but they enjoy it. 
    
    
    
    
                          Ken

    I played with a man who brought his 5 year old son along.  He would
    let him putt on the green and hit a few balls here and there.  I
    bumped into the man again at the driving range at Green Meadow and
    he was there with his little boy again.   I can't tell you how nice
    this little kid's swing is.   He shifts his weight, turns his
    shoulders, and everything.  Consistantly drove to 50 yards.   He's
    going to grow up to be a good golfer.   He also had his little 8
    year old daughter at the driving range.  His wife won't even think
    about going on the golf course.
    
    Pam

    
    I bought my 10 year old daughter a Jr. set this spring.  We went
    to the range a few times and to a par 3 twice.  This past week
    I brought her to the course where I play in a league and we played
    9 holes before my league started.
    
    I had her play from 100 yds in on all the holes except the par 3s,
    I moved her in even closer.  Basically tried to scale the course for
    her.  She shot a 52 for 9.  As a matter of fact, she beat me which
    really helped her love the game.  
    
    The one thing I don't do is try to tell her what to do, or what she's
    doing wrong.  I just let her hit the ball and chace it.  The amazing
    thing is that she never had more than 3 putts on any green!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Can't wait until I can take her again......
    
    Shane_A_Proud_Dad
    

I have dreams that my daughter will someday enjoy the game as much a me.  
(She's currently 5.)  My stragtegy which sounds similar to what has been
mentioned is.

1. Let her show interest & then support it.  She liked playing with my
   clubs, so I picked up some old clubs at a yard sale, cut it down, &
   put a grip on it for her.  She sometimes comes to the range with me.
   I let her hit some balls if she is interest.

2. She already has attended several tournaments, not forced but voluntary.
   Her attention span fluctuates, but she enjoys it.  She's been to the 
   US Open playoff at TCC, Digital Seniors, & last week the Buick Open.
   (I like it when she turns to some person who is talking when they shouldn't
   be and saying SSHHH!)

2. My wife & I plan on taking her to the course when we play a quick nine
   in the afternoon.  If she shows interest let her hit some shots, start
   to play holes, etc.

3. If she is still interested in playing as she gets older I will offer to
   pay for lessons, greens fees, etc., no strings no pressure.

4. Find a good nine hole course and let her play with other friends, or 
   accompany us when we go.  (Nine holes seems about right for adolesents,
   sometimes even I get bored after about 15).

If this strategy pans out she will hopelessly fall in love with the game like
me, or at least like it (like her Mom).  In my wildest dreams she learns to
drive like her Mom, learns her Dad's touch on the short game, improves upon
both, gets a full athletic scholarship to some University, turns pro, I drop
out of work to carry her bag on the LPGA.  (Of course a nightmare is when she
drives like dad, putts like Mom, and marries some deadbeat.)

The bottom line is to support their curiosity and interest but not push.  In 
the long haul if they may develop the same attraction for the game that we 
have.

Larry

    
      Last night was one of those nights only a golf nut father can
    enjoy!  My son and I went up to  the club, to the practice area,
    and hit balls.  He had his new Golfworks clubs.  When I got home
    from work he was champing at the bit to get out there.  Sort of
    reminded me of the dog at the door, dancing to get let out to water
    a fence post!
    
      Those clubs are nice!  Good quality. A 3 wood (metal), sw, pw,
    3,5,7 and 9 for $140!  I didn't order the even number clubs because
    there is a little work involved for my son to get to the course
    and practice/play.  But, as luck would have it, a member held a
    clinic Monday for junior members and he met a kid his age who loves
    to play.  Great situation.  ( It costs $24 a year for a junior
    membership, when a parent is a full member.  They can play anytime
    during the week and after four on weekends. )
    
      Oh...he hits those clubs well.  He tries too hard to get "adult"
    distance.  I showed him something a pro showed me about swing hard.
    Grip the club with the middle two fingers of each hand, the pinky,
    index finger and thumb off the club.  Swing normally and the ball
    goes just as far, swing too hard and the club goes as far as the
    ball.  He caught on!
    
      Lot of fun last night...this is the only good part of work lately,
    telling about it.

    
    Growing up in the innercity there wern't too many oportunities for
    me to play golf. I was given a set of clubs from a friend of the
    family. I was lucky that there was a park right over my back fence.
    I started there at about 12. I started using a 3 or 4 iron. By the
    time I was 13 the longest club I could use was a 8 iron. Then I started
    going to a par three course which I could reach to by buss or bike.
    Cost me 50 cents to play all day. It was ran by the city. I'd bring
    about $2 for golf and maybe I had to buy a ball for 25 cents and
    use the rest on soda's to drink with my lunch I brought along. I
    never played a real course until I went into the Army at 17. So
    at the age of 17 I knew how to chip, use a 5 iron and putt, but
    I'd never hit a ball with a driver before. Took me a long time to
    just be able to hit the ball with the drive so it would leave the
    ground. It was nothing like the 8 iron I use to play with. But being
    in the Army didn't leave me with much money to play, even though
    the base I was stationed on (Ft Campbell KY) had an excellent golf
    course on the base. By the time I was 20 I was playing in the low
    80's. Then took about 5 years off for college and work, and started
    up again. Now I have to money to play but don't have the time.
    
    One word of caution. Don't push your kid into golf. I a friend
    I went to high-school who's parents pushed him into golf. He was
    very good, but now he dosn't play anymore. Where as my parents never
    pushed me, and I can't enough of the game.
    
    Mike

    It's funny that this note should pop up now.  It happened by accident
    last week when I went to play a little twilight golf and my 7 year
    old son asked if he could come and walk the course with me.  We
    had bought him a set of Austad's junior clubs for Christmas last
    year, and he hits the ball well in the back yard, but I figured
    he wasn't ready for the big course.  Well, I told him he could come
    along and caddy for me.  The course manager said that I had to pay
    for him even to walk the course (something about insurance) so I
    paid, the club pro gave my son a bag with about three shortened
    clubs in it and we went off.  Since the course was pretty deserted
    I let him hit off the first tee, 50 yds right down the middle. 
    Boy, was I impressed.  All in all, we had a great father-son time
    out there knocking the old ball around.  Here hed had come out to
    'walk' around with me and ending up playing his first round of golf.
    
    And the best part was when we got back in the car and he climbed
    over, gave me a big hug, and said "Your the bestest dad". He made
    my day!
    
    Tom
    

    RE: .12
    
           Tom,
    
                that was a nice story. Thanks for sharing it.
    
     Pam brought out a point of a child with a good swing and it reminded
    me of something that I read in one of the golfing magazines about a
    year ago. The topic was about holes-in-ones and it spoke of the
    youngest golfer to make one. My memory is hazy but the child was 6,
    used a driver to a par 3 that was around 130 yards. Anyway, they showed
    a picture of this kid at about the point of contact. Well, talk about
    good form !! He looked like some tour pro !
    
     I am glad I put this note in because I am surprized how many of the
    noters have taken their children out to a course. I have played many
    of the popular central Mass. public courses at a variety of times
    during the day and have never run into any children. The only time that
    I have even seen a young child out on the course is occasionally at
    Stow Acres. Every once in a while there's this little guy on the 10th
    tee on the South course swinging away. Haven't seen him much or at all
    this year.
    
    
    
                    Ken

    At 12, I had already used my 9,10,and 11 year old son as a practise
    caddy to "shoot" wedges at. Were both crazy , so don't try to
    understand. Don't call the "golf abuse" center for children of
    obsessed golfers. He had already been cited as one of the best 
    little league SS in 10 yrs in Arlington so he can ""move" either
    way.
    
    At 12, we spent the summer at STOWAWAY. Every Sat plus driving
    ranges. By the end, he was getting pars and feeling good.
    Had some birdies. Now ,the sport he HATED, is deeply imbeded.
    Next came Fresh Pond in Cambridge. Another good "beginners"
    course. Put a net in my basement.
    
    3rd year Stow South. Breaks 95 and 90 by the end of year.
    This year Stow North , has a 92 from the Blues,86 and 84 from
    whites.
    
    Moral of story: Its fun, but you want to play better and better
    Otherwise it aint fun.  Get the short game first, which he did
    at Stowaway, kids will get the long game eventually.
    From 90 yds in he's deadly, again from Stowawy and small greens.
    Cap has gone from 26 to 15 this year, and dropping.
    GET THE SHORT GAME FIRST.
                 Angelo