this game for juniors because it teaches kids how to account for stroke and dis- tance while also developing speed con- trol. To set this one up, place ten tees upside down in a triangular bowling- pin formation and spaced so a golf ball can’t quite fit between them. Drop two balls about eight feet away and try to knock down as many pins as possible. Score this like you would a traditional game of bowling. You don’t always have to set up elab- orate drills to keep your kid engaged. Burgwyn says making golf fun can be as simple as challenging your kid to hit a shot high, or left, or wherever! Some- times you don’t even need golf balls. Dona Lerner, a US Kids Master Kids Coach, says that hitting pine cones in the back yard is a great way to simu- late the sensation of swinging through something. She also endorses enliven- ing bunker practice by swapping out golf balls for giant marshmallows. On hot days, Burgwyn switches out regular range balls for water balloons. Like many golf parents, you might be wondering if there’s a “right time” to take your kid to the course. Many ju- nior golf coaches we spoke with agree: any time! If your goal is to grow a child’s love of the game, he or she must first feel comfortable on the course. Instead of droning on about tech- nique or strategy, make it fast-paced by having your child partner with you in a parent-child scramble format. You can start around the green to boost the child’s confidence and work back as the child improves. Not only will the kids learn valuable playing skills, a scramble is also a great opportunity to collabo- rate with them on the course.
When your junior is ready to play on his or her own, scale the course to his or her skill level. Start at about 70 yards away from the flag with minimal to no obstructions or hazards. The first time out, call a 70-yard hole a par 5. Once the child can consistently make par, change it to a par 4 and then a par 3. As your junior’s game progresses, use the Longleaf Tee System as a guide to fig- ure out how long each hole should be for your child. The Longleaf Tee System is a joint initiative from the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the US Kids Golf Foundation that’s de- signed to create a fun and fair course for every player. How does it work? Es- sentially, you allow driving distance to decide the distances any golfer plays. For example, a child who carries the ball with their drive 100 metres would play par 4s between 146 and 214 metres. This allows the child the opportunity to use every club in the bag and develop a well-rounded golf game. If you want to get granular, you can refer to charts on the Longleaf website to set specific tees on your home course. Scaling the course doesn’t only ap- ply to distances but also expectations. Because golf is often a recurring-cost sport, Lerner explains that many par- ents feel like they need to see their child improving at a certain pace to justify the money they’re spending. “You can’t measure the success of your investment every time your kid touches a golf club,” Lerner reminds. Minimising expectations will reduce the pressure kids feel on the course and make their experience more enjoyable. That’s all you want for your child – to love golf, too.
FEWER CLUBS THAT FIT RIGHT IS BETTER Jonathan Wall, Golf Digest Managing Editor (Equipment)
An old set collecting dust in the garage feels like a perfect opportunity to ret-
rofit and save a few bucks. As a fa- ther of three, I’ll cop to considering a similar strategy for my kiddos. Cut-down clubs worked for Jack Nicklaus! But the consensus in the golf equipment world is never. It can make a shaft so stiff it’s virtual- ly unplayable and a kid miserable. You don’t need to spend much. Marty Jertson, Ping’s vice presi- dent of fitting and performance, suggests starting with a handful of junior-specific clubs – driver, fairway wood, 7-iron, wedge, put- ter should do – and letting creativ- ity lead the way. “There’s a lot of skill development that happens if you give them a limited set,” Jert- son says. “Let them learn how to manipulate the face. Make them earn more clubs.” Also, woods should have at least 15 degrees of loft. “Getting the ball into the air is magic,” says Dan Van Horn, US Kids Golf’s founder. “To help them achieve that, use a tee often and make sure they have proper clubs."
Even though you love playing 18 holes, delay taking your kids out for a full round. My dad took my brothers and me to the range to teach us how to hold the club and swing it. The main purpose of those outings was to spend time together. Once we were making contact, Dad took us to a par-3 course under the lights. The longest hole was 80-some yards. The focus was on having fun and being together and not slowing any other groups down. We spent a few years there before going to a full-sized course. I loved those nights under the lights. Now that I’m a mom, I send my daughter, Emery, to First Tee clinics because I know their focus is the same as my dad’s: Have fun and enjoy being with good people. Emery reminds me of myself the way she goes out there and just tries to hit it as far as she can. I’m going to keep doing what my dad did: Let my kids play multiple sports and have golf be a normal part of that rotation. Hopefully, it’ll be something we can enjoy together for a long time. – KL IT DOESN’T HAVE TO LOOK LIKE YOUR GOLF Brittany Lincicome, eight-time LPGA Tour winner
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 69
JULY/AUGUST 2025
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