Introducing Kids to the Game of Golf.

Limos vs. Flagsticks… for a child!

Guest Blogger – Bryant Lach

When I was a collegiate golfer, we had to give several clinics to young kids. I always wondered who had more fun participating in these clinics: the college guys or kids. I once was giving a lesson to a kid around 7 years old and he wanted to try and hit the parked driving range cart about 50 yards away. It wasn’t in harms way and I thought it would be a good idea because it was a big target for him to aim at versus a flagstick. His mother came over and was upset I was not teaching him the proper way to aim on a golf course. I wasn’t going to disagree with her so we got back to hitting shots toward the flag, but this got me thinking.

What draws a kid into aiming at the driving range cart? I believe the answer is several things. It is much easier to hit, a lot more fun to hit because it makes a loud sound when they do and it also gives a kid a sense of accomplishment he probably won’t receive aiming at a flag.  This is why I believe kids love putting: it has an end result, sense of accomplishment and makes a cool sound kids like to hear.

My favorite driving range growing up didn’t have the nicest grass or most targets inside of 100 yards, it had an old limo parked 200 yards away. Anytime my parents took me to a driving range that was the one I wanted to go to because I had a chance to hit the limo! I think this is why I became a good driver of the golf ball. It was a reasonable target to hit and made me feel good about my game when I heard the big “clunk” of a ball hitting metal.

Not every driving range is going to have a limo, or the range cart may be off to the side, but this doesn’t mean you can’t give your kid something fun to try and hit. In fact you don’t even have to go to the range. Put a bucket or a wheel barrel in the back yard and have the kids chip to that. My little cousin loved when I set up the wheel barrel. He tried to hit it as many times as he could because he loved the loud “clunk” after a good shot. So try it with your son or daughter and see if they get the same enjoyment as I did hitting at a target other than a flagstick!

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