You wanna bet?

The other day, my 6 year old Ally and I went to the driving range for a quick 45 minutes to hit some balls before it got dark… it was an impromptu visit, as we were just going there to goof around before bedtime.  As Ally started hitting balls, she was not really focusing… putting about 50% effort into it.  Aware of seeing how Ally was becoming frustrated… I needed to come up with a strategy to engage her on another level.

Knowing I could tap into Ally’s competitive spirit, I started playing a few games with her… this helped but what really helped was when I asked her the question “Do you want to bet.”  As a kid, I remember Harvey Penick always saying it was good to play for a little money when playing golf.  At the core of this strategy, is that no one likes to lose money (thus you will have better/more focused practice).

My challenge with Ally was this; I gave her 10 balls to hit a green with her 3 wood that was approx. 80 yards out.  I would pay her a $1.00 for every shot that she hit the green.  To add a kicker to it, I told her that on her first 5 shots, she could earn $5.00 for each shot.

As you might expect, Ally’s ears perked up and so did her focus/attention on winning the bet.  She went from goofing around Ally to “I am going to kick your butt Ally.”  Needless to say, within the first 4 shots she hit the green 3 times and won a quick $15.00.  Then I called it quits before she took all my lunch money!

My advice to parents is this…if you want to engage your kids while on the golf course take the advice from Harvey Penick, play for a little money.  For me on this golf outing it changed the entire event, Ally was tickled pink about taking money from her dad… and I was pleased to see her enjoy the game.    So next time you go to the golf course with Jr., put a few dollars in your pocket and play ball!