WHY SHOULD CHILDREN PLAY GOLF FROM A YOUNG AGE?

Golf is one of the few sports that is enjoyed by both sexes, of all ages, old to play with young, scratch to play with a beginner all while keeping a competitive edge to the game. 

Golf continues to be a sport where ethics and integrity still matter.

Golf is both an individual and team sport where you are only reliant on yourself to make or contibute to the success.

Golf is excellent exercise, it reinforces all the basic development skills that young children need in order to launch sound academic learning. Hand-eye co-ordination, spatial awareness, crossing the midline and bilateral symmetry are only a few of a range of developmental benefits to be gained by playing the game.

Golf enhances leadership, confidence, responsibility and courage. There is more to golf than physical skills and technique! Many CEO's regard golf as a test of character for a prospective employee, a way of seeing how they cope with pressure and triumph. In what other game do players report themselves for infringements of the rules? 

Golf seems to be becoming a necessary life skill. In the business world, this is where deals are made, as you're free of interruptions, there's time to walk and talk and you have five or six hours of quality time with someone in which one can build relationships.

Golf is about self-improvement. The quest for an elusive personal best, over humiliating reminders of our shortcomings, is a reality for golf players.

Golf also teaches to let go of the finicky quest for perfection and the acceptance that there will be a next hole, another shot.  Like most great games, golf has enough paradoxes to suit different temperaments: whether you are the type A person striving to be better all the time, or whether you are out to relax and have a good time, golf is for you!

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST COACH AND PROGRAM

A good program should provide a balance between having fun and learning.

Golf is a technical game which requires steady practice and determination to succeed. If variety and fun is not part of a program, children will lose interest and drop out. Youngsters should be given the opportunity to experiment with playing a variety of different shots, as most children do not have the attention span, to spend hours on the range finetuning their swing.

Choose a coach who is supportive and who will offer as much encouragement as possible during the difficult early phases of learning the game.

Choose a program that teaches basic fundamentals, with plenty of variation for practicing and playing.

Choose a program which will not only teach the shots, but also the etiquette, behaviour and finer points of the rules of the game. A good golf program will supply the child with knowledge on how to fill in a scorecard correctly and a good coach will explain which clothes and behaviour are suitable  for the course and the clubhouse. A good coach will be able to adjust the level of complexity to each child’s individual level of progress.

Good coaches know how to motivate the novice and are experts in building confidence!