5 Ways to Immerse your Young Child in the Game of Golf
Us golf junkies really want to get our kids into the game of golf. Why? Because we absolutely freaking love everything about the game, and we want our kids to experience that as well! A great quote from Matt Reagan, who came on the podcast in Episode #2 said “What you really want, is to be able to play golf with your child for the rest of your life.”That pretty much sums up, deep down, what we as parents really want! So how do we positively introduce them into the game of golf so that our golf experience lasts a life time? What has worked so far (fingers crossed it lasts) was positively immersing my oldest son into the game at a very young age. The definition of the word “immerse” is – to involve oneself deeply in a particular activity. None of these things should be forced or pushed on to your children if they do not want to do them, but if you can do these things while allowing them to have competence, relatedness and autonomy, then you are on the right track!Â
1. Let Them Watch you Play
You’d be surprised what a young child can pick up just by watching someone do something. The GOAT, Tiger Woods was said to have watched his father hit golf balls in the garage while sitting in his high chair. My son, he came and watched me hit golf balls at the driving range, and I would even have him come to the golf course with me to watch me and my friends tee off on the first hole.Â
2. Let Them Watch Golf on TV
It just happened by accident, but after Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters, I was personally in shock and completely moved by the whole situation. That lead me to watch the recap of his final round quite a few times, and my oldest son who was just 15 months old at the time, seemed to like it as well. He actually called golf “boom” at the time because he couldn’t really say any other words. After a while, he expressed his opinion of what to watch (limited screen time of course) and that was “boom” which meant the final round recap. We have watched that video, along with a few others at least 500 times, and he still requests them today. Now he tries to simulate what he sees Tiger and Rory doing in the videos…
3. Play Safe Indoor Games at Home
One of my students kindly gave my son a set of plastic clubs as a gift when he turned one. Almost two years later and quite a few repair jobs, that set has traveled around the world with us (literally has made a full circle around the globe). We still have that set and he plays his own games indoors at home. He picks up a club when watching Tiger or Rory on TV (those recap videos), he grabs it when we wants to hit balloons or other soft balls, he grabs it when he wants to putt and sometimes just to burn energy and swing it. I’ve never given him the club, he always gives me one to swing and play along with him.Â
4. Read Kid Friendly Golf Books and Magazines
We are all wired for story, and there is so much out there for kids now. One routine which I am sure you have as well is to read your kids books throughout the day and especially before they go to bed. I always ask what book my son wants to read and sometimes he chooses “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other times golf books. Our personal favorites are “Curious George Plays Mini Golf”, “Golf Cubs Magazines” , “Birdies Playbook” , and “Gregor the Golf Ball.” My son loves these stories and talks about them all day long. He even creates his own stories based on the characters in the book. The characters also give him motivation to try new things that he sees them doing in the book.Â
5. Let Them Play Golf in the Yard or Park
Purchasing US Kids “Yard Club” was a game changer for us. They sell clubs even for kids who are 36 inches tall (2-3 year olds). We could go outside and hit all kinds of light balls in the grass. This club has traveled with us everywhere and we even took it to the HSBC Championship practice round in Shanghai, China. My son who was 21 months at the time, hit balls with Rory MciLroy which was a dream come true for all of us (one of those dad moments).Â
Anyway, we don’t need a golf course to play golf, shoot we don’t even need grass, we just need a soft surface and some soft balls to swing the club. When my son wants to play he says so, when he doesn’t we don’t play, but the option is there.Â
In reality, there are a million things you could do, but as a parent we think golf has to be learned and played on the driving range and golf course, which it doesn’t. Lets build some interest in the game of golf before even getting there and then let your child decide if they want to carry on playing the game and having fun. Remember we want to do this with them forever!Â