Teaching young children is a privilege and a huge responsibility. The challenge is to cultivate their skills while sustaining theirinterest and preserving the joy. Over the years, I've come up with 5 rules that every parent should apply in a child's formative golf years. The reward is a happy smile and the knowledge you've given them a game they'll enjoy for a lifetime.
1 Let the child call the shots
We all want our children to learn the game the right way. As golfers, we also have firm notions as to what the "right" way is and tend to teach by rote, as if we were in school. For a young child, this is not the way to go. Learning the correct grip may be fundamental, but to a fertile, inquisitive mind, the grip can be drudgery. The kid just wants to have fun. Let them explore the game on their own at the outset. Follow them around and explain the things they're curious about. The rule of thumb is this: You are there to do what they want to do, not what you want them to do.
2 Do more `playing' than teaching
A 6-year-old's attention span is excruciatingly short. They don't really focus until the ball is on the tee, waiting to be struck. With that, the lesson should not last longer than 30 minutes. Furthermore, the 30 minutes should be broken down into 10 minutes of actual teaching and 20 minutes of playing. I don't mean playing in the golf sense; I mean drawing faces on your golf gloves or playing catch with a golf ball. The idea is for the child to equate going to the golf course with amusement. This may be difficult, especially if you're paying for the lesson. But the kid will gravitate toward learning golf in good time.
3 Share the joy of a job
When your child does something well, don't just commend her. We celebrate. We jump up and down. Enthusiasm and excitement, felt and expressed without restraint, increases the child's desire to please, learn and excel. The best way to boost a kid's ego is to diminish your own.
4 Communicate on their level
Everything you say should be expressed at the child's level, and I mean that literally. Don't stand when you talk; kneel down and look the child in the eye. Watch what you say, and how you say it. Even adults struggle with terminology, so you really need too simplify things for your child. Rather than say "wide arc," I say "big circle." Instead of challenging her to make a "descending blow," I ask her to "thump the ground." She doesn't "pivot," she "turns." Children must comprehend an idea before they can execute it.
5 Tee it up in more ways than one
To establish an early pattern of success, I insist on teeing the ball on every shot with every club. Your child will view this as an adventure. Her tiny thumb wasn't strong enough to insert the tee into the ground. Once she got the tee in, it was too crooked to hold the ball. Even when I straightened the tee for her, balancing the ball atop it was a big test for her. Have some empathy. Tasks we take for granted--putting on a glove and fastening it, for example--are tough for kids. Be ready to help at every turn.
Conclusion >>>> Have fun and enjoy the game of a lifetime!
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