A question we hear all of the time is “When should we start junior golf instruction for our junior golfer?” Obviously, there is no real answer. For example, you have Tiger that started at the tender age of three and other successful tour players started their junior golf instruction much later.
With many differing opinions are out there about when to begin junior golf instruction, you must remember that opinions are like belly buttons and everyone has one! Hale Irwin was once quoted as saying, “If a parent brings a young child to a Pro and says I want him/her to be a Golf Professional, chances are they won.t be.” The two most important part to the answer the question of “When should we start golf lessons for our junior golfer?” is that no matter what age your junior golfer is to make sure golf is something the junior golfer wants to do and to keep it fun for them.
First, you need to ask yourself some questions about what your motivation might be for getting junior golf instruction? Typically, there are four reasons that parents want junior golf instruction for their young child (under eleven):
1. Because of golf’s reputation for rules, fair play and self-policing, the parents have a genuine interest in seeing their children attempt to play the game.
2. A babysitting service, parents get a time out from their kids for a while.
3. Parents want to spend more time with their child and have decided that golf will be the vehicle to do this.
4. As so many do, parents feel that their children must be in as many activities as possible.
Again, whatever the reasons, the important thing is to let the kids have fun, enjoy themselves and let them decide for themselves whether they want to play the game of golf or not.
Regardless of how brilliant parents think their child is, young children (under eleven) do not have the attention spans for kids golf lessons. However, they do like to have fun and to some hitting balls is fun. As soon as you make it a chore by hovering over them with golf instructions, they will not want to play the game anymore. Think about it, would you?
If you want your youngster to enjoy golf, then don’t force the action. If they want to hit balls, let them. If they want to pick golf balls up and throw them, as long as they will not disturb anyone else, let them. If they want to hit their ball into the sand bunker, let them. When you think about it, a bunker is much smaller than the green and in theory, much harder to hit. Depending on their age, let them tee it up from 100 yards or 150 yards. Again, keep it a positive experience and fun for the junior golfer.
If you do decide to take junior golf instruction the Golf Professional should concentrate mainly on short game, putting, chipping etc. The Golf Professional should show you as well as your junior many different games that you can play to keep it fun. In the meantime, the games will instill solid golf swing fundamentals which will help you and your junior to improve!
Anita
this week i am having a golf leassion , and at £ 19 .00 for half a hout bloody dear lol im just going to start on the driving range frist and just get some confindence in me so any help / tips?
Marvin
I am at a beginner’s level and am wondering whether is OK to continue with golf lessons while I am pregnant? Is it OK to practice at a driving range? I am concerned that wide swings and twisting of the torso may have a negative impact on the fetus. What is generally suggested in this case?
Ben
I’ve never had a lesson. What should I expect when I go? Is my current swing going to get tweaked pretty good by the pro? Should I get a lesson?
Nathan
Anyone who is considering golf training will be happy to know that there are plenty of ways to learn how to play the game. Every way from the golf course to the internet, the video store and even the classroom will prove to be beneficial for those wanting to learn how to play the great game of golf. Prices will vary depending on the type of training method that is chosen, but can often be quite affordable. This is especially true of those who opt for learning at home through the use of videos or internet lessons. A professional golf trainer, however, will likely be the most expensive way to learn but will provide a hands-on experience that none of the aforementioned options can.
If you choose to hire a golf instructor, you will probably want to hire someone who has a lot of experience in either teaching or playing golf. Or, if possible, find someone who has done both. During this training, you will begin to learn the various names for clubs and how each one is used. In the beginning, golf may seem intimidating because of the number of clubs and situations that determine each one’s use. But, after a few lessons, you will be more familiar with the game and how to play it. Patience is the key to learning anything new and golf is no different.
Even prior to hiring an instructor, some new golf players may decide to learn some basics of the game before beginning the actual lessons. This can be accomplished by either purchasing books, videos or doing some research online. Either of these methods should provide an introduction to clubs and their use, the proper way to grip and swing. With this information, any new golfer will enter their learning phase with added confidence and will impress their instructor by how much they already know. Not to mention, anything that you can learn beforehand may end up saving you some money on the actual lessons.
With that being said, it’s important to know that there is nothing wrong with taking golf lessons if you are a true beginner. Even if you have never held a club before or if you think a club is the symbol found in a deck of cards, fear not. Golf instructors are there to help you to learn from scratch if that’s what you need. During your lessons, it will always be a good idea to have access to a set of golf clubs and possibly even practice a little in between lessons.
Many golf instructors work one-on-one with their students, while others prefer to educate to a group of individuals. Those who prefer to learn as much as possible, but without doing so with hands-on training may opt for online lessons. The only drawback is that this method does not provide actual practice, which can be sought separately by the learner. Friends and family can often provide valuable insight in helping one to learning how to play golf without professional instruction.
Danielle
The Medium Irons
my-golf-space
I have always liked the medium irons, the four-, five-, and six-, for they are the clubs which come into use so often in tournament play. Also, the five-iron is the dividing iron between the medium and short irons, and it is an excellent club to practice with when learning the iron game. It has just enough loft and distance to enable the beginner to acquire the feel for the entire golf swing.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours practicing the medium irons, and I feel they are a strong part of my game.
DISTANCE
The medium irons are used for distances up to 170 yards under normal conditions. In other words, you should figure the regular distance for a six-iron to be 150 yards, a five-iron 160 yards, and a four-iron 170 yards. As we pointed out in the chapter on short irons, there is a maximum, medium, and minimum yardage for the medium irons as well as the short irons. Every golfer should have a pretty good idea how much he can get out of each club, and the only way he can find this out is through practice and experimenting with the various clubs.
USING THE MEDIUM IRONS
THE ADDRESS.
The square stance is used for medium-iron shots. Both feet should be on an imaginary line that runs parallel to the line of flight. The weight is equally divided between your two feet, and the ball is positioned slightly left of center between the feet. The upper part of your arms should be in close to your chest, and the right elbow should be relaxed and pointing to your right hip. In this position you are absolutely “square” to the ball, that is, your feet, hips, and shoulders are on a line paralleling the line of flight.
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THE BACKSWING.
After settling into your stance and making the minor adjustments of the feet, body, arms, and hands that are necessary to become completely comfortable over the ball, “tune” yourself up for the backswing by waggling several times. Then swing the clubhead away from the ball in a one-piece movement. I have the feeling that my shoulders and the middle part of my arms dominate my backswing. As the shoulders turn away from the ball, the arms simply follow the turn, thus bringing the club-head inside the line of flight.
As the hands reach about belt-high, an upward cocking action of the wrists takes place, moving the clubshaft into a vertical position as the weight is swung to the right side. The right elbow is pointing down and close to the right side at this stage of the swing. The left knee turns in toward the right knee to let the left side turn away from the ball freely.
At the top of the swing, about 85 per cent of your weight should be on your right side. Remember, however, that your weight should be centered on the inside of the right foot and leg, not the outside. The shoulders have turned a full 90 degrees, but the hips have turned only about 45 degrees. This is because you want a little live tension in the left side so it will snap back and lead the left-side action into the start of the downswing.
If the left hip is allowed to turn farther than 45 degrees, the entire swing is thrown out of balance and the tendency is to swing the weight to the out¬side of the right foot. An extreme effort must then be made to shift the weight back to the left side on the downswingquite a physical chore if you are off balance at the top of the swing.
THE DOWNSWING. At the start of the downswing, there is a slight lateral shifting of the weight, initiated by the left hip, to the left side. The left heel is planted firmly on the ground, and the weight is centered in the middle part of your feet and toward the heels. The head is steady and behind the ball. The feeling should be that the head or neck is the axis, or hub, of the swing, and the shoulders are turning around this axis throughout the swing. Do not let the entire body move laterally into the shot. When this happens, the body sets up a blocking action so that the hands and arms cannot func¬tion properly, and a pushed or sliced ball usually results.
Halfway down, the left arm and shoulder have begun to exert a strong pull-down action which generates a little extra clubhead speed. This brings the hands and arms into the hitting area in a fully cocked posi¬tion. The body and hands are now set for the explosive hitting action through the ball, which is primarily applied by the right forearm and hand.
In one brief instant your hands are behind you, and in another split second they are in front of you, with the right hand turning over the left.
while the arms are fully extended toward the target. The left hip has turned out of the way, yet the head and shoulders are still behind the ball. At this point, the right shoulder begins to pull the head and body into an upright position so that a balanced swing can be completed with a high finish of the hands and arms. Almost all weight should be on the outside of the left foot, and toward the heels, at the finish. If it isn’t, you have a balance problem and you should work to correct it. Remember, you should always try to work your weight back in through your heels through¬out your swing.
Albert
Golfing can be an expensive past time, especially if you have to take golf lessons to boot. Taking golf lessons gives you the ability to have someone guide you and spot critical mistakes in your golf swing. There is another alternative to golf lessons even though golf lessons are the fastest and best way to a better golf game.
There is a lot of good reading material on the Internet that helps in solving your slice, hook, or whatever problem you have getting the golf ball to the hole. Taking a good golf book seriously and implementing the instructions on the course will turn your game around in no time. If your having trouble breaking 100, 90, and even 80. This article has a few tips on reaching your goals at your own pace.
Whatever book you decide to choose on the Internet or local store, read the chapters over several times before you take these instructions on the practice range. Practice at least three times a week. There are a few points to keep in mind when practicing any kind of new golf swing that amateurs tend to overlook.
Consider the slope of terrain that you are implementing your new golf swing. Take a large bucket of balls and practice the swing with different slope positions. Swing easy at first, then gradually step up to your normal swing speed. You’re not always going to have a flat lie out on the golf course. It may take half dozen balls or more to get comfortable with different types of fairway slopes, but once you follow the book closely and practice, you will soon overcome any problems at first. Be persistent!
Choose the shorter clubs first and gradually work your way to the driver. Do not leave any club in the bag. Practice them all. If you’re having trouble with a longer club, do not skip it and move past. Pause with the lesser club and go backwards until you gain confidence to move back to the golf club you dislike hitting. Pause at the club before and keep hitting it until you feel confident to play the golf club your having problems with.
Always shoot towards a target and always keep the distance in mind for each golf club. You will eventually have stronger wrists and arms as you progress through a full month of practicing three times a week. The distance will change as you move forward in your persistent self-golf training. The golf holes will get shorter. As you read through your golf book, look for tips on choking down on the club to take a little distance off your newfound power.
Find a nice quiet place to practice your short game. You need to be at least 100 yards out and work your way in with the putter being the last club to practice. If you are not hitting the greens, you must know how to chip and play out of bunkers. Mastering your short game will also take a bundle of golf strokes off your game.
Practicing your golf swing as much as three times a week for at least 1 month, and reading up on golf swing instructions will eventually move you towards a much lower scorecard if you are persistent with your goals.
Lillian
Where is a good course to go to for lessons? I was thinking about enrolling them in a camp, then possibly getting them some 1 on 1 lessons. Any thoughts about this in the Denver area?
Todd
I am looking to start off with Golf and wondering if there is any place in Mumbai where you can have an instructor teach you the basics
I do not have membership of any of the Golf clubs in Mumbai
Any tips on how much this would cost would also help
thanks
Melvin
I occasionally play and usually score about 105 for 18 holes
What are the most important things a pro will teach you in your first lesson
I think he will change my swing a fair bit and I am worried it may in fact make it harder for me to shoot 100 for 18 holes which is my goal
I only plan on one lesson then play for about six months then maybe another
I think my problems are no hip and shoulder rotation and hit it like a cricket shot ie club to close to my body
Any advice greatly appreciated
Warren
