If getting the children in your family into golf is on your wish list for 2026 then this is a must read. Introducing your kids, nieces and nephews or grandchildren to a game that will last them a lifetime is obviously an amazing step to take. But making sure you get them golfing in the right way and avoid common mistakes is vital if they are to progress and enjoy the game to the max!
Using Hand-Me-Down Clubs
It seems an obvious win to give children their own clubs early on, thinking they’ll practice more and feel like they’re committed to the sport, but sometimes this can be at the cost of the kit being correct for them.
Heavy clubs that are too long can damage growing limbs and often the clubs swing the kids rather than the other way round! It makes it tough to build speed and can lead to swing faults early on.
Purchase the right kit, or simply borrow clubs when they attend lessons, then invest in just one or two that are right, or one of the best golf club sets for kids. Even better, sign up to a rental system such as KondorKidz where you pay a monthly subscription and rent the perfect clubs, then as your child grows you upgrade to the next size.
Don’t Coach Them Yourself
Encourage them, but don’t bark instructions. Even the most well meant coaching from a parent can sometimes fall on deaf ears. Trust me I know. I took my kids for lessons with a PGA coach that I knew and trusted and suddenly there was no back chat and sometimes my daughter will even say, “Coach Josh says I need to remember to do this, why don’t you try it mum!”
This helps your children own their journey and it also limits some parents trying to live their own childhood dreams through sometimes unwilling offspring. Do take an interest in what the coach has taught them. Reiterate this rather than adding extra info and drills to avoid overloading them.
Stretch For Lifelong Habits
Just because they’re young, this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t start as they mean to go on. The act of doing a warm-up will act as a call to commitment to that practice session or game. This warm-up will last them a lifetime and needn’t be complicated to begin with.
A few swings back and through with a junior swing trainer (Orange Whip has a specific one for kids), or even a hybrid with the head cover on to add some drag. Arms swinging without a club also mimics the golf swing brilliantly and can be used as and when the wheels fall off to remind them that it’s a golf swing not a hit. A brief stretching routine before hitting balls will build great habits and ones that will help them swing a golf club better as well as help in other sports.
Don’t Let Them Carry Heavy Bags
Kids don’t need a full set straight away, or 50 balls in a full-sized golf bag. Those things are heavy and will damage their growing bodies. Don’t be tempted to cut down your old clubs or rush out and buy the best beginner set deal because it’s a bargain.
Buy them a small bag with just a few good clubs, and when they get on the course, encourage them to use a push cart, or stick to a very lightweight carry bag with double straps. Their journey needs to start at the range so a bag isn’t essential to start with anyway.
Tee Height Needs To Be Right
So often I see kids hitting off a tee that is far too tall for the club they’re using. This lulls them into a false sense of security and can punish them for a good swing!
Encourage them to use either castle tees or the Pride Sports PTS system, so they have a guide and know which club needs which tee height. This will provide them with far greater consistency.
Also, get them to hit balls regularly without tee pegs, so they get used to giving the grass under the ball a haircut. Half shots are a great way to give them confidence without a tee.
If the first time they go tee-less is on the course, you’ll find they fear it as it’s the unknown. Get them deadheading daisies and then put a ball on a daisy. The job is still the same. Deadhead that daisy and the ball will be airborne in no time.
Dropping Every Other Sport To Focus On Golf
It’s so important to play other sports, especially team sports. Hyper focussing on golf to try and rear the next Rory McIlroy or Nelly Korda is often a recipe that sees that child give up golf before they reach adulthood.
Allow them to play, but don’t get too serious too soon and be led by your child. If they’re asking to hit balls, go and hit balls! If they want to play crazy golf, go and putt with the dinosaurs. Take your own putters and use the session to work on reading greens and a putting stroke.
Often Adventure golf gets kicked to the kerb when kids take up golf, but it can really help your child keep the essence of fun within the game whilst improving elements of their putting.
Be mindful of taking them to practice in conditions that will put them off. There’s plenty of simulators out there so perhaps opt for indoor golf if the weather isn’t playing ball.
If it’s light drizzle, I’d send them out there. Kids love puddles and a bit of chipping into these, dressed in suitable clothing will spark their imaginations for practice sessions in years to come.
Don’t Pick Holes In Every Shot - Yours And Theirs
Celebrating small successes is so important. If a child does hit a bad shot, they didn’t hit it on purpose, so it’s more important for them to understand why it happened and do they have drills from their coach to fix it.
If you want to help, don’t get frustrated with your child. Change the challenge, the club or the environment. Encourage lots of practice swings focusing on what’s under the ball and a balanced finish.
If you take your clubs to sessions, be mindful that kids are like sponges. If you’re whacking your club on the ground and getting angry at shots, guess what… you’ll find your child mimics this behaviour.
Lead by example, and if you’re not hitting the ball well, change what you’re doing rather than flinging your iron down the range. It’s also fun to ask your child what they think you might be doing wrong. How they’d fix it. Kids love to come up with solutions. They’ll soon be solving their own blips in their golf as they learn more about the technical side.
However keen your child is at the start of their golfing journey, it’s worth remembering that it’s exactly that. It’s the start of their golfing journey that will last them a lifetime. So don’t force them to practice or enter a competition if they don’t want to.
All you’re doing by introducing them to golf is opening the gate up and sending them through it. The route they take needs to be mapped out by them and they need to feel supported and valued throughout these early years.
Golf is such a wonderful game and if any member of your family doesn’t play already, consider getting them to go on that journey with the child. After all,one of the best parts of golf is spending quality time with loved ones and I can’t imagine my childhood without my parents and brother out on the course as a family.
