My daughter has expressed interest in joining her middle school's golf team. I've never golfed beyond mini golf and few trips to the driving range, but I am enthusiastically supporting her and could use a little help.

For a little back story, my daughter is 12 and is on the autism spectrum. She's never expressed an interest in any kind of sport before. She usually prefers to play video games or build Lego. She has also been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and given how frequently she complains of random pain, I have little doubt she'll eventually follow in my ex-wife's footsteps and be diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She's 4'11" and weighs about 160 pounds. She NEEDS to get outside and exercise. I've mentioned this to her a few times and I'm hopeful an interest in golf will flourish and she'll get some of the aerobic exercise she desperately needs.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if she quits the first time she actually has to walk the local 9-hole course carrying a bag full of clubs. The painful truth is, she has a history of being lazy and quitting things when she is asked to put in effort. She quit dance after a few years. She quit Girl Scouts. Last year, she was on her old school's Greenpower team, which is a STEM-related team which races battery-powered cars the teams build themselves, but she quiet quit the last meet and didn't move out of her chair under the canopy when she w supposed to be working with her team at the track.

Practices start Tuesday and she needs some clubs by then. My plan is to go to Academy Sports, Dicks, or wherever I can find someone to teach us a bit about the equipment and then see what I can find at area Goodwill and other secondhand stores. I can't afford to spend a ton of money on clubs and a bag if she's going to quit because she has to actually put in work.

So, with all that in mind, what do you golfers suggest to start with? How many clubs does she need to start? I assume the length of the club plays an important part. I mean, I can't imagine a 6'5" golfer would use the same clubs as a 4'11" golfer. Is there such a thing as a starter kit which wouldn't cost an arm and a leg that I could resell on FB Marketplace if she drops out?

Please, give me some pointers so I can help my daughter get outside. I don't expect her to be an LPGA level golfer, but I would like to see her develop an interest in some form of exercise, and I'm willing to do what I can to encourage it.

Ask around your neighborhood.  There may be a lady who has given up golf who would be glad to give you the clubs.

As far as how many clubs are needed, she could probably get by with three or four irons, say the 3, 5, 7, and 9.  For woods she could probably get by with a driver (1) and a 3 wood.  Then she would need a putter for short shots on the greens, like you probably used in mini golf.  She needs a bag but you could probably get one cheap at WalMart.  If the work of carrying the bag is a pain in the neck for her, get her a cart.

Finally, teach her the motto of golf:

A good walk, wasted.

Dang, just seeing this post. Any update on how things are going?

Golf is great for young ladies. That said be very careful of the female golf influences she has. There are quite a few “golf influencers” on TikTok and Instagram who are actually Only Fans Thots. Found my daughter talking about one of them and had to explain to her that while she may be a good golfer she was also a godless harlot in more parent appropriate terms.

Sorry for the delayed reply-tax season had me working too much.

She quit un the middle of the second practice after getting into an argument with another kid on the team (who is also on the spectrum) over something only kids on the spectrum would give a shit about.

I'd love to say I was surprised, but I'd be lying.