Posted: 5/10/2025 4:56:58 PM EDT
[Last Edit: torstin][Edited]
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My son has been to the range a few times. He's has had a lesson. We`ve played a couple par 3s (with some do-overs) and have had some time putting and chipping. Unless he has a dramatic change of interest, he'll have a week of golf camp at the end of the summer. What is a normal level of play and rate of progression for younger players? As far as concentration, muscle control, etc. He has some expectations for himself and can get frustrated at times. I want to keep it fun for him and without a lot of pressure but also would like that he sees positive results as he continues. |
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No idea for golf but most sports my kids play, around 9-10 their brain finally starts working. Does he do other sports? We definitely have some fat kids that never walked farther than the toilet and it shows, even after a few seasons. |
Tiger Woods first broke 80 at 8 years old........ Is he an athletic kid? When he plays does he do physical things? Naturally coordinated? If he does, then he'll probably pick it up quick and progress fast. My dad used to tell me if I wanted to be good at something, first I had to do it 10,000 times. Then, after that, I'd be ready to be good at it. |
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Originally Posted By Tanren37: My dad used to tell me if I wanted to be good at something, first I had to do it 10,000 times. Then, after that, I'd be ready to be good at it. I use that 10,000 times line too. Im not sure if it came from my dad or not. It does sound good though.  From my observations and coach feedback, he does do well physically and seems to pick things up pretty quickly. He's currently playing on organised soccer, gymnastics, tennis, and hockey clubs/teams. Golf seems to has caught his attention on top of that. Something I noticed early was that I had to constantly ask him to "slow down". He would run across the green to his ball for each putt or jump out of the cart before it stopped moving. Watching him hit Saturday at the range, he was mainly interested in hitting further and faster to the point all mechanics went out the window and he was just flailing at the ball much of the time. There were small elements of baseball, tennis, and hockey in many of the swings. I was happy when we ran out of balls. If I slowly talk him through each element of the swing, he can hit well. Im not sure how enjoyable that makes if for him though so I've tried to avoid. |
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I would not argue that Tiger Woods is/was an awesome golf talent and he accomplished a lot during his prime. However, have you watched the documentary on his life, and how he was raised? I would not take any lessons from that at all. I think if you can get a 7-8 yr old to go to the golf course with you and be interested in golf for 60 minutes at a time that is great! Every kid is different. Some 8 year olds want to play 18 holes for 4 hours, some hit balls for 25 minutes then they want to go home. Who knows when they are 12 or 15 what they will like. I do think there is a significant impact on those who start hitting golf balls early in life (before the age of 10 or 11) versus those who pick it up later in life. If you are in the position where you can get someone who is good at teaching kids, a few lessons with them would really be beneficial. Again, they don't have to abandon all other activities and totally focus on golf at the age of 8. |
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What clubs is your child using. I highly recommend US Kids as they are designed for kids and change as they age. Most kids clubs are and adult head with a very flimsy shaft. |
“An enemy at the gates is less formidable,
for he is known and carries his banner openly.”
for he is known and carries his banner openly.”
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Contact. At 7 or so. Just praise good contact. The other weekend my 7 y/o made a 30-35 ft putt. He screamed "I got a hole in one!". Was a par 5 so I told him I will get it to the green and you can putt. I usually let him hit a few drives, then chip if I have a chip and obviously putt. |
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Originally Posted By 03screwlariat: What clubs is your child using. I highly recommend US Kids as they are designed for kids and change as they age. Most kids clubs are and adult head with a very flimsy shaft. He's using a 2nd hand set of Jack Nicklaus CD2 kids clubs and stand bag. Not too bad. Graphite shafts and a good weight. There is a US Kids 9 that came with them. That seems pretty well made too. Depending on how the summer goes, I thought to get him a US Kids 51 set. I don`t have much knowledge about any of the other kids brands/sets. His younger sister has also shown interest and Im looking at a US Kids 45 set for her. |
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Originally Posted By torstin: He's using a 2nd hand set of Jack Nicklaus CD2 kids clubs and stand bag. Not too bad. Graphite shafts and a good weight. There is a US Kids 9 that came with them. That seems pretty well made too. Depending on how the summer goes, I thought to get him a US Kids 51 set. I don`t have much knowledge about any of the other kids brands/sets. His younger sister has also shown interest and Im looking at a US Kids 45 set for her. Originally Posted By torstin: Originally Posted By 03screwlariat: What clubs is your child using. I highly recommend US Kids as they are designed for kids and change as they age. Most kids clubs are and adult head with a very flimsy shaft. He's using a 2nd hand set of Jack Nicklaus CD2 kids clubs and stand bag. Not too bad. Graphite shafts and a good weight. There is a US Kids 9 that came with them. That seems pretty well made too. Depending on how the summer goes, I thought to get him a US Kids 51 set. I don`t have much knowledge about any of the other kids brands/sets. His younger sister has also shown interest and Im looking at a US Kids 45 set for her. Be careful because they sell everything. lol |
“An enemy at the gates is less formidable,
for he is known and carries his banner openly.”
for he is known and carries his banner openly.”