For parents eager to get their children into golf, it can be difficult to know what to focus on.
Should kids take lessons right away? What should they learn first? How important are the fundamentals, like proper grip and posture?
Full disclosure: These topics are currently top of mind for me, because I’m hoping to foster a love of the game in my six-year-old as soon as possible.
I decided to seek guidance from Naples, Fla.-based golf instructor Renee Trudeau O’Higgins at GOLF’s Top 100 Teacher Summit at Pinehurst.
“The younger a child is, the more you should try to keep it fun,” Trudeau said. “Bring them out to the golf course, make them rake a bunker, make them want to be there. Once they want to be there, then I would move into some fundamentals.”
Trudeau said perfect mechanics should not be a priority. I.e., Let the kids grip the club as they see fit. But there is one thing that Trudeau believes is important to encourage from the very beginning.
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“I would probably try to start to develop some speed, how they transfer or pivot their weight from the back foot to the front foot,” she said. “Starting to learn how their body moves in space, I find, is a really important starting place with kids. Then, as they transition to being a little bit older, you start to focus on the foundations being really solid: grip, posture and ball position.”
If you really want to hammer fundamentals from the beginning, Trudeau says ball position is an easy place to start. Kids can get their feet together and separate them into a proper stance with little issue.
“Use easy, audible cues that are simple, like a grip being a hot dog in a bun, rather than being really precise,” Trudeau advised.
Another key to keep in mind: It’s okay if it’s not perfect.
“Far too many teachers try to make sure that they’re perfect early, and we don’t want that,” she said. “We want a child to think of golf as a fun sport. Most of the other sports that they play are team-oriented, where it’s okay to make mistakes. As teachers, I think we can do a better job of making sure the child doesn’t feel the pressure of being perfect.”
Renee Trudeau O’Higgins is the director of instruction at Quail West Golf & Country Club in Naples, Fla. Follow her golf instruction content on Instagram: @teachmetogolf.