Level I:
If your child has not played before, or has limited experience, you
have one goal and one goal only - keep it fun. Sometimes it is difficult
as a parent to recognize and remember that your first impression of
an activity has the most longevity. Set simple goals : goals that virtually
guarantee a success such as getting the ball in the air, making consecutive
3 foot putts. As far as fundamentals are concerned, of course they are
important at this stage, but don't force them. Training grips should
be on the first set of clubs - every club. Initially, tee every ball
up - it's important to see the ball fly. Your child should practice
on the driving range until he/she makes contact with the ball each time,
and has grasped the concept of aiming. When you do head to the course
- don't set them up for failure. Whether your child is young or old,
the first few times out should be played an appropriate distance from
the hole - perhaps 50 yards, 100 yards, or from the 150 yard marker.
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Our Tiger Camps for example, use the 150 yard marker
as the teeing ground for our 7-10 year old juniors. From these distances,
it improves the chances of your child scoring closer to that 'par' number
that it says on the card. Plan to head to the course at an appropriate
time - perhaps late on a weekend day or late in the evening on a weekday.
You don't want to hurry them the first few times out. Remember
your goal - it must be fun!
Play with them - but you are not there to try to impress
or shoot par yourself. When I teach a playing lesson to a junior (or
anybody who doesn't hit as long as I do), I play from the same tees
and I hit the shot that I believe that they are capable of and that
I would like to see them hit. This doesn't mean trying to bust
a 300 yard drive from the blue tees, nor does it mean trying to execute
a delicate flop shot over a bunker. They are not capable of this
- and it will make the game seem impossible. For example, if I am
giving a 7 year old a first time golf experience, I tee it up with him
at the 100 yard marker, call it a par 4, choke down on a 7 iron, and
hit the ball in the middle with a gentle swing, hitting the ball a distance
which I believe he/she is capable of. My second shot may be a 25 yard
low chip or pitch onto the green, 2 putts for a par. I believe a 7 year
old can do this! He/she may use a full swing with a different club,
but nonetheless I encourage them to play the hole in a way that I feel
they are capable of. The success rate is high, the mission is accomplished.
Your child is at Level I until he/she is able to play
nine consecutive holes.in the above format or one similar, and is able
to keep score and post a score. When he/she is proficient at 100 yards,
move them to the 150 marker, then to the red or ladies tees.
Instruction at Level I: Instruction may or may
not be appropriate for a golfer at this level. It's somewhat rare to
find a child under 10 who responds well to one on one instruction. Typically,
but not always, a junior will flourish more in a small group environment,
where they have the support of others their age. Group size should be
large enough to be interesting, and small enough to be safe and insure
adequate individual attention. A good size is 5 to 8 students.
Competition at Level I: If your child is able
to post a score and enjoys competition, there are a few places to start
out :
U.S. Kids, the kids club maker, holds events in each state in the true
spirit of family fun and competition. See www.uskidsgolf.com.
The tournament has a different set of tees for each age group, and parents
are allowed to participate and caddy. Another fun source of 'competition'
is the Drive, Chip and Putt contest that is put on by The Golf Channel
each year. They hold events all over the States, see www.thegolfchannel.com
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Level II: Your
child seems to enjoy the individual nature of golf and the competition.
He/she has pretty good understanding of the rules and conduct him/herself
properly on a golf course, and has a genuine desire to get better. He/she
can play a nine hole round in 2 1/2 hours or less, and will generally
shoot under 65 for 9 holes, 70 for girls (no cheating!). It may be the
time to step up to the next level.
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Instruction at Level II: If your child has achieved
Level II, he/she has also realized that this is not a game that one
can succeed at without working at it, nor is it a game that one can
succeed at without some basic technique. Take off the training grips.
Take he/she to a trained, experienced PGA Professional, and get a 'basics'
check. While there is more one way to swing a club to achieve success,
most teaching professionals will agree that there are typically not
too many deviations among good players when it comes to proper 'setup'
technique. Instruction at this level should mainly be focused on this.
Don't forget technique for short game. I've seen many juniors come along
with excellent touch and velvety feel, just to have it ruined by improper
technique. The nice thing about short game technique - it's not as hard
to master. Invent ways to make short game practice fun. Your junior
at this age is still more likely to get a rush out of cranking his driver
as far as possible on the range, and that's OK. Make the driver cranking
portion of the practice session the reward - for example make 10 3 footers
in a row or chip 25 balls to within 5 feet to gain the 'reward' of hitting
the driver.
Competition at Level II: There are a number of
local tournaments that can accomodate Level II players. US Kids, again
is a good place to start. Nine holes is appropriate at this point. At
Copper Hill Golf Academy, we offer a junior golf league which would
be appropriate for this level. Parents and juniors can begin to look
at the offerings of local PGA Sections - while some cater to only more
competitive players, some fill the niche of a budding player who may
not yet be shooting low scores. The Connecticut Section Sierra Mist
Tour is one who succeeds in satisfying both - there are very good players,
and there are those more at the beginning end. The starting age division
is ages 9-12. They play nine holes and generally play from the red tees.
The general rule of thumb is if you can play nine consecutive holes,
know, understand and can follow the rules, can break 65 for nine holes,
and can do it in 2 1/2 hours or less, this is the place for you.
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Level III: At
Level III, your child has embraced the unique competition that golf
provides, and is able to see that it is a game which not only requires
physical prowess, but the right mental attitude, and the right equipment.
He/she is playing 18 holes at least weekly, probably more. When boys
are averaging 90-109, or girls 100-119, they may look at stepping up
to Level III.
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Instruction at Level III Fundamentals and basics
of setup continue to be of paramount importance at this level. By now
short game fundamentals should be in place, and the priority becomes
developing FEEL. There's no two ways about it, FEEL only partly comes
naturally, the majority of it comes from REPETITION and PRACTICE. The
challenge for most juniors (and by association their parents) is that
it simply isn't all that fun to hit ball after ball from a short distance.
There is a need to make it fun.
Competition at Level III Competition
is different from playing with friends or parents. The atmosphere is
just a little more tense, it gets a little harder to focus. Be sure
that your junior is ready for this
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Level IV: At Level
IV, your child, perhaps not really a child anymore, is playing serious
competitive golf on a consistent basis, with scores between 70-89 on
average for a boy, or 70-99 for a girls. At this level, there may be
a desire to compete at a college level
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Instruction at Level IV (under construction)
Competition at Level IV
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by Paul Banks PGA Professional 
