Summertime is for Junior Golf

May 22, 2008
By: Butch Bundy

I remember getting my first set of golf clubs. I didn’t ask for them and as an avid baseball player I thought it was a stupid waste of time. As most 10-12 year old kids tend to do, I rolled my eyes when my dad told me that I would one day pick the game up because I couldn’t play baseball forever. Funny how things work out isn’t it? I actually quit baseball a year or so later and took up golf. A little later it took me to college and now I teach the game for a living. All that my dad did was introduce the game to me and let me make my choice as to when I took it up. Summer is a great time to introduce the game. Kids have free time and the days are long enough so that parents can go after work to the golf course with them. Also, take advantage of the opportunity to let your junior participate in summer golf camps whether it is mine or someone else’s. I enjoy working with kids because you never know which ones will turn out to be life long golfers. The key for me is to make learning the game fun and not to muddle them down with 20 different thoughts on how to hit the ball. Showing them how to hold the club, how to address the golf ball and how to keep their feet still can be plenty in most cases. There is always time to fine tune the golf swing as the child develops.
Beyond that the only thing I am pretty intent on is teaching them how to act on the golf course. Teaching them where to stand when others are hitting, how to take care of the course and when to hit their ball is as important as making them a good player skill wise in my opinion. It doesn’t take a bit of skill to act like a golfer. I look forward to seeing some of you at the golf course this summer.