Teaching the game

[Snickerdog]

I have read several thoughts about how a new player should learn the game.
We know everyone likes the big stick and it's awesome to see long towering draws. Also great to see someone who can handle any green with the flatstick.

So the question is this: Should the game be taught from the tee box to the green or green backwards to the tee box?
I like the though of working from the green to the box.
Learn to read greens and putt really well, learn how to hit any shot around the green to save par then work your way back. Hitting approach shots and then tee shots. This way you learn some course management along the way.

Lets hear some thoughts.

 

[mtbloco]

I agree with you. The putting stroke lends itself into chipping stroke. Using higher lofted clubs to learn a fundamental swing is probably a better thing to do. Then play forward tees Abd par three courses so driver swing is the last element.

however the kids love to hit

 

[Canadan]

from a teaching perspective, I would never lead with the short game. Most people who are interested in golf have a basic idea of the green through mini putting and etc, and I would encourage them to pursue information on the readily available resources like YouTube for basic ideas around putting.

For me, it all starts with the grip. Get a good grip, and get them swinging the club. You find out a lot about a person (especially their athletic ability) based on how they full swing a club as a beginner.

 

[Maric]

I was taught chipping first and slowly worked my way to the top of the bag. That being said after the first lesson we always included about 10 minutes of putting at the end of the lesson. The most important thing is to practice between lessons.

 

[Snickerdog]

from a teaching perspective, I would never lead with the short game. Most people who are interested in golf have a basic idea of the green through mini putting and etc, and I would encourage them to pursue information on the readily available resources like YouTube for basic ideas around putting.

For me, it all starts with the grip. Get a good grip, and get them swinging the club. You find out a lot about a person (especially their athletic ability) based on how they full swing a club as a beginner.

So teach proper techniques first to eliminate any bad/wrong swing faults first?

 

[Canadan]

With my friends, I love to give them grief. I do it because we are friends and usually that's how we keep things light. If I make a suggestion (at their request I am not Johnny Range Pro) I usually joke with them if they can't get away from their normal swing to try it.

It's all about having fun. Being stiff sucks. Being basic sucks. Have a good laugh and understand that golf is hard, and we're on this journey together and I am not giving up before they do is SO important.

It's also about reading the person. I've got a friend who only 'hears' me when I give him ****. I've got another friend who only wants the absolute truth and no sugar. Everyone learns differently.

 

[Canadan]

So teach proper techniques first to eliminate any bad/wrong swing faults first?

Well, to start a good golf swing requires the right grip. You can watch someone swing with a bad grip and offer solutions, but the grip is going to need to change for dramatic improvement in the long run, so you may as well lead with it.

One of my closest golf friends locally started our friendship playing with only two fingers from his right hand on the club. It was a combination of a questionable coach and big struggles with shot shape. I lasted five holes before I made the comment "David I really enjoy playing with you but if we play more we need to talk about that grip" hahahaha! We've spent the last year grinding out his game on the range and he's now down to a 4 handicap and I am so damn proud of him.

 

[Snickerdog]

Well, to start a good golf swing requires the right grip. You can watch someone swing with a bad grip and offer solutions, but the grip is going to need to change for dramatic improvement in the long run, so you may as well lead with it.

One of my closest golf friends locally started our friendship playing with only two fingers from his right hand on the club. It was a combination of a questionable coach and big struggles with shot shape. I lasted five holes before I made the comment "David I really enjoy playing with you but if we play more we need to talk about that grip" hahahaha! We've spent the last year grinding out his game on the range and he's now down to a 4 handicap and I am so damn proud of him.

I can see your train of thought on this and it makes sense. I just started the game later in life and never had that instruction so was only thinking of what I would do now.

 

[BigMac]

I'm no teacher, but I think starting with the fundamentals (grip, stance, posture) and a basic full swing would be best, followed by pitching/chipping, with putting last. Having a usable full swing will allow them to get out on the course and start playing, and from there they can refine their game to start learning to score.

Putting is the smallest and simplest stroke in the game, and being really good at it becomes more important as you become a better golfer and are looking to shave those final strokes off your score. It doesn't do much good to be a great putter if you're bleeding strokes all over the course and it takes you ten strokes to get to the green in the first place. I think the biggest contributors to better scores as a beginner are: 1) to keep the ball in play, and 2) once you get within 100 yards of the green you don't take 5 or 6 strokes to get on the putting surface.

Course management is big too, and that can be gradually introduced and improved upon as they're playing. It's really something that needs to be experienced rather than just explained.

 

[Canadan]

I can see your train of thought on this and it makes sense. I just started the game later in life and never had that instruction so was only thinking of what I would do now.

I look at it like this... Go find someone with a unique grip and tell them to hold it in the traditional way.

From my perspective, I don't know that there is ANYTHING more uncomfortable than holding the club in a manner you are unfamiliar with.

 

[Snickerdog]

I look at it like this... Go find someone with a unique grip and tell them to hold it in the traditional way.

From my perspective, I don't know that there is ANYTHING more uncomfortable than holding the club in a manner you are unfamiliar with.

I can use myself for that, I have small hands and only thing that works is ten finger. I tried interlock and it was like trying to learn to ride an bike and falling 20 times.

 

[OldandStiff]

I'm with @Canadan on part of this. Same mentality I was taught as a pitcher. Teach 'em a great grip and let 'em fire. Then try to reign in and improve without diminishing potential if possible. There are a ton of little things in most young lives with small, steady movements to exact positions like putting, but if you can't hit the ball to the green it doesn't really matter how you putt. The compound movements of swing are harder than putting.

I think you can tell a lot about a young person real quick with their putting too. Let a kid try to putt the ball in a hole for a few minutes and it usually shows whether they have a feel for it, or are going to need to be technical to be successful.

That stiff thing hurt though Dan. I felt that. In my old man bones.

 

[Canadan]

I can use myself for that, I have small hands and only thing that works is ten finger. I tried interlock and it was like trying to learn to ride an bike and falling 20 times.

I played ten finger (aka baseball?) up until a few years ago, because the friction between my two hands is brutal and it was destroying my right pinky. I tried interlock and hated it, and finally settled on the vardon (overlap). My ring finger now gets beat up, but I'm super happy that I made that switch.

 

[Canadan]

I'm with @Canadan on part of this. Same mentality I was taught as a pitcher. Teach 'em a great grip and let 'em fire. Then try to reign in and improve without diminishing potential if possible. There are a ton of little things in most young lives with small, steady movements to exact positions like putting, but if you can't hit the ball to the green it doesn't really matter how you putt. The compound movements of swing are harder than putting.

I think you can tell a lot about a young person real quick with their putting too. Let a kid try to putt the ball in a hole for a few minutes and it usually shows whether they have a feel for it, or are going to need to be technical to be successful.

That stiff thing hurt though Dan. I felt that. In my old man bones.

the mental version, not the old man version. COME ON!

 

[razaar]

The best way to learn golf is to research how professional golfers learnt to play the game. My understanding is that the majority started very young and learnt how to control the ball via half shots and high lofted irons. They had a concept in their minds of ball control before advancing to the long game, which is an extension of the short game (with the exception of putting).
Those coming to golf as adults seem to have the reverse concept about the game - if they learn the long game first then the rest will fall into place. This is the likely reason why about 1 percent of golfers make it to the elite ranks.

 

[OITW]

I have read several thoughts about how a new player should learn the game.
We know everyone likes the big stick and it's awesome to see long towering draws. Also great to see someone who can handle any green with the flatstick.

So the question is this: Should the game be taught from the tee box to the green or green backwards to the tee box?
I like the though of working from the green to the box.
Learn to read greens and putt really well, learn how to hit any shot around the green to save par then work your way back. Hitting approach shots and then tee shots. This way you learn some course management along the way.

Lets hear some thoughts.

To answer your question tee to green get the swing sorted (and all that goes into it) if the swing is sound you can dial in putting shortgame fairly quickly

 

[Reframmellator]

I like the logic of green to box. It builds the full swing in increments as you ptogress, and all of the fundamentals such as grip, address, etc can be taught, as can the idea of how far an “easy” swing can send a ball. I firmly believe this is the approach Mr Miyagi would use if he taught golf instead of karate. The problem is you have to want to learn how to play to go this route because the biggest gratifications are delayed. Very delayed.

 

[Snickerdog]

As I never had anyone really teach me it was just get clubs and go play. I wish I could have had a good teacher when I started the game. Could have maybe been a different outcome that it is today.

 

[Reframmellator]

As I never had anyone really teach me it was just get clubs and go play. I wish I could have had a god teacher when I started the game. Could have maybe been a different outcome that it is today.

Ditto!!!!

 

[McLovin]

tee to green. teach someone to find their maximum comfortable speed, then you can teach them how to hit it straight later. it's so much harder to teach speed after many years playing the game, than it is to teach swing/face positions.

i'm ok to teach them a basic bump-and-run. all the specialty shots around the green can come much later.

 

[Snickerdog]

tee to green. teach someone to find their maximum comfortable speed, then you can teach them how to hit it straight later. it's so much harder to teach speed after many years playing the game, than it is to teach swing/face positions.

i'm ok to teach them a basic bump-and-run. all the specialty shots around the green can come much later.

Coming from a guy who says and I quote "my short game sucks"

 

[gkeller813]

I've been following along a bit, looking for some insight on teaching the game to my 5 year old boys. I realized that most of this information pertains to adults, but thought I might be able to glean some information from everyone.

Right now, I just set up some tees, grab a bucket of balls, and some clubs, and let the boys hack away in the back yard. I'm more worried about protecting everyone, including myself, from getting whacked in the head. At what point should I try to get them to swing "properly?" They have a blast, and ask to get their clubs out, so I don't want to discourage that. I was thinking at least another 3 years, when they are 8, before I try too much. I'm not looking for PGA tour players, just boys who love the game and I can spend time with on the course as they grow up.

 

[Nappy]

I'm super interested in this thread. My daughter is turning 3 in February and she's already down in the basement with me all the time on my putting mats. She doesnt' quite get it, but she loves doing what dad does. I bought her the plastic clubs and she'll need some work, but I think I'm going to take her on the course with me for a couple quick 9 hole rounds next year just to see how interested she is.

I have a kids driver and putter for her. I think I'll just let her decide what she wants to do - I feel like it might be a little too early to harp on techniques.

 

[gkeller813]

I'm super interested in this thread. My daughter is turning 3 in February and she's already down in the basement with me all the time on my putting mats. She doesnt' quite get it, but she loves doing what dad does. I bought her the plastic clubs and she'll need some work, but I think I'm going to take her on the course with me for a couple quick 9 hole rounds next year just to see how interested she is.

I have a kids driver and putter for her. I think I'll just let her decide what she wants to do - I feel like it might be a little too early to harp on techniques.

I took my boys to the range this year, and they saw the golf carts, now that's all they talk about when I say I'm golfing . If not for COVID, I would have taken them out for a round. Best of luck getting her out there. Sounds like a great way to spend some time!

 

[Nappy]

I took my boys to the range this year, and they saw the golf carts, now that's all they talk about when I say I'm golfing . If not for COVID, I would have taken them out for a round. Best of luck getting her out there. Sounds like a great way to spend some time!

yeah I don't even know for sure whether she'll be right or left handed. At this point she still tries it both ways.

I'm sure she'll love the cart more than anything else at first and I'm sure she'll lose interest on about hole 3, but it'll be fun.