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Those with kids: When did you introduce them to golf?

MWard

MWard

I do not play well with others
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Our little one watches me pretty intently when I'm putting in the house. I'd love to take her golfing with me when she's old enough, but I don't know when it'd be a good age to start letting her do stuff like chip and putt. I figure it won't be for at least another year, but wanted to get the advice of ya'll who have their kids into the game!
 
This has Lydia Ko parents written all over it : )
 
This year will be when I introduce her truly. She's got a us kids club and her length seemore, but I just let her play with them the past year so that they were around.

She knows what I do for a living though and now actively asks of I can teach her, so this summer she will go to practices with me and start working with our girls coach who is awesome with kiddos.
 
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JB said:
This has Lydia Ko parents written all over it : )
Click to expand...

Noooooo no no. I can't stand Lydia's or Michelle's parents. Introduce, then let her decide if she wants to stick with it or not. Forcing it just seems like using your kid as a paycheck :/
 
I bought my daughter plastic clubs when she was probably 4 and took her to the course that summer. I bought both of my kids cheap 3 club sets this last year, my daughter was 6 and son was 3. I've taken them both to the driving range this last summer and plan on getting Claire on the course this year, at her urging. Actually she wants to do a date day with me and go to the simulator. She's a good girl .
 
My oldest never paid attention. I took my youngest once when he was 5 and he asks to go all the time, but he is far from playing around the house.

I haven't yet decided if his infatuation is with the cart. lol
 
Mine was about 9-10 when we started playing together. She has a very firm opinion on lessons (NO!) and we mostly just go hang out and play around a bit. I try to keep it fun for her and just let her dictate what she wants to do, sometimes she walks and pushes my cart, sometimes she plays, as long as we're hanging out I'm happy.
 
I didn't actually introduce my son to the game outside f the plastic clubs we got him as a baby, they might as well have been sticks. He knew I went and played with other adults, but when he was younger I don't think realized kids even played. When he was 6 we sent him to a kids program at our local muni where they spent the week learning with other kids and got their own set of clubs. He started going with me a handful of times a year until he was 9. Then he started getting more interested and wanting to go more. He played his first year of PGA Jr's last summer as a 10 y/o and he is officially hooked. It took a while to gain traction and I'm glad we took it slow, he now loves going to the course with me and we have something we can do for years to come.
 
My older kids were introduced to golf by age 5 and my son joined me at the driving range or for a round of golf at least 15 times each year until he was about 11 or 12. At that age, he got more serious about soccer, lacrosse and water polo and golf took a backseat. My youngest who I didn't take golfing with me until she was 8 or 9 is the only one of the 3 that is an avid golfer. I'm expecting from her current interest level that she will play high school golf, but we will have to wait and see, teenagers have a way of surprising you.

My son who is now 20 is finally showing interest. He played three rounds with me in Florida over Christmas and played with buddies a dozen or so times last summer. He has so much natural clubhead speed that I'm glad he's finally finding joy chasing that little white ball!
 
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Started letting him putt on the practice green this year at age 4.


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Jaymo37 said:
a6cdfabc9dc675d025dc1249a7ecea0d.jpg


Started letting him putt on the practice green this year at age 4.


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This is my youngest, My oldest played his first on course round this year with me at age 9
 
I want to say my son was 8 when I brought him to the driving range so he could smack some balls around, then took him on the course with me riding the cart. The following year he asked to take golf lessons, which he's done every summer since then and played PGA Jr this past summer at age 11.
 
I live in a small town with a cheap course. By age 3, my son came out with me 12+ times per year. But, we'd be the only ones out there. And I can't promise he was doing anything golf related. But he was on the course.

~Rock

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I think my son was...5, maybe 6, when I would take him with me to the range and course. Now he's 9 and I can easily walk 9 of an executive course with him. My daughter has started as well, at 7. She doesn't have quite the attention span yet, but has a very good swing.
 
My parents started me in the 1960's at age 7 or 8. First lesson at age 10.
 
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My thought process with it was this: the fun plastic clubs cause why not, and then when she's starting to ask, bringing her to the course and starting her on the green from wherever I end up for my second or third shot aka I'm putting for 3, she's putting for 1. Let her get the bug that way and then back her up as she becomes more coordinated or at her request. Something where she doesn't have to worry about hitting X club, cause it's just a powerless motion.
 
I got the plastic clubs when Lily was about a year and a half old. We got to putting so I got her a US kids one but she lost interest quick. Every now and then she'll pick up a plastic club and do a swing, but it's pretty rare.

Don't think I'll push too much harder for now. Maybe if she starts trying to putt again I'll take her out to the practice area but no course time for a few more years.
 
My father-in-law was a realtor who did many estate homes, and he would often buy or be offered stuff. He grabbed a little junior set win a little Sunday bag and gave it to my son at 7. One evening I was washing the car and he asked me if he could go in the back yard and hit some plastic golf balls. I said sure and went back in ten minutes to check on him. We have almost 1/2 acre, but he had taken the lid off the sand box I'd filled not two hours ago and was hitting explosion shots out of it.

This was four years before OJ Simpson claimed to be doing the same thing on the night of the double murder. It was also when I became convinced genes play a pretty big role in our lives. All that green and he ends up in the sand, just like his old man.

We started when he was nine - a course five minutes away encouraged parents to bring their young kids after 5:30 on Saturdays. Great idea. Great times.
 
I tried to get my boys into golf when they were young, even built them a set but baseball and hockey were more important to them. That, and they hated that I was going to play golf, which meant I was gone 5-6 hours on the weekend; for that they hated golf. Neither one took golf seriously until HS.
 
Will state this again here. My daughter has semi interest. Started her at age 8. One day her club had university of Arizona lady team attend. The coach asked the team to introduce themselves, state where they were from, and what age they started. Of the 10, 8 of them started around age 3, one started at age 8, and the other at age 13. I have a one year old and I plan to introduce him around 3 to 4, see if he likes it or not.

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My son started at 6. He saw me pick up the game and decided he wanted to go with me. He started out in First Tee and group classes and had his first official lesson this year at 10. He loves it and competes in monthly junior tournaments and plays in a PGA JR League (team match play) in the summers.
 
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I'm not sure I'd even push the junior golf route. I'd want it to be fun for her, and I know tournament parents and how they can be having gone to a couple HS golf tournaments. The way this dad berated his son, who clearly didn't want to be there, was just painful and sad to watch.

If she wanted to get more competitive, then that's her decision. This game's too fun to be the overbearing parent who thinks they have the next prodigy in their hands.
 
All of my kids play with my wedge in the house and their plastic clubs. 4yr, 3yr, 23month. My oldest son has gone and played 9 with his lefty 3 club set I got him awhile ago. Plan to go again Thursday with him. He gets to tee off on some tee boxes, or fairways, and maybe hit an iron here and there. Always gets to putt out each hole.

Essentially, this is my main hobby and stress reliever, so my kids are around it all the time from birth.
 
Introduced my son around 2.5 years old. Took him to the range to hit a bucket. Then introduced him to the mini golf. Was great as we both enjoy the game


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