When did I start playing golf? Age 4! Where did I learn to play? East Renfrewshire Golf Club! What was my goal when I was a junior? To hit my drive over the burn at the 1st hole at East Ren! A wee boy with big ambitions BUT everyone has to start somewhere ....
In my professional career, I've always been hugely committed to developing junior golf and in my professional opinon, age isn't a factor - kids can learn at ANY AGE and stage of their lives! I have seen kids as young as age 8/9 hitting the ball further than a 12 year old BUT the key question is how do we as coaches (and parents) develop their skills so they can enjoy the great journey golf brings us!
I'm a Dad myself with two young sons age 10 and 13, both very keen on golf! So, putting my 'Dad' hat on I'd opt to get them into a well structured, planned out junior golf development programme run by qualified PGA Professionals. I'd want them out on the course playing AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE to bring them on, however, I would worry about when that time was right. I've played a lot over the last year or two with my sons and can tell you that patience is key - to give you a few examples, they take 2/3 practice swings before every shot, take a long time to line up putts, put their bags in the wrong position on the greens BUT they are learning and they're improving each time they play! The only way they do learn these things is by getting them out playing on the course and observing their habits and watching how aware they are of absolutely everything! They need to be taught well and educated in every aspect of golf not just the 'playing' side of things.
At Whitecraigs, we have a FANTASTIC WEE WONDERS programme designed very much for the younger kids (from age 5 through to 10). This is a solid foundation from which their golf development starts, however, I'm going to be introducing my development programme for the kids to advance onto once they have completed the WEE WONDERS programme. It may be your kids already attend the Wee Wonders and are proving to show some real skill and technique in golf ... could they maybe advance to the Development Academy earlier than expected? The answer is ABSOLUTELY.
One of my passions in golf is the development of juniors - to this end, I'm excited to launch our BRAND NEW JUNIOR GOLF DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY from September 2018. So, if your kids are keen to learn or develop existing skills, we'd love to welcome them to our Development Day on SATURDAY 8th SEPTEMBER. I'll be facilitating various skills tests and games to determine the level of their golf which will, in turn, determine which group they go into if you wish to sign them up to the regular coaching sessions from September onwards.
Please call us on 0141.639.2140 to register them to one of our half hour slots on 8th September.
We look forward to developing junior golf here at Whitecraigs and very much hope you'd like to be part of an exciting journey in golf with us!
