Getting The Young Ones Started

by KYW's Ed Abrams

When Tiger Woods plays well in a major, it means big ratings.  And some of those watching will be kids who might want to start playing the game. 

So where do you begin?

"Bring 'em down to the local golf course, Rock Manor for instance.  Bring 'em down here, get a bucket of balls, take them out on the driving range, and let them hit the heck out of the ball.  Take them to the putting green and let them putt and chip."

That's Clark Gregory, director of golf instruction at Rock Manor, in Wilmington, Del. 

One thing you don't want to do initially, he says, is bombard them with instruction.  They'll figure out the basic motion on their own:

"Most kids, they just watch other golfers and emulate their swings. If you have somebody constantly telling them, 'Don't do this, don't do that', it's hard for them.  They don't like to be told what to do.
 
"So what I do is just bring them to the range and let them swing, and they start picking it up slowly but surely that way.  And along the way, I start tweaking their swings a little bit."

So just let them swing hard and pound some ball, and maybe find a junior clinic at a course near you so they can learn in a fun, group environment.  There will be plenty of time for instruction later, if the game takes root.