Junior Golf Guide

The Ultimate Junior Golf Guide

Golf is one the best sports a child can play. It teaches discipline, fairness and promotes a healthy lifestyle but parents can find there's a lot of questions about getting juniors started in golf.

Thinking about getting into golf

If you’re thinking about getting your junior into golf, you’ve probably got a lot of questions. This Junior Golf Guide makes for excellent reading. Here at everyshotcounts, we are experts in everything to do with junior golf, we want to help guide your juniors into the world of golf, because, as we said, golf is one of the best sports you can play.

What's the best way to get my kids interested in golf?

Golf has great benefits for kids. Playing golf helps keeps the kid away from TVs, phones and video games and golf demonstrates integrity, truthfulness and tolerant behaviour. You must behave in a certain way on golf courses which helps kids learn life skills and how to play the game. As junior golf continues to grow, team opportunities have become available. It also helps with social abilities. Most golfers regret not starting playing golf earlier. This junior golf guide explains how and what age to start from.

What is the junior golf passport scheme?

The junior golf passport is a great way to get your child into golf and allows kids to learn the fundamentals of golf and is endorsed by the PGA. The aim is to get your child into a position where they are comfortable playing golf and to set them up for playing on a golf course all for £120. The programme allows juniors to have a structured approach to learning every aspect of golf, from using a driver, fairway play, around the green, putting and more. The junior passport scheme is available to all kids aged between six and twelve years old. They have three levels, Start, Learn and Play The start is all about introducing a child to golf, the learn program introduces them to fundamentals and the play aspect focuses on shaping their early game. At all stages, the program is focused on the kids having fun without any pressure.

At what age can kids start playing golf

In general, Kids can start playing golf from an early age. Generally speaking, a child is ready to play golf from around two years old, but perhaps are more ready to get on the golf course when they are about 4 or 5. If your junior is a golf whiz, get them on the course as soon as they can connect with the ball consistently well.

What are the best ways for kids to get into golf?

Use this junior golf guide to find the best way. For your junior to experience golf from the age of two or three is to get them on a small pitch and putt course. Playing pitch and putt is a great way of starting to play golf that isn’t too intimidating and daunting compared with stepping up on an actual course. Just hitting balls on a driving range is also a good way to develop hand eye coordination. Also, you can find plastic golf sets available that kids can use to whack balls around the garden. You can either use soft plastic balls or a foam-type ball which won't cause any damage.

Follow our Junior golf guide to see the benefits of playing golf

What’s better than getting out on the golf course for three to four hours? There's so many benefits of playing golf for kids, it's really a unique sport that has a lot to offer.  Playing golfer equips children with knowledge, lessons and important life skills that they can benefit from for the rest of their lives.

• Learn important life skills
• Improve cardiovascular fitness
• Make friends for life
• Learn about fairness and honesty
• Improve decision making

What do you need to play golf

To start playing golf casually for children, all you need is a ball and club to hit it with, however, if you're junior is going to be out on the golf course, there's quite a lot of equipment that's needed to get through a round of golf.

• Golf Clubs
• Bag
• Balls
• Tees
• Pitch repairer
• A glove
• A towel
• Golf Clothes
• Golf shoes

Do you have to wear a golf glove?

Wearing a golf glove is a personal preference, however, it's usually a wise decision to wear one. This is because as you swing the club there's friction created between the golf club and the skin, which can become sore during or after the round. Wearing a golf glove is always going to beneficial. You don't have to wear the glove the whole time, most players prefer to remove it when putting in for a closer feel of the club.

Should I get my child a set of golf clubs?

In this Junior Golf Guide we will give you advice to get started but if you need equipment then this depends on your child's skill level. Forget about how far they are hitting the ball or the amount of accuracy they have, it's more simple than that. If your child can swing a golf club and connect with the golf ball the majority of the time, then realistically, they are ready for a set of golf clubs

Which Junior golf clubs should you go for?

If you’re looking to buy the best golf clubs for a junior, there are quite a few options. You can buy them a half set, a full set, a second-hand set or you could just go simple with a 7 iron and a putter. For young golfers, say four and under you’ll be best off just getting the very basics as they’ll probably grow out of them within a few months to a year then investing in the set if they want to take up the sport. For juniors who play more regularly, it makes sense to go with a full set of irons. The lower irons hit the ball further and lower, whereas the higher lofted clubs hit the ball higher with less distance but more control. You can find lots of second-hand junior golf clubs for sale online, just make sure it’s legit.

Do the golf clubs affect how the child will play?

It depends on how serious your kids are about playing golf. For example, here at everyshotcounts we have the ultra-light series which is targeted at beginner golfers and the tour series clubs which are aimed more at serious junior golfers. At first, it really doesn’t matter what clubs they have if they are just experiencing golf for the first time. You don’t want to invest too much only to have to sell the clubs once your child is bored of them. Perhaps the best thing is to go for the yard club which helps a child get to grips with a golf club and also promotes the correct way to hold a golf club.

Are boys and girls' junior clubs the same?

There is sometimes a difference between junior boys and girls' golf clubs but this happens rarely and when the group gets closer to the teenagers. The biggest differences between young junior groups are in their colour. Some sets are built for slightly faster swinging speeds that improve launch and distance. It can be worth examining a golf club before a youngster begins playing.

Should I get a fitting for a junior golfer?

If junior golfers play at tournaments working to improve their scoring or putting skills, this would make good sense. But a junior golfer that isn't taking the game so seriously, you don't need to get fitted, especially considering a child's height can change so drastically in the early years.

What is golf course management for junior golfers?

Golf course management is all about the mindset of playing golf. We all want to whack the driver down the middle of the fairway but often it could be wiser to use a lower iron which will be easier to hit and probably gives you more chance of getting a better score. When playing golf, it's all about safety. The riskier the shots you're taking the more likely you're going to be walking off the course with higher scores.

Course management for par 3s

Par 3 holes are tough. You've got one chance to get the ball on the green, without hitting the green you're almost certain to go above par for the hole. A lot of golfers aim for the hole and if you've got amazing aim, that's fine however, if you're accuracy isn't the best, the best thing for you to do would be to aim for the middle of the green

Course management for par 4s

Par 4 is the most common hole on the course. It's typically expected to use a driver and then a higher iron to get on to the green, however, driving the ball can be too risky plus you might find that you play better hitting the mid irons than the higher ones. This means on a par 4 that is 300 yards. If you hit the driver 220 on a good day, that leaves an 80-yard pitch up to the hole. However, let's say you use a 5 iron and hit the ball 175 yards, that gives you another 125 yards to the hole.

Course management for par 5s

Par 5s are the longest holes on the course and range from around 400 to 500 yards for juniors. A lot of people like to try to get to the green in two shots, but that requires you to basically hit two perfect shots. Great if you've got the skills to back it up, but golf is all about getting a lower score and that can be achieved with course management. By having three shots to get on the green, the third shot is less risky as it's less of a hero shot, you'll likely be closer and able to get the ball into a better position on the green.

What do you need to wear to play golf?

If you're just getting into golf, it's a common question, what wear when playing golf? Most golf courses have a fairly formal dress code requirement. This includes wearing a polo shirt, at the majority of golf courses you can’t wear shirts that don’t have a collar, also it’s better to have plain polos as ones with large logos or graphics can be frowned upon or you could even be asked to leave.

• Polo shirt
• Trousers
• Shorts
• Socks
• Golf shoes
• Waterproof jacket and pants

Which tees do the kids play from?

In golf, there are usually three tees plus some have four which include championship tees. The red tees are traditionally intended for use by juniors and ladies, however, this doesn’t mean you have to stick to that and now it's not really the case. The red tees are intended for use by beginners, so until you feel comfortable moving up to the yellow tee box, this should be your preferred choice. The red tees are the best option as it's often not only the closest to the hole but often have an easier approach too.

How far should a child be able to hit the ball?

All children are different, so it’s hard to give a general answer. Let’s take a par 3 as an example, the likely length of a par 3 is around 90-140 yards going from the red tees. Ideally, you should be hitting the green in one but let's say two for kids, this means a child should be hitting the ball around 50 – 70 yards on average.

How often should a junior golfer train?

For a junior getting into golf, playing once a week is enough to get a feel for the game and not overdo it. When they discover they love playing golf and want to play competitively, it’s a good routine to practice twice a week and play around.

What's a good score for a junior golfer?

Most golf courses have a par score of around 69 to 72. This means that you should be going around the golf course in that amount of shots, however, it’s likely that junior golfers will be taking more than one hundred shots to get around. This is a common score for juniors, don't get obsessed with this as one day it will be far more than others and vice versa.

How long should it take for juniors to get around a golf course?

It’s usually expected to get around a course between 3 to 4 hours for average-sized courses, however, this might take longer for juniors with little legs and who are taking up more time taking extra shots. Always be aware of who’s behind you, if you’re holding them up, just let them play through, this makes the game of golf better for everyone and is actually part of the rules.

How does a junior golfer get a handicap?

To get a golf handicap, you need to be a member of a golf course that's affiliated with a golf union such as England Golf.

Should you carry or push your golf bag?

It's commonly regarded that the best way of getting your golf bag around the course is to use a push trolley. push trolleys are great for taking the pressure off the back and are typically easy to move around.

How many clubs are in the golf bag?

Most juniors will carry fewer clubs than your average professional. The rules dictate that you can't have over 14 clubs in a golf bag. You can have any combination of clubs you want however in competitive matches you can get a penalty if it's discovered you're carrying more than the allowed fourteen clubs in a golf bag.

Can you play golf when it's raining?

In the UK, if you couldn't play golf when it's raining, there wouldn't be many chances to for us to get out on the course. Obviously, if it's heavy rain, you can't play as it damages the course, especially the tee box and the greens. Playing in light rain is fine. It's always wise to carry a towel with you when playing golf, this is to wipe the grip down if it's got wet from the rain, as you don't want to golf club slipping out of your hand during the swing.

Indoor Golf

Golf is now almost as popular to indoors as it is outdoors, see our article on indoor golf and indoor golf simulators here. Indoor golf

How much is golf membership on average for kids?

Junior golf membership often differs with age. Kids under six or seven can generally find deals from as little as £50 whereas for teenagers you can be paying £400 or even more.

What are the best golf courses for junior golfers?

The two major things to look out for when looking for golf courses to play on with children are the distance and if they have an active junior section. Golf clubs that are proactive with their junior golfers will offer a better overall experience for kids and can help them mix and socialise with different golfers.

Golf etiquette rules your kid needs to know

Golf has a lot of rules. Perhaps the most fundamental is how you're dressed but it's also important to adhere to all the rules centred around playing golf. Knowing about golf etiquette is vital for kids to be successful in golf.

The most important rules in no particular order are:

1. You're limited to 14 clubs
2. You must play the ball as it lies (unless it's GUR)
3. Don't hit anyone else's ball
4. Repair all pitch markings on the green
5. Always rake the bunker after use
6. Score honestly

Do I need golf insurance?

Every golfer who steps onto a golf course should have adequate insurance. In reality, only a handful of golfers are choosing to get golf insurance. If you’re lucky, nothing will happen, however, with flying golf balls there’s always the chance that something or someone could be damaged or hurt. The cost of golf insurance is extremely affordable, so if you’re playing a lot, you could be paying a pound a week over the course of a year. If your course is affiliated to England Golf then your insurance is covered as part of your membership

Playing golf, what do you need to know?

Playing golf can be one of the greatest things in the world, however, it can also be one of the most stressful. If you're not ready to go on a proper golf course, it's best to develop a consistent swing before you do. Practice ares at golf clubs are great and so are driving ranges.

How do you grip a golf club?

There are several ways to grip a golf club. One of the best ways for children to start playing golf is to use a golf club without a moulded grip which encourages kids to grip the golf club correctly. When young golfers are getting into golf, the grip isn't the most important thing. Making them do it a certain way could restrict them and hinder their progress causing them to stop playing.

How do you swing a golf club?

When swinging a golf club there are four basic things you need to get right

• Grip the club correctly
• Stand the correct distance away
• Have the ball positioned correctly
• Keep your head down

Swing - Stance - Ball position - Swing technique

Putting

Putting is one of the most important aspects of golf. It doesn't matter if you can get the ball onto the green, what matters the most is how many times it takes you to putt. There's a common phrase, drive for show, putt for dough which basically means driving is the fancy aspect of the game but the putting is where the winners are really made.

How to read a green when putting

A lot of golfers struggle to read the green. You need to analyse the green and how it's going to affect the movement of the ball without analysing it. When putting you've two things to get right.

• The right accuracy
• The right pace

There are quite a few different methods for reading a green. If you're putting on a flat green then it's fairly simple you just need to aim for the hole and put the right amount of power on it, When the green's not flat, the line of the put becomes more important. Ideally, when you've got to putt around slopes you want to get an understanding of the hole from behind and from the side. Analysing the putt from behind allows you to visualise how the ball will move if you're hitting straight

How to deal with shorter putts

Shorter putts are certainly easier however you still need to have a pre-shot routine and visualise how the ball is going to go into the hole even if you're only 2 feet away.

How to deal with longer putts

Longer putts are trickier, one of the best pieces of advice for putts over 15 feet is don't focus on trying to put the ball in the hole. Obviously, that's the result we want but if you're trying to get it in without any thought to the second shot that you'll realistically have to take, you might put yourself at risk of three-putting.

Keep this Junior Golf Guide handy for future reference