Life in a real estate development featuring a golf course has its perks. Playing a couple rounds of golf is an excellent way to spend a day free from responsibilities with great weather. You could play alone and enjoy the smell of clean turf as you swing away or you could play with a couple friends and chat as you take in the lay of the course. Golf can be your way to recharge and not think of anyone or anything else other than your swing, the wind, and the ball soaring through the air.
But if you have a child, you can use golf as a way to bond with them meaningfully, and to give them valuable life lessons. After all, golf is more than just swinging a club at a ball.
Why You Should Teach Your Children Golf
Although you can aim to have your child master a full-sized golf course with 18 holes by the end of your tutelage, the sport can be a way for you to impart them with life lessons and enrich their later life.
It can help your child learn how to navigate social circles and build a network. Golfing can be a social game, and letting your child mingle with members of your golf club and their children can help them form networks that may prove useful later on.
Golf requires patience and determination to master. Reading the lay of the land, feeling the wind, choosing which clubs to use all take time and effort to master. In an age when people can accomplish a lot of things instantly, your child will benefit from the patience and persistence only golf can instill.
Your child will also learn to behave and follow etiquette. Golf has many rules and customs that your child will have to learn to play the game correctly. They’ll learn that sometimes you have to control your emotions and treat others with respect if they want others to take them seriously.
Finally, they’ll have fun with you. Spending bonding time with their parent will help them develop a healthy childhood and enhance your relationship. With golf as a common ground, you won’t feel alienated from your offspring and you’ll have a deeper connection with them.
If you’ve decided to teach your child how to play golf, you may need some help in finding the right way to get lessons across.
Tips on Teaching
Some people can have a hard time learning how to play golf, and children are no exception. You’ll have to find a balance between instructor, friend, and parent to effectively teach your child how to play. If you need some advice on how to do so, here are a few helpful tips.
- Give them equipment that’s suited for them. Golf clubs for adults are heavier and longer than what a child can comfortably wield. This can cause discomfort and sour their interest. Child-sized equipment will help them find their balance and swing easier.
- Show them how to play instead of telling them. You can demonstrate how to execute a proper stance, grip, and swing and it will prove more effective than describing them.
- You should also let them mimic your movements on their own. They’ll appreciate the game more if they participate during a lesson instead of staying at the sidelines. It will also help them get used to the movements.
- Finally, have fun. Goof around with your kid, crack jokes, and try to inspire them by giving rewards when they accomplish things and make them feel better when they don’t. Your child will look forward to your lessons when you make them enjoyable rather than rigorous.
A morning on the grass, tee in the ground, and club in your hand can be more meaningful with your child at your side. Don’t let an opportunity to connect with them slip away. Teaching your child golf can be a hole in one.
