How Often Should Junior Golfers Practice? (Avoiding Burnout)
So my son is 5 and the obvious question is if it’s the right time to FINALLY get him on the driving range. But then the thought struck me, what if he actually started liking the game and wanted to play more and more as he got older! Now, even though that thought makes me giddy, I wonder how often he needs to practice to be any good and not rob him of his childhood?
As a general rule, once or twice a week is sufficient for a junior golfer to practice. Some junior golfers may want to practice every day in order to see results, while others may only need to practice a couple of times a week. The best way to figure out how often you should practice is to experiment and see what works best for your little golfer.
So what specifically should we shoot for when getting our kids to learn the frustrating, yet highly addicting, golf game? I did some research and this is what I found.
What age should a kid begin playing golf?
There is no one definitive answer to this question.
Some parents might choose to start their children at a very young age (as early as 4 years old), while others may wait until the child is a bit older (12+ years old). Ultimately, it’s up to the parents to decide what’s best for their child.
One important factor to consider is how physically mature the child is. If they’re not strong enough to swing a golf club properly, it won’t do them any good to start playing at a young age. Another thing to keep in mind is that golf can be quite a challenging sport, and some kids may not be ready for that kind of challenge at such a young age.
If you’re looking for a fairly safe and low-impact sport for your child, golf is a great choice.
What are some of the benefits of golf for kids?
One of the best things about golf is that it develops good hand-eye coordination in kids (and adults). It also teaches kids how to work with a team and to be polite and courteous.
It’s even great for cutting down on “screen time” being outside. It helps to teach kids about the importance of taking care of nature (both the natural environment and the actual course).
The health benefits of golf are also well documented and play an important role in golf’s popularity among children. Kids who play golf regularly can experience significant health benefits.
For example, kids who play golf tend to have lower rates of obesity and lower rates of heart disease than their non-golf playing peers.
What types of equipment do your children need to get started?
The good news is that most children can start learning to play golf with the basic set of equipment found at many local, regional and online golf stores or any 2nd hand store. And just like any other golfer, essentials include a putter, a couple wedges, maybe a driver (totally optional) and a few irons. Throw in a few balls and tees and you are all set.
A golf bag would be nice to have your child have something they can care for and clean.
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How many days a week should a junior golfer practice?
The number of days that most golfers practice varies from as little as one day a week to as many as five days. Many parents think their child should practice every day, but this is likely an unhealthy habit to begin because a kid is still a kid.
The chances of our children becoming Tiger Woods and an amazing professional golfer is slim. The game of golf should first be fun.
I plan on getting my son a practice session at least once a week. But if something comes up and we cannot get any practice time that week, it’s not the end of the world.
Just be sure to take your children’s feelings and wants into consideration and do what is best for them. It’s also important to consider what may be good for one child may not be good for the other. I only have one son, but if I had multiple children, I would have to consider their personalities and what is best for each.
How many hours a day should a junior golfer practice?
It’s best to not think in terms of “hours” for your child practicing golf. A good golf workout for kids can be as long as 30 minutes to an hour, but as little as 5-10 minutes. I found a good weekly schedule to follow here for junior players.
Golf is a good way to get exercise in and keep their interest in the game overall, so it can be worked into a normal schedule where a kid should just get from in front of the video game and go outside.
Remember as well, that you do not always have to go to the range or do a whole round of golf. Just going to the backyard and doing some chipping and putting which is good enough. Maybe throw in some alignment sticks and boom, you are practicing.
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Should I give my child golf lessons?
I would only recommend giving lessons to kids who want to learn and want to improve performance.
Usually, that decision cannot be made at age 5. So consider their maturity and honestly assess if it is something they want to do. If you are going to pay for lessons, make sure you find a good teacher or golf instructor and are happy working with kids and putting them through drills.
Personally, I would not get lessons for any child under 12. Let them have a life. But that is just a preference.
What is a good handicap for a junior golfer?
Well, first I want you to consider if a junior should even have a score handicap to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great tool to measure where you are and where you will be in the future. But it can make you want to quit if you struggle to improve it.
But if you must, use this tool to approximate an “age adjusted handicap”. This can help with coming up with something that is age appropriate.
Grown adults have problems getting under 100 and they have all the power in the world! Your kid may not be able to hit a shot hundreds of yards off the tee for max distance and for that, you should take care in assigning a number.
Conclusion
In conclusion, players of all levels of ability should practice regularly in order to improve their skills. For junior golfers, practice should be a regular part of their routine in order to develop strong fundamentals and avoid bad habits.
But don’t go overboard.
They are your kids first and foremost. Instead of worrying with maximizing their potential, maximize the fun that you have. The time that I look forward to is when my son can drive the golf ball down the fairway as far as I can and finally make it a match for bragging rights to his mother, haha… But that is just me.
Also check around your local area for junior golf tournaments. They exists because I didn’t believe it either, lol.
Speaking of driving the ball farther, I have found that this training has been instrumental in improving my game overall. You should check it out, too! It’s pretty complete and we totally recommend it here at GolfCartGo.com
