When it comes to ‘formal’ golf instruction for kids, most of the time you have to ‘trick’ them into performing a task by disguising it as a game. After all, the primary lesson we try to teach kids is that GOLF = FUN.
One of the early concepts that children need to understand is the concept that club path = direction of ball flight. Now, this is pretty boring stuff if you’re trying to describe it in adult terminology, but an absolute blast if you play the ‘Ball in the Middle” game. As the name suggests, tee up 3 golf balls (distance apart determined by the skill level of the child), and make a game out of hitting the ball in the middle.
Not only will this game teach them hand-eye coordination and groove a club path that’s (somewhat) headed towards a target, but it also teaches discipline (for younger kids) because they have to wait for the ball in the middle to be re-teed despite the tempation of two other golf balls already on tees just begging to be hit. My 2 1/2 year-old son demonstrates below…it’s one of his favorite games, and he really has a sense of pride and accomplishment when he’s able to hit the ‘Ball in the Middle” as you can tell by the grin on his face. Try it with your kids the next time you head for the range, and you’ll notice an improvement in both aim/accuracy, but also the concept that GOLF = FUN.
