As I’ve mentioned before, our only objective for kids under the age of 5 should be to make sure that GOLF = FUN.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, kids just don’t want to hit golf balls or even so much as listen to their parents if they’re trying to spew ‘formal’ golf instruction.
If the kids are really obstinate or in a bad mood, remove them from the course immediately and go get some ice cream…we don’t want to ever hold a child ‘hostage’ at a golf course while Daddy has to finish up his 4th bucket of range balls.
However, sometimes, when all seems to be lost, you can engage younger kids in a fun game of ‘Washing the Clubs’. Kids seem to be mesmerized by the club washing buckets at the driving range, and will often gladly take your dirty clubs and clean them up for you. My 1 1/2 year-old loves to wash clubs…so much so, she actually runs over to a fill divot or even the practice bucket on our range to dip her wet club in the sand just to get it dirty again. What does all of this accomplish?
1) Children learn the importance of taking care of their equipment.
2) Children learn that cleaning up can be fun sometimes (is it possible to transfer this concept into cleaning their rooms???…yet to be determined)
3) You can teach your children about the different clubs and numbers (“Can you clean Daddy’s 9-iron? See it has a 9 on the bottom. Can you clean Daddy’s 5-iron?…and so on).
4) Children become so fascinated, you’ll be able to finish that 4th bucket of range balls while they’re going up and down the range offering to clean everyone’s clubs.
Next time you’re at the range, introduce your children to the club washers down at the range and see if they don’t show an interest in cleaning clubs. If so, you may accomplish the most important lesson of all…GOLF = FUN.
