The Putting Green Can Be a Magical Place

The first time I took my daughter to the driving range, she was 7 years old. She had her shiny, new set of golf clubs. She was wearing proper golf attire, and she even had a little golf glove for her left hand. I was ready to teach her how to whack balls on the driving range. However, when we arrived at the practice facility at Palo Alto Muni, I was surprised by her amazement and awe. She walked around the putting green and was amazed at how "spongy" the grass was. She didn't even believe it was real grass at first. After all, the only grass she had seen previously was on lawns and parks. Even getting balls from the driving range was a new and somewhat cool experience. I let her put in the tokens and carry her own bucket of balls. And there were occasional squirrels and birds that would watch what we humans were doing. All-in-all, there were lots of amazing things for a young golfer to take in.

As you most adult golfers know, the short game in golf can have more impact on your scores as the long game. However, most adults spend most of their time whacking balls on the driving range rather than practicing putts, chips and pitches. So start your young golfer off on the right foot. Start their golf lessons by working on putting first. This has advantages, because most kids have swung a putter on a miniature golf course at a birthday party or two. So they're already familiar with a putter, and the putting grip and swing are much easier than the golf grip and swing. Sinking short putts is also a good way to provide some early positive reinforcement to make the game more enjoyable. Also, if you start with a very young golfer, the putting green is a safer place for your little Tiger-in-the-making. I remember starting my son at the age of four, and he was all too eager to explore on the driving range. So, we spent a lot of time putting early on!