Juniors new to golf: what do you wish you were told or taught, earlier?

I'm finishing up a PPT for our HS golf kids that will serve as a reminder to some, and a framework for the new kids, of what to expect this season as a new golfer.

Yes, we'll have a couple of kids that are new to the game and we need to get them ramped up quickly this winter.

So, my question is simple: if you were starting golf fresh, as a young person, what do you wish your coach, parents, peers, etc, would have explained to you early on?

Thanks.

Cheat and you're off the team. Do not pass go

I have a page dedicated to cheating... and the term "one and done".

Good call..

Practice round pairings should be made so that upperclassmen transfer knowledge down to the frosh group of kids on your team.

Etiquette and pace of play

^ I have a page on etiquette and an embedded video from the state on POP. Thx.

The upper classmen knowledge point is taken. Thanks.

golf instruction is only there to help you figure things out quicker and they don’t really have all the answers. Go out experiment and have fun it is okay to make mistakes.

The image of a golf team is more important than wins and losses. If they are discipline problems in school, don't make grades, are caught cheating, they are done.

1) you have to score the other player, how many matches are won or lost by 5 strokes or less, if each player on the opposing team shaves just 1 stroke...that is the match ( coming from a 9 hole, play 6, count 5 format) you have to give your kids the tools to do that, it is hard to accuse another of not counting correctly. Role play the scenerio a few times over a few days. It is hard enough to count your own strokes let alone follow your opponent. You can’t let your opponent out of your sight if he goes over the hill, you don’t have to go down there with him, but you darn well better be able to see him. And take note of what’s happening.

2) similar is to not quit, ever, grind out every shot, golf is frustrating, some tools to use when it is going to hell

3) every home match someone takes a turn to greet the opposing teams bus, welcome them, point out where the practice tee/green are, the bathrooms, the water fountain etc...it has nothing to do w golf and everything to do about being a decent human being. Plus, take off your hat at the end of the match when you shake hands, it would make me so proud of our kids when they would all remove their hats at the end and the other team didn’t, humility, respect of others. Good base for the future. Dumb yes, important...also yes.

4) knowing the rules is so important, since most kids aren’t well versed in them, if your team has a good strong base of the rules they are perceived to be the experts. Rules don’t always penalize and there are ways to use th3 rules in your favor. As a coach, teaching and reviewing them at every session is a must.

^ Love the first part of point 3 and am adding it to the presentation. Thanks.

If there are any juniors lurking here, PLEASE chime in.

on point number 1. This highly dependent on the course and player. Some players are all over the course and over the hill from view you can not keep running after them. You have to be aware but running around after someone just makes a kid tired. Some players use this to their advantage and will make they're opponent walk all over the place to look for their ball or ask about simple rules. All that extra walking can add up during a round.

If this makes a player tired, they are out of shape in the first place.

Colleges often play 36 holes in one day. While uncommon, there are junior events you need to walk 36 holes in one day.

This has nothing to do with being in shape but if you are running around worrying about every other player in the group and what they are doing you not focusing on your game you almost certainly hurt your game. When playing the first job is focus on your shot and game. Players who watch other players on every shot are usually not winning.

this why you play in a tournament where you just have to trust everyone for the most part and if you can not do that then you need to have officials watching. The best tournaments have officials watching . It's why bigger tournaments cost more $$$ to play because you can't trust everyone and you have to have more officials.

It also why cheaters should be kicked off the team because it hurts everyone.

Your statements simply aren't true.

So what your saying is you can't trust anyone and you need to be paranoid about others that they will not tell you the truth. You really can't be that worried about others when you play. The nice thing from golf is if you watch someone play you can usually tell if there even capable of scoring a certain score. Seen plenty of parents say my kid should be scoring low 70's even though the kid can't hit a fairway or green no matter how hard they try.

Gee, thanks guys... grow up!

As Regan said “trust, but verify”