Winter training plan (9 & 11 yr olds)

[BloctonGolf11]

I get what you are saying to a point. However, two hours of organized "practice" is to much on a 7 year old kid from a physical standpoint, let alone an emotional one. Do you realize how many swings of a golf club we are talking about if you are practicing two hours a day? Absolutely keep the kids off the couch but have them run around and play and do other activities. Yes all kids are individual and some will thrive in that situation; however, 2 hours a day is a perfect recipe for not only burn out but also for overuse injuries.

[kekoa]

Yes really. I didn't mention forcing the child or playing video games. 2 hrs each and every day is too much. period.

[tiger1873]

I think it's Pretty easy to do 2 hours a day especially if you go out and play a few holes after some time on the range. I get some people just sit on the range and bang balls all day but some of us can jump on a course and go out anytime we want or even let the kids play on a hole in the backyard.. 2 hours goes by pretty quick.

When they get older there a lot kids who practice 4-6 hours a day 7 days a week minium and they would practice more but in the winter there is not enough daylight. Kids who love golf will spend all day practicing playing or talking about golf. Granted there are very very few kids that will do this but the ones that truly love golf all do this.

[BloctonGolf11]

Way more to life than golf, particularly at that age. 2 hours a day for a seven year old child is too much. As well, for your example of older kids practicing 4-6 hours a day 7 days a week that is a minuscule amount of kids who are all going for EXTREMELY HIGH D1 level scholarships or professionals. Trying to use that to justify a 7 year old practicing 2 hours a day is asinine.

[Kcct82]

The cross training part is kids specific, they teach a “functional athletic platform” to children. So it’s mainly ladder drills, push ups, jumps, shuffles, and balance stuff. He doesn’t lift weights or anything like that.

While overuse injuries are definitely a concern, we’re really only talking about 3-5 hours/per week on the range. The other 9-11 hours are split among putting, chipping, pitching, and playing on the course. And now that he’s “training”, he practices golf even less. Also, he played soccer in the fall and will play baseball in spring. I don’t think it’s all the crazy guys.

[heavy_hitter]

7-10 year old is different. 2 hours of organized practice is way too much. As they get older even two hours every day is a lot. Really have to do a good job of mixing up the activities between drills and playing on the course.

[kekoa]

FWIW, I know some pretty good junior golfers in Socal. All range from about 8-12 yrs old. NONE of them practice 2 hrs a day, let alone everyday. All of their regiments differ, but they don't pick up a club everyday. Unless a kid is home schooled, your live next door to the course, and parents have very flexible jobs, practicing everyday becomes very difficult in itself especially given shorter days, homework, etc...

[wildcatden]

I don't think the cross training (which you really describe as "functional athletic development" consisting of ladder drills, push ups, jumps, shuffles, and balance stuff) as a problem. 5 days a week of that seems a bit over the top. Don't be afraid to put down the clubs. So many parents fear that their junior won't be able to get back to where they were swinging the club if they take an extended absence.

For us, we are coming up on 3 weeks since we have swung a single club. On the bright side, the ski resorts are open at Tahoe now!! Let the ski season begin!! .....oh, and baseball tryouts are in early January here.

[tiger1873]

Everyone around here live on or near a golf course so they have easy access. I literally have a green in my back yard you can walk up and putt on most afternoons. So my kids just walk out there and start putting when ever they feel like it. I also can take them out anytime and we have the range within walking distance. Pretty easy to get a lot hours in practice like that.

[propredicr]

Forced to put down clubs for a few months to study for college prep school exams. First tourney back, shot best round, ever, in the mid 60’s.

Been going at it for almost eight years for 5-6 days/week. Burnout is real. Now, it’s 3 days/week golf max, 3 days/week workout/speed/core. Didn’t start the workouts until 11 yo. Now, we take days off whenever kid doesn’t feel like doing either.

To someone’s point earlier, you don’t/shouldn’t need to push. The desire; It’s either there or not.

Plenty of times, wanted to hang it up and I always leave that avenue open. But, always come back more motivated and stronger, with some rest. Even the pros take time off between big tourneys, then gear up right before.

Used to do 20+ tourneys/year. Now, down to scheduling 12-14, max. Not only reduced costs, but, able to work harder on improving the areas of opportunity.

It definitely is a marathon and initially, I was of the thought that more is better. It’s not. It’s not an arms race. LOL. Easy to get caught up in it and I’m guilty! Give your kid support, love on them, and hope it works out in the end?

If not, they surely will be everyone’s first pick for the money tourneys or corporate golf outings.

 

[darter79]

Brings up a good point how MUCH are your kids practice golf? Even if its dong speed training, fitness training, lessons? How many days a week and how many hours at each duration? Age for reference. We go about 2-3 times a week for 1.5 and try to practice on the course during one of those hitting a few balls at different yardages not really about score for us just about hitting shots on the course.

[BloctonGolf11]

Right now he is in basketball so we literally play 9 holes most Sundays and he goes to the range on Tuesdays for about 45 minutes that is it. During the high points of golf for us (April - September) he plays 9 holes on Sundays, typically range 2-3 times a week for 45 minutes, and a tournament or match thrown in (PGA Jr League or a tourney). We make sure to take at least two days a week where we don't touch a club even in the busiest of times and typically even in the busy times we take a week every 3 or 4 weeks where we have no tourneys or matches and may go just once. You have to have balance in your life. For reference 9 years old about to be 10.

[tiger1873]

There are different level of dedication for sure. The golfers who become the best spend a lot time for sure doing golf or golf related activities. At the start it becomes free time and eventually they make time for it. It's really not that uncommon to see 40-60 hours a week practicing and playing golf for kids who get older and really like it. This is not say they don't take time off when they feel they need it.. From some the responses I seen people are confusing time off to recharge different from dedicated practice time.

If you don't have dedicated practice schedule you not going to get better period.

[BloctonGolf11]

60 hours a week for a junior? You are talking 8.5 hours EVERY DAY. That is no where NEAR as common as you are making it out to be. Even 40 hours a week spread over 7 days is over 5.5 hours a day. Again you are talking legitimately only a small handful of kids across the country putting those kinds of hours in every day.

[tiger1873]

Have you seen kids on national golf teams from countries such as Russia, Czech republic as well as Canada, England and host of other countries. Those kids all practice a lot and many of them are over here playing in tournaments that matter. They have everything paid for them too.

It is true most kids do not practice that much but it's also why a lot kids will lose to these other kids. We have worked with trainers and coaches that work with Top Pro's and top juniors. They all told both my kids that you need to expect to be working on your game 50-60 hours a week if you want to compete.

Again this doesn't mean just hitting balls on a range but a combination of things, like practice range, playing, tournaments, working out. instruction and reading books as well as making sure you watch pro's play. When you add everything up it's a lot hours a week. Some of these things are pretty easy to do without a golf course too.

[darter79]

what's the end goal there? 60 hours a week! When we are in the summer we might get up to 5 days a week but still up to 1.5 to 2 hours of practice time (playing is different because it just takes longer) you are suggestion that juniors are on the course 40-60 hours a week? Are you taking teenagers? This is really interesting to hear. How much does your daughter spend practicing? What's y'alls schedule?

[Z1ggy16]

Just my humble opinion based on experience playing all sports as a kid and also from my wife's POV as a physical therapist: Give your kids the winter off from golf... totally 0% golf. It's awesome they are into other stuff (as they should) but unless they are begggginggg you to play/practice, don't require it. Based on all my wife's continuing ed, the sport sci community doesn't recommend kids starting to "specialize" (ie, doing a sport year round) in any one sport until about age 14. Unless your children are legit prodigies, I would let them focus on their skiing and other fun stuff. As much as we want our kids to be the best they can, they also need to let their bodies develop the right way and not burn them out when they are young.

When I was a kid, baseball was my big sport. I played it from about April- Sept, then I didn't throw a ball or take BP again until around March. I only started to do winter training and year 'round stuff once I hit high school. I think I would have gotten burned out from baseball all year long and it also gave me a chance to concentrate fully on other activities during that down time.

[BloctonGolf11]

Tiger here is the issue though, it is the language you use. You are taking a very small number of the top kids in the WORLD and then also saying it is not that UNCOMMON for kids to practice 40 - 60 hours a week. No one is saying there are not a small number of kids who practice that much but to say it is not uncommon is just simply a false statement Tiger. You are using small numbers of kids and trying to pan it out as some norm for serious teenage golfers and that is just not the case.

[jj9000]

My four year old and I often do Triathlons in the offseason just for fun.

I realize training for Triathlons is grueling, but, if these kids don't top out in the top 5% of the 4-5 YO age bracket, they'll never reach their full potential.

It's relatively easy to train when the street is right outside my front yard, so getting in the running and biking time is easy.

The difficult part is the dealing with the biking constraints, because the training wheels wear down after about 20 miles, so changing wheels puts a real dent into our finishing times.

80 hours a week seems like overkill, but you should see what the other kids are doing.

We'll get there though.

[heavy_hitter]

I know a lot of the Top Boy's in Florida and I only know of a couple putting in those types of hours. If you have to put in those types of hours to be successful, then you aren't going to be successful in my opinion.

[leezer99]

Typically we play or do something golf related 3 days per week. Less if there's a lot of homework due. I don't consider speed sticks to be part of anything since it literally takes 10 minutes but he follows the protocols they have online.

[tiger1873]

I know for a fact that most current top juniors in the world put in a lot hours. If your only looking at kids in Florida your world is too small. Some the best players are not even living in the US.

 

[BloctonGolf11]

Tiger...please stop and read what we are telling you. You are referencing the top juniors in the WORLD so you are talking about a small handful of kids. You used the words 40 - 60 hours a week is not that uncommon. The problem is not us looking at to small a world the problem is you are taking a VERY SMALL subset of players and trying to use that as evidence of a much larger group.

[heavy_hitter]

You do realize that if you are a Top Ranked Male golfer in Florida that you are one of the best in the World? With Boy's, the home schooled/academy player seldom works out. Sure, there a handful, but you are talking about the minority. The current #1 male golfer in the world was a baseball player turned golfer. DJ wasn't good until college. Fact of the matter, these great players aren't spending the time you think.

[BloctonGolf11]

Also, you do realize that most of the these top kids are also dedicated students who cannot afford to spend the time you are saying at the course because they have other priorities in their lives as well. One of the top female juniors in the world (Top 20 in world rankings) is in my state and I know for a fact she does not drop 60 hours a week on golf and she is as dedicated as they come but extremely well rounded and is active in another sport and in the arts.

[kekoa]

There are top international juniors no doubt. They get funded by their country with the end goal of turning pro and playing on the pga tour right? How many of these kids will actually get there? Not many. So after 50/60 hrs a week of practice, a lot of the kids won't have jack shit to show for it. There isn't a set formula for making it to the big stage. Look at the top players on the pga tour, the only one that probably practiced as much as you are saying is Tiger- Basically its not the norm by any stretch.

[JuniorGolfParent]

40 to 60 hours a week sounds a bit high. I'm not sure PGA Tour pros even put in 60 hours a week (including tournaments). Seven Days On Tour: Inside the weekly routine of a tour pro - Golf DigestHaving said that, I do think the top kids are playing/practicing A LOT, and homeschooling/online learning definitely helps in freeing up extra hours.

[heavy_hitter]

If they don't make it, what else can they do? They have no education to fall back on. The internationals end back up in their country of origin paying off the debt they incurred try and make it in the states.

[tiger1873]

It really depends on the country we are talking about in a lot cases they have no debt and they get full living expenses. It’s a great gig for those who get it. They really have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

from what I been told is the European countries are the ones who get the best deal.

the biggest issue with these kids is they don’t get the freedom that our kids do. Program is very regimented and there is a lot pressure to perform.

 

 

 

[heavy_hitter]

I am talking the international Asian kids. Specifically, the females. Euro's in the states are few and far between.