Girls vs Boys development differences in golf

[JuniorGolfParent]

Anyone have experience raising both a boy and a girl who play golf?

 

My (younger) daughter just started playing tournaments this past year, and I'm wondering what to expect and look out for in terms of differences between boys and girls, do's/don'ts, etc.

 

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

TIA

[Golfingdawg19]

I would say that girls as a whole aren't as competitive as the boys. The girls tend to enjoy the social aspect of golf more and really look forward to hanging out with their friends and enjoying the trips. There is more of a comradery with the girls than the boys. It is easier to get into tournaments with girls than with boys because there are less of them that are really good. I coached high school golf for 15 years so I got to see the differences on a daily basis. The girls tend to listen and take instruction better than the boys but they don't usually work as hard as the boys. Just make it fun for your daughter and try to get her around other girls that play. That will motivate her to want to continue to play.

[mrshinsa]

As far as tournaments go, my son views his playing partners as potential competitor and a threat. My daughter sees her partners as potential friends and a playdate. :D

[GoDeacs]

My daughter is 7 and over the summer/fall she's really started hitting the ball well and it's really started putting the pressure on her putting to shoot low numbers. She's been kind of stuck in the 40-43 rut for sometime mostly due to poor putting. She's almost always going to have 20-25 per 9 holes and taking what should be an even par round to the low 40's. It's mostly speed related, her fundamentals are sound and we just recently got in this putting rut once she started hitting most every green in regulation.

 

Question,, is this common for Jr's as they progress in the early stages of playing and what are some things you practiced to make them better particularly in regards to controlling their speed and getting the ball in the hole?

[tiger1873]

Don't have a Boy but from what I can tell boys tournaments are much more competitive because there is just more in numbers. With Boys I also think they tend to just play and are way less emotional.

 

With girls it's a roller coaster with emotions. Very very tough to deal with and all dads go though it. Also girls have more opportunities as well.

 

The other big difference is there are definitely guys out there that do not think women and daughters should golf. Lost a few friends over that but honesty good riddance.

 

 

 

[JuniorGolfParent]

> @GoDeacs said:

> My daughter is 7 and over the summer/fall she's really started hitting the ball well and it's really started putting the pressure on her putting to shoot low numbers. She's been kind of stuck in the 40-43 rut for sometime mostly due to poor putting. She's almost always going to have 20-25 per 9 holes and taking what should be an even par round to the low 40's. It's mostly speed related, her fundamentals are sound and we just recently got in this putting rut once she started hitting most every green in regulation.

>

> Question,, is this common for Jr's as they progress in the early stages of playing and what are some things you practiced to make them better particularly in regards to controlling their speed and getting the ball in the hole?

 

GoDeacs,

 

This post really captures what my daughter is going through as well. She can hit the ball great but really struggles around the greens.

 

It is extremely frustrating to watch her drive the green on a par 4 (really short yardages) but then 3 or 4-putt!

[JuniorGolfParent]

Thanks for the responses.

 

My daughter was oftentimes the only one in her age group (7 & under) so I am hoping there will be more participants as she gets older.

 

I can already tell that the girls don't seem to take it as seriously as the boys, but I really hope she catches the bug and loves the game.

[chrissdc]

I experienced the same thing with my kid regarding putting.

It will get better, some kids just have the putting thing down early on and many others have to grow into it.

From age 7-15 my kid was the worst with distance control, as I look back I gotta say she was a terrible putter.

Suddenly as if a light switched on, she became a pretty good putter. It was as if the putting instruction she had received for 8 years clicked in or she decided to finally “wake up” in regards to her putting.

I cannot definitively explain it, nor can her mentor, or her golf instructor.

My best advice is the ladder drill, and 3 ft and 6ft 10 ball circle drill. Just as Phil does it. If time and enthusiasm is present, also include 9footers.

The ladder drill for distance control, and the circle drill will improve the stroke.

Be incredibly patient and positive.

[tiger1873]

Don’t worry about putting that will come if she works at it. One other thing to keep in mind since it hasn’t been mentioned is for Younger girls is the yardages are very very short so they have no problem hitting greens in regulation. You also can see low scores too and you see a false sense of hope for some smaller girls.

 

The big jump for girls appears at about 13 and a lot girls have trouble hitting greens because they can’t hit a driver strait off the tee if they get stronger or even worse can’t hit it far enough to even reach the green. Very very few girls and or women can actually hit greens at 6000 yards and that is where they eventually will need to play from.

 

Also don’t stress out if you girl is not qualifying for the US Open at 10 or 11 or whatever it is these days. A high percentage of those girls burn out or run off with a boyfriend the first chance they get.