When to start formal lessons

[syenkoc]

Deltedf

Edited October 11, 2023 by syenkoc

[heavy_hitter]

30 minute lessons are a waste of time in my opinion.

 

Never heard of a 3 hole playing lesson.

 

Groups are great.

 

Honestly though, it seems like you just need to find an individual junior instructor.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

16 hours ago, syenkoc said:

My son is entering 6th grade/11 years old and he made a mini-leap this past summer, from shooting in the 120s to the high 90s. His instruction thus far has been very informal - almost exclusively from me and consisting mostly of quick "tips", if you can call them that. I am decent player myself (~1.5 index), but I am not a teacher nor would I want anyone to pattern their game or swing after mine. (Unsurprisingly his game even now takes after mine - short and crooked off the tee, shaky with irons, dangerous with a wedge, deadly with the putter. We are anti-WRXers in all respects.) He seems keen on really improving, and I am wondering if now is the time to find him a proper instructor. First of all, I think there is a limit to how much I can actually teach him (for a variety of reasons). Second, and more importantly, I don't want our actual rounds of golf to become school lessons. 

 

If formal instruction at this time is the answer, I'm also curious how it should best be structured. 30 minutes of 1-on-1? 3 hole playing lessons? Group lessons with other kids? Any feedback or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

One thing to certain as well is sit down with him or stand up 😉  Ask him how did he shave off 30 strokes.

 

Agree with @heavy_hitter3 hole lessons are just some Pro trying to squeeze you for money.  If it was a lesson and then followed up by 3 holes I would like that.

 

Example.

 

Lesson A was about distance control or swing flaw.

 

Carry it to the course and it for a few holes.  Easy to pound balls on a range for an hour and think yup I got it.  Another thing to have an event in two week and you are on a downhill lie with the ball below your feet.  Then you are trying to execute that same swing thought.

 

Groups are great for beginners and young kids. Give them a chance to met friends.  

 

As he stays with it I would investment in a good junior coach.  They have to match though. 

 

My daughter was really affected by Covid as thats when she started.  She picks up alot of tips from youtube clips of LPGA members or just watches.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

[alittleoverpar]

Having played golf for nearly 45 years, and having been self-taught, my recommendation would be to go with some one-on-one lessons, for at least the fundamentals.  I've had to "unlearn" a lot of bad habits over the years that I picked up as a self-taught young golfer.  It sounds like if he can shoot in the 90s that he has reasonably good fundamentals or at least natural ability.  I would try a few lessons and see how it goes.  A lot of what he can/will learn will be up to him and his willingness to work on things that will help him improve.  The most important thing is that he has fun and wants to play.  

 

I'm no expert, but looking back, I wish I would have taken lessons when I started to play.

 

[tiger1873]

Lessons should help you learn quicker no matter what the age. Some kids do not listen as well to their parents.  Advice is do what feel like it makes sense.

 

Group lessons are perfect for 5-10 years old.  Treat it like daycare and you will be happy.  Drop your kid off and have a beer and all is good. (I know know where there is a bar nearby is what you want for group lessons)  Once you play tournaments and your kid listens look at getting an instructor and private lessons.   I say around 10-12 if the kid likes golf.

 

 

[kekoa]

I would start looking for a coach who knows how to work with juniors.  Its also depends on what his goals are in golf.  If he just want to to play recreationally then find a guy at your local muni.  If he wants someone better, then be ready to shell out some coin.  Also, it may take some time to find a coach you both like, but its more important that the coach jives with your son.  Initially, I think hour lessons every other week will be fine.

 

best of luck

[tincup_155]

I think the big key here is to keep it fun. It seems that so many youth players at whatever skill level get burnt out from the constant grind no matter what sport they are in. But golf does seem to be the worst. However, to answer the original question; group lessons seem to be a good option if its your initial introduction to the game. One's actual individual instruction is limited in these sessions and is dependent on the size and skill level of the group. I have seen classes where one participant took up 95% of the instructors attention during allocated time and the rest were basically teaching themselves or with one another. I would stick to dedicated range and short game sessions; like some others have said course work could be in the last bit of a dedicated session to get some hands on away from the dedicated practice areas. Thirty min sessions wouldn't be terrible but I would shoot for hour long sessions as its hard to get much done in the shorter time frame and actually get to work on it. The key with lessons is to work on what was taught during personal practice between sessions which I'm sure most would. The last thing I would say, and if I'm not telling you anything new forgive me, just take it slow. I have seen in the past where individuals feel lessons will be an instant fix and are extremely disappointed they aren't the best player the next day. Enjoy the journey together as father son and make tons of great memories along the way. Whichever path y'all choose, I wish you and your son the best and hope his love of the game lasts a lifetime. 

[dsmil]

I think that age seems like a perfect time to start lessons.  If anything, I think lessons at that age would be even more important than lessons during high school.  He can get the fundamentals down now and in high school, it will be more about playing and practicing on his own, with maybe a check-up lesson every couple of months.  My 7 year-old is going for his first lesson today.  He plays with me a decent amount and is also on a pga jr. league team, but he doesn't love listening to me and he needs some direction.  I'm thinking that a lesson every 3 months will be a nice start, and once he gets older, once per month.  

[Tugu]

22 hours ago, syenkoc said:

My son is entering 6th grade/11 years old and he made a mini-leap this past summer, from shooting in the 120s to the high 90s. His instruction thus far has been very informal - almost exclusively from me and consisting mostly of quick "tips", if you can call them that. I am decent player myself (~1.5 index), but I am not a teacher nor would I want anyone to pattern their game or swing after mine. (Unsurprisingly his game even now takes after mine - short and crooked off the tee, shaky with irons, dangerous with a wedge, deadly with the putter. We are anti-WRXers in all respects.) He seems keen on really improving, and I am wondering if now is the time to find him a proper instructor. First of all, I think there is a limit to how much I can actually teach him (for a variety of reasons). Second, and more importantly, I don't want our actual rounds of golf to become school lessons. 

 

If formal instruction at this time is the answer, I'm also curious how it should best be structured. 30 minutes of 1-on-1? 3 hole playing lessons? Group lessons with other kids? Any feedback or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

I would not rule out 30 minute lessons IF after the lesson your kid is willing to go and just grind out what the coach needs him to do. If he shows shows up prepped and warmed up, plus the coach is armed with a program/system for improvement, then 30 minutes may be great at  his level.

 

But if you choose a tip based instructor that is not experienced and your boy needs 15 minutes to be ready for his lesson, then thing can get wacky.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Tugu

[leezer99]

My daughter is 11 and she does 25 hours a week at gym.  I think your son will be fine with an hour lesson if that's what he wants to do.  If he loves it and wants to get better then he should want to be there for longer than that.  If he goes to his lesson and then wants to just pack it in and go home after then maybe find another way to engage him.  A buddy of mine with a 14 year old only hits balls in his backyard for half an hour every once in a while and then plays with friends a couple of times per week.  Since the beginning of summer he went from shooting in the 50's for 9 holes to a recent 38 for 9.  Each kid is different but I think instruction is a must.

[RmoorePE]

Flip side of the coin, my daughter built a natural swing just by me telling her to swing as hard as she can. No other tips. That was from ages 10 to 14 (now). We went to lessons after checking lots of different sources this past summer. I called probably 5 head pros I know, various other parents and picked a highly regarded coach and got lessons. The pro did a really nice job of making minor tweaks, building off her good points but she HATED the swing lessons. She loved the drills that were target and short game oriented, but lessons added 4-5 strokes average to her scores. The putting drills helped her immensely.

 

She never had a swing thought before and then during lessons she did. She either wasn't mature enough to compartmentalize the lessons, or is not built for swing thoughts. The coach tried really hard to explain that he was just trying to make minor tweaks to add to consistency (setup, etc) and she tried to do it, but it just seemed to stick in her head. She is pretty athletic and is more happy just making the ball do what she wants to. She told me recently she really likes the coach and never wants to see him again (for lessons).

 

She played some tournaments in/after that time frame and had horrible results. Felt like she didn't belong.

 

I basically said, forget all of the swing thoughts and just go play before the next round of tournaments. She spent the next few weeks just playing golf with her cousin. They would play holes using putters or a 5 wood only, have long drive competitions, play holes just throwing the golf ball, practicing bank shots off of trees, and mostly goofing off. Needless to say, she won 2 tournaments after that with scores around par and I could tell just by watching she knew where her club face was all the time.

 

2 weeks ago she wanted to play a casual 9 from the tees she will play from in High School events (she is a freshman) and she shot a 32. There may be some coach somewhere that will help her, but right now all I want is for her to have fun playing golf. 

 

What I am saying is, every kid is different and the only way you will know is if you try it out. 

 

Also, the consensus is parents should not coach their kids and I agree for the most part. However, if you know your child's swing well enough as well as enough about the golf swing/impact information a careful parent can be a good coach. Problem is most parents can't help themselves from overcoaching.

 

 

 

 

[MahalNeneng]

Finding the coach/instructor that works well with juniors is key.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

 

On 9/12/2022 at 12:50 PM, RmoorePE said:

Flip side of the coin, my daughter built a natural swing just by me telling her to swing as hard as she can. No other tips. That was from ages 10 to 14 (now). We went to lessons after checking lots of different sources this past summer. I called probably 5 head pros I know, various other parents and picked a highly regarded coach and got lessons. The pro did a really nice job of making minor tweaks, building off her good points but she HATED the swing lessons. She loved the drills that were target and short game oriented, but lessons added 4-5 strokes average to her scores. The putting drills helped her immensely.

 

On 9/12/2022 at 12:50 PM, RmoorePE said:

Been here before Yea I forgot she was involved US Kids for a year and one of the ladies were doing lessons even though most had shutdown b/c of COVID.  My daughter hated the experience.  Said she was unable to swing so the lady never shut up long enough.  Probably took my son 2 weeks to get her back right again.

 

On 9/12/2022 at 12:50 PM, RmoorePE said:

 

 

 

 

 

[DevilDog]

Kids will usually indicate indirectly when they are ready for lessons.  He's about that age too.  My son didn't get formal lessons until age 12 and is a collegiate golfer now. My tip is to find out who is working with the best junior players in your area.  That is usually the instructor to take your child.  We had two in my area.  Son took lesson from each and then told me which one he preferred from a personality and communication viewpoint.  Made fast progress with his instructor too.

[syenkoc]

Deleted

Edited October 11, 2023 by syenkoc