US Kids Golf- Dustin Smith
There are two very important words of the U.S. Kids Golf mission to help kids have fun learning to play golf.
The words are fun and play.
Our research into the development of young golfers has shown that when golf is no longer fun for kids, they lose interest. According to studies from the Positive Coaching Alliance, parents and coaches tend to become too technical too early with our kids. The trouble with golf is that it’s highly technical.
When kids 11 to 13 were surveyed and asked, “Why did you quit golf?” they were almost unanimous in their response: “It wasn’t fun anymore.” So how do we make it fun for kids—and keep it fun? As a baseball coach, I had some kids on my team who were striking out too much, and I noticed they weren’t keeping their eye on the ball. They’d come back to the dugout frustrated because they tried so hard and had not succeeded. But instead of being frustrated with them, I looked for something—anything—that they did to improve. If they fouled out, it was an improvement over missing the ball every time. If a batter just touches the ball, it’s an improvement. So I said, “Great! You watched the ball. You fouled it off.” Until that became a good thing. I watched the kids’ level of encouragement rise.
As coaches and parents, you’re in the midst of something very important. You can encourage your kids every time you’re out there to play and to have fun and encourage them for the improvement they show—even when the shots don’t go where they want them to. Over the long term, what’s really going to make our kids great is their joy for the game and the fun they have playing it. That is why U.S. Kids Golf exists. It's why we make clubs that are easier to swing and why we encourage parents to caddie for their kids. We want learning the game to be a fun experience full of special moments for kids and memories of fun with their families, coaches and friends.
Dustin Smith
PGA , Class A Professional
Jim Mclean Certified Instructor
Instructor,The First Tee of
Coachella Valley, California
This is an excellent assessment. It's good to be reminded that trying to force success for short term goals could hurt long term ambitions. Swing easy, my friends.
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