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Post by gmbtempe on May 18, 2010 13:05:28 GMT -5
This article interested me as I have a 6 year old who seems to want to learn to play golf. online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704635204575242360769906000.html?mod=WSJ_hp_editorsPicksI agree with the article, there are very few places I can take my kid to play in the next few years. In Az I would say you have 10-12 muni courses and the rest are expensive daily fee courses. There are a few 9 hole execs but not many. I started on a small exec course with my dad when I was 10, in hind sight it was perfect. I also see very little in the way of advertising any teaching clinics for kids. I need to check into the first tee program a little. Any words of advice as my 6 year old gets involved in the game? |
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Post by secondary on May 18, 2010 13:40:25 GMT -5
I was/am in the same boat. The First Tee just did a big remodel down here at El Rio, but they are not quite up and running yet? I think LongBow just got on board by you? You are right though, no Par 3 courses, or Executive courses that cater to families in this area. Rolling Hills is supposed to be that down here, but the place is packed with Seniors every single day. I grew up in Chicago and there were lots of options back then. Today I think they are mostly struggling subdivision full of overpriced mediocre houses. Sigh....
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Post by gmbtempe on May 18, 2010 14:02:16 GMT -5
I was/am in the same boat. The First Tee just did a big remodel down here at El Rio, but they are not quite up and running yet? I think LongBow just got on board by you? You are right though, no Par 3 courses, or Executive courses that cater to families in this area. Rolling Hills is supposed to be that down here, but the place is packed with Seniors every single day. I grew up in Chicago and there were lots of options back then. Today I think they are mostly struggling subdivision full of overpriced mediocre houses. Sigh.... The seniors wont be there to long though. In Tempe they offered a "senior activity" card that allowed you to play golf for basically the cart fee at the two muni courses but the program was nixed after like 30 years due to new government tax regulations. There is also another first tee at Vistal in south Phx (I live right off the I-10). |
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Post by Richie3Jack on May 18, 2010 21:14:45 GMT -5
I was lucky enough to get to play with my dad for about a year when he got done with work. We would play and I would tee up every shot except for something near the green.
After that, I played any chance I could and learned on my own for a bit and then took some junior clinics.
The problem I believe the game will always face is the people who want to make the game a wealthy, elitist game. It's pretty much happened since the game has started and then gets knocked down a notch, then comes back and gets knocked down again.
That's a big reason why I am such a fan of Arnie and Hogan, they showed that the non-rich people could play this game. And eventually fans saw the game as no longer being a rich man's game.
But eventually that came back and junior golfers who wanted to get a college scholarship needed to spend quite a bit of money to attend AJGA tour events to have any chance of getting a scholarship, even if they were a far better player.
Atlanta is a prime example. When I got there, they were either in the process or just finished buidling a ton of courses where an initiation fee would be at least $10K and then probably another $10K a year in membership dues. But, they priced themselves well out of the market and eventually got bought out...usually by Canongate.
3JACK
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Post by golfbaka on May 20, 2010 9:27:44 GMT -5
My course is £99 a year for junior members - we have a championship course, a virtually deserted Par 3 9 hole course, a huge practice area, as well as weekly junior clinics in the summer...
Virtually no juniors though!
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Post by Richie3Jack on May 20, 2010 11:28:50 GMT -5
About 6 weeks ago I was playing and joined with a couple of juniors. They told me that they were glad to have me because as an adult I was sort of an authority figure for the group and they were afraid other adults were going to jump out in front of them on the first tee.
Boy, do I remember those days. I think many on this board have no idea what it's like being a teenager or younger out on the course, but often times the kids are much more mature than the adults and the adults pull crap on the kids because the course will always assume that the kids are in the wrong.
To me, this is where golf screws up royally. All courses and all PGA professionals should greatly encourage kids to get into the game. If anything, it's more economically rewarding in the end because kids are always willing to buy new equipment and if you get them involved early, they'll put forth far more money than the guy who takes up the game in their 30's. But, courses think about the now instead of the big picture and they wonder why 50% of the courses lose money, they simply cater to the wrong people too often.
One thing I highly suggest to any parent teaching a kid about golf is the ettiquette of the game, but to act responsibly and understand the stunts that adults will pull so they can throw their weight around.
3JACK
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Post by gmbtempe on May 20, 2010 11:57:22 GMT -5
Right on Richie, I have no idea why courses don't see a serious benefit to the game by getting juniors involved very early and at a pretty reasonable cost.
One thing I am finding with my son is that he seems to be very responsive to authority figures other than my wife and myself, I teach him things but he kinda is not paying his normal attention so even though I know the golf swing well enough to get him started its probably going to be more beneficial for him to get some lessons.
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Post by golfbaka on May 21, 2010 4:47:21 GMT -5
I absolutely love it when i'm paired to play with juniors - in general because they play with no fear (kinda like kids on skis or snowboards - point straight and go), but mostly because I don't have to listen to 4 hours of inter-club politics...
I agree with your point about equipment as well Richie, I see far more glistening new drivers in juniors bags then in bags of people in my age.
Competion to attract juniour members where I live in the UK is cut throat. Because its so cheap most juniors who take their golf seriously are members of two clubs! (Perhaps that's why 4 of the world's top ten are from the UK and N. Ireland....)
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