Your Child Wants To Play Golf – What Should I Do?      Taken from Interview With Paul Mindel – Wisconsin Golf Academy
By Brian Weis

Paul Mindel from Wisconsin Golf Academy shares how to get your child involved into golf:

The first thing to do is support their interest in a new activity. Whether you have experience in golf or not there is a proper way to cultivate you child’s interest. And, maybe most important is understand that golf is one of the few sports a person can play for their entire life. I believe the following steps will help both you and your child.

* DEVELOP A TEAM MENTALITY: The child is the athlete and the center of the team. Parents, grandparents, friends, siblings, and the instructor are part of the team. 

* KEEP ALL COMMUNICATE POSITIVE: Telling the child, “What to do rather then don’t do that”. ALWAYS try to find something they did well. They are a kid and are trying their best. If and when your child says something about golf in the car or during dinner, provide that input to the instructor. 

* BE PATIENT: Golf is hard for anyone to learn. Support their interest and be grateful they want to be outside and not on their cell phone. You are their “Cheerleader, not their coach”.

* PLAY: Play together, have fun. Begin at par 3 courses. Even taking them to play miniature golf is a good place to start. A child hitting A LOT of golf balls at the range will get bored. After golf take them for ice cream. They may not remember the golf but they will remember the treat.

* THINK BUDGET: Regardless of the activity there is an expense involved. Think about how much you are willing to invest in a lifetime activity for your child. Equipment, lessons, play…

* ASK ME FOR A MENTOR: I have a number of young adults who would be willing to be a “Golf BUDDY”. Someone a little older to talk and play golf.

* WATCH THIS VIDEO: This is critical to their success. The sooner they begin the better. Go to mytpi.com and find the IMPROVE MY GAME tab. Go to ARTICLES and scroll down to July 17, 2017 written by Coach Milo. Read the article and watch imbedded videos.

* ANDY LANGDENBERGER: “GREAT GUY” Head of the Wisconsin Junior PGA. Call him 414-443-3574 to provide an understanding of junior golf tournaments in our area.

* TENNIS BALLS: For the very young and inexperienced, hit tennis balls. The larger ball will be easier and build confidence.

* EQUIPMENT: 3 L’s. Light weight, proper Length, and a lot of loft. Grips should be tacky.

* SOCIAL: Look for other families with children that play golf.

* NORTH HILLS COUNTRY CLUB: Has a very affordable membership with an emphasis on the junior player. Ask for details.

* PATIENCE, COMMITMENT, EFFORT, CONFIDENCE, FOCUS, PERSISTENCE, FOCUS…

Here are some other questions I get:

My 4 year old wants to play. What should I do? Consider SNAG (Start New At Golf) clubs. The club heads are about the size of a ping pong paddle and painted bright colors. The grips have a color coded reminder built in to help with their grip. They are very easy to use and a lot of fun.

My son’s baseball coach said “Your son needs to specialize at baseball at age 9. He thinks my son has a lot of talent. What should I do? Run away from that coach. Any coach who would say specialize at an early age is wrong. The number of sport injuries in children is on the rise because of that type of mentality. Allow your child to play as many sports as possible at the young ages. Getting their body to move in different directions is what is best. The risk of permanent burnout is high if a child specializes at a young age. Develop the overall athlete first and consider narrowing the sports around 8th or 9th grade.

What do you see as the biggest problem with today’s junior golfer? I would say there are 2 easy answers. #1. Their addiction to their cell phone. At least when playing golf the kids may be off their phone for 2 1/2 hours for 9 holes. My high school team is not allowed on their phone until they are back in the school van heading home after a match. #2. Their posture. Look at most juniors and adults and you will see a very rounded back. This roundness limits their ability to rotate and create power in the back swing which limits their distance and consistency. Golfers need to understand when getting set to swing you must bend at your hips and not your waist. Your waist will provide the body it’s ability to rotate. A rounded spine is also an injury waiting to happen.

Where should we start playing? This are has so many great options. The Milwaukee County par 3 course are great and very inexpensive. Arrowhead Springs and Brookfield Hills are also great places to take your kids to play.

More Information:
Paul Mindel 
Wisconsin Golf Academy
wisconsingolfacademy.com
414-719-0354

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as “The Weis Slice”, and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.

Contact Brian Weis:
GolfTrips.com – Publisher and Golf Traveler
262-255-7600