Developing a Great Junior Golfer
Over the last decade or so, the arena of junior golf has become very competitive. There are more quality tournaments available on the local, regional, and national level than ever before. The overall caliber of an elite junior golfer has also risen. After spending several years teaching and coaching competitive junior golfers, I have reflected on what I believe are a few very important traits of great players and how you can better develop as a player.
1. Develop an Athletic Background
Before a junior can develop into a great golfer, he or she must have the athletic skills necessary to support golfing skills. Playing other sports that teach and encourage balance, coordination, and speed is a great place to start. With the invention of cell phones, computers, and other indoor activities designed to capture the minds of today’s youth, there are more and more kids who are becoming couch potatoes than ever before. A youngster has a tremendous head start in golf if they have learned the principles of a throwing and hitting motion. Running and kicking games that teach the balance and footwork required for a good golf swing are great as well.
2. Learn To Hit the Ball as Far as Possible
Golf has become a power game at the competitive level. With the advances in club and ball technology, players at the top levels of the game are hitting the ball obscene distances. Teaching a junior to swing aggressively from early on will promote a care free and powerful swing. This goes against the age old advice to swing easy, hit the ball straight, and learn distance later. It is much more difficult to learn distance later because by then a junior has developed a slow swing. Slow swings that lack speed only hit the ball short. There are some guidelines for developing speed however. The trade is that junior can swing as hard as he or she wants provided that they can keep their balance at the end of the follow through! When a golfer swings with balance and good footwork in mind they instinctively learn to create the necessary leverage and angles in the swing for long and powerful shot-making.
3. Develop a Competitive Mindset
There is nothing better to develop a healthy competitive thirst than to get junior golfers competing against each other. Games and contests on the putting and chipping green are great because they keep the youngster mentally engaged. If a junior has the desire to become a good tournament player, the worst thing that they can do is become conditioned to practicing and playing in a non competitive environment. Also remember, No Mulligans, No Gimmies!!!
4. Become A Great Putter from 10 Feet and In
Not enough focus has been placed on the importance of good putting, especially for young tournament golfers. I have heard many post round stories of how a junior golfer “played great” but didn’t make any putts, or “3 putted” several times. The attitude here is that putting is viewed as not being that important. The fact is that the best golfers of all time have been the best putters, especially under pressure. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods immediately come to mind. These two golfing icons were absolutely rock solid from 10 feet and in. Have junior spend plenty of time putting from in close and under the gun. Remember, develop a competitive mindset, especially with putting.
There are obviously several important traits that contribute to being a great golfer, but these are a few of the really important ones that will lay a big part of the foundation for the development of a competitive and elite junior golfer.
There are obviously several important traits that contribute to being a great golfer, but these are a few of the really important ones that will lay a big part of the foundation for the development of a competitive and elite junior golfer.
