TERRE HAUTE — Even if I didn’t have school age children, I would know that school was out because of the abundance of kids I’ve seen on the golf courses! I think that’s a great sign for the future of golf, that there is a strong interest in junior golf. Judging by how some of the local high schools in our area have fared this spring, I’d say junior golf is very strong in the western part of the state of Indiana.
As I write this, the boys’ golf teams from Linton, Terre Haute South, Sullivan and South Vermillion are all preparing for regional competition, having made it past the first stage on the road to the state finals, which were the sectionals. The teams from Northview and Terre Haute North just missed coming out of it by one and three strokes respectively. Those were two strong teams that just didn’t play up to their potential at Rolling Meadows.
The same thing happened to South’s team last year at Regionals at Christmas Lake. That loss rankled the South boys all season, so they are very determined to make it to the state this year, although it won’t be easy. Last year, Travis Smith went as an individual qualifier, but I know he would prefer to have his teammates with him.
I have watched a lot of boys high school golf since my son Phillip plays for the South team. On the whole, I have been favorably impressed with most of the boys that Phillip has played with, reconfirming my idea that a golf course is a pretty good place for a growing boy to hang out. They’re not going to get into too much trouble on a golf course, and they might make some strong friendships along the way.
So how do you get a youngster interested in playing golf? If you are a golfer, and are the father or mother of a child, the easiest way to get them interested is to take the time to take them out with you. When they’re very young, take them out in a cart on a day when the course isn’t crowded, and let them ride along with you. They’ll be more interested in driving the cart than anything, so let them sit on your lap and steer while you control the pedal and brake. You can always grab the wheel if you need to. Make sure that they are out of the cart or far away from the gas pedal while you’re hitting though! I remember learning that lesson the hard way. Children can begin to learn golf etiquette even before they can play. Our lesson No. 1 was teaching our boys to be quiet!
Up to the age of four, one of those plastic toy sets is going to be enough to keep a child occupied and learning golf. We started Phillip with one of those, but the only problem was that they are made to be right or left-handed. Phillip started out swinging left-handed, so we made a valiant effort to change that. We knew we would have too many hand-me-down sets of right-handed clubs so we needed him to be right-handed!
The next step is to get him or her one of the little tiny junior sets that are available at golf shops. They’re pretty inexpensive, but durable. They will last until the child outgrows them, most likely. Taking an old set of clubs and cutting it down to child-size is a possibility, and is what we did with an old set of mine, but the problem is that the shaft becomes pretty stiff. The children’s sets on the market have very flexible shafts, allowing a child to get some pretty good distance with a little club. Little children can learn how to putt, and start getting an idea of how to chip. Here’s a tip I used when trying to keep my boys to keep their head still while putting: hide a colored marker under the ball, and tell them to tell you the color of the marker right after they hit the ball. This keeps their eyes on the spot where the ball was long enough for them to not lift their head.
When they get the strength and coordination to do a full swing, make sure that they learn a proper grip and set up before they start flailing away. They can learn these things at a junior clinic put on by golf professionals. One thing that we have found with our boys, and I hear it from other parents too, that they are more likely to listen to anyone else besides their parents, regardless of their abilities! When Phillip was about five, he argued with his father about his grip. He was certain that his left hand went below his right, for a right-handed set up. Andy took him into a golf shop, and had the owner showed Phillip how to do it correctly. After that, Phillip referred to it as “the grip Jay showed me”, even though it was the same grip his father had shown him.
When your child has started to learn a swing, you should take them out on the course when it’s not crowded. If a child is struggling and taking a long time, you feel frustration if you know you have a foursome breathing down your back. Try to be very patient with a new golfer, so that they don’t associate golf with making mom or dad angry! Always teach golf etiquette along the way; teach a child how to repair a ball mark, replace a divot, and rake a trap. Once you’ve reached the green, show them how to mark their ball, and avoid walking in someone’s line. Also, teach them how to remove the pin and place it where it won’t get hit by a putt going too far past the hole.
Golf is a game that can be played throughout a lifetime. Teaching a child to play, and playing with them often, will form a bond that will also last a lifetime. This is true of daughters too. Please don’t stereotype your daughter that she can’t play golf because she’s a girl. The ratio of boys to girls at the Boys and Girls’ Club clinic this summer is about 9 to 1. The best way to get girls playing is to start them young, and to make it fun for them. In the long run, it could be the best time you’ve ever invested in the development of your child.
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Upcoming events for juniors:
Rea Park — June 22, the Rea Park Junior Classic, and on June 29, the Rea Park Junior Scramble. Sign up for both events in the pro shop. Call (812) 232-0709 for more information.
Hulman Links — June 28, the Hulman Links Two-Ball Tournament; July 11, the Hulman Links Junior Open; Aug. 9, Hulman Links Junior Scramble. Call (812) 877-2096 for more information.
The Junior City Tournament will be July 18-20 at Rea Park and Hulman Links. Sign up in either pro shop.
Jennifer Myers can be reached by email at jfmyers@xsthe.net.
On & Off the Course
On And Off The Course: Junior golf is alive, well
- On & Off the Course
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
• Gary R. Wright
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Donna Lynn Strahla Bown
Donna Lynn Strahla Bown passed away early Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013, with her children by her side.
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‘The Match’ pitting amateurs vs. pros recalled 62 years later
Quote of the Day: “I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.” — Ben Hogan.
Bubba Watson has had a busy fall. Not only did he play all the way to the final round of the FedEx Championships, and in the Ryder Cup, he also played in an event commemorating a very famous match played at Cypress Point in 1956, pitting two of the greatest golf pros at the time against two of the best amateurs.
Come to think of it, all four were some of the best golfers of all time. This year’s event was celebrating The First Tee’s exceeding $100 million in pledges to reach 10 million new young people. It wasn’t televised and kept very quiet; only 225 people were in the gallery.
One of the people in the gallery was Mark Frost, the author of a book titled “The Match,” which is about that match played 62 years ago that was re-enacted in modern terms last week. The pros in 1956 were Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the amateurs were Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It was supposed to have been a private affair, built around a wager by two millionaires, George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. -
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf from the wrong side of the brain
Imagine this scenario: a woman, small in stature (possibly freckled), walks into a hospital emergency room and says, “I have an emergency, I need a doctor quickly!” The admitting nurse, ever trying to be helpful, asks what the emergency is.
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Farmers looking at widely varying yields
Combines will roll through fields this weekend, bringing in the harvest from a summer with nearly no rain.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf debut in London would have been nice
As the Olympics get underway in London this weekend, I was thinking it’s too bad that the Olympic committee decided too late to add golf as one of the sports for this event; instead it will be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Getting to Hoosier country’s best golfing venue part of the fun
If you are looking for Indiana’s premier golfing destination, then you should look no further than French Lick.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Indiana's Pete Dye courses worth the drive
You’ve probably heard of the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail throughout Alabama, but you might not be aware that Indiana has its own “Pete Dye Golf Trail” comprised of seven courses.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fathers typically a big influence on golfing sons
Some events fall naturally into place around holidays. The Fourth of July always falls somewhere during Wimbledon, giving all of the Yanks in attendance something to be boisterous about, to the chagrin of their hosts; The Masters often, but not always, ends on Easter Sunday, which is fitting since golfers find it such a reverent occasion.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
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On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
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