You might be searching for a fun way to spend more time with your children. You’re also trying to juggle work and home life. All this juggling might leave you with truly little time to spend on your favourite pastime – golf!
An easy solution to your current time constraints might be to get the kids out onto the golf course. That way, when you head out to Rockingham golf course or another favourite course of yours, you won’t feel guilty for leaving the kids at home!
Get Children Interested in Your Favourite Game
Getting your children interested in golf could be challenging. Especially if they’re not familiar with the game. While junior golfing is booming, why not see if you have a champ of a player that could make it to the pros! Also, wouldn’t it be so much more fun if you can get your kids to play a few rounds with you? Keep reading for a few tips to get the kids to enjoy golf as much as you do!
Create a Short Game
People who don’t enjoy golf cite the extensive walking all day as one of the main reasons. Children are no different. Since children get bored much easier, dragging them around an 18-hole course all day will drive them crazy!
The trick is to create a short game. If you aren’t near a child-friendly course, create a shorter game with a few modified rules to get them interested.
Start Them Off with The Right Gear
It’s important to get your kid’s gear suited to their age and size. They won’t be interested in the game if they’re lugging around heavy, long equipment. Clubs should match a child’s height and suit their weight capacity to carry.
Most golf pro shops will be happy to advise you on a club best suited for your child’s height. If you’re not sure if your child will get the hang of the game or be interested to play often, you might settle for one club for starters.
Dress Them in Golf Attire
Investing in a few golfing outfits will make your child more excited about being part of the game. Since most children enjoy getting dressed up it might make the general golfing experience a lot more fun and get them in the right mindset from the start!
Teach them The Basics
Take time to teach your child the basics. Remember to make your golf lesson age appropriate. Don’t use big words and elaborate golfing terms that smaller children won’t understand.
Give them time to practice and encourage them to ask as many questions as possible to understand the rules and principles. You don’t want to hold up other people playing on the course, so opt for a teaching time when the course isn’t busy.
Make it Fun
Complicated activities make children lose interest very quickly. And once your child seems disinterested, it might be exceedingly difficult to rekindle the spark. So, ensure that you’re constantly encouraging them and praising their achievements. And every shot (even the crappy ones) deserve positive reinforcement and praise. That’s the easiest way to get them to come back to the course. Constant criticism will make them give up!
Invite Friends
If your child has friends who play golf or any of your friends have children of a similar age, it’s a clever idea to invite these children to a game. Your children will be more interested in the game if there are a few teammates in their age group.
Have Friendly Competitions
Once your children grasp the basics, develop some friendly competition between everyone involved. Establish a prize that will be enticing to your children. Set up a few easy-to-understand rules and make sure the prize is achievable with their skill set.
After Game Time
Set up some downtime after the game. Use this time for children to ask questions and discuss the game. Ask them what they think they can improve on next time. Perhaps turn this downtime into a small lunch or ice-cream date.
It’s the perfect way to spend time with your child and get them to look forward to the next session. Be sure to share the reasons why you love the game!
Famous Golfers
Encourage your child to watch golf games on TV. Discuss the types of games the pros are playing and encourage your children to pick a favourite player. Not only will it give you some more time with them, sharing an interest, but it’ll also get them more interested in getting back on the golf course!
Different Golf Courses
Your child might also be more interested if you take them to a different golf course every time. They’ll enjoy going somewhere new and hopefully prevent them from getting bored!
You could also encourage them to take a few pictures before the game starts! If they have some selfies to add to their social media pages, it could be a boost for their enthusiasm!
Final Thought
Getting your children interested in your favourite sport is easier than you think! Follow the tips we’ve listed and remember to make the game fun and interesting. Be open to questions and keep the criticism to an all-time low. Share the reasons why you love the game so much and pretty soon they might be sharing your passion!
Laila Azzahra is a professional writer and blogger that loves to write about technology, business, entertainment, science, and health.