subject: Should You Encourage Your Child To Follow An Interest In The Game Of Golf? [print this page] With the worldwide popularity of golf now it is no surprise that a growing number of kids should be expressing an interest in getting into the game. But, this is an expensive sport and parents are often nervous that this may well be nothing more than a passing and costly fad. So, how do you decide whether to encourage a child to follow an initial interest in the game?
This is a difficult question to answer and must to a large degree depend on your experience with your child. For instance, if this is yet one more in a long line of interests which have quickly fizzled out then you might rightly feel reluctant to jump in with both feet. But, if this appears to be a genuine interest then you ought to give your child encouragement and take steps to assist him at least far enough to see whether or not this will be something he is going stick at.
You should start by arranging for your child to take a short course of lessons to show him what the game is all about. It will also give you the chance to get an assessment of your child's potential as a player from a golf professional. This of course does not mean that you want to know if your child will be the next Tiger Woods, but simply whether or not he has the temperament, aptitude and outlook and thus the potential to master the game sufficiently to get a real and lasting enjoyment from it.
If following this course of lessons the professional is satisfied with what he has seen and your child is even more enthusiastic about the game than he was when he started then it is time to get behind him and give him the support and encouragement to go forward. For example, this is the time to purchase his first set of junior golf clubs and to arrange for further lessons so that he can get up and running by himself. This is also the time to see that he makes friends with other children in the area who are also learning to play golf.
This is also the point at which you need to prepare yourself for what might prove to be a bumpy road and to understand that you will need to keep an eye on your child's progress and offer both encouragement and assistance when it is needed.
Golf can be a hard game to play and, unlike a lot of other sports, it demands less physical strength and more mental agility, patience, coordination and practice. However these are qualities that it can be difficult for a kid to master and it is not, for instance, uncommon to see a youngster struggling because he is developing the physical strength to send the ball considerable distances but cannot seem to summon up the coordination needed to get it to go in the direction he wishes. It is at times such as these, and there are going to be a lot of them, that you need to be available to lend a helping hand.
One of the advantages of golf is that it is not solely dependent upon physical strength and fitness and, as a result of this, it is often seen as an ideal sport for children who would not by nature turn towards sports such as football or baseball.
