8 Winning Reasons To Get Your Child Involved in Golf.

 Golf, isn’t just for the retirees in plaid pants anymore. 

It’s cool.  Don’t believe it?  Just ask Michael Jordan or NBA superstar Jason Kidd, Lance Armstrong, Charles Barkley, Tiki Barber, Jerome Bettis, Brandi Chastain, Bode Miller, the list goes on and on.  Not to mention,  Tiger Woods is the epitome of cool. 

Besides being ultra cool, golf is a fantastic sport that teaches your child valuable life lessons and skills necessary for successful adulthood.

1. Golf teaches focus.  As your child runs around the house with a complete lack of focus imagine them analyzing the course, their ball, and the best way to hit the ball into the hole.  Imagine their focus!  It’s a necessary skill for golf and for life.  Even better, imagine being able to send them out to practice!

2. Golf teaches your child goal setting skills.  Because it is a sport requires practice to improve, children lean that hard work and practice are necessary to improve.  Additionally, golf is quantifiable.  You improve by lessening your score or the number of shots it takes to get the ball into the hole.  The farther and more direct your shot, the better your score will be.  Children can practice improving their driving distance and their accuracy to lower their overall score. 

3. Golf is excellent fitness.  A round of golf, depending on the size of the course, can mean anywhere between a 4 and 8 mile hike and if you’re lugging your clubs around the course then there is strength training involved.  In fact, strength training is a part of many youth programs.  While it isn’t a robust, and aggressive sport it suits the personalities of many children. 

4. Golf teaches social skills and moral lessons.  Golf gets your child involved in a sport, a social sport, whereby he or she is part of a team.  Additionally, golf has rules or etiquette and teaches your children some moral rights and wrongs.  For example, it’s occasionally very easy to fudge the numbers on a score card or to move the ball when no one is looking but even if your child does participate in this kind of behavior, they’ll soon learn that it doesn’t pay.  That they’re only cheating themselves. 

5. Golf offers your child a mental challenge.  It isn’t only a game of skill it is a game of strategy that encourages forethought and planning. 

6. Golfing offers your child the chance to compete.  Competition is a healthy and vital skill in the development of children into successful adults. 

7. Golfing offers opportunities.  If your child is good and enjoys golf, his or her success could lead to college scholarships, new friends, a potential career, and a lifetime of joy with a sport that they love. 

8. Golf provides fresh air and sunshine.  Golf gives your child the opportunity to be outside in the fresh air and to enjoy nature. 

 Physical fitness and sports are a vital part of the development of any child.  There are so many opportunities for growth and development, for self awareness and a developed awareness of others, of what it means to be part of a team. Being part of a golf organization, or any team provides endless value to your child. 

Here are a few tips to get your child started playing the wonderful sport of golf: 

·         When seeking an organization to get your child started learning the game or furthering their game, it is important to find a club whose focus is on having fun.

·         Buy second hand clubs to begin.  Children grow quickly and if you plan on buying new golf clubs every time they need them, you’ll be spending a fortune.  Most pro shops and driving ranges offer second hand clubs.  Additionally, if your child is joining a team, they may have inside information on second hand clubs.

·         Take a few lessons before you let them loose on the course.  Golf is a challenging sport and the first time on a course can be extremely frustrating if there has been no previous instruction.  You can likely find a certified golf professional at your local golf club or even in the phone book.

·         Once your child has a few lessons under his or her belt, take them to your local  Par 3 course.  Try to play during non-peak hours so that your child does not have to deal with the stresses of a busy course.

To find an organization or club in your area there are many helpful youth golf links online that can point you in the right direction.  Also check out your child’s school where a golf club or team may have already been organized.  Support your child to learn the sport of golf, and they may thank you for the rest of their lives.                                                                                      
Junior Golf Equipment

About the Author:
Denise Nero invites you to visit http://www.fitnessandkids.com for more great fitness articles, sign up for a free newsletter and receive a free recipe e-book.

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