By Tray Shehee
PGA Instructor - Ute Creek GC
Being at the golf course is one of the best things in the world. Sharing that time with a friend can make it even better. One of the best ways to improve as a junior golfer is to play games with a buddy. Friendly competition makes you better a lot faster, and it makes practicing a lot more fun. A great game to play is “closest to the hole” from anywhere with every club! Use your imagination and try it with every club in your bag. Closest to the hole gets 1 point, in the hole gets 5 points, make it on top of your buddy and get 10 points. First one to 50 points wins. Loser buys hot dogs! Play this game from everywhere. Try hitting shots from behind a rock, or over a bush, out of a bunker, on a hillside, under a pine tree, in a divot, or anywhere else you can find to make it more fun. Play as many fun games as you can. Use your imagination and invent your own. If you play a lot of games with a buddy, you will both be really good in a shorter amount of time.
Junior golfers of any age are not too young to start learning about the golf swing. Kids of all ages understand how to play complex video games. The golf swing is a lot easier to understand than Nintendo DS Sponge Bob Globs of Doom. Whether it is the basic fundamental of gripping the golf club, or a more dynamic principle like swing plane, juniors do have the capacity to understand how the golf swing works. This holds true especially when the information is presented correctly. Reading books and magazines, studying pictures of tour players, and watching golf on television are all great ways to learn more about the golf swing. But the best way will always be to take lessons from a PGA Professional. You will find it a standard that PGA Professionals have a passion for junior golf. Please contact your local PGA Professional for help with your game.
Trey Shehee is in his eighth season as a PGA Teaching Professional at Ute Creek GC in Longmont. In 2008, Trey received the Colorado PGA’s Junior Golf Leader award. |
