No Plan Works for Every Young Golfer

 By RICK DAYTON

This is the first of a four part series with PGA Tour player and CBS golf commentator Bobby Clampett.

Bobby Clampett enjoyed a celebrated junior and amateur career before turning professional after his junior season at Brigham Young University. He has won on the PGA Tour, and now covers the Tour as a commentator for CBS Sports. He recently started as an assistant golf coach for the teams at St. Timothy’s Hale, a private school in Raleigh.

A father of three, Clampett now works as a spokesperson for U.S. Kids Golf, a company that makes clubs specifically designed for children age three to 14. The Cary resident speaks from personal experience when it comes to starting and keeping youngsters motivated in learning the game.

In his mind, two factors make golf very attractive to kids.

"The first is making the game fun, and the second is making it relational where they can do it with their buddies. Most kids enjoy the aspect of doing things with their buddies."

Some children are naturally interested in golf while others need to be led to the game. How can you tell which type of child you have? Perhaps your youngster plops down on the couch beside you on a Sunday afternoon and begins asking questions about what the players are doing. Maybe she enjoys riding with you while you play or likes to drive the cart. Some children think its fun to get tickets to a PGA Tour event or junior tournament so they can watch others compete. These children clearly have an inclination toward golf.

For other children, it may take a bit more encouragement for them to take up the game. While Clampett says the best way to build a solid golf swing is through taking lessons, he believes the way they learn fastest is by not hitting golf balls.

"Kids will progress much faster if they learn to hit pine cones in the back yard or leaves or sticks or wiffle balls. One of the things we did at our house involves a hammock. I turn the hammock on its side, hammer in two stakes to hold the hammock in place and that acts as our driving range net. We hit balls into the hammock."

Using a make-shift net with kids accomplishes a couple things.

"When you hit balls into the hammock, your focus is 99% on the swing and 1% on the ball. It doesn’t matter where the ball goes. However, the minute you take the hammock away, the child’s focus becomes 99% on the ball and 1% on the swing. Our kids think its fun. Sometimes they’ll just come outside and set up the hammock and hit balls because it’s fun.

If you’ve ever walked through a golf retail shop or even your local sporting goods store, you’ve seen golf clubs made for toddlers. If your child is old enough to walk, there are plenty of companies willing to sell you a set of clubs for your child. Does that mean your two-year-old should have a club and start taking lessons?

Clampett is not so sure.

"The time to start kids varies greatly. It varies according to their abilities, according to their strength levels. I think most kids by the time they are ten are strong enough to start the game of golf." But he cautions, "For girls, it might be eleven or twelve." But that’s not to say that your child might not be ready to start sooner.

The overwhelming success of Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour has caused some confusion about when children should start learning about golf. Woods first picked up a club when he was two. Jack Nicklaus chose to play other sports during his teenage years and didn’t focus solely on golf until he was nearly 20. Yet most consider Nicklaus and Woods among the greatest players the game has ever known.

"So many people want their child to be the next Tiger Woods, but frankly, Tiger was in a class by himself when you talk about desire from a very young age" says the former Southern Open champion. "I’ve never known a kid that has the desire Tiger Woods has. From the age of two, all he wanted to do was play golf."

Many of today’s PGA Tour professionals are outstanding athletes; most excelled in other sports before choosing golf as their career. Some are former Pass, Punt and Kick champions, while others were dominant on the Little League diamonds, tennis courts or ice hockey rinks. PGA Champion Jeff Sluman once bowled back-to-back 300 games when he was growing up.

The common thread, according to Clampett, is simple.  "The players developed exceptional hand-eye coordination – a skill that is critical in accelerating the learning process in golf.  But you need to take kids that have a natural desire for sports and golf and place them in one category.  You need to take those whom it doesn't come naturally and place them in a different category."

What is best for your child? You won’t get Bobby Clampett to tell you.

"There is no such thing as a great formula as to how to get kids involved in golf. What works for some kids does not work for others and vice versa. Each child is different. Each child comes with a unique set of desires and abilities. But the important thing is to make sure the game of golf is fun."

About the writer…

Rick Dayton and Bobby Clampett have a friendship dating back to 1995. For two years they talked golf as co-hosts of the nationally syndicated program "Drive Time: The Golf Radio Show." Dayton has spent the last 7 1/2 years working as a network sportscaster. He and his wife Jenny have three young boys and live in Raleigh.