Junior Golf Programs: Sarasota | Bradenton | Lakewood Ranch

In today’s world, many courses are looking for players to fill their facilities. Many facilities implement junior golf programs to create junior golfers to secure the future of the industry.

Who Is Considered A Junior Golfer?

As soon as a child is ready and wants to participate in junior golf, they would be considered a junior golfer.

In the US, one would be considered a junior player until they were the age of 18 or once graduated from high school.

However, as a parent, what do you need to know to best help your child?

Setting Junior Golf Goals

We all have heard the “need goals” speech, so I am not going to beat that dead horse. If you still have a young child or one that simply wants to play to spend time with friends or family, just let them play. If they are really into the game, you can look for homeschool or after-school golf programs in your area.

Junior Golf Programs For Younger Kids

I am often asked, “What age to start golf lessons?” In my junior golf program, the child makes the decision when they are ready. If they are younger, it is not just standing on the lesson tee receiving instruction. At a younger age, we really work on skill development and that make includes playing games that involve moves from other sports.

For younger kids, many kid-friendly courses and instructors offer free golf classes. These beginner lessons are usually very basic and cover the fundamentals.

Junior Golf Programs For Teens

Once your child reaches junior high or high school, many players want to attempt to make a team. At this point, you will need to do some research into more serious junior golf programs. This will be particularly true if your child decides they want to play in junior golf tournaments.

There are associations such as the Greater Sarasota Junior Golf Association that administer tournaments for all levels of players. Once they compete regularly in those fields, they could then progress up to and through US Kids, American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and eventually the United States Golf Association (USGA) junior golf tournaments.

As your child becomes more and more competitive, their golf practice program could include summer camps for high school students. Like most things, the pricing of the best camps, like Nike Camps, can be pricey but a great learning experience. You will earn as you start to do your research, the golf school curriculum will vary as much as the pricing.

Your young golfer may even consider online golf training for kids. At their age, they are very used to learning through that type of medium and it allows them access to coaches all over the world. There are plenty of how-to videos on YouTube but… buyer beware. It is best to find an instructor and theory that you like and stick with it.

What Other Golfers Are Saying…

Junior Golf Programs or Kids Private Instruction

Golf classes for children or private instruction for kids is another topic that I often get questioned about.

Which is best? Both have their merit and many coaches offer both types of instruction. Many times it comes down to the pocket book.

It stands to reason; the group training is less expensive than one on one instruction. However, make sure your child is being challenged in the group training and not just hanging out with his/her friends.

As a parent, what should the junior golf lesson plans or clinic lesson plans look like? Over time the activity ideas should include but are not limited to…

* Rules of Golf

* Swing Fundamentals

* Course Management

* Personal Confidence & Advancement

Credentials of Coaches And Junior Golf Programs

As you are selecting a junior golf program or a golf school curriculum for your child, you will want to make sure that the instructors are qualified to coach.

Some of the qualifications that you will want to look for include but are not limited to…

TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) –

These golf coaches come as Level 1, 2 or 3. TPI golf programs take into consideration the age, maturity as well as their physical attributes to help build a proper swing that will be functional but is not as apt to cause injury.

US Kids Golf –

These certified coaches are trained not only how to properly club fit kids but also how to teach and keep the game fun. Each student is given a golf instruction booklet that starts with the fundamentals and progresses in difficulty as the student improves.

The US Kids clubs are highly recommended as they are properly weighted specifically for kids. Cutting down an adult club is cheaper but much heavier for the child and can lead to bad habits and even injury.

With this information, you should be able to find good junior golf programs for your child.

If you have any questions about programs involving Sarasota Junior Golf, feel free to contact us via phone at 832-515-7625 or via email at coach@ballflihgtacademy.com.

Through our junior golf lessons, we would love to introduce your child to the game or help them reach their golfing goals!

If you are wondering how can I find the best junior program near me, here is another article we wrote about finding the best coach in your area… Click here

The Ball Flight Academy has had students from Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Northport, Laurel, Northport, St. Petersburg, Ruskin, Parrish, Nokomis, The Meadows, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Englewood, Osprey, Tampa, and all over Florida.

Here Is What Other Golfers Are Saying…