By Derek Thornley, Director of Instruction, Fraserview Golf Academy

Tiger and the Growth of Junior Golf

It wasn’t long ago that the generally accepted age for starting junior golf was 10 to 12 years old or when golf facilities (and parents) thought children were old enough to ‘behave’ and fit into adult programming. Then Tiger Woods came along and blew the lid off all the norms; at age two and a half, Tiger made his first TV appearance on the Mike Douglas Show (1978). The world began watching and by age 19, the child phenom had developed into a superstar. Tiger’s meteoric rise to success helped open the door to younger-age programs and pave the way for generations to follow. Now there is much more science, education and support in place to propel the early development wave. Today you’ll find structured programs introducing golf as early as 4 years old and this is great news for the future of the sport.

Benefits of Early Development Programs

Early development programs (ages 4 to 10) progressively introduce kids to new skills and golf education through a variety of games, activities and group engagement. The British Journal of Sports Medicine identifies many positive effects of physical activity (like golf) on children’s fitness, health, cognitive functioning, social engagement, motivation, and psychological well-being. These benefits reach far beyond the purely physical and generally help to build happy, healthy young people who are more likely to succeed in life and contribute to society.*  It's no surprise that kids develop a strong association with sports when they feel pleasure, social inclusion and some degree of mastery of basic movements.

So, if your facility hasn’t already made the leap to offering early development lesson programs, consider not only the above mentioned benefits for kids, but the following positives that commonly result with successful junior programs: 

• Parents prioritize golf in their kids’ activity scheduling once their children are engaged

• Siblings - and parents - are more likely to try golf when a family member is registered in a golf program

• Early development programs create higher traffic and spending in golf shops and clubhouses 

• Early development programs increase opportunities for your coaches to earn additional income

• Early development and junior programs provide another marketing funnel for membership sales

Converting Junior Players Into Adult Enthusiasts

A recent stat from the National Golf Foundation 20/20 Study, indicated that nearly 60% of children who go through a structured junior golf program go on to become avid adult golfers. In other words, life-long customers. NGF also reported that adults aged 19-34 who were introduced to golf through a structured junior golf program are playing 50% more rounds and spend 70% more on golf than those not exposed to golf through a junior program. 

With excellent resources like Canada’s Long-Term Player Development Guide and the Future Links Junior Golf Program, golf facilities can easily map out quality junior development programs. By starting the kids young, golf not only provides benefits on an individual level but it’s good for their families and communities, it’s good for the game and it’s good for the long-term health of our facilities.

If your junior lesson program has space for some new energy and fun, take a good look at starting them younger. You’ll be glad you did.

References: British Journal of Sports Medicine. “Positive Impact of Sport.” June 28, 2016

Diaz, Jaime. Golf Digest, April 25, 2016