Young golfers learn fundamentals, etiquette at Deer Valley
How young is too young to start golfing? That really depends on the child and how badly they want to play. Miniature golf, pitch and putts and even indoor simulators are a great way to determine interest, but there is nothing better than getting outside and teeing-off on a beautiful day.
Grip, stance and posture are all core fundamentals of golf, but there’s more to the game than hitting a ball. And the best way to learn is to start young.
That’s why Deer Valley Golf Club teaches aspiring golfers — between seven and 18 years old — about the fundamentals and etiquette, and offers a few tricks from the pros. From May until August, the youth programs and camps teach girls and boys how to respect the green and play a better game.
“The earliest you can get a kid involved with golf the better. Our goal at Deer Valley is not to create elite golfers, but to teach kids how to love and respect the game. And that’s something they can carry for the rest of their lives,” says John Greenough, PGA of Canada member and facilitator of the youth programs and camps at Deer Valley Golf Club.
“Golf is an individual sport and that brings different challenges to the game, but there are great lessons to be learned on the course. Like how to deal with adversity, and taking control of your emotions, especially when things don’t go your way — which happens all the time in this game.
“I try to sit in on as many lessons as I can. I get to see Graham Coulter teach a lesson on bunker shots, then watch Pat Marcia teach his philosophy on putting,” says Greenough, who remembers attending the first Diamond in the Rough Junior Golf Camp back in the early 1990s. His father, Mark started the program and after a long hiatus, John brought the camp back in 2013.