Enriching Education: 5 Life Lessons Golf Teaches Kids

Wondering how to teach your little one some important things about life? Make it a game! Here are 5 life lessons golf teaches kids when they’re young.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels 

Introducing your kids to sports at a young age is a fantastic idea. Not only does it give them something outside of schoolwork to do, but it encourages them to stay healthy, fit, and get a decent amount of time away from the screen! 

Golf may not be the first sport you think of when encouraging your child to play something. But these 5 life lessons golf teaches kids may change your mind about that. Here are some positive things your kid can learn from the gentleman’s and gentlewoman’s game. 

The Importance (and Fun) of Staying Healthy 

Health is something every parent should be educating their child about very early! It’s often easiest to lead by example here, such as eating healthy foods and getting plenty of exercise. But at some point, your child will need to discover it for themselves. 

Golf is an excellent sport for both muscular and cardiovascular fitness, even as a kid! It’s not as hardcore as some other sports there out, but it’s still excellent for building up physical fitness while having a lot of fun and working towards a tangible goal. 

It may not seem like something that requires much fitness when you’re playing the mini-golf course, but you can start introducing your kid to the driving range and chipping green pretty early if they’re keen on the game. 

The Value of Hard Work 

Nobody shoots par in their first-round! Your junior may be pretty good on the mini-golf course, but the real thing requires a lot more hard work to improve and get properly good at the sport. 

Practice needs to be regular, focused, and with a set goal in mind. If your child loves the game and wants to get better, they’ll soon learn that there are no shortcuts! They need to put in the work, but there’s no feeling quite like hitting that perfectly sliced drive or getting your first eagle to make you realize it’s all worth it! 

Respect For Others 

Being the elegant, refined sport that it is, respect is a big thing in golf. Players are treated a little differently than football or Little League kids because that elegance and respect are instilled from a young age. 

From not throwing clubs to congratulating other golfers when they hit a great shot, respect is a big thing on the golf course and something your child will learn if they’re involved in the sport. 

Problem Solving Skills 

Golf requires strategic thought! Do you try to hit over the lake or go around it? Do you play the shot with some spin on it or hit it straight and true? Where do you putt the ball so it rolls with the curve of the green? 

While these are things that typically come once your child has been playing for a while, golf is truly the best sport to foster creative problem-solving skills! 

Integrity 

Cheating is not tolerated in golf. It’s up to you to keep your own score on the course, as well as to hit the ball out of the rough or the sand trap when you land up in there. Sure, you can sneakily move it out in order to not lose a few shots, but where’s the lesson in that? 

Integrity is an invaluable trait that is hard to learn as an adult. Therefore, it’s essential that your child learns it while they’re still young. They may get frustrated at their golfing scores or annoyed that it takes them 12 shots to get out of that bunker… But they’ll grow up a more decent human beings because of it. 

Conclusion 

The truth is, golf is not the most forgiving game out there. When it comes to your junior having fun on the sports field, most moms are going to choose baseball, soccer, or track. Something that’s easier and a bit more fast-paced. 

But golf is a superb sport to introduce your kid to at a young age. Not only can they take advantage of the life lessons golf teaches kids, but they’ll be less prone to injury, work those neural pathways more, and learn how to overcome difficulties with a bit of problem-solving. 

If you haven’t introduced your kids to the game yet, now may be the time! It’s also a super way for parents and kids to bond over a bit of fun on the course. Enjoy!