PLANNING YOUR CHILD’S GOLF YEAR
BASED ON THE OLYMPIC MODEL
2-3 MONTHS
5-6 MONTHS 3-4 MONTHS
PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3
The preseason, the first two or
three months of the year. This
is the time of the year to get
your child’s body, fundamen-
tals, technique, equipment
and mind tuned up. In-Season mode, a five- to
s i x- m o n t h p e r i o d w h e r e
serious play heats up. This
is where your golfer should
be focusing on competitions
and results. The offseason, a three- to
four-month cooldown from
the competitive season. At
this point of the year, your
junior should wind down,
relax and play for fun!
much structure and formal competition
before age 13—can be dangerous. Let
your child absorb instruction and devel-
op their own love for the game. Don’t
force it on them!
• Do not forget that every child needs a
break. Be sure to build in an ‘offseason’
to prevent burnout.
• Do not overemphasize results early
in your child’s development. For the
youngest players, the focus should be on
training and skill building, not where he
or she finishes on the leaderboard.
Be sure to let your child
absorb instruction and develop
their own love of the game.
and evaluate improvement and perfor-
mance in training and competition. Keep
‘stats’ and a handicap!
IF YOUR CHILD IS 16 AND OLDER
At this point, your junior knows golf is the
sport for them. They will commit in full
to the sort of deliberate practice and play
that will help them in the future in terms of
playing high school golf or beyond.
TRAINING ‘DON’TS’
Some things to remember when your child
begins their foray into the world of golf.
• Parents: please do not coach your own
children after age 10.
• One-sport specialization—as well as too
vsga.org
YOUR CHILD IS HOOKED ON GOLF—
NOW WHAT?
I recommend a three-phase approach to
planning out your child’s year on the golf
course based on the Olympic model. Let’s
start with Phase 1: The preseason, the first
two or three months of the year. This is the
time of the year to get your child’s body,
fundamentals, technique, equipment and
mind tuned up.
Start with a sports screening at your
pediatrician, including a vision check.
This is the time of year to start a car-
dio, strength and flexibility regimen so
your golfer is prepared for the rigors of
the upcoming season. Your child will
want to work with their coach to review
and reinforce the fundamentals of their
game. Begin a practice regimen, including
putting, the short game and full swing.
The preseason is the time to ‘knock the
rust’ off their game, playing outdoors in
a non-competitive environment with
no expectations.
The preseason is the time to check on
equipment as well. Did your junior grow
out of their clubs from last year? Be sure to
check club grips for wear and get his or her
bag in order for the upcoming year. This is
a good time for range work and identifying
yardage gaps in clubs as well.
Phase 2 is In-Season mode, a five- to
six-month period where serious play heats
up. This is where your golfer should be
focusing on competitions and results. Your
golfer should play at least nine holes per
day for five-plus days a week and follow
a detailed skill development and practice
regimen. They should also and keep stats
to compare and contrast round results to
determine what to work on the most in
practice as well as celebrate improvements
that may not be as apparent on a scorecard.
Phase 3 is the offseason, a three- to
four-month cooldown from the competi-
tive season. At this point of the year, your
junior should wind down, relax and play
for fun! This is a good time to refocus on
fitness and strength training as well.
Generally, boys ages 9-12 and girls ages
8-11 should play 5-10 competitions per year.
That number rises to 10-20 per year for boys
ages 12-16 and girls ages 11-15; and 15-25
per year for boys ages 16-18 and girls ages
15-17. Find events that are stimulating and
appropriately challenging for your child so
they gain experience and build confidence
competing against their contemporaries.
To read more about junior instruction,
visit coachleighann.com.
Leighann Albaugh is the Director of
Instruction at The Magnolia Green Golf
Academy in Moseley and has been honored
as a Top 50 Masters Kids Coach by U.S.
Kids Golf, Golf Digest Best Young Teachers
in America and Golf Digest Best In Your
State (Virginia). She was also the recipient
of the 2018 MAPGA Youth Player
Development Award.
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