Ray Dingledine’s boys have
taken to golf largely because
he keeps it fun for them.
WHERE TO GO
COURTESY RAY DINGLEDINE
“I have not had to do much to foster his
love of the game because it has been such
a natural fit for him even at such an early
age. Because he is still so young, it is most
important that his experiences with golf
are always fun.”
Another “do” for Dingledine is that if
the child is interested in a lesson or clinic,
“Make sure it is from a non-parent,” he
said. “Find someone who is more focused
on fun than shallowing out the club.”
“Fun,” “enjoy,” “interested” and “hooked”
are key words in the world of golf instruction
for youngsters (under 10, some as young as
3). There are many programs instructors
can use for kids of all ages getting started.
Gavin Parker uses a non-traditional
approach for the younger ages as the PGA
Teaching Professional and director of the
Salisbury (CC) Golf Academy.
“Golf has been taught the same way since
the 1800s. It’s time to change that, and I’m
really here to transform this and really
change the status quo in golf,” Parker said.
Parker came up through The First Tee
Chesterfield Program, earned a Professional
Golf Management degree from
Campbell University and was director for
the Robins Junior Programs at Independence
Golf Club before going to Salisbury.
He began his teaching career as a traditionalist
because he thought that was what
he was supposed to do.
“I was trying to teach 3-6 year olds
using terms like grip, posture, stance and
alignment and they were looking at me
like I’m silly because they have no idea
what that means,” the always enthusiastic
Parker said.
Now he uses Birdie Basics birdieisms—
such as My Hands Are Best Friends and Ice
Cream Mountain—delivered by a puppet
named Mama Birdie as metaphors for grip,
stance, etc.
Mama Birdie was invented by Kate Tempesta,
an LPGA member with experience
in early childhood education.
“It isn’t golf per se, but it’s creating a
storyline, and it’s using golf-like terms to
get them hooked,” Parker says.
Michelle Holmes, a Master Kids
Teacher who is co-owner and operator
of the Michelle Holmes School of Golf
with locations at Lambert’s Point GC in
Norfolk; Greenbrier CC in Chesapeake
and Kempsville Greens GC in Virginia
Beach, loves kids and loves to teach.
To make sure the child, parents and
Holmes are on the same page and same
journey, Holmes schedules a 30-minute
appointment with them.
“The reason I have these meetings is
when I first started teaching, I assumed that
every kid who came in the door wanted to
be the next Tiger Woods… then I realized
some of these kids just want to do this as
their extracurricular activity. I find those
meetings so beneficial,” says Holmes, who
comes up with a plan to achieve the goals
of the child and parents.
Holmes says because of today’s equipment
and specialized kid coaches, “start them as
young as they want to start.”
She expects one minute of concentration
per year of life from the young
ones. For example, in a 45-minute class, a
6-year-old will concentrate on instruction
for six minutes.
“They are probably learning more in
39 minutes of games than the 6 minutes
of instruction, and they don’t know they
are learning,” Holmes says.
Should your junior get hooked on golf
enough to want to play competitively, tournament
opportunities are almost endless.
Quint Dingledine loves to play in as many
tournaments as he can. Talon likes to play
in them, but not every week.
Ray Dingledine suggests finding tournaments
that match the junior’s skill level
and says not to sign up your junior for a
tournament for which they are not ready.
The Dingledine boys got started in
competition through the VSGA Junior
Golf Club and the PGA Junior League.
The VSGA Junior Golf Club morphed into
the VSGA Junior Golf Circuit in 2015.
Perhaps the most important piece of
advice Ray Dingledine has to offer is this:
Don’t turn junior golf into a job.
Child-based learning programs golf
instructors can use to teach beginner
juniors as young as 3 years old.
MICHELLE HOLMES SCHOOL
OF GOLF
Michelleholmesgolf.com
About: Specializes in junior golf. Has ties
to PGA Jr. League, U.S. Kids Golf, VSGA
Junior Circuit (Holmes is a regional coordinator)
and LPGA-USGA Golf, the only
national junior golf program that focuses
on providing girl-friendly environments
for learning.
DISCOVERGOLF
DiscoverGolf.com
About: Kid first experience; a non-traditional
approach; uses accepted research
that implores young athletes and coaches
to base early sporting experiences
around free play.
Games: King Putt, Croctology
BIRDIE BASICS
Birdie-basics.com
About: We’ve taken the complex concepts
involved in proper golf technique
and turned them into simple, memorable
metaphors delivered through fun games.
U.S. KIDS GOLF
USkidsgolf.com
Mission: To help kids have fun learning
the lifelong game of golf and encourage
family interaction that builds lasting
memories.
About: Known for offering an array of
top-quality equipment designed with the
young player in mind. Conducts a variety
of tournaments based on the players’
skill level.
OPERATION36
Operation36.golf
About: Operation36 is all about playing
the game. The website says traditional
beginner golf programs are incomplete.
The goal is to shoot par (36) for 9 holes in
the program’s 10 divisions. For example,
Division 1 youngsters play nine times
from 25 yards away. Par is 4 on each hole.
THE FIRST TEE
Firsttee.org
About: The First Tee is an international
youth development organization introducing
the game of golf and its inherent
values to young people. Chapters are
located throughout Virginia.
vsga.org
M AY/J UNE 2020 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
35