By Porter Metcalf, Jr, PGA – Nicklaus Academy Orlando
More and more, organized sports for kids are getting increasingly specialized and competitive and it gets more difficult to play multiple sports at a high level. Some sports are simply contact intensive and as such run a risk of serious injury and long term damage to the participants. With some kids, the possibility of playing on a team sport and not being competitive makes for a long season and many lose heart and interest. Without the proper guidance and encouragement, some kids simply find the sport neither fun nor challenging given the circumstances they endure.
Looking for a more than viable alternative? Golf for kids!
Consider what golf has to offer. It’s a sport of a lifetime; it stays with you forever as long as you are physically able. It is a non-contact, individual sport, that is very safe and the child will get as much out of the sport as he or she is willing to put into the game. There is no other teammates to drag you down in disappointment due to their performance. And certainly, the junior player will learn very quickly the lessons of personal responsibility and commitment that comes along with one’s successes and failures. There is also something that is very much intangible and attractive with golf that is endlessly challenging and keeps kids in the game and holds their interest. It is no hidden secret that this game produces students who do exceptionally well in academics and who embrace the various aspects and challenges of this great sport. It is a game that gets junior players outside in the great outdoors interacting socially among instructors, coaches, mentors and peers and off the couch, video games and social media platforms that often stagnate their personal growth, communications skills and character. Whether or not they continue to be involved with the sport competitively or recreationally as young adults later in life, no other sport offers the personal and professional networking outreach, camaraderie and contacts in the professional and business world as the sport of golf.
I invite you to look into what this great game has to offer your family. I have traveled with my son as a father and PGA teaching professional throughout the country and even internationally. We forged lifetime relationships with other players and their families, not to mention strengthened our relationship as the result of all the quality time we were able to share with one another.
Go out to a junior golf clinic, event or tournament and talk to the participants and their families and learn of their experiences and joy that this great game has brought into their lives. Look for an opportunity to watch a college golf match in your area and talk to players and friends. And if the attributes and attraction of the game of golf appeals to you and your child, seek out an exceptional instructional and player development program, such as the Nicklaus Academy Orlando that will engage and challenge your child at every level of participation. If you frequent Central Florida on vacation or travel, or should you be one of the locals of the area, we invite you to come out for a tour of our facility and programs, and consider joining our other golfing families under perhaps the greatest names and banner in golf of all time; Mr. Jack Nicklaus!
Porter Metcalf, Jr, PGA
Nicklaus Academy Orlando
porter@nicklausacademyorlando.com
