Know your kids' golf goals — serious or fun — before you fork over too much money

Passion for golf isn’t common in the Lowcountry, it is epidemic. It impacts men, women, and, yes, even children.
What begins as a casual outing to a driving range with Dad or an afternoon on the links with Mom, can quickly undergo a metamorphosis into an obsession that outpaces a parent’s skill set, knowledge base, and abilities. 
Rarely does this leave the child wanting less. Instead, it leads to the search for a golf instructor who will help your child reach that ever-tantalizing “next level.” 
For parents in the Lowcountry, there’s no shortage of options. Golf instruction opportunities for juniors range from half-hour sessions at local clubs to the intensive golf and academic program offered by at the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy on Hilton Head.

There are a number of
golf programs for young
golfers in the Lowcountry.
One Web site we found
useful in finding programs was www.juniorlinks.com.
Junior links, which is run by
the United States Golf Association,
also has great information
about the world of junior golf.

Shane LeBaron is a coach who offers a range of packages for students. The creator of Shane LeBaron Golf in Bluffton, he works with both junior and adult golfers, including 4 members of the state champion Bluffton High School Girls Golf Team and the University South Carolina at Beaufort men’s and women’s teams.

LeBaron said the first step in finding a good instructor for a child or teen begins with a real assessment of, “the kid.”
“The kid has to have a definite interest in the sport. That is first and foremost. I want the kid to have gone to the driving range a few times and to really want to have more. I want them to have questions.”
Chandler Sweat, director of player services with the American Junior Golf Association agreed that understanding your child’s playing level is a critical aspect of finding the right coach.
“First, you need to ask if a coach works with juniors,” he said. “Some coaches just work with adults, and working with juniors is a very different thing. Then, you need to find out if they work with players who are at the same level as your child.”
Sweat added that goals are also important to explore when talking with a potential instructor. “Some instructors will specialize and some will be really good at teaching the all around game and life skills. It’s important to find out what they will focus on.”
LeBaron agreed, saying he tends not to work with children under the age of ten, and that he really stresses having fun while playing the game.
Having a clear understanding of what is expected from both parties in the teacher-student relationship is critical, LeBaron said.
“The most important part of teaching any student is the relationship. If you can trust each other and have a long term relationship you can be successful.”
Sweat said that things as simple and critical as how much time your child will spend playing and practicing really should be fleshed out at the beginning of the relationship.
“Is this going to be a year-round program, or is it something that will end after a couple of weeks? Will we stay local or travel? Will it be every day or a couple of days a week? These are important questions,” Sweat said.
LeBaron said some instructors will offer guarantees, but that parents should resist allowing their heads to get into the clouds.
“I would love to guarantee that every one who comes to me is going to get a Division 1 scholarship, but that’s tough. Ultimately, it comes down to the kid and there are a lot of things that go into that. There are physical things and mental things. It’s tough. That’d be like putting a guarantee on the lottery. I will guarantee that they will get better, they will improve.”
LeBaron offered on final tip in finding a good golf instructor – use your best resource: other parents.
“When parents are looking for any kind of program the most important thing they can do is ask around. They should talk to other parents and ask, ‘who did your kid go to?’ If they ask enough people, they will find that the same names will keep coming up.”