Super Six benefits of golf for kids – time to get involved?
The Golf Foundation is rolling out a whole new programme in schools in 2022 to attract more youngsters from all backgrounds to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of golf. Our HSBC Golf Roots initiative also supports many golf clubs to help them reach new family audiences in the community around them.
There is much more we can do together to make golf truly inclusive, but we believe the game offers such outstanding and lasting benefits for our kids, particularly in supporting their wellbeing, that it is now the perfect time for new families to become involved in this sport. Here are six super reasons why!
Golf is a game the whole family can enjoy together: You can compete against, and enjoy playing with, your sisters/brothers/mum/dad and your grandparents. It’s a great game for the whole family to enjoy together, and is perhaps the most truly cross-generational game there is!
Exercise, by having FUN: As young children and teachers start to explore golf in school (now with our colourful new ‘Golfway’ kit) this is not only great fun but promotes excellent early movement skills and exercise. Being out on the course in the fresh air will later help to create endurance (did you know that 18 holes of golf can take 10,000+ steps? See international Golf & Health report), while the fast-energy exercise in team games, and the absorbing task at hand, is great for kids’ wellbeing. These games with the Golf Foundation mean ENERGY, co-operation and concentration to the max!
Learning valuable life skills: We believe that golf offers young people the learning of life skills – such as resilience, respect and focus, promoting confidence and independence – that are also transferable and highly valuable in their wider lives, for example in times of school lessons, exams, home life and even peer group pressure. ‘The Square of Concentration’ and ‘WWW / EBI?’ (What went well? Even better if?) are focus and self-reflection points as important to our work in schools as learning how to keep score or learning how to putt! (See our Unleash Your Drive programme.)
Making friends: Golf is great for making friends (see fun clip here). Did you know that G.O.L.F. can stand for ‘Great Opportunities for Lifelong Friends’? Golf is also fantastic for early social interaction, with peers and also older age groups. Golfing kids can thrive as a group and when in their teens can also start to assess the adult world through playing with club members of all ages. At golf clubs that reflect the surrounding community, young people are meeting with new members of this community sometimes for the first time. See Golf Monthly article called 10 things golf clubs can do to encourage junior golfers….
A surprisingly inclusive game: Much of our charity’s effective work recently has involved taking golf to children in their own environments, while working with excellent partner organisations to make the sport more accessible. Young people may first find golf through family leisure activities like Adventure Golf, Top Golf, putting in parks and video games. To develop this family/community pathway further we’d like to find more new partners, both national and local, and offer the sport to more young people and ‘Unleash their Drive’. If you’d like to help, simply get in touch with us (see below).
Meanwhile, in our golf clubs, our GolfSixes League matches foster a great team spirit for new players of all abilities, while our HSBC Golf Roots ‘Plus’ projects support young people who can benefit from a lift in confidence and related learning, from children with Special Educational Needs, young people with behavioural issues and youngsters with a disability. We want to work with more local charities in this area! With the support of other golfing bodies (The R&A, European Tour, the Home Nations, The PGA) and national agencies outside of the sport (Sport England, Sporting Equals, Youth Sport Trust, StreetGames), the Golf Foundation is also helping more young people from diverse ethnic communities to enjoy the game. Recent projects with London Youth and ‘Bring it on Brum’ demonstrate the potential interest in golf and we are always looking to work with new local community groups to help us introduce the benefits of golf to a greater diversity of young people and their families.
Golf can be played at any age: Golf is impossible to master but is a deeply rewarding game. It is a sport you can enjoy, have a break from, come back to, swear you’ll never play again, and keep playing with your family for the whole of your life.
We know that golf has clear, powerful benefits for young people, and it can change young lives. Our programmes – which focus on schools, community, clubs (including GolfSixes League) and the wellbeing of young people (including Unleash your Drive) – offer great scope for positive involvement from families, volunteers, professionals, organisations and businesses. If you want to learn more about getting young people involved in golf, contact [email protected]
