A little Shot Talk advice needed

[cyberious]

Ok so I have a neice who has fallen in with a bad crowd. She is a good kid but you know how it goes. She's coming to live with the wife and I. I've taken her to the driving range and she really enjoys it. So to redirect her energy into something positive I plan to try and get her into golf (hopefully). She is 13, tall, strong, and lanky (perfect build for golf). I am planning to make her a set of the Pink Acer XP 905's ( maybe hybrid 4, 6i, 8i, PW to start ) a matching driver and will let her use one of my spare Camerons (if you live in my house you only use a Scotty ). So I guess my question is any suggestions or advice you guys/girls (tokenhottie where are you) would be appreciated.

[bdcrowe]

Advice on what specifically? How to keep her interested? Swing thoughts for a 13 year old girl? Which club to wrap around the neck of the guy in that bad crowd?

[clemsonhacker]

trying to redirect her interest away from that crowd is a great thing to do... reward her when she improves.. maybe she'll forget about that crowd. so her what the women on LGA make. oh yea about the cameron im not sure id let her use it yet b/c you would be very upset if she sold it for 20 bucks(hope shes not like that)... just my 2cents

[cyberious]

Originally Posted by clemsonhacker

trying to redirect her interest away from that crowd is a great thing to do... reward her when she improves.. maybe she'll forget about that crowd. so her what the women on LGA make. oh yea about the cameron im not sure id let her use it yet b/c you would be very upset if she sold it for 20 bucks(hope shes not like that)... just my 2cents

No the Camerons all go back on a rack after each round.

Club fitting I know I'm mainly looking for general keeping the kid interested stuff. And I have a 4 iron for the bad influences. I always knew there had to be a good use for a 4 iron.

[RickinMA]

accepting a 13 year old into your home...God bless you

the clubfitting thing might be a bit tricky - my little sister played competitive softball and swings as hard as I do - don't just default to A flex or L flex shafts until you've seen what she can do.
let us know which way you go with this and how it works out

[Bubble Head]

Find some kids her age who play. To get past the first few weeks, that will help a lot.

[lamebums]

Originally Posted by cyberious

Ok so I have a neice who has fallen in with a bad crowd. She is a good kid but you know how it goes. She's coming to live with the wife and I. I've taken her to the driving range and she really enjoys it. So to redirect her energy into something positive I plan to try and get her into golf (hopefully). She is 13, tall, strong, and lanky (perfect build for golf). I am planning to make her a set of the Pink Acer XP 905's ( maybe hybrid 4, 6i, 8i, PW to start ) a matching driver and will let her use one of my spare Camerons (if you live in my house you only use a Scotty ). So I guess my question is any suggestions or advice you guys/girls (tokenhottie where are you) would be appreciated.

Golf advice - Give her a driver and tell her to hit it the hell down the range. I'd suggest for anyone under 20 or so to just crush the hell out of the ball and work on accuracy later on, once she knows she's got at least power in the bag.

Making her a good kid - I'd just casually suggest twice a week or so if she's interested in going to the driving range. And after a month of this get her out on an easy course (a crappy muni or par 3) and go from there. Of course, if she gets bitten by the bug expect to foot a really big bill.

[Eracer]

I don't think you can "keep someone interested" in golf. She'll either be bitten by the bug, as we all are, or could care less about playing. Take her out on the course and let her putt, maybe even try hitting a shot or two right away. Boring range sessions are not the way to get a 13yo girl started. If she begs you to go back out, then it's all downhill from there. Otherwise you may have to find yourself interested in something she likes. Hopefully it won't be "Dance, Dance Revolution" like my 14yo niece. "Uncle Joe, will you dance, dance with me? Puhleeeeze...?" is what I dread every time I visit my brother. Thank goodness she like to golf too!

Good luck, and bless you for taking on this important role.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I would guess the best way to keep her interested is to get the best results as soon as possible. Probably best done with some lessons.

This would serve a second purpose. There are alot of good junior group style lessons with other kids, which would provide another crowd for which to vent and associate. I would imagine it would be easier to stay interested when you associate with a group your own age when learning the game. From a club perspective, as we play with many women, you can probably not get her too many woods. I would probably consider adding a lofted driver or 3w to make up for the distance. As with anyone with golf, it is easier to stay interested when you see the ball go a long way, even if it is not straight at first. Worry about club management after the bug bites.

Good Luck!!!

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by Pa Jayhawk

I would guess the best way to keep her interested is to get the best results as soon as possible. Probably best done with some lessons.

This would serve a second purpose. There are alot of good junior group style lessons with other kids, which would provide another crowd for which to vent and associate. I would imagine it would be easier to stay interested when you associate with a group your own age when learning the game. From a club perspective, as we play with many women, you can probably not get her too many woods. I would probably consider adding a lofted driver or 3w to make up for the distance. As with anyone with golf, it is easier to stay interested when you see the ball go a long way, even if it is not straight at first. Worry about club management after the bug bites.

Good Luck!!!

Wouldn't hybrids with their shorter shafts be better?

[warbirdlover]

If she could get good enough to play on the school team that would (should) get her "in" with a good crowd. Athletics are a God send for troubled kids. If she's tall also maybe she'd like basketball? Good luck with your challenge.

[cypressperch]

you are attempting to do." If the kid were somewhat younger like those children on that golf promotional TV ad where they all say "Thank you" to golf for teaching them not to lie, how to add, integrity, not to be a couch potato, etc., that would have made your task a lot easier. If the kid were somewhat older, it could have also been easier. Thirteen might just be the trickiest age of all. I coached and taught for thirty years in high school, and I got pretty good at understanding that age of students. When I retired, I did some substitute teaching and found an unbelievable difference between students in the fifth and sixth grades and those in the seventh and eighth grades. Hormones probably explain this. Attention span becomes a big issue.

Someone mentioned finding some friends the same age who would be playing golf too. That would be wonderful if they were all focused on golf. It is possible for this to happen. Some kids would see golf as being sort of a grown-up activity and that could build interest. I know that you would want to play golf with this person too, but do not be surprised if the kid will prefer playing golf with these friends. A mixture would probably be good. Letting her play with friends would show that you TRUST her which is huge (of course, you watch the situation like a hawk for signs of trouble that could develop).

We say that golf builds character. We love golf to the point that we might exaggerate the power that golf has. It does have power, but some are beyond the power of golf to straighten out. I was a high school golf coach, among other things a teacher-coach ends up doing. I have very fond memories of a lot of those who were on all of those golf teams. There were some, however, that I could not allow on the team. Cheaters, shop-lifters, bullies, the occasional sex fiend---you name it, they were there. They might have been attracted to golf, but they could not change their ways even when it was made clear that one's personal conduct had to remain within certain boundaries. In your noble project, you will probably have to do the same thing which is to make it clear that there will be consequences for one's conduct. Of course, good consequences come with good conduct, and the positive should be emhasized. Still, it has to be clear about negative conduct and the negative consequences that it automatically brings.

Having expounded on this subject as if I know exactly how to handle this situation, let me say that I certainly do not know that. Something I do know is that every person is a different individual. People are similar, but different. People are different, but similar. People can be very different or very similar. OK, enough already! The point is that you will have to learn what to do over time as you learn about this person. It will be unusual if what you first think is the right course of action will not have to be changed as you learn more and as the situation changes which it probably will. One thing that is almost like a law is that "the more responsibility one can handle, the more authority they are entitled to." It is probably about equal the harm that can be done by either loosening up control before a child is ready for that or retaining tight control when a child does not require that. Earlier I capitalized the word TRUST, but that trust has to be earned. Once it is earned, you have to have FAITH.

Best of luck to you. I probably sound overly cautious, but I think there is good reason to believe that our great sport of golf can work for this person you are trying to help.

Sincerely, Cypressperch

[DaveE]

This is a very generous thing for you to do. Good luck.

If you have a First Tee chapter in your area, it's for kids up to 18.

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