Picking the Appropriate Golf Instructor for Children

As you can imagine there are numerous considerations that should be taken into account in order to choose the best golf instructor for a child.  Of course, everyone needs to select an appropriate instructor and choosing an instructor can be a huge decision to make, but when you are selecting the instructor for a child there are several additional considerations that should be taken into account.  Never rush into picking the first instructor that you find for your child, this can be a very big mistake, instead take the time to ensure that you pick out the best instructor possible that will allow your child to grow and develop into the best golfer possible.

You want to first start out by searching for someone who is experienced.  This will allow you to find the most experienced instructor possible.  Because children learn differently than adults, you need a highly experienced instructor.  Someone who has just started teaching is generally not the best choice of instructors because they generally lack the ability to tailor lessons to a level that a child can understand.

Additional considerations are you want someone who has verifiable references.  Especially helpful is if they can provide references for children that they have taught.  While you generally will not be able to talk to the child, you can at least talk to the parent.  This will allow you to talk to someone that has experience with the instructor that you are considering to see how well they worked with children.  As you can imagine this can be very helpful in deciding which instructor is really best for your child. 

You should also try to find an instructor that works with children.  This will allow you to have the best possible match for your child.  Even if they are not currently instructing other children at the time, experience working with children should be a must.  The amount of skill as well as patience that is required to teach children is very much different than the amount of time and patience that is required to teach adults. 

Someone who has an attitude or a rough instructional style is generally not a good match for children.  You want someone who has a very friendly and cheerful disposition to teach your child.  This will allow your child to look forward to going to their golfing lessons, rather than be upset when it is time to actually go for lessons.  A child who enjoys going and actually enjoys their instructor is much more likely to appreciate the instructor than someone who dislikes their instructor.

Always set up a time for your child to meet the potential instructor.  You want to ensure that your child feels comfortable with the instructor so arranging a time when everyone can meet and talk for a few minutes with no pressures is a really good idea.  This is usually much cheaper than paying for a full session of lessons that are not used.  Especially since most instructors will provide a free initial meeting this gives a perfect time to meet.  Some instructors will also provide a free or greatly reduced initial lesson as well, if the instructor offers this it is very wise to take them up on it.  You can learn a lot by watching their actual teaching style to see how they interact specifically with your child during a lesson.

Take the time to really look around; you should avoid jumping to the first instructor that you find.  Your child needs someone who can help them expand their skills in a friendly and encouraging environment.  Stressing out and screaming is something that an instructor should not do with a child, there should be no temper tantrums under any circumstances so if you notice the instructor behaves this way, find someone else.  Never ignore your gut instincts; this is the perfect chance to allow you to really see what your child can do with the right instructor.