Learning how to play golf isn’t just for adults. While the sport is often thought of as a business person’s game, it’s actually a great way for children to get exercise, both physical and mental!

If you’ve been considering how to get your kids into sports, it’s likely that you haven’t really considered golf. Football, baseball, gymnastics, swimming, and cheerleading are more likely options, but don’t brush golf aside!

There are multiple excellent reasons you should enroll your kid in golfing classes. If your child is the type to enjoy individual sports over team sports, it’s highly recommended. And if that isn’t convincing enough, here are some of the top reasons you should get your kid learning golf from a young age.

It Teaches Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking isn’t always built into kids! It needs to be cultivated and encouraged from a young age, and enrolling your kid in golfing classes is a great way to do that.

Golf is, by nature, a thinking game. When your kid begins learning, they’ll have to figure out things like how to hit the ball straight, how to contend with wind, and how to overcome doubts before they even tee off.

When they learn to chip and putt, they need to learn to judge distance, slice the ball, and deal with curves on the green that can derail their putt.

One of the best things about enrolling your kid in golfing classes is that they don’t use golf GPSes or rangefinders! They need to learn how to do things the old-fashioned way, which kicks off their critical thinking skills. This skill is essential and carries over to all other aspects of life.

It Gets Them Away From the Screen

In today’s world, every kid has a screen at their disposal. Whether it’s a smartphone, a tablet, or a TV, many children prefer to spend their hours scrolling through social media instead of enjoying the outdoors.

You can’t play golf without being surrounded by beautiful nature. While the first learning curve is likely to be on the driving range and putting green, your kid will still be out in an open area, surrounded by trees, and breathing fresh air.

Once they graduate to playing on the full course, nature is even more impressive. They’ll be getting a good dose of vitamin D along with enjoying the surroundings. If you want to get your kids immersed in nature while learning to play a sport, golf is the one.

It’s a Great Way to Make Friends

If your child is sporty and enjoys the game of golf, golfing classes are a great way to help them make friends with the same interests as theirs.

Team sports can be overwhelming for quieter kids, but the ideal environment is for more outgoing ones. This means that if your kid is athletic but not gregarious, participating in a team sport could be more uncomfortable than fun for them.

Meeting new friends at golfing classes means there’s a higher likelihood of your kid meeting people who are similar to them in likes and interests. And if they both love the sport, these friendships could last into adulthood. Once a golfing buddy, always a golfing buddy!

It Gets Them Into Healthy Habits Early

Sport is healthy! But golf has some particular health benefits that other sports don’t. One of the best things about golf for kids is that it’s low-impact. Your kid can start playing it from a young age, and by the time they’re adults, they don’t have the long-term negative effects of more rough-and-tumble sports.

Golf builds muscle, increases cardiovascular fitness, and encourages a healthier lifestyle. Giving that to your child from a young age sets them off on the right path!

And once the bug bites, you’ll never have to fight with them to get outdoors, do something active, or spend some time in nature. It’s also likely that if your kids fall in love with an active lifestyle early, they’ll keep it up as they grow older, staying healthier for longer.

It Helps Them to Keep a Great Posture

Whether kids are reading books, doing homework, or spending time on social media, their posture is affected. The more time kids spend indoors and the less they spend outdoors and active, the higher the likelihood of their posture being affected.

Posture worsens slowly over time. By the time your child leaves high school, there’s a chance that their posture has already been affected, and if not corrected, there could be neck and back pain in the future.

But have you ever seen a golfer with poor posture? The movements associated with a great golf swing—which your child will learn in golfing classes—automatically encourage good posture.

Playing golf regularly will not only help your child to keep a good posture, but it also helps to gently strengthen the muscles in the neck and upper back. We recommend doing resistance training to strengthen the relevant muscles too, but your child can look forward to increased strength and structure in their posture as they grow older.

Conclusion

Want your child to grow up thoughtful, healthy, and well-adjusted? Enroll your kid in golfing classes. The sport is an excellent way of cultivating mental strength, critical thinking skills, physical fitness, and a love for the outdoors.

If you’re a fan of golf, this is the perfect foundation for getting your child interested in it too! From there, you can spend time together on the golf course, which is an amazing way to bond with your kid.

But even if you have no idea what golf is about, it’s well worth considering for your kid. It’s a low-impact, high-ROI sport that not only benefits your child physically but also builds mental strength and boosts intelligence.

What’s not to love? There’s also no need to go all out with equipment. You can easily find second-hand equipment for a friendly price until you know that your kid loves the sport. Oh, and golf is an excellent family-friendly sport to do together, too!