How to tell if your kid is going to be any good at golf

Parents think their kids are amazing, which, of course, is part of the job. When it comes to golf, this parental pride often is in full display. You hear things like "He's a total natural" or "She just needs to play more" or the super-charged version: "I've got the Next Tiger Woods." OK, time to take a step back. Sure, it's true that some kids have a better foundation for golf. Maybe they've got great hand-eye coordination or built-in speed. But, as you'll see in the takes below from some leading golf instructors, it's often the intangibles, like grit and curiosity and creativity, that really pave the way for success in golf. Read on to see where your kiddo fits in.

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Not taking the easy way out

With junior golfers, my first focus is on attitude. Physically, kids are ever-changing, so I’ll take a scrawny 10-year-old who wants to get better over the bigger, stronger kid who’s just going through the motions. My Three-Strike Challenge is always operating in the back of my mind.

First, I ask them to show up with some time before a lesson or clinic to hit balls, chip, putt, etc. Some kids come an hour early. If they roll in just before we start— or late!—that’s strike one. Second, I’ll give them a challenge during the lesson that I know they’ll struggle with, like hitting a hook or pitching a ball that stops at a certain target. If they get mopey or try a few times and quit, strike two. Third, when the lesson is over, I’ll offer more golf, like getting them on the course for a few holes. I’m looking for their eyes to light up. If they just want to head home, that’s strike three. Now, a strike or two doesn’t mean they have no future in golf, but no strikes tell me they have something special. —Mike Malaska, founder, Malaska Golf, Tempe, Ariz.

Going with what feels natural

Kids don’t come with a lot of preconceptions or fears. They use their instincts to figure out how to hit the ball. They experiment and adapt. These are amazing lessons for all of us. One thing I’ve seen only a few kids do is grip a club for the first time with the lead hand low, the opposite of a traditional grip. Why does this matter? It proves they have grip strength in their lead hand, which is a big deal, and it also helps with a couple of critical things in the swing, like hinging the lead wrist for power and lining up the lead arm and the shaft at impact for a proper strike. I also see some juniors take a split grip, like a hockey grip. I love this, too, because it means the kid’s trying to really bash the ball or find a way to swing a club that’s too heavy for them. I never change a junior’s grip right away. I want to see why they do it—and if it works. Hitting the ball flush is what keeps kids in the game. We can always adjust later. —Gavin Parker, director of instruction, Salisbury C.C., Midlothian, Va.

Acing this raw skills combine

Over the years I’ve developed a little skills combine that I run kids through. The first test is to mimic positions. I’ll swing back with the club pointing way offline at the top, for example, and ask them to copy me; then I’ll do it with the club perfectly on plane. If they can match my positions, I know they have control of their arm structure and where the club is. Next, I tell them to create as loud a swish as they can with the club. I’m not worried about what it looks like, just the natural speed. Then, I’ll have them make one-handed swings with their trail hand. If they can make contact with decent speed, that’s proof of good hand-eye coordination. Finally— and this is the fun one—I’ll see if they can pick a ball off the ground with a wedge. To do it, they must manage the angle of the face and the shaft and apply force on the ground to flip the ball up. It’s a simple task that reveals a lot. These moves tell me if they can manage a club in their hands. —Christoff Els, director of instruction, Montclair and Millburn (N.J.) Indoor Golf Clubs

Becoming their own motivator

Juniors are almost always introduced to golf by a parent, a friend or a coach. I want to see if they quickly start pushing themselves. That’s a sign that their passion is genuine, not borrowed. When it is, they don’t need to be rewarded. Golf is their ice cream. Most kids are notoriously ready to move on to the next thing, whether it’s going from the practice green to the range or from a 5-iron to the driver. When a kid says to me, “One more ball. I gotta hit a good one,” that’s special. Once I see inner drive, I look for emotional toughness. Golf can be demoralizing, so the junior who hits one in a bunker and wants to go hit the bunker shot, that kid is different. Great golfers don’t check out. If they have that kind of grit at an early age, they’ll be able to handle the adversity that’s always around the corner in golf. —Renee Skidmore, teaching professional, Atlantic Golf Club, Bridgehampton, N.Y.

Paying attention to the game at large

There are obvious physical gifts that can forecast a junior golfer’s success, but engagement level is just as important. One sign I look for is how big a fan they are of professional golf. As a kid, I was obsessed with Adam Scott; I tried to swing like him, act like him, everything. Juniors are great imitators, as my old boss, Jim McLean, used to say. When I see a kid on the range trying to swing like a certain tour player or pretending to putt against Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters, that gets my attention. I’ll ask juniors if they watched the tour event over the weekend. Some will say, “No” or “A little bit,” but sometimes a kid will say, “Yeah, Jordan Spieth finished T-19. I was so mad.” When they’re fans like that, it usually means their investment in their own game is higher. —Ryan Hager, director of instruction, Plainfield Country Club, Edison, N.J.

Thinking in extremes

It might sound counter-intuitive, but one thing I like to see in juniors is impatience. I’ll take kids to the putting green and after a few instructions, one kid will sometimes peel off and just start rolling putts. That’s independence and curiosity—two great traits in a golfer. Experimenting is another. I might ask how you would hit the lowest possible shot to some target. When kids say they’d putt it because the ball never gets off the ground, that’s pretty good. Highest shot? Put it on a tee and use a wedge—that’s critical thinking. I also like to see self-exploration, like if a kid is hitting it off the heel, he or she might ask what would happen if they hit it off the toe. Kids who think in extremes understand the middle faster. —Paxton O’Connor, director of instruction, Desert Mountain Club, Scottsdale