Golf School

It has been one of the joys of my life to work with junior golfers. They are much more receptive to change and new ideas. They are also willing to stand and do the same drill over and over (unlike some adults I’ve taught who seek instant gratification)

I’d like to share my experience of working with one beginner in particular over the last two years. The development of this young girl’s swing has indicated that if she plays and practices with equal enthusiasm over the next ten years she could compete at a high level.

Alexandra Rippy is now 11 years old. When she was nine I started her off with short putts of about two feet, in order to initiate a feeling of success from the on-set. When a junior sees rapid results their interest and enthusiasm continues, so encourage your child or grandchild with praise for some easy putts.

I slowly introduced longer putts, and then moved on to chipping. Using a 7 iron (a proper junior set, not cut offs!) we started a few feet off the putting surface, and kept the chipping motion simple. I had her swing her arms like a pendulum and again saw fairly good results in a short time.

After a few weeks with continued work on the chipping and putting, I moved on to pitching. Now the movements were getting a little more complicated with a wrist hinge and a small body rotation going back and a bigger one going through. 

Picture #1 shows her in the setup position with the hands set slightly ahead of the ball. 

Picture #2 shows her in the backswing position with the left arm straight, the wrists hinged and the hips rotated back slightly. 

Picture #3 shows her in the impact position, with the left arm still straight, the hips starting to rotate through and the weight shifting onto the front foot. 

Picture #4 shows her just after impact with the arms extended out in front of her, all the weight through onto the front foot and the hips facing the target. This was a strong foundation for the full swing to come. By working on this pitch shot (and continuing with the chipping and the putting) for about two months, Alexandra was ready for the full swing.

It was truly amazing how easily she adapted to the full swing because of the solid foundation we’d built. 

As you can see in picture #5, all she had to do was make a slightly bigger shoulder turn to take her to the top of the backswing, and from there she accelerated through the ball with a good body turn. 

In picture #6 we see a good extension and rotation of the forearms (introduced during the pitch shot routine) and finally in picture #7, a full follow-through.

Build your child or grandchild’s swing from the ground up (or in this case from the hole out) and you will be excited with the results. Do not allow them to proceed to the next phase until they have fairly good success with the earlier routines. Enjoy the experience of introducing a young person to this game of a lifetime!

If you have questions about any of our golf tips, please feel free to call us toll free at 1-800-624-4653. Read all of Mel's tips in the Golf Tips Archive.

What if you could bring Mel Sole right into your own home to analyze your swing and offer drills to improve your technique and mechanics? Video Golf Coaching is your ticket to better golf!