A “Practical Approach” to Teaching Kids Golf
Golf is a sport that offers much more than just physical exercise; it fosters discipline, patience, and strategic thinking in players of all ages. So it stands to reason that introducing children to the game at an early stage can provide them with a lifelong passion and a valuable set of skills that extend far beyond the greens.
But teaching kids to golf is another matter entirely. Whether you’re a parent or an instructor, keeping young children focused on the task at hand can be more intimidating than a 1 iron. Maybe that’s why golf clinics for children have gotten a little stale these days. At least that’s what Ken Dixon thought, before he decided to turn youth golf instruction on its head.
The Practical Approach system uses over 30 variations of golf games to teach children.
Practical Approach Golf: Gamified Youth Instruction
While he didn’t set out to develop his own unique method of teaching kids golf, life has a way of eliciting skills you didn’t even know you had, and now hundreds of kids have him to thank for a very unique introduction to the game of golf.
As a former collegiate golfer with a graduate degree, Dixon worked his way up from the cart room to the pro shop at Ballantyne Country Club where he was tasked with running the club’s junior clinics. He now runs his own business as a contracted Director of Junior Golf. It didn’t take long for him to notice that the existing format felt a little more like babysitting, and not very fun. So rather than coast through on the status quo, Dixon decided he would take a different approach.
“I gamified it. I envisioned constructive experiences where the kids would have fun, and come to the game differently than what I was seeing.” He uses a technique he calls “passive learning” and it depends a lot on problem solving. “I’ll hand them a putter, they have to think and approach how to use it. I don’t explain things, I just guide them to figure it out.”
A Gamified Approach to Teaching Kids to Golf
This critical thinking element is in line with modern pedagogy, so it makes sense that someone would apply it to teaching a complex sport such as golf. Dixon calls his program “Practical Approach” and while it does impart general instruction on the rules such as golf etiquette, the novelty is in the context. Through a focus on discovery, constructive learning, and fun, Dixon’s program doesn’t just hammer rules and technique. “We walk out there, I give them a game to play, and in the process they learn things.”
Through Practical Approach, Dixon’s methods are helping Charlotte kids discover that golf is a lot like life: the more fun you have playing it the more joy you get out of it.
In Golf as In Life
The combination of life lessons and golf skill is a blend that many parents should appreciate. One lesson golf teaches quite well is that life isn’t fair. You can hit a great golf shot but still get a bad bounce, or play your best round only to have your opponent play one stroke better. Dixon’s games incorporate randomness to emphasize how uncontrollable golf can be while de-emphasizinge golf skill. The results, as he’s seen, teach kids to be prepared for anything.
“I’ll throw in crazy rules to emphasize that golf is also based on luck. Parents see what I am doing and wonder why, but then they see the end result.” For example, a putting game (one of 30 variations of games Dixon has created for Practical Approach) has a rule that if a player in front of you makes a putt, you have to sit out for three rounds. Is that fair? Absolutely not, but it exposes the amount of control they have in golf and in life. Teaching kids to be resilient, on the course and in life, is the type of constructive experience that makes Practical Approach stand out from normal youth golf programs.
Ken Dixon’s program combines fun and luck to teach children how to play golf and learn life lessons.
But the program doesn’t ignore that fun matters too. In fact, that’s the most important component. Dixon encourages his kids to express themselves, especially when they hit good shots. By demonstrating a happy medium of joyful celebration and respect for the game and their opponent, Practical Approach students experience more joy on the course. It’s a key factor in bringing them back, and also motivating them to stick with it, because in Dixon’s program losing is merely a constructive experience, not a demeaning one.
“Kids can still lose, they will fail sometimes, but we find the lessons in those losses and know that losing at one game has nothing to do with our individual identities.” Dixon emphasizes golf strategy and playing through the bad breaks, teaching lessons on how to play efficiently and how to make the rules work for them. The proof is in the results; while more talented players can win the games, this isn’t the norm. “There are multiple ways to win, it’s not just athletic ability or golf experience. There’s lots of luck and random variables involved.”
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the Practical Approach program is an appreciation for the myriad pathways of learning the game of golf. More important than teaching a perfect backswing is helping a kid learn they can figure it out themselves. “Kids don’t have any preconceived ideas about what they should be doing. We’ll go out on the range and we first work on hitting the ground with the club. Then we’ll ask them what they need to do, what their bodies need to do, to hit the ball? It’s problem solving.”
With golf as in life, kids need the ability to adapt to the changes life will throw their way, and if they don’t have skills like agility, resilience, and good humor they might get left behind. What better method for teaching these skills than the randomness and difficulty of golf? It is, after all, a game that cannot be won. Even still, we keep playing it anyway.
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