As Cyndi Lauper famously sang, “Girls just want to have fun.” Boys, too, it turns out. At least that’s the universal opinion of the golfers, teachers, coaches, and parents we asked for advice on how to bring kids into golf. The universal secret, they all said, is… fun.
And fun is what we had putting together this year’s golf issue for Westchester Magazine and Hudson Valley Magazine. It was delightful to see the many programs now available for young golfers at all skill levels (pg 32). From The First Tee to the wildly successful PGA Junior League to the Met PGA’s junior tournament schedule, golf in our area is a big tent with lots of room in it for everyone from toddlers to tour-ready teens. There’s even room for a 25-foot inflatable Golfzilla!
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Golf in our area is a big tent with lots of room in it for everyone…It was also wonderful to meet seven families who make golf a central part of their lives (pg 24). In a society where we can’t even seem to walk down the street without a screen in front of our faces, these parents have found a way to spend hours and hours with their kids in the great outdoors, walking and playing on the grass and actually interacting with each other. They’ve learned that golf makes that possible.
Speaking of fun, how much do you have on the golf course? If you’re like most of us, you’ll have more of it when you play better, which is why we expanded our instruction feature this year (pg 14). We broke the game down into distinct skills and asked some of the best players—and teachers—in Westchester to give us some pointers on how to improve. From how to keep the ball in play off the tee, to a sure-fire method for getting up and down out of the sand, to drills to help you shave strokes with your putter, we’ve got six lessons you’ll refer to again and again.
As my final message for this issue, I’d like to pass along one other lesson we learned this year: Every time you tee it up, do it with fun in your heart!
