1 Let the child call the shots. The rule of thumb is this: You are there to do what they want to do, not what you want them to do.

2 Do more `playing' than teaching

3 Share the joy of a job well done. When Bing does something well, I don't just commend her. We celebrate. We jump up and down. Enthusiasm and excitement, felt and expressed without restraint, increases the child's desire to please, learn and excel. The best way to boost a kid's ego is to diminish your own. I found this out when my own children were small, and it works wonders with Bing. Act like a kid again. Simply do what a child does--smile and laugh a lot. I leave nothing in the bag. I've done a one-minute puppet show with my head-covers. I've talked in rhymes. Anything to make being with the instructor, and learning how to play golf, more appealing for the child.

4 Communicate on their level
Everything you say should be expressed at the child's level, and I mean that literally. Don't stand when you talk; kneel down and look the child in the eye. Watch what you say, and how you say it.

5 Tee it up in more ways than once
To establish an early pattern of success, I insist on teeing the ball on every shot with every club.

6 Visual is better than verbal
Don't explain the point, show it. I could have told her to aim the "V" over her right shoulder, but that only would have confused her. So I marked the tips of her fingers with blue dots and told her that when she looked down at address, only the dot on her pinkie should show. Bing grasped this immediately. In fact, when she shows up for her lesson we "wave" to each other with our pinkie fingers.

7 Safety first, last and always
Children tend to act first and think later. In golf, the consequences of a misstep can be dire. Use these ABCs of rules to ensure a safe passage:
A. Keep the child in your line of sight at all times. On the range, the child should occupy the stall in front of you, never the one behind.
B. Draw an imaginary line three feet in front of the spot the child is hitting from, and tell the child, emphatically, never to walk in front of it.
C. Kids don't drive the cart. They don't sit alone on the passenger side. They sit right next to you or on your lap.

8 There is no such thing as criticism
In a child's simplistic world, events are classified as either "fun" or "not fun." Criticism is not fun.

9 Think of creative ways to teach technique. Still, little kids don't have the strength, balance or mass to swing the club like an adult. A little creativity will help overcome these issues. Bing's small size makes shifting her weight to her left side difficult. To show her the right move, I cut two illustrations of the sun from the back of a cereal box and taped them to the heels of our shoes. I made a swing and showed Bing my sun, and challenged her to do the same for me. She can only pull it off by making a good weight shift, and she's getting better at it.

10 Make a big deal out of the short game
It's rare to see an adult who uses the practice green as much as the practice range. This chronic neglect of chipping and putting is a mistake you don't want to make with a young child. The rule is this: Never walk past the practice green with a child. Walk on it, then use it. Heighten the child's curiosity about this vital part of the game, and then let the child pursue it.
This is the place to introduce kids to competition. They love chipping and putting contests. You might consider losing on purpose, though with Bing, my best often isn't good enough.

Fun tips: hit a few water balloons(teaches kids to release the club upon contact - use a nice, full swing), then hit a few balls: * grip - anyway that's comfortable to him/her (righty to use left on top, lefty to use right on top) * backswing - anyway they want to * downswing - anyway they want to * impact - hand/eye coordination and practice. the only thing the ball knows is impact * follow through - child should end up on the tip of their back toe. watch the pros on tv, they do it too * posture * alignment * stance drills to do on your own: chip it in the basket (only a few yards away line up 10-20 balls on the putting green and just do it. putt, putt, etc...till your done hit the target and get a prize...come one come all!!! (reinforce good shots with prizes!!!) chipping: line up 10 balls and chip'm quickly putting: pendulum stroke - back and forth, back and forth, etc... putting direction skill building: putt towards a couch or chair leg - when on the course, visualize putting towards that leg in the middle of the hole, or on a breaking hole, visualize the leg and amim for it long distance putting: putt to the baby...at the just the right speed - roll the ball to the baby(not to fast and hard please) chipping: use a short backswing, then chip with a solid hit. make sure not to decelerate when making contact, keep the club moving through contact. think chip and walk, chip and walk stress safety! a ball is like a rock, a club like a piece of steel
Learning Golf Manners: * when someone else is hitting, imitate a statue. don't whisper or talk or move. * the hellos and goodbyes. shake hands, greetings, saying thank you. golf is a gentleman's game and the hellos and goodbyes are a great part of the game. * high fives for great shots and making sure to congratulate others you are playing with who have made a good shot
Learning Golf Rules: * how to keep score and how to keep score correctly. know your score at the end of each hole and share it correctly. * how to use ball markers correctly
Golf Safety: * always stand behind the person hitting the ball outside of club length * when someone yells fore, duck and cover your head. Do not look up, cover up. - only then look around for clues * if you take a practice swing, look around and make sure no one is near you. also, don't get too close to someone swinging a club. walking up behind someone can be dangerous if they swing their club * don't kid around with golf clubs *