The JOLF Man

Sport is often imposed on children. In golf this is often seen where children are told how to correctly grip the club, stand to the ball, move the club and strike the ball. This approach of learning the “fundamentals” first is often experienced in an environment unlike the setting of a golf course. So children…

We have been locked down for a LONG time!!! Unprecedented in modern life and unthinkable to consider at the beginning of the year as we looked to the summer months we would have spent the whole of April at home!!! My mindset and motivation has taken many twists and turns over the weeks but I…

TOO MUCH coaching. NOT ENOUGH self directed play and learning. TOO MUCH guidance and adult led experiences. NOT ENOUGH struggle, making mistakes, getting things wrong, children figuring things out for themselves. TOO MUCH technical input. NOT ENOUGH play and exploration developing skills and technique. TOO MANY questions are asked of children that they do not…

Following on from a conversation with a group of coaches I got thinking about how we frame “WINNING” for children. Winning is often linked with competition and who comes first. And for sure I can understand that winning may be important to adults, elite players, those that have invested time and money into their goals.…

Hole 17&18 As we move into the final stretch of the 18 holes this is where the pressure would really begin to build, but our 4 ball continues to take things in our stride. We seem to have got used to the rhythm of the course. As mentioned, a course that continues to look the…

Hole 10 – Wednesday 1st April  Well what a roller coaster of a hole! Our 4th member joined us from the clubhouse, the 3 ever present players were nervous of how this would upset all our routines!?! 2 of us took part in our usual on the tee exercising (PE with Joe) little man totally…

We would be just coming to the end of the front 9 today and what an up and down round it has been!!!  Hole 1 – Monday 23rd March.  A brand new course for us to play (seems quite quiet out here, no one else is playing!!) A 3 ball of Sophie, James and I…

This has been a very interesting week where we have had to press pause on our business as all schools close and government advice tells us to socially distance ourselves. We made the decision to pause all our activities as we were keen, as we are always, to maintain the safety of all children/adults that…

This week a number of sessions in schools and at our golf club sessions have involved the children keeping score. Always a firm favourite of theirs, and ours.  So often scoring is linked with competition and winning, but during our sessions in schools we have a number of different ways to introduce children to keeping…

On the walk to school with my son I often see parents carrying their child’s school bag. It often prompts a conversation between us about why I don’t (and have never) carried his school bag!  It got me thinking, and I also regularly notice, how parents also carry their child’s golf bag (often see it…