By Eric Alpenfels

Photography by Thomas Toohey Brown

As a golf instructor, I am often asked by parents, "What is the best forum for golf instruction for juniors?" Of the options available, group instruction, in my opinion, outweighs individual instruction for most juniors in three important ways.

First, group instruction allows the instructor to float among the students while guiding them to swing improvements. Why is this preferable to an individual lesson? It’s simple. A responsibility of the students is the self-discovery of their own skills, strengths, and weaknesses. In a group setting, students learn from those around them, increasing the learning curve. In individual lessons, the student is unable to observe others facing the same issues.

Second, students are not required to focus as intently in a group lesson as they are in individual lessons — an approach that is often developmentally preferable, particularly for younger students.

Third, group instruction is often more fun for the student. Juniors are allowed interaction with peers and such interaction often relieves unnecessary pressure.

Of course, group instruction is not always the best option. Individual instruction will work best if the student has previously shown a commitment to learning the game and has set specific goals for improvement and achieved success.

Many Associate Clubs offer a variety of junior schools as part of comprehensive golf education programs. The environment can range from small group settings of four or more students at country clubs to larger group settings such as the Junior Golf Advantage School conducted at Pinehurst, in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina, and the David Leadbetter Golf Academy Junior School at Barton Creek, in Austin, Texas.

In all cases, the topics covered are key to the growth and development of the young player. Students are exposed not only to the mechanics and fundamentals of the game, but also the etiquette, sportsmanship, and integrity that make golf the special game it is. Very often in these forums, the students are, for the first time, exposed to these valuable facets of the game — facets that lead to success, not only on the golf course but also in the game of life.

No doubt, starting golf at a young age offers benefits greater than for the adult who starts the game later in life. The best starting point is the integration of the proper fundamentals of grip, posture, and alignment into the junior’s game as early as possible. As adults, we know the importance of these ingredients to the overall consistency and success of the motion. Yet, because of the awkwardness of the changes required with an established swing pattern, we often find them much more difficult to incorporate into our practice sessions as well as into effective performance on the course.

Juniors are much more pliable when it comes to making changes in the fundamentals. The awkwardness of the change is of less concern, as are the initial failures that come from changes made in the individual’s grip, posture, or alignment. The wonderful approach of junior golfers to failure is to try again with the same amount of enthusiasm as on the first try. However, one bit of advice is crucial to remember when exposing young people to golf: The key to long-term involvement in the game is that it has to be fun. If it does not challenge and excite the junior player, it will not be a sport played for any length of time. There are simply too many distractions available that can be considered more entertaining than golf if the time spent on the course is not enjoyable.

THE FUNDAMENTALS
Proper fundamentals are the key to development and success in golf. Long-term consistency will depend on the incorporation of these fundamentals into the junior golfer’s game. A point to remember: The individual impression that the junior will have concerning the fundamentals will vary. With long-term enjoyment of the game as the goal, I offer the following definitions, as well as steps, that will help the junior golfer develop his or her individual feel of the swing motion and fundamentals.

GRIP
The importance of the grip cannot be understated because it is the golfer’s only physical connection with the club. The most important aspect of the grip is the position of the hands in relationship to each other and the clubface. The palms should face each other with the back of the left hand and the palm of the right hand facing the target. Junior golfers will find that a correct grip will offer the greatest chance of supporting the club throughout the swing while returning the clubface back to the ball in a consistent manner.

Three simple steps can help young golfers develop a correct grip. 1. Hold the club with the right hand. 2. Position the left hand on the grip as if shaking hands. 3. Slide the right hand toward the left hand, covering the left thumb.

STANCE AND POSTURE
Correct stance and posture require that a golfer’s feet be positioned shoulder width apart and the body weight be evenly distributed or slightly favoring the right side. The arms should be relaxed and hang directly below the shoulders. There should be a straight line from the hips to the shoulders. Bending from the hips with a slight knee flex will allow the junior golfer to reach the ball. I have found that a neutral ball position, which has the ball centered in the stance for irons and off the forward heel with woods, is the most easily repeated. Obviously, the benefits of a correct stance and posture will allow the junior golfer the best chance of turning his or her body, while at the same time maintaining stability.

Three steps can help the junior golfer achieve proper stance and posture. 1. Stand tall with feet positioned shoulder width apart. 2. Slightly flex knees. 3. Lean forward from the hips to reach the ball.

ALIGNMENT
Correct alignment is achieved when the clubface is looking directly at the target. This line is referred to as the target line. The feet, hips, and shoulders are positioned parallel left of the target line. Proper alignment can be achieved in two steps. 1. Position the clubface behind the ball, pointing toward the target or an intermediate target.

2. Position the feet parallel to that line. The benefits of proper alignment are simple. The more consistent a junior is with alignment, the less he or she will have to compensate by making adjustments in the swing.

An important thing to keep in mind is that, unlike adult golfers, juniors will experience growth periods that can have an impact on the overall consistency of their swing motion. Consistently monitoring the fundamentals will help the junior minimize any negative effect of getting taller and stronger.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
To find out more about The Pinehurst Company Golf Institute and its junior programs at Pinehurst and Barton Creek, call 800.795.4653 or visit the Pinehurst Web site (www.pinehurst.com) and click on the "Golf" icon.

The United States Golf Association Foundation has developed a Web site (www.juniorlinks.com) to serve as a resource for youth, their parents, and junior golf program administrators with a listing of structured junior programs and a variety of related information.