Junior golf development has taken a serious upturn in the last decade, and now the attention and time being put into junior golfers development is greater than ever. As i explained in one of my earlier posts i went to a junior golf development seminar last week hosted by Michael Dalgleish for the Sussex junior golf squads. The seminar gave some great information about how the human body develops and the effect it will have on the long term aspiration of junior golfers. The main point seemed to be getting the involved in a more all round physical programme as soon as possible. This will mean they are able to create the key actions and positions required for an athletic movement such as the golf swing.
One of the key points raised was that kids lose the ability to build speed from the ages of 12 - 13. Therefore teaching your junior golfers to create speed early will benefit them in the long term. The technique can be build whilst the speed is being created. Leaving it after this age bracket will make it very hard for the junior golfer to reach their full potential in the future.
Since hearing this information i have been carrying out a more explosive teaching sessions for my young junior golf prospects. Lots of throwing (very hard), hitting balls and using teaching aids to generate speed has been done.
Bare this in mind.......Tiger Woods driver clubhead speed is around 130mph. If a 17 year old comes to you with a 110mph speed then you will probably gain 5mph through technique improvements. However the extra 15 mph is a long way off and unlikely to be found due to the age bracket he/she is now in. This kid is going to struggle to hit the long ball as a result of what was happening maybe 8-10 years earlier.
Give your junior golfers the best chance in the future and focus on the correct path for junior golf development. Athlete first, golfer second!!
Daniel Gale
PGA Professional
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