How to start my HS teams season?

[coachwalls]

Former or current golf coaches - I've been a high school golf coach for 10 years now and I'm always looking for ways to improve how I run my team. I'm looking for ideas from the rest of you on how to start the golf season for my high school boys team.

Most of the players that I get are three sport athletes. They don't get a lot of time outside of golf season and summers (unless they are playing AAU ball) to work on their game. I have four days of practice with them before I will start qualifying rounds. What, in order of importance, should I work on with my guys before they start qualifying?

I'll assume that grip, aim, and stance (alignment) would be the first things. Is their anything else I can do to help them shake the rust off and start the season off on a positive note? I usually start with about 30 players and cut down to 18.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Richie3Jack]

When I graduated college, I started to help out a local Myrtle Beach HS team as an assistant.

First off, I don't care what anybody says...the kids need to know and understand golf ettiquette and have a good grasp of the rules. If they do, then you don't need to teach them. But from my experience in HS golf, you likely get a few kids who are pretty much new to the game or they've played the game, but nobody has bothered to teach them the ettiquette and rules. Can save yourself a lot of problems from happening further on down the road.

A lot of this depends on the players. The more advanced players tend to need more advanced training. The beginners need to learn fundamentals. I think Brian's CoFF video would be great for just about everybody involved. Then I would go over the video with them to make sure they are paying attention. I would also look for a video on how to read greens. Again, it can help all of those involved.

With beginners, I would try to incorporate a lot of work on pitch and chip shots so they can feel and understand the full golf stroke. I think the problem I ran into with beginners on the HS team I worked with is that it's a bit too much for them to start off taking full swings every time. Brian and I have disagreed with my thoughts on the approach to beginners, so I'm now leaning to a lot of chip shots and pitch shots while incorporating some full swings here and there. But Brian has worked with countless beginners, so he's much more qualified than myself on the subject.




3JACK

 

[Jared Willerson]

I agree with rules and etiquette. That is my first practice every year, just going over rules. Most everyone I coach is a horrible flipper, despite them paying 100's a year to the local "golf guru" so I really work with them on their pivots and trying to get them not to flip it

 

[Guitar Hero]

Former or current golf coaches - I've been a high school golf coach for 10 years now and I'm always looking for ways to improve how I run my team. I'm looking for ideas from the rest of you on how to start the golf season for my high school boys team.

Most of the players that I get are three sport athletes. They don't get a lot of time outside of golf season and summers (unless they are playing AAU ball) to work on their game. I have four days of practice with them before I will start qualifying rounds. What, in order of importance, should I work on with my guys before they start qualifying?

I'll assume that grip, aim, and stance (alignment) would be the first things. Is their anything else I can do to help them shake the rust off and start the season off on a positive note? I usually start with about 30 players and cut down to 18.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Just basic fundamentals of putting, chipping and pitching on the driving range. Get all of them playing 9 holes as much as possible. If you have a par 3 golf course or an executive course they can play 9 holes for little cost. Watch and coach them playing golf as much as possible. You will know which 18 can play golf.