Golf Rules for Kids

Jay Golden: Hi! I am PGA member, Jay Golden and the purpose of this series is to teach parents how to get their children to enjoy golf. This segment is on the rules. Rules, in anything as you know, are very important because if you don't have rules, then certain people get an advantage, get a disadvantage. They have hurt feelings and things could go ire. Rules are very important. In a race, if one person starts at the starting line, someone starts 10 feet ahead and someone starts 10 feet behind, there is a problem.

Now in golf, there are many rules but the number one, most important rule in golf is how to keep score and to keep score correctly. So when a person is on the golf course, after the hole, someone is going to say, what did you get on that hole? So they could write it on the score card. That person has to know the score and tell them the score. That is the number one, most important rule in golf, keeping a correct score. Parents, there really is a way to keep score, so that a child gives the correct score. The way to give an incorrect score is to finish the hole, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit and then try to remember, well, I hit one there, one there. You are always going to forget some hits. If you give the wrong score in a tournament, you get disqualified. If you are trying to make a business deal, you lose friends. Righting the correct score is unbelievably important. The way to do it, count after each shot. After you hit your first shot, say it to yourself, that's one; second shot, that's two; third shot, that's three and so on. Like that, you will always give the correct score.

Now as you know, marking a ball on the green is extremely important because if your ball is in front of the hole and someone else's is further away and they hit your ball, not only is it unfair to them but its a penalty on you. There is a proper way to mark the ball. Number one, you have to have a ball marker. Whether thats a coin or a natural plastic or metal ball marker, you have to have one on your person. Second of all, when you mark your ball, you put your marker directly behind your ball, so that when you put your ball down and you put your ball directly in front of the marker, its in almost the same exact spot. So have a ball marker, mark your ball directly behind, pick up your ball. After the person putts and you want to put your ball back down, put it directly in front of the ball. You will have marked your ball correctly. Our next segment is on golf manners, etiquette.