Lag ladder
Putting · 15 min · Course
Putts from 15, 25, 35 feet. A club laid 3 feet past the hole as the backstop.
It has to finish in the 3-foot box. Three in a row at each station.
If the stroke gets short and stabby, go back to 15.
Play along · 04
The long game
About 15–18, then forever
High school if they want it. Friends. A number if they post one. The game is still theirs at 40.
A week on this rung
Nights after the other sport. Family on the weekend.
2–3 weeknights
They own 1–2 nights. You don’t narrate. Putting and up-and-downs still win. High-school practice counts.
The weekend
High-school match if they have one. Family 18 the other day. The muni still counts.
- School nights. Team practice, or 20 min they run themselves. You stay in the car.
- Saturday. Match or family 18. They post. You don’t re-hash.
- Sunday. Off, or a muni nine with a friend.
You, this week
- Transport and food. That’s the job.
- Ask about hole 8, not hole 2.
- If they don’t want college golf, you didn’t fail.
Clubs that fit
Fit them like a person, not a prospect. A local fitter or Superstore. Used irons after you know the length.
Where the week goes
- High school team — free competition with friends, if they want it
- Club championships, member-guest, the Sunday muni
- College club golf if they want holes, not a scholarship
- Keep the Youth on Course card until they age out
How We Practice this week
They own the session. You don’t. Putting and up-and-downs still win.
3–6–9
Putting · 12 min · Course
Three tees: 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet. Same hole. Same putter.
Make three at 3, three at 6, three at 9. A miss at a station restarts that station only. They keep the card.
One trip through. The 9-footer is allowed to stay a 9-footer.
Clock around the green
Up & down · 20 min · Course
Four lies: fringe, light rough, tight lie, a little downhill. One ball at each. Putter stays away until the chip is done.
Chip, then one putt. Score out of 4. Beat last week. They pick the next lie.
Four. Not eight because ‘the last one was a flyer.’
Land it, then putt it
Up & down · 15 min · Course
A towel two paces onto the green. Wedge. Then the putter they already have.
The chip has to hit the towel. Whatever they have left, they putt once. That’s an up-and-down. Play 8.
Eight chances. Keep the score. Leave.
50-yard ladder
The rest · 20 min · Range
Flags or towels at 30, 40, 50 yards. One wedge.
Three balls each. The miss you care about is short/long, not left/right.
Eighteen balls. Then water.
Nine from the right tee
The rest · 90 min · Course
Longleaf / a forward tee they can reach with a 5 they actually hit. One ball.
Keep a card. No second shots. You caddie. They decide.
If pace of play is a problem, pick up at double par and walk.
Your job
If they don’t want college golf, you didn’t fail. You raised a golfer. That was the point.
Skip anyone selling a guaranteed D1 ride. Skip making high school the only identity.