Golfing

I don't know when it started or why it started, but these days, he calls himself a golfer. He always enjoyed miniature golf, so it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise for us when he asked to try the real thing.

We aren't golfers in my house, so this has been a real learning experience for us. Web sites like http://www.uskidsgolf.com and http://www.pga.com/Cool_Kids/index.html have provided a good deal of information for us. Judging by the number of web sites I found for places to buy kids' golf gear, it appears that golf is growing in its popularity for young people.

A couple of things that I've learned as my son has begun to hit the links:

¨ t-shirts don't cut it on the golf course. Honestly, I didn't think it mattered too much for kids, and it may not on a public course. We bought him some nice collared shirts and dressy shorts - apparently the Henley-style and collar-less shirts he has for church are not appropriate at the private course he goes to with our friends. Even if public courses don't have as strict of a dress code, it may be a good idea to keep to a set standard. The clothes we bought are his official golf clothes, and he wears them any time he goes to a course. This way, he's always properly attired if he goes to an unfamiliar course.

¨ left-handed golf clubs are not easy to find. Another hard reality in that this is a right-handed world. The course where my son golfs doesn't rent left-handed clubs, at least not at the size that he needs. My friend who takes my son golfing has asked around, and he told me that all of the left-handed golfers have always had their own clubs or they've learned to play right-handed. My son is playing right-handed, and rather awkwardly.

¨ golf is expensive. Well, yeah, I suppose that goes without saying, but I'm still stunned at how much money it costs. All around, this is an expensive sport. When I was looking at sports camps, I found that the golf camps were among the most costly (equaled only by the figure skating camps).

I know there are more things I've learned as a golf mom, like kiss him good-bye in the morning and don't expect to see him until the evening, even if they are only playing 9 holes. I'm still learning about life with a golfer, and I'm sure I'll have more to share as time goes on.

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