From keeping them active to helping them build confidence, there are plenty of reasons to get your girls involved with the game
Moms and dads: Whether you’re avid golfers or you just hit the links occasionally, consider taking your daughter along next time. Starting at a young age can help female golfers get comfortable on the course before it becomes a “sport for boys.” As of 2015, 77.5 percent of American golfers were male, but that trend doesn’t have to continue. If you want your daughter to take up the sport, encourage her to start now. If she tees off today, there’s a better chance that she’ll stick with it as she gets older than that she’ll decide to pick up golf as an adult. Plus, golf can benefit her in many ways!
Golf is good for you
According to the American Heart Association, one-in-three American children and teens are overweight. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to make sure that your daughter stays active. Golf will get her out of the house and keep her trekking around the course instead.
Not only that, but golf is a sport that your daughter will be able to play well past high school. In fact, the average age of American golfers is 54 years old. Golf is also a relatively safe game. A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics showed that there was a 111 percent increase in youth soccer injuries between 1990 and 2014, and we’re all aware of the risks that face football players. Golf, in contrast, is unlikely to cause major injuries.
Golf fosters personal growth
We all know golf can be a frustrating game, so it’s inevitable that it will help teach your daughter to be a good sport. Just look at the story of 7-year old Yago Oven Mateo who forfeited his victory at a tournament earlier this year after realizing that he’d accidentally signed a scorecard with errors on it.
“Golf teaches you that success comes from within, and that certain rules and etiquette have to be followed without question in this game - just like everyday life,” explained Anitya Chand, head professional at DLF Golf Academy. Chand suggests starting girls in the sport when they’re as young as 5.5 to 6 years old.
In addition to teaching your daughter important life lessons, golf can also help her make friends. She’s likely to meet other young golfers at lessons or camps who could become her golf partners for life. Plus, she’ll be able to play with you. The only thing better than time spent with family is time spent with family on the course.
Golf may even help pay for college
We all know that college is expensive. If your daughter is a serious golfer, however, she may be able to earn a scholarship. Thanks to Title IX, there are more golf scholarships available to women than men at Division I and II universities. NAIA member schools and junior colleges also offer golf scholarships.
Rumors have circulated that there are actually more female golf scholarships available than there are female golfers to fill them, but according to Dean Frischknecht, publisher of the Ping American College Golf Guide, that’s not the case. Still, there’s a chance your daughter could make the cut.
To earn a D1 scholarship, women typically need to be able to drive for over 235 yards and putt, on average, fewer than 34 times per round. While the top female D1 golfers can average scores in the 60s on 6,400 yard courses, some D1 athletes average scores as high as 78 (which is still, of course, quite respectable.) According to Freischknecht, however, the best way to ensure that your daughter is a competitive candidate for a golf scholarship is to make sure that she also earns strong grades in school.
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