About me

From Weekend Golfer to Junior Golf Dad Coach

I’ve been around golf my whole life. I’m a 12-handicap—not a pro by any means—but I’ve always loved the game. Like many, though, life got busy. Between marriage, kids, and work, golf slowly took a back seat.

That all changed when my oldest daughter turned six. I saw an opportunity to reignite my passion for the game—by passing it on to her. I’ll admit, it was a bit of a leap (or strong encouragement), but thankfully, getting her started was easier than I expected.

We made our first pilgrimage to Dick’s Sporting Goods and picked up a basic Top Flite junior set—just a driver, iron, and putter, all tucked into a stock blue “boy’s” bag (because, apparently, the girls’ golf market was non-existent). It was simple, but it worked. A year later, we upgraded to a slightly bigger Top Flite set. And then, everything changed—she turned eight, and we were actually playing golf.

That’s when I had the wild idea: wouldn’t it be great if she had a full set of TaylorMade woods and Mizuno Pro irons to match mine? Turns out, the golf gods don’t stock premium pro clubs for kids who are still working on breaking 100 yards off the tee. But we landed on a great compromise—Callaway XJTs with a 9-iron and sand wedge. It nearly doubled the number of clubs she had… and of course, came in another blue bag.

With a homegrown swing and a shiny new junior set, she kept improving. By age nine, she was “bombing” drives 110 yards and started entering local tournaments. That’s when we hit our first plateau—and realized it was time for lessons.

Apparently, kids don’t like coaching from their parents. They prefer advice from someone you pay.

So we found a coach, and at first, it seemed promising. She was smiling, learning, and picking up some great fundamentals in the first few sessions. We even got fitted for clubs—another adventure in itself. However, we decided to go a different route: it was time to rehire Dad as coach.

Why This Site?

You might be wondering—why take advice from a mid-handicap dad with a daughter who plays decent but not elite-level golf?

Because I’ve been exactly where you are.

I’ve walked through the confusion of equipment choices, tried (and failed) to coach my own kid, hired instructors, changed gear, and figured things out through trial and error. And now, I’m here to help other parents and junior golfers get started—with real-world tips, gear recommendations, and honest insights from a fellow golf parent who’s learned a lot along the way.

Whether you’re looking for your child’s first club set or trying to figure out if they’re ready for tournaments, I hope what I’ve learned can make your journey just a little bit easier.