How Little Golf T.R.A.I.N. Can Enhance Your Youth Program and Increase Your ROI

Sports such as soccer, baseball, tennis, swimming and skiing have been capturing the imaginations of very young children for many years, but golf for the most part has missed this market, focusing more on children ages 6 and older. Not anymore. Enter Little Golf T.R.A.I.N.™, a new grow-the-game initiative designed specifically for introducing golf to children ages 2-5 in a way that promotes loving the game. The program was created by Patricia Donnelly, PhD, a world-renowned sport psychotherapist, and Nicole Weller, the 2013 PGA and LPGA Youth Golf Leader of the Year.

While golf has traditionally been targeted mostly to adults and older youth, a new movement is starting to take hold: introducing and teaching the game to toddlers and pre-school-aged children. But the key is doing it in a developmentally correct and age-appropriate way, so the children learn to love the game, stay with it, and become lifelong golfers. If you would like to attract a younger age group that can serve as a feeder system into your existing junior instruction program, and if you’d like to increase your ROI at your facility at the same time, Little Golf T.R.A.I.N.™ is your answer.

“The Little Golf T.R.A.I.N.™ certification program provides teachers with an expedient solution to start programs for our very youngest golfers,” says Dr. Donnelly. “Its foundations include an emphasis on play, healthy nutrition and direct real-life experiences, a powerful antidote to our digital world. Parents and coaches want our youngest golfers to truly enjoy the game, and that’s why we developed the T.R.A.I.N.™ idea.”

Says Weller, a highly respected PGA and LPGA member and Head Teaching Professional at The Landings Club, in Savannah, GA.: “Our program is rooted in early-childhood, research-based techniques and is designed to foster joy in learning about the game. Our goal is to certify golf professionals around the world so they can introduce children to golf in an age-appropriate way and at the same time grow their own business.

Little Golf T.R.A.I.N. is the first program to offer online certification for golf instructors (called Conductors) who want to learn about working with children ages 2-5. The online training covers such topics as Challenging Behavior, Safety, Theory, Golf Movement and Nutrition, all through golf activities. It also provides Certified Conductors (instructors) with age-appropriate curricula for a 1-, 3-, 5- or 12-day program, as well as turn-key equipment kits through its partner The Littlest Golfer.

Go to on www.littlegolftrain.com for examples of ROI potential for coaches, benefits for children and families and the in’s and out’s of the program. Displayed are three different kit options, bios of the Little Golf T.R.A.I.N.™ cartoon characters, FAQ’s and much more.

T.R.A.I.N. is an acronym: T stands for Teaching through play (the main way this young age group learns), R for Research-based, A for Age-appropriate, I for Intrinsic rewards (not extrinsic rewards), and N for healthy Nutrition. Through its online learning modules, the program provides key information so Conductors can understand how this age group functions, then provides the resources needed as well as curricula and equipment for running a program.

After a successful launch at the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show, the program officially began certifying Conductors in the U.S. and abroad. Certified Conductors will receive a graduation pack (including a certificate) and display banner in the mail.

Data from those who have gone through initial programs indicate that children show a dramatic increase in asking to learn to play golf more often, a strong increase in having fun playing golf and feeling better about their athletic ability, a strong increase in demonstrating a small putting stroke, making a bigger swing, and exercising and stretching before golf activity, and a modest increase in enjoying music and creativity. In addition, these children have shown a strong increase in knowledge of golf terminology, and a dramatic increase in being enthusiastic about golf.

Dr. Donnelly and Weller hope their contribution to helping grow the game through early youth and family golf will benefit professionals, facilities and coaches as they seek to foster in children a lasting love for the game. For more information, visit www.littlegolftrain.com.