Golf Practice Blog

Lately it seems as though a lot of schools are re-tooling their physical education programs to make them more inclusive for children of all body-types and skill levels… cutting competitive sports play and incorporating more static and low-impact excercises and stretching.  However, with America’s childhood obesity on the rise (more than doubling since the 1970s), instead of stretching and walking with no purpose, golf should be the activity that “chips in” to fill the void.

Though golf can be as competitive of a sport as any other, at a young age it may just be better to teach children that golf can perhaps be best enjoyed when you focus on surpassing your own personal best.  Taking this line of reasoning, golf could very well be the best physical education class subject that a school could adopt.  The benefits of golf for young people are too numerous to list here, a good start at the top three being walking, weight training and hand-eye coordination.  Couple this with the fact that golf is practically a life-time activity and you get a school program that has the greatest return on any investment a school can put into it.

Leave it to the birthplace of golf to make the first solid move…a primary school in the United Kingdom has figured out the benefits of organized golf instruction at all levels. By partnering with several UK golf foundations and associations, the Midlothian Public School in Scotland is in the process of implementing it… and is going the extra mile at that.

Read the following article from MidlothianToday.co.uk to learn more.

The American golf training aid industry is already answering the call for bolstering junior golf.  The PracticeRange.com top three training aids for the first quarter of 2007 include The Swing Builder (available in three levels of resistance), the Junior Impact Ball and the Izzo Chip Pocket Golf Net.  Additionally we have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of school purchase orders in this first quarter.  Hopefully this is a good sign that solid golf instruction in American schools’ physical education classes is on the horizon and getting closer.

PracticeRange.com Staff LPGA Pro Elaine Crosby remembers her friend and mentor, Patty Berg:The LPGA has lost a great friend and ambassador in Patty Berg. Patty passed away Sunday in Fort Myers, Florida… her home for many years… at the age of 88. Patty was one of the founding members of the LPGA and also served as the first President of the association.

Most people know of her great accomplishments on the tour, 60 overall wins including 15 major championships, which is still an LPGA record. But in my opinion that is only the tip of the iceberg with this great player. Many people probably didn’t know how deeply her faith influenced everything in her life. Patty was a very devout Catholic who attended daily mass frequently and worked very hard to follow a Christian life. Patty was also very involved in junior golf in the Ft. Myers area and put on clinics quite regularly for them. She was the best I’ve ever seen at putting on a clinic. She was a great performer and there was never a dull moment at one of her clinics. She also was a wonderful joke teller. It was in her presentation that made her jokes so funny no matter how many times you heard them. Patty was also very involved in raising money for the American Cancer Society.She stayed very close to that organization right to the end of her life. 

My personal relationship with Patty was as friend and mentor. She always was interested in how my career was going and often had words of advice for me. We spent many hours discussing the LPGA and how it was going. It was her passion. She would need to know who was playing well, what new tournaments were coming, and what the future looked like. I also had the privilege of watching many a Super Bowl with her. Most people didn’t know that in her childhood, her first sport was football. It was always a hoot to listen to Patty play arm-chair quarterback… she really did understand the game. I last saw Patty in January at her annual Pro-Am in Ft. Myers, and she still had that twinkle and still gave a speech that brought tears to everyone in the room. She always closed every speech the same way, “I am proud to be a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association of America!” 

Patty, we hope that we can continue to make you proud. God bless.

Elaine Crosby is a 19-year veteran of the LPGA Tour and a member of the Women’s Senior Golf Tour.