By Jimmy Pitenis

Golf is one of the oldest sports in the world. It’s a game that can be played from age 3 to 93. I started to play golf when I was 3 years old, and now that I am 11 years old, I have a handicap of 10. For those kids who want to learn the game of golf, start off very slowly and inexpensively. There are many organizations like The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) which “provides young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.”  As my coach once said, “Golf is a game that takes a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master.”

There are golf stores that sell used kids golf clubs and there are stores like Wal-Mart that sell inexpensive junior-sized golf clubs. Once you learn to like the game, then you can go to a custom golf club maker in your area and have clubs specially fitted to your size and abilities. The cost for custom golf clubs for kids can be inexpensive and cost around $300. Whether you’re an adult or just a kid like me, the first thing you would want to do to learn to play golf after buying a set of golf clubs is to practice your golf swings using golf ball size plastic whiffle balls. Practice hitting them in your garage or in your back yard. Golf lessons for a kid are usually half price. My parents pay $25 per hour for me to take lessons once every two weeks.

There are many kid-friendly golf courses and there are not-so-kid-friendly courses. Ask your local golf professional for the best place for a beginner to play. Find golf courses that will let you walk the course because the price will be lower. Driving a golf cart can cost about $25 extra. Walking is also great exercise. Most golf courses have driving ranges, putting areas, and chipping areas. This would be a great place to practice before you play 18 holes. I have met some of the nicest and most polite people on the golf course which is a good influence for kids. For a kid who really wants to take the game of golf seriously, there are some big advantages. There are local tournaments that give participants awards and trophies to those who practice hard. Then at the high school level, the local newspaper’s sports reporter will interview and photograph the top golfers from area high schools. My sister who is in college at the University of Florida told me that there are college scholarships available to top players who have good grades and good SAT scores. These scholarships can be worth $40,000 a year for 4 years. Who knows, maybe these players can one day qualify to play for the PGA or LPGA.

I hope you learned a little about getting started in golf. Stay tuned to future golf articles.

Good luck and keep practicing!

Jimmy Pitenis is a sixth grader and honors student at Ormond Beach Middle School in Ormond Beach, Florida. He is an altar boy every Sunday helping Fr. George Savas at the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Daytona Beach. Jimmy is a Black Belt in Tae Kwan Do, enjoys Greek dancing, was voted the President of his school’s Student Council, and a 2007 winner of his school’s Science Fair. He practices golf everyday at the Riviera Country Club and hopes to be a professional golfer one day. Since November of 2006, Jimmy has been a Scholastic Kids News Reporter and has reported on many interesting current events news stories, including the Fathers and Sons Golf Challenge, The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, The Canadian Open, The Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Zero Gravity Experience at NASA, Sea World Orlando, both Republican and Democratic Florida Conventions, one-on-one interviews with Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and many more! He is the son of Jim and Eleni Pitenis (nee Spinos) and has three older sisters, Angela, Connie, and Victoria. Jimmy has been a contributing writer for Goneis Magazine since October 2007.