What to teach first? Chip, Pitch, Putt or Full swing?

[PrayingForPar]

I am getting ready to start a "golf club" with some 8th-10th graders at the school I'm on staff at. We have a killer deal worked out with a local course to give us range time once a week and 9 holes another day of the week after school.

None of the 7 students I am starting with have any golf experience. That being said.....

Would you begin on the putting green then move to Chip & full swing? Start with Chipping to teach stance, grip, ect.?

I've heard some varying opinions and would love to hear from those who have experience starting from scratch with teens. Wanting to get them enjoying the sport as quickly as possibly but also want to start them with some solid fundamentals.

Thank you in advance for your input!

[Shankopotomous]

Good for you to get the golf club started!! 

I would start them putting.  When I helped coach high school golf that is where I started the newbies.  I have seen studies showing better results if they see the ball going in the hole at the start of the learning process.  It gives the clear picture of the objective of the game which is to get the ball in the hole.  Then move to the range to teach grip, setup and swing.  Then an on course lesson for a few holes to teach etiquette in play, rules, course management and divot / ball mark fixing.  

[cksurfdude]

Not a teaching pro but agree with the comment above - essentially start from the green, then around the green, then approach shots and basically work back to tee shots / driver. 

That said, though... Teens will absolutely want to bash the ball so start with some "work" then maybe reward then with a few minutes to let loose and have fun! 

Also absolutely agree with covering course management and etiquette

Edited August 24 by cksurfdude

[RetiredBoomer]

16 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Not a teaching pro but agree with the comment above - essentially start from the green, then around the green, then approach shots and basically work back to tee shots / driver. 

That said, though... Teens will absolutely want to bash the ball so start with some "work" then maybe reward then with a few minutes to let loose and have fun! 

Also absolutely agree with covering course management and etiquette

Claiming ZERO expertise on the subject,

intuitively, I lean toward how I was taught generations ago.

The Golf Swing first.
That's the hardest.
Then we learn shots.

For example, I find it incomprehensible how people who have played for years
can having a slice problem.  Not casting was the EASIEST thing for me to learn in early lessons.
I instinctively wanted to hit inside out anyway.

By the same token, however, why do I still have to fight a hook at my age?
That also has to be hard for some to understand.
I don't slice,
but sometimes I PUSH, subconsciously  blocking out a hook.

Finding a golf swing is hard.
Learning specific shots is, to me, a little bit easier.
Your success rate is not in knowing how to hit the shot,
but in your genetic athletic ability to be coordinated on every try.
That's what gets most of us.

Still, methods change with times,
and maybe modern methods have discovered a better starting point.

Again, I'm not the expert to ask.
 

[Hacker60521]

@WilliamYates that’s awesome for the kids! Well done.

My experience has been watching my kids learn golf, and also watching our pro run kids classes of similar age. I’m guessing that the goal is to give them a sense of what golf is, and hopefully become interested in the game. That said, kids of that age get bored fairly easily. So most sessions mix it up with two or three different activities. I think the first classes were focused on grip, aim, stance, and how to make a full swing at lower speeds with higher loft clubs. Let’s be honest, the kids will want to make big swings! Sessions always seems to end with 10-15 minutes of putting games. Keep it fun!

[A914Man]

I helped teach a junior golf program for ten years and we always started with putting, then chipping, pitch shots, full swing with an iron, and then driving.  It’s a logical progression, plus it’s the best way for most everyone to improve. I’ve done a fair amount of instruction and most people will find improvement in their scores by working on their game from the hole backwards.  Juniors, especially teenage boys, typically want to focus on distance and aren’t realistic about improving their putting and short game.