By Trevia Chatman
With the end of the school year approaching, many parents face the same looming struggle: how to keep the kids busy, engaged and off the couch this summer. If you’re in the same boat, here’s a fresh idea: introduce your child to golf. Physical exercise aside, there are many benefits to the sport, including the potential to grow social skills, build resilience and improve mental health. Being a student athlete from elementary school to college afforded me the opportunities to travel across the country, broaden my horizons and make meaningful connections.
Still not sure that golf is right for your child? Here are five reasons why you may want to give it a swing.
- It may be less expensive than you think. Golf is widely known to be very pricey, but to make the sport more accessible and affordable for kids, Bank of America developed Golf with Us. This initiative invites children ages 6 through 18 to enroll in a free, one-year membership to Youth on Course, with access to tee times for $5 or less at thousands of courses nationwide and locally, including The Links at Riverside, The Links at Pine Hill, The Links at Galloway, The Links at Audubon, The Links at Whitehaven, The Links at Fox Meadows, and Overton Park 9.
- It’s a lifelong sport. There aren’t many sports that you can play into old age, but golf is an exception. It’s a low-impact activity that many people can enjoy their whole lives, so players often develop a lifelong passion for the sport. The average player age continues to drop, and the number of girls playing golf has steadily increased in recent years. According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of women and girls playing golf on a course has risen 23% since 2018. Meanwhile, there’s been a 40% increase in the number of juniors getting out on the golf course. Through Golf with Us, more than 2,200 young people in Tennessee have gotten out on the course including many first-time golfers.
- Your child will gain invaluable life skills. Discipline, patience and perseverance are all critical to success in golf, and these skills will carry your child far beyond the course. Like any sport, golf can boost their self-confidence, too, especially when you stripe a drive down the fairway or sink that long putt. On the flip side, your child will learn how to cope with difficult situations (golf is not an easy game!), and that resilience will benefit them in many facets of life.
- Golf can unlock professional opportunities. There’s truth to the notion that a lot of business happens on the golf course. The ability to play opens up opportunities for networking that may otherwise be closed off. It’s not an understatement to say that golf may be an investment in their future career prospects. A study by Golf Support found that 68% of successful job candidates mentioned playing a sport on their CV, with golf ranking as the second most impactful sport — contributing to 17% of successful hires.
- A lesson in etiquette. On the golf course, being courteous and polite is expected. There is an element of propriety that is embedded in the game, so if you teach your child to golf, that will likely foster good manners, too. Additionally, because golf has such wide appeal to different age groups, your child may have the opportunity to interact with other generations in a way they might not otherwise experience. For a generation that is very accustomed to interacting through technology, this is a powerful opportunity to engage in person and get comfortable in situations that might otherwise feel intimidating.
Above all, golf is fun. And if there’s anything kids crave, especially in the summer, it’s fun. So, as you map out summer plans, consider getting your kids on the green. It will keep them active in the short term and set them up for long-term success. That’s a win-win all around.
Free enrollment in Golf with Us is open until Monday, June 15 at www.bofa.com/GolfwithUs.
Trevia Chatman is the president of Bank of America, Memphis
