Junior Coaching: Reading greens

Junior coaching in golf can raise many questions. What’s the most effective way to get the best out of your kids, and how can we keep them interested in the great game of golf?

Well Andrew Simmonds and Phillip Akers from The Belfry have it all figured out with their junior coaching programmes.

In this video, Andrew and Phil discuss reading green drills with the Pro down at the Shack.

Reading greens drill

This game is perfect for helping kids engage and figure out what the ball is going to do on the green and where it’s going to break.

So the game here is that we set up six little points up around the hole, you can play in a team or as an individual it’s totally up to you.

We have a basket held up by an alignment stick in the hole and what we get the kids to do is get a feel of the slope of the green either with their feet, or simply with their eyes by rolling the ball towards the hole.

So many children don’t get the concept that the ball win run down the hill quicker than it would if it was uphill, so this game really gets them engaging and learning how to read greens.

About… Andrew and Phil

Andrew Simmonds is a PGA Professional with over 10 years of coaching experience. Andrew taught at The Darren Clarke Golf School in Northern Ireland and then went on to complete the Advanced Certificate in Golf Coaching at the University of Birmingham, specialising in research of participation/drop rates in youth sport.

Andrew now consults with other PGA Professionals on how to run effective golf coaching programmes.

Phillip Akers is a Senior PGA National Academy Coach & Director of Junior Golf at The Belfry. Phillip specialises in Junior Development and coaches some of the finest junior golfers in the U.K.