Papa takes the boys golfing for the first time

A grandpa?  Sounds pretty daunting, doesn’t it?  Actually, it sounds pretty old.  However, one of the pleasures of being Papa to three grandsons is watching them grow and progress day-by-day.

Last week, I introduced my two older grandsons (sorry, Shea, but 2 years-old is still a bit too young) formally to the game of golf.  Yes, we had made treks before to the driving range, hit nerf balls in the backyard and knocked a whiffle ball around the living room (when Nana wasn’t looking) but this was real golf...with real golf clubs...in a real golf bag...on a real full sized fairway.

Mission Hills Golf Course near Cranbrook has designated three holes for junior or beginner golfers.  So, on a hot summer evening we packed up our clubs and headed over to the course.  Forgetting it was “take a kid to the golf course” week, the boys got to play free, and they didn’t need much encouragement to get the round underway.

Grayson, 4 years-old, and Caleb, 6-years old, were thrilled to be swinging with all their might and watching their golf ball soar down the fairway.  Well, soar might be a bit of exaggeration—more like fluttered down the fairway. Both boys played amazingly well on the three junior holes, driving, chipping and putting with enthusiasm and delight.  And maybe the best part (for them), Papa got to pack on three set of clubs most of the time.

The weather had been a scorcher all day and the heat prevailed as we played into the evening.  On completion of the three holes there was a great deal of discussion about how unfair it was that we couldn’t continue on to play the rest of the course, "but Papa how about just a couple more holes, please."

Finally the promise (or bribe) of a cool drink of lemonade was able to dissuade these new found golf converts that their game was over for the evening.  Only later did I find out why Mommy wasn’t thrilled that I had pumped her boys full of lemonade at eight o’clock at night.  Oops!

Did they like it?  They loved getting out on the “big” golf course, and the next day Caleb, my oldest grandson, convinced his Dad and his Nana that he was ready to play a full nine-hole round.  Sure enough, the next day found him teeing off on his first full nine-holes ever.

How did he do?  As his Nana so proudly said, “He’s a natural.  Many times he out drove me, and he definitely understands the concept of golf.”

Instilling the love of golf in a child at a young age is truly a lasting gift that these boys will remember for a lifetime...and one that Papa will never forget either.