WRGolf getting your junior started in Golf
At Will Robins Golf our #1 Goal is to instill a love of the game of golf for your child. We do this by creating a learning environment that is based on playing the game that is a fun, safe, and interactive. Our juniors learn the game with their peers and meet new friends while learning valuable life skills and core values that are inherent to the game. In the sessions of all our programs, our students develop skills, run challenges, and create fun team competition to make learning the game of golf fun & effective.
If you are looking to get your child into golf we offer you more than just golf lessons. Our focus is on involving you, the parent, thorough our Junior Tour, family events, educational workshops, and connecting you and your family to other local families with a child also learning the game.
We have been at Empire Ranch Golf Course in Folsom for over 10 years and have had the joy of watching players start in our programs at age seven who are now on their way to play college golf on scholarships all over the country. Our vision is to give you, the parent, a clear path on how to get your child in to golf and how to help develop them to become champions in golf & life.
We coach golf to make it fun playing the game and in doing so we are able to spark the passion for golf in your child.
There is a lot to know about golf and it can be overwhelming; we are here to simplify things and help you to get the answers you’re looking for.
So how do you get your child started?
There are two ways to start, let me explain them both and then you will decide what best fits your child and current situation.
Junior Camps
Camps give your child an immersion into the game, they are 5 days in length for 90 minutes each day and are based around games, challenges, and learning the skills needed to play the game of golf. Camps are age specific so we create the appropriate games and coaching to ignite passion as your child sees that golf can be fun and easy to learn. Clubs are provided! All you need to do is drop your child at camp and the rest is up to us. Camps run in spring break and all summer long. To find out more click on the top of page – Click here to find time dates pricing & more about camps
Junior Coaching
Junior coaching is year-round and your child can start at any time. The programs are after school and are 90 minutes each week. Your child can start at any time and their program is 12 weeks in length. The programs based on age (5-9) & (10+) are put in teams based on skill & experience. They don’t have to have clubs to start but as they start to enjoy the game we will suggest the clubs that will fit them best and best places to purchase them. The advantage to the junior coaching is the ability to start at any time and your welcome to come out to a free session to try it out! Just fill in the contact form and we will get a time set up. Billing is monthly to credit card. To find out times, days and prices, click on top of page – Click here to find dates times prices for junior coaching
Why choose WRGolf as the place for my child to learn golf?
To start, Will was once a junior himself ;) and brings his knowledge of playing competitive junior golf in the UK, playing college golf in Monterey CA and West Palm Beach FL and also his successful amateur and then playing professional career. Will bring his knowledge passion and experience to his coaches and his students. Click here to see Will Journey (plus cheesy junior photos)
Will has also been coaching at Empire for 10 years and is a PGA of America Member as well as a Multiple award winner, (Youth Player Development Award 2015 NCPGA & Player Development award 2016 NCPGA) Will also is currently on PGA of America National Youth Player Development Committee, to help forge the future path for junior golf, bringing his knowledge of coaching programs & junior long-term player development.
WRG Team is made up of coaches who have all played junior golf and have gone on to College golf and then the professional tours.
What is The First Tee?
We are proud to be a First Tee program location. Their mission is:
To impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.
What are The First Tee's Nine Core Values that are taught?
The Nine Core Values™ are Honesty, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Respect, Confidence, Responsibility, Perseverance, Courtesy, Judgment.
To find out more www.firsttee.org
What benefits does by child get with WRG?
All our players get an NCGA GHIN # and a year subscription to Youth On Course allowing them to play most local courses for $5 .
The WRG Junior Improvement System
We created the hat system to give both our juniors and their parents a clear path to improvement like you have in martial arts. The hat system is based of having our juniors focus in on the parts of the game they can master at their age & strength level. All players start at a White Hat Level and which is based on scoring from 100 yards from the hole and in. This the most critical part of the game of golf and the part that juniors can master and play to a level way beyond the age and strength level. They are unable to hit the ball 250 yards physically but they can play to that equivalent level in their chipping and putting. If we want our juniors to love the game they have to be able to see improvement, have success and be on a path to mastery.
Junior Developmental Tour
For a junior to advance in our hat system they will play in our Junior Developmental Tour where they play 9 holes with their teammates from weekly sessions on a Sunday afternoon with a parent or grandparent caddying. This gives them the opportunity to compete which unfortunately in the past was not an option for beginning junior golfers. Unlike other sports where you play matches, games, and scrummages right away (baseball, football etc), golf has been set up that you only play tournaments when you are a “good golfer.” Well, how are you meant to get good if you can’t play tournaments? So this is why we created a junior tour where our players can learn how to play the game with their friends with very little pressure on a course they can succeed with lots of fun and prizes.
The WRG Hat System:
In each hat level we have stars,
Level 1 White Hat:
Play a tournament – 1 Star Pin to add on junior’s hat
Shoot 50 or lower - 2 Stars Pins to add onto junior’s hat
Shoot 45 or lower – 3 star pins to add to junior’s hat
Shoot 39 or lower – Advance to Yellow Hat
The Progression then follows to Yellow Hat once a player shoots 39 or less
And progresses all the way to Blue Hat Level – Click here to see the WRG Full Hat system lay out.
As your child advances through the WRG Hat System, they advance in our programming getting additional coaching time, skill development, and mentoring.
The Path to Making Champions in Golf & Life
Starting Point –
1.Participate in WRG Camp (5days 1.5 hours per day)
2.Join WRG Golf Coaching (1.5 hours Once per week after school)
3.Play in WRG Junior Tour (parents get to caddy for a fun family afternoon out)
4.Advanced Coaching (Player shoots 39 or lower from 100 yard makers) 2 Hours weekly & On-Course Coaching
5.Elite – 4 Hours weekly (Coaching 2 hrs. p/w + Skill development focusing on swing and short game 2hrs
6.College Path – Adds mentoring 2 x per month to support your junior golfer in creating a path to playing college golf through college selection, tournament schedule / stat tracking, and more
7.Mastery Classes are in addition to these programs are Intensive Courses to fast-track a player in a certain area in which they most need to improve.
The WRG teaching philosophy:
At WRG, we believe that to play to your potential you must look at the entire game of golf. Golf Instruction is often just the golf swing but the game measured by score, not the look of your swing. At WRG, we have 4 key areas we focus on to build a golf game that can be self-sufficient for our players and show long-term improvement.
1.The Golfing Mindset - a golfer must be taught how to manage their thinking so they are able to control their emotions. In golf, you will be tested mentally and physically; if emotions and negative thinking are in the picture, then the golfer will struggle to trust their talent and enjoy the so-called pressure of tournament play)
2.The Real Game of Golf – Golf is a game of misses & mistakes; nobody has perfected the game and no one ever will. The key is not to try to perfect the game but to play it! To do this you have to know that the lowest score wins. So the question is how do you shoot lower scores? We teach our players through game-based training how to shoot lower scores and how to track their play so they can match it up to stats from the best players in the world or from their desired level.
3.Purposeful Practice – We believe practice does not make perfect; it makes permanent! So to become a champion golfer you must practice the way champion golfers practice. We teach our players fun ways to challenge themselves in ways that simulate tournament conditions.
4.Skill Development – At WRG, we focus on teaching our players only the skills they need to accomplish their current goals. There are so many parts to the game of golf so often players become overwhelmed with information and are no longer playing golf but thinking technique. By adding the skill sets, the player needs a progression based on their ability; it allows the learning process to be fun, fast, and lasting. This comes from the gymnastics arena where a student has to first learn how to do a somersault to start a path one day leading to a back flip on a balance beam.
Will’s Coaches all use this same system to learn along with the many pros and top college golfers Will teaches. The system focuses a player on mastery rather than perfection.
Why Coaching VS Private Lessons
The philosophy is based on the student becoming more independent after each session as they learn the 4 key areas of the game. They are leaning the mindset and mental focus for golf; this includes how to score and manage the course, how to analyze their play and create purposeful practice routines that promote long-term development, and Skill Development which focuses on the skill sets needed to accomplish their goals for golf.
We coach your junior as an Individual in a Team environment. Each of our juniors is taught the skills and techniques based on his or her strength & mobility, their learning style, and their desired outcome. The team environment is so productive for several key reasons:
1. It creates the right environment to learn the life skills and core values we teach
2. It allows your junior to build friendships in an individual game
3. It allows coaches to create competition and challenges that motivate the players
4. It enables your child to take leadership or mentoring roles to develop interpersonal skills
5. It increases the hours your child can spend with their coach while not increasing the expense
6. Its reduces the chances of over-teaching & technical overload as we allow the child to apply what they are learning by experimentation and encouraging them to learn and ask questions rather than just be told what do to do. This article on learning would be good to link hear
Add article why kids should learn golf + links to my videos throughout this doc
Parent and Junior Expectations
We are honored to have the opportunity to teach your child the great game of golf.At WRGolf our three key philosophies for our junior golfers are as follows:
·Our #1 focus is instilling a love for the game of golf
·Creating an environment to learn the game, make friends and have fun
·Making champions in golf and in life
We are proud of the success we have had over the past 10 years in helping juniors in our area on their journey with golf and life. We are always looking for ways to make our programs the best for you and your junior golfer. Our team of experienced coaches wants to make the sessions the best experience for your child and give the best coaching possible.
To do this there are some clear guidelines and expectations to review for both you and your junior. This allows us to make the most out of the time we get with your junior golfer each week. Open and honest feedback is always encouraged and wanted, as we see the communication line sometimes breaks down between coach-junior-parent.
Expectations for Parent
·On time to session – Arrive at least 5 minutes before the start of class
·Call/text (916)596-0001 if you are going to be late to session
·All juniors dropped off where the WRGolf flag is located
·Parents are asked to refrain from interacting with coaches or juniors during session
·Parents are not allowed at the back of the range during session
·Ask coaches any questions you have after the session
oOpen and honest communication is vital to our success
oPlease call coach if junior had an issue during a session
·Absence policy – Excused absences will be given if the junior is playing in a golf tournament with WRGolf or another outside tournament
oFor all other absences you will be charged a session.
Expectations for Junior
·Ready for session 5 minutes prior to start time (clubs out of car, sunscreen on, etc.)
·Please have visited the restroom prior to class.
·Ready to learn and listen during session
·Safety procedures (standing in safety zones, holding club upside down, aware of others)
·NOT talking while coach is talking
·Asking questions if they do not understand, after the coach is done talking
·Encouraging teammates during games/challenges
·NO negative comments to themselves/others
·Demonstrating sportsmanship at all times win/lose
·Willing to try new things and have fun
·Be open to making new friends
At WRGolf we are making champions in golf and in life, we want every junior to have a great experience while growing their love for the game of golf and making new friends. We hope that with you and your junior’s commitment to our program and reviewing these expectations together, we can keep having more fun and learning valuable life skills.
WRGolf Students in the Media
WRGolf Junior Tours in the Media
