What age to start, what it costs, and how to tell whether your child is actually ready.
Most children are ready for real golf instruction somewhere around age seven, but attention span matters far more than birthday. A focused six-year-old will get more out of a lesson than a restless nine-year-old. At Olson Golf Academy a junior lesson is $40 for 30 minutes, a three-day camp is $89, and the six-week Junior Development Academy is $189 per player.
Forget the age chart for a moment and ask three questions.
If the answer to any of these is no, wait six months. Nothing is lost. Starting at nine and loving it beats starting at five and quitting at eight.
| Junior lesson — 30 min, one-on-one, 17 and under | $40 |
| Junior camp — 3 days × 1 hour, 8 players | $89 per player |
| Junior Development Academy — 6 weeks × 1 hour, 8 players | $189 per player |
| Group clinic — 60 min, 4–6 players | $35 per player |
Start with a single $40 lesson. Spend $40 finding out whether your child enjoys this before spending $189. Any instructor who pushes a parent straight into the six-week program without that is thinking about their own calendar.
Junior lessons are not adult lessons delivered more slowly. Children cannot hold five swing thoughts, and asking them to is how you produce a twelve-year-old who hates golf. The work is one idea at a time, with enough games in it that thirty minutes does not feel like school.
For competitive juniors — the ones chasing a high school roster spot or a tournament schedule — it changes. That is real practice structure, course strategy and pressure work.
They do not need their own clubs to start. Say so when you book and Tyler brings something that fits.
Around age seven for most children, though attention span matters more than age. A child who can follow a two-step instruction and stay with one activity for twenty minutes is ready. Some are there at five; some are not there until nine, and that is fine.
A junior lesson at Olson Golf Academy is $40 for 30 minutes, one-on-one, for players 17 and under. A three-day junior camp is $89 per player and the six-week Junior Development Academy is $189 per player.
No. Mention it when you book and Tyler will bring clubs that fit them. Buying a set before you know whether your child enjoys golf is an expensive way to find out — and children outgrow clubs quickly.
Start with one private lesson to see whether they like it and how they learn. Camps and the six-week academy are better value per hour and children often work harder around other kids, but they are a poor first purchase because you are committing before you know.
Yes. Competitive junior coaching is different work — practice structure, course management, short game and playing under pressure rather than just swing mechanics. A 9-hole playing lesson at $150 is often where that starts.
Thirty minutes, one-on-one. We find the two or three things costing you the most strokes and build your Game Plan — and you keep it.
Book Your Evaluation