Tilden Park Driving Range
Mountain Man and I just discovered a great new outing for the family. The driving range.
Our kids are 10, 8, and 4, and we have finally reached a point where all three have the ability to learn how to swing a golf club, so we decided to try it out this past Sunday.
The Impetus for our Golf Outing
Imagineer and Bam-Bam had been asking for kid golf clubs for the past few months, but we weren’t sure that their excitement would last, so decided to hold off on buying the clubs. We have learned many times in the past that the initial excitement for a toy or activity can fade all too quickly.
So, after several months of prodding, we realized that this desire to try golf was probably here to stay, so we decided to ease into it by visiting our local driving range, not by buying new clubs.
The kids had a plastic snoopy golf set that we had purchased from our local Tuesday Morning last year for $15, so we decided they could use those or they could use one of Mountain Man’s smaller clubs that he had in his bag.
Tilden Park Driving Range and Golf Course
We are lucky enough to live near a gorgeous golf course, located in Tilden Park. Tilden Park is located in the hills that overlook Berkeley and San Francisco and is full of sky high Redwoods, large picnic areas, a little farm, several lakes, a merry go round, steam train and much more. Its a great way to escape for the day and feel like you’re a million miles away in the middle of nature.
Walking to the Driving Range
Skills Gained at the Driving Range
For $12, Mountain Man purchased a bucket full of golfballs for the kids to share. He gave each one a lesson on how to hold the club, where to focus out on the range, where to place their feet, how hard to swing the club and how to follow through.
It occurred to me as I was supervising that there are so many great lessons in golf to be gained for little ones.
Golf teaches patience, focus, and diligence.
1. As a beginner golfer, you have to be patient or not making contact with the ball after 14 swings, will drive you crazy.
2. In order to make contact with the ball, you really have to focus on your every move. The club has to swing up to the right height, and you have to use the right amount of strength to precisely hit the ball.
3. To make contact with the ball, hit it at the right strength, AND have the ball land in the area of the range that you were shooting for, takes a LOT of practice and diligence.
Planning our next trip to the driving range soon
Mountain Man and I were so pleased with this outing, that we are already discussing our return. We’re checking out our summer calendar and trying to pick a few times to take the group back to the range.
Imagineer and Bam-Bam are more excited about golfing than Broadway, but we think she will come around soon. Broadway is watching me write this conclusion and laughing. 🙂 Oh well, at least Broadway can drive the cart for us if we ever kick it up a notch and actually take the kids to the golf course. Now, Broadway is really smiling. She is ALL in for driving the cart. 🙂
Your post brought back many memories for me. I spent every Saturday caddying for my dad from the ages of 8-11, then joined him as a player until my interests turned to spending time with my friends. A lot of fun for the kiddies. Thanks for linking up with us at No Ordinary Blog Hop!
What a great memory! That must have been fun having that consistent time with your Dad every week. Our trip to the driving range has inspired my husband to learn a little more about golf. If he does take it up again, caddying or driving the cart would certainly be something for our little ones to look forward to. Thanks for visiting!