What's the main takeaway from "Teaching Your Junior Golfer Course Etiquette and Smart Course Management"?

The rules of golf are one thing — the unwritten rules are another. Here's how to raise a junior golfer that every playing partner and coach respects. The full breakdown above walks through the exact framework Coach Francis uses with students at Beyond Golf Performance.

What age is best to start a junior golf program?

We start as young as 5 with our SNAG program and progress students through the BGP Junior Pathway — after-school clinics, Operation 36, summer camps, and competitive prep — each matched to age and skill.

How do I get started with Beyond Golf Performance?

Book an Initial Assessment ($150) or the recommended Total Game Analysis ($280). The assessment fee is credited toward your personalized performance plan when you sign up for any lesson package, and you'll leave with a custom training plan.

Teaching Your Junior Golfer Course Etiquette and Smart Course Management

The Skill Nobody Teaches

I can count on one hand the number of juniors who show up to their first lesson knowing proper etiquette. Etiquette and course management aren't just about being polite — they're competitive advantages.

Essential Etiquette

Pace of Play

The number one complaint about junior golfers. Teach your junior to be ready when it's their turn, walk briskly, and keep routines under 30 seconds. Benchmark: 9 holes in under two hours.

Care for the Course

Repair ball marks on every green (fix at least two per green)

Replace divots or fill with sand

Rake bunkers properly

Don't drag feet on greens

Respect for Playing Partners

Stand still and quiet when others hit

Don't stand in someone's putting line

Congratulate good shots

Shake hands after the round — win or lose

Green Etiquette

Don't step on putting lines

Mark your ball when it might interfere

Exit the green promptly after holing out

Course Management: Playing Smart

Think Backwards from the Green

Most juniors grab driver automatically. Smart players start at the pin and work backwards. Where's the best approach angle? What club gets me there off the tee?

Know Your Distances

Not how far they can hit it — how far they do hit it on average. We use launch monitor data to establish real numbers.

Play Away from Trouble

Water on the left? Aim right-center. Bunker guarding the green? Take one more club. The scorecard doesn't care how you make par.

The Bogey Zone

If you're in trouble, get back to the fairway. Don't try the hero shot from the trees. A double bogey is recoverable. A triple usually isn't.

Austin Conditions

Wind adjustment: add one club per 10 mph headwind

Firm Bermuda turf needs different bounce and approach

Hydration and energy management in Texas heat

How We Teach It

At BGP, etiquette and course management are integrated into every lesson. We run dedicated "course management rounds" where the focus is entirely on decision-making and respect for the game.

The junior who repairs ball marks, congratulates playing partners, and makes smart layups — that's a golfer. Book a junior assessment at BGP and let's build the complete player.