Welcome to Episode 9 of GolfLoopz — the golf podcast for kids.

This episode is a beginner-friendly guide to golf: where it came from, how it works, what pars and handicaps mean, and how kids can get started without joining a fancy golf club or buying 14 clubs on day one.

Key topics

Golf’s Scottish roots, linksland, “gowf”, and the famous 1457 Scottish ban

The basic aim of golf: get the ball from tee to hole in as few shots as possible

What a golf course looks like: tees, fairways, greens, rough, bunkers and penalty areas

Par, birdies, eagles, albatrosses, bogeys and double bogeys

Stroke play, match play, Stableford and handicaps

The basic spirit of the Rules of Golf: play the course as you find it and the ball as it lies

What equipment beginners actually need

Ways to try golf: driving ranges, short courses, pitch-and-putt, simulators, adventure golf and Toptracer Range

Why golf is strange, brilliant, frustrating — and maybe the greatest game of them all

Links

Get into Golf - England

https://getintogolf.co.uk/junior-golf/

Rocks and Rookies - England Golf

https://www.englandgolf.org/rocks-and-rookies

Scottish Golf - Get Started

https://www.scottishgolf.org/get-started

Golf Foundation (UK)

https://www.golf-foundation.org

First Tee (USA)
https://firsttee.org/programs/

US Kids Golf (Junior Clubs)

https://www.uskidsgolf.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorxv5Wb2MkEo6q9J3P07eqxR4t4ypbuz6u3ptJbl0_U8hC2cDbA

The R&A – Rules of Golf
https://www.randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf

Rules of Golf According to Dennis the Menace!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rules-Golf-According-Dennis-Menace/dp/0718138503

The R&A – Handicapping
https://www.randa.org/en/handicapping

St Andrews and the 18-hole round
https://www.scottishgolfhistory.org/origin-of-golf-terms/18-hole-round/

Toptracer Range
https://toptracer.com/range/

Alan Shepard’s golf shot on the Moon
https://www.nasa.gov/history/alsj/a14/a14.clsout3.html

The Open Championship
https://www.theopen.com/

Thanks for listening to GolfLoopz — the golf podcast for kids.

Next up: GolfLoopz is heading to The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale — the oldest major in golf.