39 replies to this topic

[mrshinsa]

I know every kid is different, but just want to get others experience for those that went through it.

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[Baitkiller]

Kids were 4th and sixth grades. Boy was oldest. 9 holes at the exec course where they were known. I worked on my laptop on the patio. Against policy but they were given exemption.

[BertGA]

Baitkiller, on 15 January 2019 - 06:35 PM, said:

Kids were 4th and sixth grades. Boy was oldest. 9 holes at the exec course where they were known. I worked on my laptop on the patio. Against policy but they were given exemption.

I think it’s dependent on how well you know the guys at the course. And how well they behave.

[tiger1873]

When you say drop off do you means with another kid that is there golfing buddy? Do you mean public or private course.  I don’t think any boy under 15 or 16 should ever golf alone without at least a buddy on a public course.  When it comes to girls they probably should never be alone if at all possible at any age.  Country clubs in gated communities you have more leeway.

Edited by tiger1873, 15 January 2019 - 07:50 PM.

[kekoa]

In this day and age not until they are teenage (boy) and always with a buddy.   Depends which type of course as well.

[lawsonman]

My boy and his buddy used to ride their bikes to the course which was about a mile out of town and play all day when he was 12. We had no crime (still rare) so I never thought twice about it. That was in the early 90's

[heavy_hitter]

My son would walk 18 with his buddy all the time at 10 years old on the course we live on.  Got him a cell phone so if there was a problem from an animal or other member he could just call me.  Never had and issue because he knew the expectations.

[sailfishchris]

Lets just say I'd be in a ghillie suit following my daughter.

[sandtrap]

At the risk of being ripped by tiger mom for parenting skills I’ll leave that to your best judgement. What do we know anyway?

[wildcatden]

mrshinsa, on 15 January 2019 - 06:32 PM, said:

I know every kid is different, but just want to get others experience for those that went through it.

I'd check with Dan and Bill at Bridges first on policy if that is where you are thinking. Personally, I'd want them (boys) to go with a buddy at a bare minimum and be at least 11. Of course, expectations set ahead of time, a cell phone provided is a great idea, and maybe you stay at the clubhouse where you could possibly get some remote work done. Plus, you can more or less watch them the first 4 holes at Bridges.

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[mrshinsa]

wildcatden, on 15 January 2019 - 11:18 PM, said:

mrshinsa, on 15 January 2019 - 06:32 PM, said:

I know every kid is different, but just want to get others experience for those that went through it.

I'd check with Dan and Bill at Bridges first on policy if that is where you are thinking. Personally, I'd want them (boys) to go with a buddy at a bare minimum and be at least 11. Of course, expectations set ahead of time, a cell phone provided is a great idea, and maybe you stay at the clubhouse where you could possibly get some remote work done. Plus, you can more or less watch them the first 4 holes at Bridges.

Yup, my boy just turned 11, and he has a couple of friends who are 12.  
Not just a particular course, but in general I'm wondering at what age I can cut the umbilical cord, and get my 5 hours back on a weekend.  Not saying I don't enjoy being out there with him, of course.

[heavy_hitter]

tiger1873, on 15 January 2019 - 07:49 PM, said:

When you say drop off do you means with another kid that is there golfing buddy? Do you mean public or private course.  I don't think any boy under 15 or 16 should ever golf alone without at least a buddy on a public course.  When it comes to girls they probably should never be alone if at all possible at any age.  Country clubs in gated communities you have more leeway.

Helicopter much?

My daughter was playing with her friends all time at 13.  Would take her brother (8) and two other girl's (14 and 15) and go play all of the time.  When she was 15 she would go play by herself at the course or with her brother.  Of course she was driving our cart, but was still out playing by herself.  Never had an issue.  The golf course is one of the best places to drop your kids off at and leave.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 08:15 AM, said:

tiger1873, on 15 January 2019 - 07:49 PM, said:

When you say drop off do you means with another kid that is there golfing buddy? Do you mean public or private course.  I don't think any boy under 15 or 16 should ever golf alone without at least a buddy on a public course.  When it comes to girls they probably should never be alone if at all possible at any age.  Country clubs in gated communities you have more leeway.

Helicopter much?

My daughter was playing with her friends all time at 13.  Would take her brother (8) and two other girl's (14 and 15) and go play all of the time.  When she was 15 she would go play by herself at the course or with her brother.  Of course she was driving our cart, but was still out playing by herself.  Never had an issue.  The golf course is one of the best places to drop your kids off at and leave.

I've dropped off my son and daughter (13&11 at the time) at the local courses.  My son is the golfer in the family. Been dropping him off at his home course since he was 13 (15 now).
If he wants me to golf with him I will.  If not, he will just go.  I prefer him to play with his buddies.

[BertGA]

tiger1873, on 16 January 2019 - 09:18 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 08:15 AM, said:

tiger1873, on 15 January 2019 - 07:49 PM, said:

When you say drop off do you means with another kid that is there golfing buddy? Do you mean public or private course.  I don't think any boy under 15 or 16 should ever golf alone without at least a buddy on a public course.  When it comes to girls they probably should never be alone if at all possible at any age.  Country clubs in gated communities you have more leeway.

Helicopter much?

My daughter was playing with her friends all time at 13.  Would take her brother (8) and two other girl's (14 and 15) and go play all of the time.  When she was 15 she would go play by herself at the course or with her brother.  Of course she was driving our cart, but was still out playing by herself.  Never had an issue.  The golf course is one of the best places to drop your kids off at and leave.

Depends on the course for sure and time of day and if there are actually other golfers out there on the course. We live in a gated community so there is security and such around so I wouldn't be as worried about that. With Girls though I would be worried about a public course with not much traffic or security.  I think girls have more to worry about being alone. The story that sticks with me is the girl in Iowa a few months ago who was murdered.  There is safety in numbers and that is kind of what I was thinking.

Great article about that terrible story in Golf mag this month. I’m not saying you shouldn’t worry about your kids, but the course she was playing was unique. It’s a Muni, and the walk between a couple holes carries you through a heavily wooded public park known for transients sleeping in tents. I’m not sure I would feel comfortable playing that course alone.

[tiger1873]

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 08:15 AM, said:

tiger1873, on 15 January 2019 - 07:49 PM, said:

When you say drop off do you means with another kid that is there golfing buddy? Do you mean public or private course.  I don't think any boy under 15 or 16 should ever golf alone without at least a buddy on a public course.  When it comes to girls they probably should never be alone if at all possible at any age.  Country clubs in gated communities you have more leeway.

Helicopter much?

My daughter was playing with her friends all time at 13.  Would take her brother (8) and two other girl's (14 and 15) and go play all of the time.  When she was 15 she would go play by herself at the course or with her brother.  Of course she was driving our cart, but was still out playing by herself.  Never had an issue.  The golf course is one of the best places to drop your kids off at and leave.

I think you misunderstood me. I don't have a problem with younger boys and girls being dropped off I just do not think they should be alone without a buddy.
With girls what I meant is they should never be alone on an empty golf course with no other golfers at really any age. If the course if busy or has security it not as big of a deal. The reason I think that girls need to be more careful is the girl in Iowa a few months ago who was abducted and murdered when she was golfing early in the morning. Girls just have more things to worry about.

https://abcnews.go.c...ory?id=57898249

Edited by tiger1873, 16 January 2019 - 09:38 AM.

[tiger1873]

BertGA, on 16 January 2019 - 09:23 AM, said:

tiger1873, on 16 January 2019 - 09:18 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 08:15 AM, said:

tiger1873, on 15 January 2019 - 07:49 PM, said:

When you say drop off do you means with another kid that is there golfing buddy? Do you mean public or private course.  I don't think any boy under 15 or 16 should ever golf alone without at least a buddy on a public course.  When it comes to girls they probably should never be alone if at all possible at any age.  Country clubs in gated communities you have more leeway.

Helicopter much?

My daughter was playing with her friends all time at 13.  Would take her brother (8) and two other girl's (14 and 15) and go play all of the time.  When she was 15 she would go play by herself at the course or with her brother.  Of course she was driving our cart, but was still out playing by herself.  Never had an issue.  The golf course is one of the best places to drop your kids off at and leave.

Depends on the course for sure and time of day and if there are actually other golfers out there on the course. We live in a gated community so there is security and such around so I wouldn't be as worried about that. With Girls though I would be worried about a public course with not much traffic or security.  I think girls have more to worry about being alone. The story that sticks with me is the girl in Iowa a few months ago who was murdered.  There is safety in numbers and that is kind of what I was thinking.

Great article about that terrible story in Golf mag this month. I'm not saying you shouldn't worry about your kids, but the course she was playing was unique. It's a Muni, and the walk between a couple holes carries you through a heavily wooded public park known for transients sleeping in tents. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable playing that course alone.

I think that is the big thing golf courses are very unique and some are obviously safer then others. We live in a gated community with 24 hour security on the golf course. Still have to be concerned because there is crazy people everywhere.  For the most part it's pretty safe and not much is going to happen unless you get into a fight with a sand crane or gator.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

"We live in a gated community with 24 hour security on the golf course. Still have to be concerned because there is crazy people everywhere"

I think the gated communities and 24 hour security can breed a false sense of security.  The security guards honestly are making a little above minimum wage.  Probably could care less if something happens.  The gate is just speed bump.

[fairways4life]

Growing up in the 90's my mom worked part-time (4-5 hour shifts). She would drop me off at one of the local courses when I was 14 or 15 and I'd play and practice until she got off work and she would pick me up on the way home.

I didn't start playing golf until I was 14, but I was "on my own" well before that. Riding my bike about a mile to the baseball card store when I was probably 9 or 10. Going fishing with just my buddy when I was probably 12. Me and my friends from the neighborhood pretty much ran all over town by ourselves with full parental permission.

You just don't see it as much these days (with golf or just in general). The times they are a changin'.

[BloctonGolf11]

As a teacher and public school coach I can say with total confidence until they are middle school age I would not even consider it and personally would be very hesitant to let a child before high school age (14) play alone or with a group of peers without some supervision. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no matter how well your child behaves, away from you children will be children and can make very poor decisions. This is particularly true when they are in a group setting. As well, you have to be very careful with their ability to handle an emergency situation at that age. Whenever I sent off my kids to walk the course and they were out of sight of me we had a standing rule of Juniors and Seniors accompanying underclassmen and middle school aged golfers. Just my opinion.

Edited by BloctonGolf11, 16 January 2019 - 10:24 AM.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

fairways4life, on 16 January 2019 - 10:02 AM, said:

Growing up in the 90's my mom worked part-time (4-5 hour shifts). She would drop me off at one of the local courses when I was 14 or 15 and I'd play and practice until she got off work and she would pick me up on the way home.

I didn't start playing golf until I was 14, but I was "on my own" well before that. Riding my bike about a mile to the baseball card store when I was probably 9 or 10. Going fishing with just my buddy when I was probably 12. Me and my friends from the neighborhood pretty much ran all over town by ourselves with full parental permission.

You just don't see it as much these days (with golf or just in general). The times they are a changin'.

Grew up in the 80s, but amen!  Anywhere I want to go I could with my bike.  It was about 5 miles to the baseball fields and golf course.  A few more to the bowling alley.

I was roaming the neighborhood starting at 5.

Now its a win if I can keep the electronics off for an entire day (all 3 kids are teens).

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[heavy_hitter]

BloctonGolf11, on 16 January 2019 - 10:24 AM, said:

As a teacher and public school coach I can say with total confidence until they are middle school age I would not even consider it and personally would be very hesitant to let a child before high school age (14) play alone or with a group of peers without some supervision. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no matter how well your child behaves, away from you children will be children and can make very poor decisions. This is particularly true when they are in a group setting. As well, you have to be very careful with their ability to handle an emergency situation at that age. Whenever I sent off my kids to walk the course and they were out of sight of me we had a standing rule of Juniors and Seniors accompanying underclassmen and middle school aged golfers. Just my opinion.

There are 3 really good 8th grade boys in our town.  They have been walking the muni (no adult supervision) and private courses in town since they were 11.  Everyone knows them wherever they go and watch out for them.  They have all grown up on the course as all three are members at different private clubs.  They were better golfers at 10 than 90% of the adults playing at the clubs.

[Jagpilotohio]

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 11:16 AM, said:

BloctonGolf11, on 16 January 2019 - 10:24 AM, said:

As a teacher and public school coach I can say with total confidence until they are middle school age I would not even consider it and personally would be very hesitant to let a child before high school age (14) play alone or with a group of peers without some supervision. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no matter how well your child behaves, away from you children will be children and can make very poor decisions. This is particularly true when they are in a group setting. As well, you have to be very careful with their ability to handle an emergency situation at that age. Whenever I sent off my kids to walk the course and they were out of sight of me we had a standing rule of Juniors and Seniors accompanying underclassmen and middle school aged golfers. Just my opinion.

There are 3 really good 8th grade boys in our town.  They have been walking the muni (no adult supervision) and private courses in town since they were 11.  Everyone knows them wherever they go and watch out for them.  They have all grown up on the course as all three are members at different private clubs.  They were better golfers at 10 than 90% of the adults playing at the clubs.

If they all end up on the same high school team I imagine they will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  Three buddies all trying to best each other for years are suddenly on the same high school team....watch out.

[CTgolf]

Jagpilotohio, on 16 January 2019 - 11:47 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 11:16 AM, said:

BloctonGolf11, on 16 January 2019 - 10:24 AM, said:

As a teacher and public school coach I can say with total confidence until they are middle school age I would not even consider it and personally would be very hesitant to let a child before high school age (14) play alone or with a group of peers without some supervision. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no matter how well your child behaves, away from you children will be children and can make very poor decisions. This is particularly true when they are in a group setting. As well, you have to be very careful with their ability to handle an emergency situation at that age. Whenever I sent off my kids to walk the course and they were out of sight of me we had a standing rule of Juniors and Seniors accompanying underclassmen and middle school aged golfers. Just my opinion.

There are 3 really good 8th grade boys in our town.  They have been walking the muni (no adult supervision) and private courses in town since they were 11.  Everyone knows them wherever they go and watch out for them.  They have all grown up on the course as all three are members at different private clubs.  They were better golfers at 10 than 90% of the adults playing at the clubs.

If they all end up on the same high school team I imagine they will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  Three buddies all trying to best each other for years are suddenly on the same high school team....watch out.

Hopefully they are home-schooled to maximize potential

[SkiSchoolPro]

I think it depends on the kid, the course and the community.

While we may think violent crime is constantly increasing (due to news and the internet), there are lots of stats that show the rate declining for centuries, increasing from the 1950s to early 90s, then mostly decreasing since. http://www.freerange...ime-statistics/

[Jagpilotohio]

CTgolf, on 16 January 2019 - 11:57 AM, said:

Jagpilotohio, on 16 January 2019 - 11:47 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 11:16 AM, said:

BloctonGolf11, on 16 January 2019 - 10:24 AM, said:

As a teacher and public school coach I can say with total confidence until they are middle school age I would not even consider it and personally would be very hesitant to let a child before high school age (14) play alone or with a group of peers without some supervision. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no matter how well your child behaves, away from you children will be children and can make very poor decisions. This is particularly true when they are in a group setting. As well, you have to be very careful with their ability to handle an emergency situation at that age. Whenever I sent off my kids to walk the course and they were out of sight of me we had a standing rule of Juniors and Seniors accompanying underclassmen and middle school aged golfers. Just my opinion.

There are 3 really good 8th grade boys in our town.  They have been walking the muni (no adult supervision) and private courses in town since they were 11.  Everyone knows them wherever they go and watch out for them.  They have all grown up on the course as all three are members at different private clubs.  They were better golfers at 10 than 90% of the adults playing at the clubs.

If they all end up on the same high school team I imagine they will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  Three buddies all trying to best each other for years are suddenly on the same high school team....watch out.

Hopefully they are home-schooled to maximize potential

Hummm. I can’t figure out if you’re kidding.  I hope so.

[mrshinsa]

Jagpilotohio, on 16 January 2019 - 12:15 PM, said:

CTgolf, on 16 January 2019 - 11:57 AM, said:

Jagpilotohio, on 16 January 2019 - 11:47 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 11:16 AM, said:

BloctonGolf11, on 16 January 2019 - 10:24 AM, said:

As a teacher and public school coach I can say with total confidence until they are middle school age I would not even consider it and personally would be very hesitant to let a child before high school age (14) play alone or with a group of peers without some supervision. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no matter how well your child behaves, away from you children will be children and can make very poor decisions. This is particularly true when they are in a group setting. As well, you have to be very careful with their ability to handle an emergency situation at that age. Whenever I sent off my kids to walk the course and they were out of sight of me we had a standing rule of Juniors and Seniors accompanying underclassmen and middle school aged golfers. Just my opinion.

There are 3 really good 8th grade boys in our town.  They have been walking the muni (no adult supervision) and private courses in town since they were 11.  Everyone knows them wherever they go and watch out for them.  They have all grown up on the course as all three are members at different private clubs.  They were better golfers at 10 than 90% of the adults playing at the clubs.

If they all end up on the same high school team I imagine they will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  Three buddies all trying to best each other for years are suddenly on the same high school team....watch out.

Hopefully they are home-schooled to maximize potential

Hummm. I can’t figure out if you’re kidding.  I hope so.

How so?  I've seen some of the best junior golfers in our area that are homeschooled.

[Jagpilotohio]

SkiSchoolPro, on 16 January 2019 - 12:15 PM, said:

I think it depends on the kid, the course and the community.

While we may think violent crime is constantly increasing (due to news and the internet), there are lots of stats that show the rate declining for centuries, increasing from the 1950s to early 90s, then mostly decreasing since. http://www.freerange...ime-statistics/

Quite true.  Before the widespread use of the internet and social media, many terrible crimes against children went mostly unnoticed other than on a very local level.  Stories only became national news if they were particularly evil or unusual.

If a child was adducted from a sidewalk and killed by a nut job in a small town in rural Nebraska in the 60’s there was a very strong possibility no one outside the newspaper circulation area of the nearest large city in Nebraska would hear about it.

Terrible things happened all the time but the general  public on a national scale never heard about the vast majority  of them.  Nowadays every terrible story in every city or small town in the country can be found and accessed at a moments notice and is redistributed through the modern media system at the click of a computer or phone button, including the social media system, which is an even newer phenomenon.

We all hear about FAR more horrible news than we would’ve heard about 40 or 50 years ago and it genuinely makes the world FEEL  like it’s becoming a much more Dangerous place than it actually is.  If one actually looks at the crime data, it’s simply not true.

Sorry for tangent.
UCLA Mass Communications thesis sneaking into a golf thread.  Oops.

[fairways4life]

Jagpilotohio, on 16 January 2019 - 12:39 PM, said:

SkiSchoolPro, on 16 January 2019 - 12:15 PM, said:

I think it depends on the kid, the course and the community.

While we may think violent crime is constantly increasing (due to news and the internet), there are lots of stats that show the rate declining for centuries, increasing from the 1950s to early 90s, then mostly decreasing since. http://www.freerange...ime-statistics/

Quite true.  Before the widespread use of the internet and social media, many terrible crimes against children went mostly unnoticed other than on a very local level.  Stories only became national news if they were particularly evil or unusual.

If a child was adducted from a sidewalk and killed by a nut job in a small town in rural Nebraska in the 60’s there was a very strong possibility no one outside the newspaper circulation area of the nearest large city in Nebraska would hear about it.

Terrible things happened all the time but the general  public on a national scale never heard about the vast majority  of them.  Nowadays every terrible story in every city or small town in the country can be found and accessed at a moments notice and is redistributed through the modern media system at the click of a computer or phone button, including the social media system, which is an even newer phenomenon.

We all hear about FAR more horrible news than we would’ve heard about 40 or 50 years ago and it genuinely makes the world FEEL  like it’s becoming a much more Dangerous place than it actually is.  If one actually looks at the crime data, it’s simply not true.

Sorry for tangent.
UCLA Mass Communications thesis sneaking into a golf thread.  Oops.

+1 on this.

Heck, my news feed is constantly full of stories about airline passengers who get into a spat with flight attendants, restaurant workers who write racist things on receipts, and all sorts of bullying stories. The things that have been happening for decades are now just in front of us more.

All in all, I'd argue that a golf course is among the safest places for a kid to be. Heck, statistically speaking, it's way more safe than being in a school (which is awfully sad). Would I drop my 9 year-old off in a bad part of the city to play pickup basketball without me? Probably not. But a golf course? Heck yeah.

[heavy_hitter]

Jagpilotohio, on 16 January 2019 - 11:47 AM, said:

heavy_hitter, on 16 January 2019 - 11:16 AM, said:

BloctonGolf11, on 16 January 2019 - 10:24 AM, said:

As a teacher and public school coach I can say with total confidence until they are middle school age I would not even consider it and personally would be very hesitant to let a child before high school age (14) play alone or with a group of peers without some supervision. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no matter how well your child behaves, away from you children will be children and can make very poor decisions. This is particularly true when they are in a group setting. As well, you have to be very careful with their ability to handle an emergency situation at that age. Whenever I sent off my kids to walk the course and they were out of sight of me we had a standing rule of Juniors and Seniors accompanying underclassmen and middle school aged golfers. Just my opinion.

There are 3 really good 8th grade boys in our town.  They have been walking the muni (no adult supervision) and private courses in town since they were 11.  Everyone knows them wherever they go and watch out for them.  They have all grown up on the course as all three are members at different private clubs.  They were better golfers at 10 than 90% of the adults playing at the clubs.

If they all end up on the same high school team I imagine they will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  Three buddies all trying to best each other for years are suddenly on the same high school team....watch out.

They will all go to the same high school.

[BertGA]

mrshinsa, on 16 January 2019 - 12:38 PM, said:

Jagpilotohio, on 16 January 2019 - 12:15 PM, said:

Hummm. I can’t figure out if you’re kidding.  I hope so.

How so?  I've seen some of the best junior golfers in our area that are homeschooled.

I would say that in most cases, athletic achievement should not be the driving force for home-schooling a child. It's a more complex decision than that.

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