I work as a starter on Saturday mornings at a lovely 9-hole par 3 golf course with the hole designs inspired by famous par 3 holes from around the world. It is the perfect course for kids and others who have never played golf before. And we have a lot of those folks every day.
In a few cases I have offered to give the golfers a couple of tips to help them get off the tee with success. Of course I use Tom's techniques as a guide. I try to keep it simple by showing them the chipping and pitching stroke and emphasize the following:
Left arm straight and glued to the side of the chest
Right arm tucked and glued to the side of the chest
Look at the back of the ball until you hit the ball
Well so far from what I can tell this has helped the golfers to at least hit the ball rather than missing it completely and in many cases they have hit pretty decent shots. The first hole is only 50 yards so it is quite possible that they can make it to the green.
Do folks agree that starting with the chip/pitch swing and the few basics I outlined above is a good place to start? Any other suggestions are welcome.
Looks like a fun course. Wish we has something like that here.
Yes - as Ron says, have them start with their weight favoring the lead side and keep it there. And, of course, tuck the elbow!
I agree with you that starting with a chipping/pitching motion and building gradually from there is a good way to go about it for true beginners.
.And if they enjoy their round, be sure point them to the SG KFCrispy Buffet!
Keep the weight on target side leg.