Camps, Group Lessons or Private Coaching: Which Suits Your Child?

The three ways junior golf is usually taught in Australia, what each is good at, and how families normally combine them.

Once you've decided your child is ready for some structured coaching, the next choice is usually format: a short, intensive school-holiday camp, or ongoing weekly lessons spread across a school term. Both are widely available at Australian clubs and both can work well - the better option really depends on your child's personality and your family's schedule.

What holiday camps offer

Camps typically run over several consecutive days during school holidays, often for a few hours each day. They're a great way to get a concentrated introduction to golf, meet a group of other kids quickly, and build early enthusiasm through a fun, social, less repetitive format. Many clubs design junior camps around games and challenges rather than pure technique, which suits kids who respond well to short bursts of intense, varied activity.

What weekly term lessons offer

Weekly lessons spread learning out over eight to ten weeks or more, giving skills time to bed in between sessions with a bit of practice at home. This gradual pacing suits children who learn better with repetition and time to absorb one concept before moving to the next, and it fits naturally around a normal school-term routine rather than requiring a block of holiday time.

Which suits which kind of beginner

A child who gets excited by novelty and enjoys meeting lots of new friends quickly often thrives in the camp format. A child who prefers routine, or who needs a bit more repetition to build confidence with a new skill, often does better with the steadier weekly pace. Many families actually use both: a holiday camp as a low-commitment taster, followed by weekly term lessons once it's clear the child wants to continue.

Cost and scheduling considerations

Camp pricing is usually per multi-day block, while weekly lessons are typically priced per term or per session - actual pricing varies club to club, so it's worth comparing directly with your local options rather than assuming one format is always cheaper. From a scheduling point of view, camps are useful for busy families who can't commit to the same afternoon every week during term, while weekly lessons suit those with a predictable routine.

Once your child has clubs to bring along, check our packing guide for what to bring to their first tournament when they're ready to put lessons into practice.

Do we have to choose one format permanently?

Not at all. It's very common for junior golfers to move between formats over time - starting with a holiday camp to test interest, moving into weekly term lessons to build fundamentals, then adding occasional camps back in during school holidays alongside ongoing weekly coaching as they progress.

Group lessons versus private coaching

Once you are past the holiday-camp stage, the choice is between a weekly group and one-to-one time with a coach. They are good at different things.

A group session gives you:

• Other children the same age, which for most beginners is the single biggest reason they keep turning up.
• More coaching hours for the money, since the fee is shared.
• Games, competition and a bit of social pressure to try, which many children respond to far better than individual instruction.

A private lesson gives you:

• The whole session spent on your child's swing rather than a fifth of it.
• Faster progress on one specific thing, which is what a plateaued player usually needs.
• Flexibility on timing, and a coach who can go at exactly your child's pace.

For a beginner, the group almost always wins. For a committed player who has stopped improving, or one who finds a group environment overwhelming, the private lesson is the better spend.

The combination most families end up with

You do not have to pick one. A common and sensible pattern is a weekly group session through the school term for consistency and friends, a holiday clinic in the breaks to keep the momentum going, and an occasional private lesson when something specific needs fixing before an event.

Fees vary widely by state, club and coach, so compare the actual programs near you rather than a national figure - browse coaches and academies by state and ask each what a term costs, how many children are in a group and what equipment is provided.

Reading which format your child actually wants

Children rarely answer the question directly, but they answer it in behaviour. A child who talks about the other kids all the way home is telling you the group is the point. A child who goes quiet in a group and comes alive when a coach works with them one-to-one is telling you the opposite.

Watch a session or two before committing to a term. Most coaches will let you sit in on one, and ten minutes of watching tells you more than any description of the program.

Is private coaching necessary for a junior who just wants to play socially?

No. A child who plays for fun with friends needs enough instruction to be safe, to get the ball airborne and to know the basic etiquette - which a group program or a holiday clinic covers perfectly well.

The case for private coaching is a child who wants to get better and has stopped doing so, or one heading towards competition. Buying it for a social player usually produces a technically tidier swing and a less enthusiastic golfer.