Today’s Q&A is our first overseas Q&A and features Dad and Daughter from Yukon, Oklahoma in the United States!

Ady Lou, affectionately known as Al and her Dad love their golf.  Their Instagram account Dadanddaughtergolf, chronicles their golfing journey from their local course, The Links at Mustang Creek.

We spoke with them to discuss their golfing journey, to get a unique outlook on how it compares to the UK golfing experience.

Tell us about yourselves!
Hi,I’m Al!  I’m 9 and I’ve been playing golf since I was 8 years old.  Some of my other hobbies and intrests are sewing (by myself but especially with my Great Grandma), going on hikes with my family, especially in placed like: Roman Nose State Park; Red Rock Cannon and the Wichita Mountains).  I love to cook and bake with my Mom and Great Grandma.

When did Al first get interested in golf?
Dad  I had plans with my neighbor to go golfing after work on a weekday and he got held up and couldn’t make it.  Not wanting to miss an opportunity to play myself, Mom suggested I turn it into a Dad and Daughter date; she went out and bought Lou some golfing clothes and we surprised her.  When we made it to the course and went to check in, the lovely lady behind the counter was so excited, that we had turned it into a date!  She gave Lou some clubs to play with and she took to it right away.  Lou couldn’t wait for us to go again.  That night we ordered her some clubs)!

How did you go about getting Al to play golf?
After the first time, she fell in love with the game. We made plans to play as often as we could.  We played several different courses before we went to what we thought was a public course, but it was for memebers only.  They were great and let us use the driving range anyway.  That night, after we finished up, we got some info.  We hadn’t thought about joining a club yet and so we approached Mom with the details and she said, YES!!!  This was great!  Since Dad is always busy, this meant we could go use the driving range, putting greens, chipping area, and the course when we had time.

What’s the best thing about golf?
Al  Using the driver, because that’s when I get to hit the furthest.  Driving the golf cart is really fun too!  Of course I get to spend more time with my Dad.
Dad  Getting to experience all the new things with Lou.  How many times nowadays can you say you’ve done something new that you’ve never done before?  We are both new to golf and getting to learn this game with her has been an amazing journey.  I look forward to all the future and watching her enthusiasm and love for the game grow.

What advice would you give to parents with children interested in golf?
Dad  Stick with it!!  Being so new, I have had and still have lots of questions.  Speaking with many golfers and even a few scratch (PGA) pros, I have yet to hear someone say, “I wish I hadn’t started playing this game.” It’s always, “I wish I had started sooner.”  And that’s true for me.

Since I started Mom and I have got all the kids involved in one way or another, so we all get the experience.  I do strongly recommend lessons.  We bought the kids thier own sets of clubs, which isn’t always needed, as we found many places lend clubs to beginners.  Even during this pandemic they let the kids take the clubs home and use them for the duration of the camp.

We also found several camps in the area that we could sign them up for.  We started with an 8 week course, then moved into a 5 week course to end the fall season.  We are all anxiously waiting for Spring camps to start and then moving into one-on-one lessons!

How would you describe junior golf participation in your local area?
Dad  Playing at several courses this past year, I didn’t notice many kids golfing in the area.  Lou is so excited everytime we seen a lady golfer on the course!  When we played at Kicking Bird Golf Course in Edmond, Oklahoma and that all changed.  They have great kids programs and it is a good place to start if you have questions.

Earlywine and Lake Hefner golf courses in Oklahoma City would also be a couple other places to get advice on camps and lessons that are specific to Oklahoma.  I also went to okgolf.org for information.

Where do you currently play the most?
We play the most at the Links in Oklahoma City, they don’t have a driving range and it is members only.  It is a fun 9-hole course we both enjoy.  Lou loves the water features they have and the hedges trimmed to say “The Links”.

We’ve seen you practicing a lot of drills on Instagram.  What are you working on at the moment?
Al  Dad has me working on dry drills alot, we don’t have a net at home so he has me practice on my swing in the living room or garage with foam balls.

What has surprised you about the junior golf space?
Dad  The most surprising thing about junior golf is the lack of awarness.  I didn’t know it was so big, especially in our local area, until we found ourselves looking for information.  You don’t see commercials or billboards advertising it.  Unless you’re involved with golf at all, you probably will never hear about it.  I guess thats true for most things really.  I was also surprised by the lack of kids golf clothes Ironically enough. Thats where Noisy Golf comes into play!  We were surprised and excited to hear we were the first American customers! All the products we ordered are great and we can’t wait for the spring line to launch!

Who are your golfing inspirations?
My Coaches, Dad, and Rickie Fowler. GO POKES!!

If you could play any course in the world, where would it be? 
Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand for sure.  Being land locked in Oklahoma the ocean views are spectacular!!

Thank you so much getting involved with us.  It’s amazing to have support from the US and we can’t wait to continue watching your golfing journey.

You can follow Al and Dad on their instagram profile by clicking here!

If you’d like to get involved in our junior golf Q&A, email us at contactus@noisygolf.com or contact us via our social media channels.