There are two ways to introduce a child to golf.
The first is with lessons, drills, swing thoughts and dreams of junior tournaments.
The second starts with letting them pick out a bright pink golf ball from the golf shop, making a five-foot putt for a cookie or racing to see who can hit the Toptracer target first.
If you ask David and Irina Zaremba, better known as the AllForeFamily, the second approach is the one that creates lifelong golfers.
The Northern California family has built a devoted following by sharing the realities of golfing with young children—celebrating the magical moments, laughing through the chaotic ones and showing that family golf doesn't have to look picture-perfect to be meaningful.
Their biggest lesson?
Golf is a game before it's a sport.
It's happening at the perfect time. Junior golf participation is at its highest level in two decades, and girls now make up more than one-third of junior golfers, reflecting one of the fastest-growing segments in the game.
That simple mindset has helped their daughters fall in love with golf without ever making it feel like another obligation.
Here are a few of the lessons they've learned along the way.
Parents often think introducing kids to golf means signing them up for lessons or committing to 18-hole rounds. In reality, some of the best introductions to the game happen long before a scorecard ever comes out.
For the AllForeFamily, it started with simple experiences.
Their daughters tagged along to the course, rolled a few putts on the practice green and picked out their favorite golf balls in the golf shop. Family range sessions became games using Toptracer, where success wasn't measured by perfect swings but by laughter and a little friendly competition.
Having two girls close in age certainly helped—they naturally motivate each other—but the bigger lesson is that kids don't need a formal introduction to golf. They simply need a reason to associate the game with fun.
One piece of advice from David and Irina came up again and again throughout our conversation.
"Make golf a game, not a sport."
That doesn't mean ignoring fundamentals forever. It means understanding that enjoyment has to come before improvement.
Challenge your child to make one putt for a prize. Let them "beat" you by starting on the green while you play from the fairway. Play for boba, ice cream or the right to choose dinner.
The family follows what they jokingly call the 80/20 Rule: kids should feel successful about 80 percent of the time. That confidence creates momentum, and momentum creates kids who can't wait to come back to the golf course.
As it turns out, many of the same ideas that help adults enjoy golf more—celebrating small wins, trying games and focusing less on score—work just as well for kids.
Every parent wants to see their child improve. The irony is that improvement often comes much faster when fun—not performance—is the priority. One way to do that: check out Youth on Course as an affordable way to play with your kids!
It's easy to get caught up in swing mechanics and scorecards, especially if you're a golfer yourself. But David believes that's where many parents unintentionally lose sight of why they're there in the first place.
"The biggest mistake parents make is they automatically treat their kids as if they are future Division I athletes and burn them out instead of just enjoying and learning the game."
Not every child who picks up a golf club needs a five-year development plan.
Some just need a chance to discover that golf is a place where they laugh with their family, spend time outside and celebrate the occasional lucky putt.
If a lifelong love of golf is the goal, the scorecard can wait.
One of the biggest adjustments parents can make is redefining what counts as a successful day on the course.
Sometimes the AllForeFamily plays every other hole. Sometimes every third hole. Sometimes they stop after nine.
And sometimes the kids don't play at all.
"If they just want to ride in the cart and hang out, that's fine with us," David says. "Our goal is to have a good time—not to raise professional athletes."
That kind of flexibility takes the pressure off everyone.
Ending a round while your kids are still having fun is far more valuable than squeezing in another nine holes they'll remember for all the wrong reasons.
Ask the family about their favorite golf memory and it has nothing to do with birdies or personal bests.
One afternoon, the girls teamed up in a scramble while David and Irina played alternate shot. Through nine holes, the girls came out on top, earning themselves a celebratory trip for boba afterward.
Now, David jokes, they think they're unbeatable.
It's a funny story, but it's also a reminder of what family golf is really about.
Years from now, your kids probably won't remember what they shot.
They'll remember laughing in the cart, celebrating a long putt or stopping for ice cream on the way home.
Those are the moments that keep families coming back.
Scroll through Instagram and family golf can look effortless.
Matching outfits.
Sunset fairways.
Smiling kids.
What you don't see are the snack bags, water bottles, sunscreen, extra clothes, bathroom breaks, nap schedules and last-minute negotiations that happen before anyone even reaches the first tee.
Golfing with kids takes preparation. It takes patience. It almost always takes flexibility.
But ask David and Irina if it's worth it, and the answer is immediate.
Absolutely.
Perhaps the most rewarding part of the journey has been watching what golf has taught their daughters beyond the game itself.
When asked what they've learned, the girls didn't mention hitting the ball farther or making more putts.
Instead, they talked about learning to control their emotions.
"Golf has taught us to be more in control of our emotions because no matter what happens, you still have to remain composed."
That's one of the beautiful things about golf. It quietly teaches resilience, patience, honesty and perspective while families simply spend time together.
It's also why more young girls than ever are discovering the game, with girls representing one of golf's fastest-growing demographics, according to the USGA.
Those lessons last much longer than a good round.
If there's one takeaway from the AllForeFamily, it's this:
Your child doesn't have to finish 18 holes.
They don't need expensive equipment.
They don't need private lessons before they're ready.
They certainly don't need to play perfect golf.
They just need to leave the course thinking:
"That was fun. When can we do it again?"
Because if your child wants to come back next weekend, you've already succeeded.
Here's some helpful links to get you going: