Birdie Class
Lesson Plan # 2
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Life Skill: Dreams & Goals
Golf Fundamental: Swing Rhythm & Target Awareness
Healthy Habit:
 Energy – Making decisions about what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat provides the
body with the most useful energy.
 Safety – Playing in a safe environment, protecting the body with proper equipment and
wearing sun protection
Homework: Birdie Book pages 11-18
Warm Up: Golf Fitness Warm-Up Activity (even numbered workout day – see separate “Golf Circuit Warm-Up”
handout located on the private coach website) OR practice Target Awareness with different sized balls into
different targets. You can use small balls with smaller buckets or soccer balls with a bigger target. Have two
lines and have kids keep track of how many targets they hit. You could also use one line and have them
improve on made targets as a team within a time limit. Explain that this warm up game leads into Target
Awareness in the lesson.
Opening Questions: After completing the golf fitness warm up above, coaches and participants will discuss the
following questions:
1. What is a dream and why is it important?
2. What is a goal and why are they important?
3. What separates dreams and goals?
4. What goals do you have for the game of golf?
5. What goals do you have regarding your education?
6. What goals do you have regarding your career?
7. What are your goals for today’s class?
Activity 1 Directions- Putting – “Imagination Station”
Objectives of the Game: Players will practice putting with a metronome to help develop a more consistent
swing rhythm. Players will also create a visual representation for breaking putts.
Objectives of the Golf Fundamental: Develop a consistent rhythm for putting. This activity also incorporates a
practice method for increasing target awareness.
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Supplies: metronome (free app on smart phones – “Mobile Metronome” or “Metronome Beats”), cones
Description of Set Up: Coaches will set up 5 holes at different lengths (10- 25 ft). and create starting and
safety zones utilizing cones.
How to Play: Assign 2-3 players at each of the 5 starting holes. Have participants putt for 2 minutes using their
own routine (no instruction from coaches during this time). After this, the coach should explain what a
metronome is and how it might be able to help the rhythm of their putting strokes. The coach should
experiment with the group using different beats while everyone putts to holes from different distances (work
with metronome for 8-10 minutes).
Next, give each player 8-10 tees to put in their pocket. Explain hitting putts on the “high” and “low” side of
the cup. Let them know the advantages to missing on the high side. Each team will decide how their putt will
break and use the tees to outline the putt (see diagram below). Once they have their golf tees in place, one
player will close their eyes and try to putt their ball down the line their group laid out. Players should take
turns closing their eyes hitting putts. Once everyone has putted at a particular hole, rotate to another hole.
Repeat until time has expired.
Activity 2 Directions - Full Swing –“Darts”
Objectives of game: The key to this game is to develop a swing with a good rhythm to hit the bulls-eye.
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Objectives of golf fundamental: The golf skill that will be learned is that a smoother rhythm will allow you to
hit more greens in regulation. A player may change clubs as they see needed. This can also be played from a
fairway bunker.
Supplies: Golf balls, carpenter tape or string, practice area or golf course
Description of Set-up: Set up a simulated “over-sized” dart board for participants to hit approach shots with
varying levels of difficulty. The most difficult shot will be rewarded the highest point value. The second in
difficulty will be rewarded the next highest point value and so on.
How to Play: Allow participants to warm up hitting golf balls using a wedge or short/mid iron for 3-4 minutes.
If possible, coaches should use their smartphone metronome app to help encourage consistent tempo while
players are warming up. For the actual game, players should use any club from a wedge up to a
hybrid/fairway wood. After explaining the game to participants, ask them what a dream score and a goal
score for this activity would be.
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Round I: Player hits a shot from 50 yards; whichever point zone you hit is your total
Round II: Player Participant hits a shot from 75 yards; whichever point zone you hit is your total
Round III: Player Participant hits a shot from 100 yards; whichever point zone you hit is your total
Round IV: Player Participant hits a shot from 150 yards; whichever point zone you hit is your total
Add points together to get total score for the game.
Coach Notes: there will probably be time to play multiple rounds of this game. It’s important for players to hit
a different length shot each time. This gives participants an experience that is closer to real competition;
rarely do you ever hit the same length shot consecutively on the golf course.
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Bridge to Life: Use the following questions to help participants apply their “on-course” work to their “offcourse” activities and experiences.
1. Have you ever practiced swing rhythm or tempo before?
2. What other ways can you practice swing rhythm or tempo?
3. How does visualization factor into Target Awareness?
4. How can you commit to using visualization more consistently in the future when you are playing golf?
5. How can you use visualization off the golf course?
6. What is the difference between dreams and goals?
7. Why are both dreams and goals important?
8. What other life skills and core values might be important when thinking about dreams and goals?
(Perseverance, Confidence, and Personal Par are a few that come to mind…I’m sure there are lots
more!)
9. Homework- take time and write down 5 personal goals to bring for the next class.
Lesson Plan Progression: Activities will follow this sequence.
 Warm up- Golf fitness
 Dreams vs. Goals discussion
 Activity 1 - Putting
 Activity 2 - Full swing
 Bridge to Life
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