The Asian edition of The Wall Street Journal this weekend is running a story about a new trend in that part of the world: organized golf programs for kids as young as 2. In Singapore, a chain of eight schools called KinderGolf gets tots swinging clubs in brightly colored storefront locations. The instructors, all women chosen for their nurturing qualities, don’t force the toddlers to train, but the walls are lined with mirrors and giant photographs of golf greats like Ben Hogan and Ernie Els. By age 7, the most advanced golfers are regularly playing in nine-hole tournaments.</p>
<p>The article, by John Krich, cites similar programs in China, Japan and South Korea. Parents give many reasons for enrolling their tykes, from improving their concentration to developing a regard for etiquette.</p>
<p>But clearly, in the back of almost everyone’s mind is the possibility of creating another Tiger Woods or Michelle Wie. Andy Tan, 38, the head of a recruiting firm in Singapore, started his 10-year-old daughter at KinderGolf when she was 4. She has since won trophies in SuperJunior tournaments around Asia, plus a medal in the U.S., and plans to spend some time in Southern California for more advanced training. “Without KinderGolf, she would have had to wait until 13, which is too late to start on the world scene,” Mr. Tan said.</p>
<p>My first reaction to these stories, frankly, was, “No! No! No!” They conjured visions of overweaning stage parents, childhoods ruined by the actuarially foolish pursuit of sports stardom, and legions of embittered ex-would-be prodigies estranged from golf. I thought of PGA Tour player Sean O’Hair, who now won’t even speak to his father, who aggressively pushed him to train as a boy.</p>
<p>But then I thought: Lots of parents everywhere enroll their young kids in activities from ballet to gymnastics – and certainly some secretly dream those kids will someday grow up to become a prima ballerina or win a medal at the Olympics. Why should golf be any different?</p>
<p>In this country, super-young golfers are not unheard of. This summer, a 2½-year-old Colorado toddler named Brayden Bozak demonstrated his prowess hitting balls for Diane Sawyer on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and Tiger Woods imitators with nicknames like Tiny Tiger, Tiger Cub and Tiger Adams surface regularly.