How to Do Roda Golf's Kids' Golf Clinics in Autumn Half-Term

Is it worth booking your children onto a golf clinic during half-term, or should you just let them loose on the pitch and putt and hope for the best? I've watched both approaches play out on the Roda fairways over the years, and I've got a clear view on which one sends kids home grinning.

One note first. Clinic formats, ages and prices at Roda change from season to season, so I won't quote timetables I can't stand behind. Ask the pro shop or the resort reception for the current half-term programme before you plan around it. What I can give you is how the options compare, and which I'd choose.

Structured Clinic or Do-It-Yourself Practice?

You've really got two routes for a child who wants to try golf in the October break. You can book a group clinic with a coach, or you can take them to the practice area yourself and play it by ear. Both work. They suit different children.

The group clinic

Pros:

• A qualified coach spots a bad grip in seconds. You'll spend twenty minutes failing to do the same.
• Children listen to a stranger in a way they never do to a parent. This alone is worth the fee.
• Other kids make it a social event, not a lesson. Shy ones tend to loosen up by the second session.
• You get a free hour or two. A coffee on the terrace and a proper sit-down is not to be sniffed at.

Cons:

• Places are limited, and half-term is the obvious time everyone wants them. Book early.
• Mixed abilities in one group can leave a keen child waiting around.
• Fixed times can clash with a late breakfast or a beach morning.

Doing it yourself

Pros:

• Total flexibility. Go when the sun's out, leave when the attention drifts.
• Cheaper, and you can pair it with the course practice facilities at your own pace.
• Good for under-sevens, who really need ten minutes of whacking balls and then an ice cream.

Cons:

• Bad habits set early. A wrong grip learned at eight takes a lot of unlearning.
• Parents get frustrated, children pick up on it, and everybody ends up sulking by the range.

My Honest Preference

Book the clinic for anyone aged roughly seven and up, and keep the do-it-yourself approach for the little ones. That's my firm view. A first experience with a coach, in a group, with proper kit and a bit of laughter, is what turns a one-off into a habit. I've seen children who were dragged along on day one begging to go back on day three.

Then use the afternoons for the DIY bit. A short putting session on the practice green, with a bet on who sinks the most, reinforces what they learned in the morning without feeling like homework. If you're considering a longer stay, our guide to the golf courses at Roda explains what's available for juniors and beginners.

Making the Most of an October Clinic Week

October is a kind choice for children's golf. The scorching heat of August has gone, so nobody's wilting by 11am. Mornings can be fresh and sometimes dewy, so pack a light fleece and trainers that cope with damp grass. Sun cream and a hat still matter, as the Murcia sun doesn't take holidays.

Plan the rest of the day around the clinic, not the other way round. A morning session followed by lunch at a chiringuito on the Mar Menor shore is hard to beat. Santiago de la Ribera and Los Alcázares both have a paseo where tired legs can wander and ice creams can be bought. If your clinic falls on a Wednesday, the Los Alcázares market is a decent way to fill the afternoon. Our area guide to Roda and the Mar Menor has more ideas.

Keep expectations sensible. Children aged six to ten will not become scratch golfers in a week. The aim is that they hold a club properly, make contact with the ball a few times, and want to go again. Praise the lucky shots loudly. Ignore the air-swings.

Where you stay shapes the whole week. A base within a short drive of the resort means no rushed mornings, which matters with children. Have a look at the holiday rentals near Roda Golf if you haven't booked yet, and if you've got questions about juniors or timing, get in touch with us and we'll point you in the right direction.

My verdict? Clinic in the morning, beach or paseo after lunch, and a ten-minute putting game before dinner. It's a simple formula, and it's the one that has worked best for the families I know.