For fathers and sons, golf can be a preeminent bonding experience. The same is probably true for mothers and daughters, but I’ll have to stick with my own experience in this case. My son was 8 years old when I bought him his first youth golf equipment – a set of six-piece Callaway clubs. I had booked an evening tee time well in advance, choosing a weeknight so that the course wouldn’t be busy. Knowing that the going would be slow, I tried to time the round to be played just before dusk so that we wouldn’t hold anyone up.

Just as I suspected, the first round was a rough one. Golf can be a cruel sport, and it’s only as fun as you make the experience. Even if my son wasn’t hitting the ball like a miniature Tiger Woods the first time out, I still offered words of encouragement and praise. By the time we had put the clubs in the trunk of the car and headed home, my son wouldn’t stop talking about coming back and playing another round.