Golfing in your backyard is usually reserved for short game practice and testing out new clubs, but it can also be a place to learn the fundamentals of the game.
Independence Township resident Joel Wells has dedicated his back yard to helping children learn the basics of golf, while having fun.
Wells, 34, opened his Tiny Tots Golf School this past summer, after making some atypical renovations to his back yard in 2001.
After moving to his home off Pine Knob Road, Wells discovered his own interest in developing a home course. Wells? wife, Hale, was not on board with the project when he began transforming the lawn into a 90-yard, par-three, one-hole golf course.
‘She was moving some boxes and she said, ‘What are you doing?? I said, ‘I’m building a green.??
The project required $900. Wells completed the work himself, including the use of a Bobcat backhoe to dig up the ground for the tee box near Whipple Lake Road. That southern tee box is one of two on the course. The other is on the west side near Pine Knob Road.
‘I remember her come out and crying, saying, ‘what did you do, you’re destroying the yard,?? Wells remembers.
Wells said he also used a United States Golf Association guide to design the home course. He found the book on the Internet, and from there the idea became reality.
‘It told me everything to do,? he said.
‘If you stand down there, you couldn’t tell’until you look around, that it’s my yard,? he added.
Course work was completed and Wells? vision was realized the following spring of 2002.
The idea for Tiny Tots was born through Wells? interest in golf and his penchant for teaching children. He is a coach with the Clarkston Chiefs youth football program, for which he has been volunteering his time for the past four years.
In January, Wells left Aerotek, a design company used by General Motors, after nearly 10 years of employment. Shortly thereafter, he brainstormed his newest business venture.
With Tiny Tots, Wells teaches children ages 2-8 the fundamentals of golfing from the comfort of his backyard course, as well as indoor ‘hitting? barn. The barn has a net that catches golf balls after being hit. It is also heated, giving the kids a warm place to play in the cold winter months.
?(It’s) just like the golf course, in my back yard,? Wells said passionately about his course.
After producing flyers in the springtime, business began to pick up toward the summer.
‘It went a lot better than I thought it would starting last summer,? he said.
‘I got a little bit of business in March and then by the start of summer, through word of mouth, I got more. By the end of the summer, I was up to 10-12 kids per day. That was way beyond what I thought I would get.?
He hopes to expand the school’s reach by being part of local elementary after-school enrichment programs for the winter.
Wells, who has a lot of experience playing golf, specializes in translating the game’s mechanics into something comprehensible to young children.
‘The other guys are so technical and I put it into terms they can understand and before they know it, they are swinging perfect and getting prizes for it,? he said.
‘The basic mechanics of golf swings are what all children need to learn,? he added.
Wells? personal experience playing the game helps him diagnose any problems a player or student might be having.
‘I can look at anybody who doesn’t shoot under par and feel like I can tell you what you’re doing wrong, just from the basic principles of the golf swing,? he said.
‘They’re actually pretty simple, but getting them all to work together is not easy.
‘People always want to know your background. I’m not a pro golfer, but what I’m teaching (is) like the pros are doing,? he said.
To stress the importance of body positioning and following through on the swing, Wells marks the floor of the barn with outlines of the children’s feet, and instructs them to make sure their torsos face front after the swing.
‘It works better when they aren’t focusing on where the ball is going and concentrating on what their body is doing,? Wells said.
Through the lessons, he tracks students? progress in a log, recording what worked well and what did not.
Wells said he hopes to play with his children Tyler, 12, and Nicholas, 7, when they are older.
‘I plan on being very good some day, but I put all I can into my kids.?
Both sons play golf, and Nicholas has been in several youth golf tournaments. Joel started Nicholas on a golfing regiment at only 10 months old.
‘As soon as he could stand, I started him swinging in our basement probably 100 balls a day,? he remembered.
Tiny Tots Golf School is located at 9510 Pine Knob Road. For more information, call 248-821-8444 or e-mail jobywells@sbcglobal.net.