Golf is a lifelong sport built on skill, focus, and good sportsmanship. You'll learn how to stay safe on the course and then work on the playing skills and rules of the game. It's a great sport to share with family and friends.
Why it's worth it
Golf is one of the few sports you can play with your grandparents, your friends, and someday your own kids, all on the same course. It teaches you to stay calm after a bad shot, call penalties on yourself when no one is watching, and keep your focus for a whole round. Courses also hire a lot of teens for jobs like caddying and grounds crew, and some golf programs offer scholarships for young players.
Start this week
- Find out if a public course, driving range, or park district near you offers junior clinics or low-cost youth rates.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Golf counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Practice your grip and stance at home with any club or even a broomstick, using a mirror to check your posture.
- Read the basic etiquette rules and make a short list of where to stand and when to stay quiet while others swing.
Stay safe
- Leave the course and get inside a building or car at the first sign of lightning; open fairways and trees are dangerous in a storm.
- Before you swing, check that no one is within reach of your club, and never walk in front of someone who is hitting.
Requirements · 2
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Discuss staying safe on a golf course. Show you know first aid for golf-related injuries and illnesses, including sunburn, heat reactions, dehydration, lightning, blisters, bug or animal bites, poison ivy, sprains, and strains
Tip: Learn where to stand when others are swinging, what to do in lightning, and how to treat blisters and sunburn.
For example: Talk through a round: stand well behind and to the side of anyone swinging, yell "Fore" if your ball heads toward people, leave the course as soon as you hear thunder, and know first aid for blisters, sunburn, and heat exhaustion.
- Requirement 2
Golf or disc golf. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Pick the option that fits you and practice at a driving range or putting green. A golf pro or experienced golfer can help with your swing.
Example for this section: Whichever option you pick, set a simple practice routine. For golf: 20 minutes of putting, 20 of chipping, and a bucket of balls at the range each week. For disc golf: 20 minutes of putting at a basket and a set of backhand and forehand throws in an open field. Track one number, like how many putts you make from a set distance, so you can see progress.
- Requirement 2a
Option A: traditional golf
- Requirement 2a1
Study the current USGA Rules of Golf, then do 2a1a–2a1c
- Requirement 2a1a
Tell about the 3 categories of golf etiquette
- Requirement 2a1b
Show that you understand what common golf terms mean
- Requirement 2a1c
Show you know what the Rules of Amateur Status say
- Requirement 2a2
Tell what you understand about the World Handicap System
- Requirement 2a3
Golf history
- Requirement 2a3a
Tell about golf's early history
- Requirement 2a3b
Describe golf's first years in the United States
- Requirement 2a3c
Tell what a top golfer of your choice has accomplished
- Requirement 2a4
Golf and fitness
- Requirement 2a4a
Tell how golf can help you stay healthy in body and mind
- Requirement 2a4b
Explain how following an exercise plan can make you a better golfer, and show 2 exercises that would help your game
- Requirement 2a5
Golf skills to show
- Requirement 2a5a
Show correct grip, stance, posture, and the key basics of a good swing
- Requirement 2a5b
Show a driver shot hit off a tee
- Requirement 2a5c
Show a fairway wood shot
- Requirement 2a5d
Show a long iron shot
- Requirement 2a5e
Show a short iron shot
- Requirement 2a5f
Show approach, chip-and-run, and pitch shots
- Requirement 2a5g
Show a shot out of heavy rough or a bunker
- Requirement 2a5h
Show a solid putting stroke
- Requirement 2a6
Play at least two 9-hole rounds or one 18-hole round with a golfer near your age and with your counselor or a counselor-approved adult, doing 2a6a–2a6c
- Requirement 2a6a
While playing, follow the Rules of Golf
- Requirement 2a6b
While playing, use good golf etiquette
- Requirement 2a6c
While playing, respect other golfers, the committee, the sponsor, and the gallery
- Requirement 2a7
Learn about 3 careers connected to golf. Choose one and find out the education, training, and experience it takes. Discuss it with your counselor and explain why it interests you
- Requirement 2b
Option B: disc golf
- Requirement 2b1
Study the current PDGA Official Rules of Disc Golf, then do 2b1a and 2b1b
- Requirement 2b1a
Tell about the 6 areas of Courtesy (812)
- Requirement 2b1b
Describe the 7 areas of Scoring (808)
- Requirement 2b2
Tell about how disc golf began and why it's a game everyone can play
- Requirement 2b3
Disc golf history
- Requirement 2b3a
Tell about disc golf's history and why it's inclusive
- Requirement 2b3b
Discuss with your counselor what Ed Headrick contributed to disc golf
- Requirement 2b3c
Describe how disc design has changed over time
- Requirement 2b3d
Tell what a top disc golfer of your choice has accomplished
- Requirement 2b4
Disc golf and fitness
- Requirement 2b4a
Tell how disc golf can help you stay healthy in body and mind
- Requirement 2b4b
Explain how following an exercise plan can make you a better disc golfer, and show 2 exercises that would help your game
- Requirement 2b5
Disc golf skills to show
- Requirement 2b5a
Show a good throwing grip
- Requirement 2b5b
Show a good X-step runup when throwing
- Requirement 2b5c
Show a backhand shot
- Requirement 2b5d
Show a forehand shot
- Requirement 2b5e
Show an overhand shot
- Requirement 2b5f
Show a rolling shot
- Requirement 2b5g
Show a good in-line putting stance
- Requirement 2b5h
Show a good straddle putting stance
- Requirement 2b5i
Show a good putting grip
- Requirement 2b5j
Show a smooth putting motion with follow-through
- Requirement 2b5k
Show how to use a mini marking disc correctly
- Requirement 2b6
Play at least 18 holes of disc golf with a player near your age and with your counselor or a counselor-approved adult, doing 2b6a–2b6c
- Requirement 2b6a
While playing, follow the PDGA's official disc golf rules
- Requirement 2b6b
While playing, use good disc golf etiquette
- Requirement 2b6c
While playing, respect other players, other park visitors, and the wildlife, trees, and plants
- Requirement 2b7
Learn about 3 careers connected to disc golf. Choose one and find out the education, training, and experience it takes. Discuss it with your counselor and explain why it interests you
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A public golf course or driving range
A golf professional can check your grip and swing, and you can see how the course is laid out and cared for.
How: Have an adult call the pro shop and ask about junior clinics or a short group lesson for Scouts. Many courses offer youth rates.
A golf course maintenance area
The grounds crew can show you how greens are mowed, watered, and kept healthy, which is a whole science of its own.
How: Have an adult ask the course if the superintendent would give a short tour to a Scout group early in the morning.
Where it can lead
- Golf course superintendentManages the turf, irrigation, and crew that keep the course playable; often studies turfgrass science.
- Golf professionalTeaches lessons and runs golf programs at clubs and public courses.
- CaddieCarries clubs and helps players read the course; a common first job for teens, and some caddie programs lead to college scholarships.
- Sports turf managerKeeps fields and courses in top shape for golf, baseball, and soccer.
Ask yourself
- What part of golf looks easy but turned out to be hard for you?
- How do you react after a bad shot, and how would you like to react?
- Who could watch your swing and give you one thing to work on?
- What does honesty look like in golf, when you're the one keeping score?
- How could golf be something you share with family or friends?
Good questions to ask a golf pro or your counselor
- What do beginners spend too much time on, and what should they practice more?
- How do you stay focused after a really bad hole?
- What's a rule that surprises most new golfers?
- How can a young player get more time on the course without spending a lot?
- What are the jobs at a golf course that people don't think about?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Ask a local golf course or driving range about a group lesson for Scouts.
- Encourage Scouts to practice golf etiquette as much as their swing.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Local golf course or driving range — Golf pros can offer lessons and practice tips.
- USGA (opens in a new tab) — The official rules of golf.
- PGA of America (opens in a new tab) — Find golf professionals and junior programs near you.
- First Tee (opens in a new tab) — A nonprofit that teaches young people golf and life skills, often at low cost.
- NWS Lightning Safety (opens in a new tab) — Why golf courses are risky in storms and what to do when thunder roars.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.