A Letter to the
Parents
Having coached hundreds of junior golfers to successful collegiate and professional careers, I learned that by providing juniors an atmosphere that is always positive and supportive, students have the best chance of developing belief in their abilities. I have outlined my goals for my junior golf students, our job as coaches, and the role of the junior golf parent.
Below are two goals I have for my junior golfer students in order of importance to me.
1. That they develop into great human beings who are:
o Honest
o Hard working
o Show great etiquette and respect for others and the game
o Great role models for the next generation of juniors
o Good students and work hard at school
2. That they enjoy golf and reach their potential.
If these goals are met, your child will be a great member of the community and will have opportunities to move to the next level in golf (university or professional) or will have a foundation in golf that will let them enjoy the game for the rest of their lives.
Job of the Coach
• Provide a checklist of the skills needed to play elite golf
o Swing/ Equipment
o Short Game
o Mental Game/ Course Management
o Fitness
o Nutrition
o Attitude and Perspective
o Tournament Preparation / Evaluation
o Scholarship Pursuit and university selection
• Provide guidance on how to improve the various skills, raising them to elite standards
• Counsel the parents on their job and answer questions
Job of a Golf Parent
o Provide Unconditional Love and Support
o Reward effort and not scores
o Focus on positives of the junior’s game
• Studies have shown, on a typical day, a child will hear 453 negative comments and only 15 positive ones.
• Every time you speak to them, decide which total you want to contribute to
o Contribute to junior golfers “golf esteem” in a positive way.
• To play great golf under pressure, a player must have a very well established belief in their abilities as a golfer
• This belief must be overwhelmingly positive if a player is to expect greatness from themselves
• Humans remember bad things 3 times as easily as good things. Every time we input a bad memory into our “mental filing cabinet”, we have to put in 3 good memories just to get back to even.
Good Pre-Tournament comments:
• “Give each shot your best today”
• “Focus where you want the ball to go”
• “You’ve worked hard to get ready, now go have fun”
Good Post Round Comments:
• “How was your day?” - Let them decide how to describe it.
• If they answer with a score, ask “was it a good score or a poor score today?”
• “Did you try your best?”
• “Did you have fun?”
• “What did you learn today?” This is a great question regardless of how they played. It breeds a get better everyday mentality.
• “What were the best shots you hit today?”
• “If you could go back in time, how far back would you go and what would you do differently?”