MIND / GOLF IQ M
I have written about my oldest son’s progress as an elite golfer. Perhaps you think this qualifies me to provide advice to other golf parents. Maybe so, but not necessarily the type you would expect. Much as my experience working in the golf industry has afforded me insight into how the game should be played and taught, the nuggets of wisdom I have relayed to my son are likely outnumbered by the mishaps I’ve made along the way. My guidance is more like a yardage book that maps out all the hazards. The least I could do is spare you the same trouble. LESSON #1 Your kid is not you The first problem with being a golf parent is that most of us are also avid golfers. As not a particularly great player, I have made the recurring mistake of projecting my golf experiences on to my son without factoring in the widening gap in our abilities. Close the face. Aim further out. Just lag it close. These are all things I’ve thought and even said while watching my kid play, which disregards more than just our different skill sets, but that he really should just figure this stuff out himself. Never mind if my advice was right or wrong. The mistake was thinking it mattered. LESSON #2 Beware hypocrisy The second problem with playing golf with my kid all these years is he’s been playing golf with me. It’s possible he recalls the day I got up-and-down from everywhere on the front nine, but he definitely remembers the time I helicoptered a wedge out of frustration into a greenside bunker. It was unreasonable for me to expect model comportment from my kid when, as a grown adult with a bond, I couldn’t always hold it together myself. The compromise then was to accept this was a process. I wanted him to try to manage his emotions better, and I would do the same, but as with golf itself, perfection was a myth.
Raising a junior golfer? This is the stuff I did wrong The author only meant well with his junior golfer, but his best advice comes from his mistakes.
By Sam Weinman
PHOTOGRAPH BY FREEPIK.COM
12 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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