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I spend a lot of my time either running junior golf tournaments and watching my students compete in junior golf tournaments. One thing that I have noticed that makes a tremendous difference in a junior’s performance is in how their parents relate to them.
I find that most parents are very supportive of their junior golfer out on the tours, but a good 75 percent of them don’t know the things they do while watching their son or daughter hinder their performance. In a game filled with mistakes, a parent’s reaction, even if it is meant to be helpful, can often do significant damage and make it very hard for a junior to perform. Plus, juniors put more pressure on themselves when their parents are watching.
For a kid to flourish in competitive golf, they must always feel like they are supported, no matter how good, average, or bad they are playing. Here are three behaviors you should always be aware of when watching your junior:
Watch your body language. Smile a lot. It will help your junior feel less pressure. On any bad shot, never make a physical gesture or create body language that makes your son or daughter feel like you are upset.
When your junior hits a bad shot, stay silent. It’s pretty hard to focus on a golf shot when you are worried about how your parent is going to react if you miss.
Do not give instruction after a bad shot, especially during practice sessions. You can’t fix the last shot. Allow your junior space to learn through their own experiences. If you adhere to these tips, you will see a difference in your child’s performance.
Dan Martin is Director of Instruction at Rustic Canyon. Contact him at dan@golfacademyvc.com.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/19/golf-tip-parenting-tips-for-junior-golfers/#ixzz2lijhcTNF
- vcstar.com
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