Parents
Parent's Guide to a Tournament
1. Learn about the Event
- Read all the information provided by the tournament organization running the event. Pay close attention to the tournaments entry form as it will provide additional information about the entry process and all relevant deadlines.
- Arriving to the golf course at least one-hour before the junior golfers tee time is extreamly important. This gives them enough time to check-in and also warm-up prior to beginning their round without being rushed.
- Be realistic about your Junior Golfers ability level. In the beginning it should be about personal improvement, not winning. Don't let lack of success in the beginning deter future participation, let them struggle and learn from it.
- Stay back and let the Junior Golfer play, tournaments are not the time to give advice and/or coach.
- Respond to good shots of the entire group, not just your own child. Do not questions or respond to bad shots, they know it was a bad shot and don't need additional confirmation.
- Ask how the Junior Golfer thinks the round went. Your assessment and theirs may be different, but it is important to stay positive and look for ways to improve.
Parental Do's and Don'ts
Do's:
- Stay involved in a postive way
- Be supportive, interested, and encouraging
- Forbid cheating, quiting, and lack of sportsmanship
- Discourage temperamental behavior and vulgarity
- Stress the lifetime value of golf as a sport
- Expect financial returns from your child's interests
- Put extreme pressure on your child to win
- Display negative emotion, frustration, anger, fear, or nervousness on the course
- Be a Coach or Rules Official
- Equate your own self-worth with your child's performance