Everyone's a Winner:
Parents of juniors should be encouraged to take an active interest in the junior program. They should be made aware of their special role as junior parents. Developing a professional-parent relationship will help us avoid many communication problems and enrich the program for everyone. If we are to avoid the many problems suffered by coaches in other youth sports then the education of parents is a must.
Setting the right Goals:
Those of us teaching golf do so for many reasons. We want others to have the same chances to enjoy the sport that we have. We have confidence in our ability to help others play at a higher level,which will increase their enjoyment. Many coaches/ parents are interested in seeing their players go on to the highest levels of competition.
It is the nature of sports that many of these goals are measured in terms of winning and losing. Unfortunately, some coaches and parents get caught up in "winning is everything" mentality that is so pervasive in our culture. Not only is this overemphasis on winning an unrealistic attitude, it is actually counterproductive.
It is very interesting to note the results of several studies that tried to determine why kids participate in sports. Here are the results in order of importance( To Kids):
1. To have Fun
2. To improve skills and learn new skills
3. To be with friends and make new friends
4. For thrills and excitement
5. To become physically fit
6. To succeed or win
As coaches ,we should not allow the least important of these,winning to overpower all of the other reasons that kids have for playing golf.
John Wooden( Former UCLA Head Basketball Coach) has an unmatched winning record and shows that there's more than one way to define a winner.
"You cannot find a player who ever played for me at UCLA that can tell you that he ever heard me mention "winning" a basketball game. He might say I inferred a little here and there,but I never mentioned winning. Yet the last thing I told my players just prior to tip-off, before we would go onto the floor,was " When the game is over I want your head up, and i know of only one way your head should be up. That's for you to know that you did your best. No one can do more."
The fact is that your kids cannot control the final score of a round. They can't even, as some coaches suggest "just go out and play your very best golf". Even the world's great players have off days.
Kids can,as John Wooden suggests, control how hard they try.
Emotional support:
We want the parents to stay involved in the right way.This means to always show interest in their kids,and constantly encourage them regardless of how they perform. Providing emotional support is without a doubt the single most important aspect of a parent's role.
The key to parental support and involvement is to have clearly defined goals for both the program and parents. The parents' performance plays a large part in the success of the junior program. When parents know and observe their responsibilities in the junior program they increase the possibility of achieving all of the program objectives and make the program more enjoyable for everyone.
