Dreaming of College Golf, Catch It Here

In today’s Monday Mulligan we will specifically address how to use me and Linda to give your child the chance to catch their dream of playing college golf.

High school golfers are the focus of this post, but all parents might want to note that the sooner you and your junior golfer decide if college golf is a goal, the sooner you can start planning. We started S3’s college golf plans when he was 5 years old. It was always the long-term goal. Time flies by quickly, it’s never too early to start.

Parents of high school golfers, please hear me: even if your child is finishing their junior year, there’s still a great opportunity to successfully pursue college golf. Time is short and we need to take advantage of what time is available. Be optimistic! Contact us immediately and we can get the process moving.

This is special college golf pricing and it’s different from other coaching packages listed on our site.

A. College Golf Bundle:

6 sessions over 90 days

$395

B. College Golf Hourly

1-hour sessions as needed

$75 per hour

What’s included:

The path to college golf is confusing and we’ll provide a structure and plan for you to properly proceed. This includes timing for when certain things need to be implemented. The who, what, when, where, how to contact/communicate with the people, places and entities involved.

You’ll end up with a clear path from right now continuing into the future when you and your kiddo are having serious talks with college golf coaches.

Parents of high school juniors, if you are going to do this, the time is now.

Scholarships for boys are widely available but you must know and implement the process to be successful.

The scholarships for girls are easier to get because there aren’t enough girls playing golf to fill them. However, parents, you must pursue the scholarship process properly.

For those parents of 5-year olds and up to high schoolers, we have considerable important input for the best way to help your junior golfer use the years remaining in his/her junior golf career.

Some of your most amazing parenting memories will be on the golf course with your youngster. Make those times more meaningful with a long-term goal of playing college golf.

See you on #1 tee wearing your college logo… Sam

Junior Golf: 3 Big-Time Lessons From Jordan’s Win

In this Wednesday Waggle we can look at 3 huge revelations that your junior golfer can use right now in his/her junior golf career.

Photocredit:golfdigest.com

Jordan’s final round on Sunday was so full of educational moments that I hope you and your young golfer and your whole family watched it and that it is still on your TiVo so you can scan through it once more! This is 4 hours of golf greatness and golf lessons and golf memories that you may not see again for a number of years.

Here are 3 gigantic golf/life lessons that your kiddo can accept and use immediately:
Everybody hits bad shots. Jordan’s 1st 12 and ½ holes were a mess and after his win he mentioned he had a bit of nerves at the start of the round, but when he and Matt’s scores became tied, the nerves went away and he got back to playing his game. Lesson: the sooner your boy/girl accepts that bad shots will be a part of golf, the sooner they can begin dealing with them appropriately.
Everybody has emotions. Jordan’s drive on #1 appeared to be on a perfect line, and it was, but it ended up just short of the fairway in some very long grass. This pretty much meant bogie instead of par or birdie and Jordan was ticked off. By his own admission he already had a slight case of nerves and this didn’t help and he ended up with a bogie. Some people control/hide/suppress their emotions better than others. Emotional highs and lows are readily available on the golf course and there are times when every golfer just wants to bite right through his/her lip or bang their head against a tree in frustration. This behavior however, is not helpful and it hurts! Lesson: decrease the intensity of the highs and lows. Find a spot in the middle of that emotional range, not too high and not too low and that is where the kiddos need to be/stay.

Photocredit:Stewart Franklin/Getty Images

It is possible to turn a poor round into a better round. Yes, Jordan is exceptional and not every PGA Tour pro can turn a golf game around like he did on Sunday. It is possible though to hit a good or great shot after hitting a bad shot. Simply put, this is what Jordan did after his ugly tee shot on #13. He was able to leave the bad shots behind and refocus on hitting good shots, really amazing, mesmerizing shots to close out his win. Lesson: the sooner your son/daughter can forget about, leave behind, erase the bad shots from memory, the sooner they can focus on hitting a good next short. Having a very short memory in regards to one’s previous shots is very beneficial. Focus on hitting a good next shot, period!

Ok that’s it for now. Hope you can go back and take another look at some of those incredible highlights!

See you on #1 tee ready to be on the highlight reel… Sam

 

Junior Golf: The First Step To College Golf

In this Friday Flop Shot we will look at how to make that 1st move, that first step down the path to college golf. Every plan must have a beginning, so here we go.

photocredit:Dubai Golf

Your son/daughter has a family team with them as they pursue their junior golf career. Sisters and brothers are also part of the team even though their responsibilities may be more subtle than Dad and Mom’s. The whole family is the team.

What is a team’s number one function: to provide support for the player! The support starts right here. The road to college golf begins right here. The team must all be on the same page!

How do you begin?
First Mom and Dad must agree that you would like/expect your junior golfer to attend college.
Then you should look at the time and money involved in supporting your junior golfer’s career in a strong enough manner to promote him/her as golf scholarship material. Expect college to cost more than you ever imagined. S3’s golf scholarship money was extremely helpful in paying for his college expenses!

Parents you must then be in agreement that college golf will be the long-term goal of your kiddo’s junior golf career.
Next it’s time to bring your junior golfer on board that he is expected to go to college and the most fun way to attend would be as a scholarship golfer and that the family will support him in every way to help him get there. He must also do his part however, because this is a 2-way street.

Now bring the siblings on board. Please make sure they know that you will support them in their endeavors every bit as much as you will support your young golfer. Their main role is to do their own thing without disrupting other family events and functions. They don’t need to be cheerleaders, they just need to go with the flow.

This will get you started. There will be a ton of questions. Single parents please seek wise counsel. Talk to parents who have had scholarship athletes and get their input. Parents of other junior golfers may have some decent advice. Talk to people whose advice you respect and trust. Get as much information as you can. College scholarships are a big deal and are well worth the time you spend pursuing them.

Not every kiddo needs to attend college, but those who are talented high school athletes are different. They have a chance to go to college and have some of those costs paid for by the university they will attend. This is unique and special. Please accept this as so. Having a scholarship can, for some kids, be the difference in going, or not going, to college.

And Parents, getting a college degree is a life goal and going to school on a golf scholarship is an even higher life goal! So please get your whole crew on board and let’s get started on the path to college golf.

See you on #1 tee playing for a scholarship… Sam

Junior Golf: 3 Lessons From The Thrilling Final Round Of The Masters

In today’s Monday Mulligan we will take a look at 1 of the most exciting days ever in a professional golf tournament. There were so many incredible happenings that the announcers were peddling as fast as they could just to try to keep up!m

photocredit:jennleforge.com

Here are some things Linda and I hope you will review with the junior golfer in your family:
Predictions are only worth so much. With a star-studded leaderboard, the announcers were discussing possible outcomes from Sunday’s play. While Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose, in the final group were serious contenders, most of the talk was about Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler in the next to last pairing. The analysts expected great things from these 2 young guns as each was on a roll and playing well. Sergio on the other hand, was playing in his 61st major and had never won. Justin Rose, with a seriously strong pedigree was given due respect as a possible green jacket winner as were several others in the field. Again, most of the talk was about how Jordan and Rickie were primed to make runs at the title. Perhaps you know the results. Sergio beat Justin on the 1st playoff hole. Jordan shot 75. Rickie shot 76. So much for predictions!
Sir Nick hasn’t seen everything. When Russell Henley jarred-holed out his 185-yard approach shot on #5 for an eagle it was a flag-rattling sight. The ball entered the cup on the fly, no bounces. Yes, this has been seen many times previously by all of us. The ball, however, upon entering the hole, actually damaged some turf around the edge of the hole and broke off a piece of the cup, rendering it in need of repair, and of the course, the turf needed to be fixed as well. By rule, a player cannot do these tasks. They must be done by course staff under the auspices of rules officials. So, staff were quickly brought in, the broken tin cup was removed, the turf repaired and a new cup was cut, by rule within the proper distance from the original cup and play was resumed. Sir Nick commented that in all his time around golf and golf tournaments, he had never seen this situation. Very fascinating and interesting stuff!
A very young fan can take home a once-in-a-lifetime memory from The Masters. Matt Kuchar got on a roll on the back 9. On the par 3 16th, he stepped up and hit a 7-iron. The shot looked good in the air, but Matt could only see the flag, not the cup, from the tee box. The thundering roar of the crowd told him his shot had gone in for an ace. What a thrill for all the fans and, of course, Matt. But the biggest thrill, at least for 1 little fan, was yet to come. Kuchar walked up, acknowledged the crowd, pulled his ball from the cup, wiped it off and signed it. As he exited the green he handed the ball to 1 of the youngest golf fans in sight. How old was he? Don’t know but he obviously knew something about golf because he was absolutely elated when Kuchar handed him the autographed ball. What a beautiful gesture by a true gentleman and he gave that boy a treasured memory! That’s what our sport is about! Be sure to check out the link above, it’s worth it!

photocredit:cnn

There were so many special moments yesterday, there is no way to do them justice here, so let’s wrap up and congratulate Sergio on a great victory!

See you on #1 tee ready to make some memories… Sam

Junior Golf: Why The Masters Is Important For Your Junior Golfer

In today’s Wednesday Waggle we will take a look at this week’s PGA tournament and offer some input as to why The Masters is very important for your son/daughter.

photocredit:golfdigest.com

There are more reasons than this space allows as to the importance of The Masters to your son and the rest of your family, in fact to all sports fans everywhere. Let’s hit some highlights.

1st, it’s the first men’s major championship of each year and the field will include many of the best players in the world. That alone should make it very important.
2nd, Augusta National Golf Club, the permanent Masters venue in Augusta, Georgia, is one of the most beautiful places anywhere. Amazingly gorgeous flowers are blooming all over the course and the fairways, greens, traps, hazards, paths, every square inch seems to be perfectly manicured. We look forward to every minute of TV coverage so we can enjoy this visual feast.
3rd, The Masters is loaded with great traditions. From the ceremonial opening tee shots, done for years by the legendary Big Three of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. With Arnold’s passing last September, Jack and Gary will do this year’s shots. And then there’s the awarding of the renowned green jacket to the winner on Sunday afternoon and any number of traditions occurring in between.
4th, the golf is great! The players will tell you that this is one of the toughest courses they play. The greens are lightning fast. The undulating and rolling fairways, much more so than the TV cameras show, almost never leave a flat lie and stance for the next shot. Water and traps are just begging for golf balls to enter them. And even with all this there are players shooting under par. Wow!
5th, tickets to this event are widely known as possibly the toughest ticket in all of sports. Just having an opportunity to be a patron, as the fans at ANGC are referred to, is a rare situation. Go for it!

photocredit:pinterest

So what does this mean to your youngster? Hopefully he’ll dream more and bigger dreams. I mean every pro playing in this event dreamed about it as a kid and probably as a pro too until getting his 1st invitation to play in The Masters! Heck, I’ve dreamed about being a patron and that’s tough enough!The sheer beauty, pageantry, traditions and excellent golf should end up being more than enough to get your kiddo revved up.

So Parents, your action is to make sure you TiVo the tournament. Thursday and Friday are on ESPN and Saturday and Sunday are on CBS. We always record 2.5 hours beyond the scheduled Sunday end time to allow for possible playoffs.

See you on #1 tee excited about The Masters… Sam

Junior Golf: Pay Attention Or Pay The Price

In this Monday Mulligan we will take a look at something that happened last weekend at the LPGA tournament. It is a hard lesson about paying attention when your daughter/son is in competition or there might be a steep price to pay.

Paying attention to her game and being aware of what’s going on in her group is an essential and required part of competition. It begins with a reasonable knowledge of the rules and etiquette and, of course, as her skill level improves, it would also include her strategy/game plan for her round.

Competition is different than playing with family or friends. Things happen, sometimes strange things happen, things you have never seen before and might never see again. Pressure is everywhere. Everybody reacts differently to pressure and pressure can increase or decrease during a round. Pressure has its own life!

So in last week’s LPGA ANA Championship, Lexi Thompson was assessed 4 penalty strokes in the middle of Sunday’s final round for actions that took place in the previous day’s round. A viewer sent in a video of Lexi marking her ball and putting it back in a different spot from where she picked it up. She moved the ball perhaps a quarter to half an inch and it was pretty obvious on the video. So she was penalized 2 strokes for violation of Rule 20-7C (playing from the wrong place). She signed her scorecard for 67 but it should have been 69, so she was next assessed a 2-stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard and the 67 that became a 69 now became a 71. Wow!

photocredit Jeff Gross

Her 2-stroke lead went away and she was suddenly 2 strokes behind the leader. To her credit, Lexi played very well after being informed of the penalty strokes and ended up in a playoff where she lost on the 1st hole. Lexi’s own words regarding the situation, “I didn’t realize I did that,” she said through tears. “I did not intentionally do that. But you know what, I fought hard coming in and I didn’t give up. But so many players played great, so congrats.”

What is the takeaway for junior golfers and their parents? While your kiddo should always be in the moment during a tournament, there are times to really focus and pay attention. Properly marking and replacing a golf ball is a simple task and yes, it’s relatively easy, but it should never be taken for granted. Watch how the pros do it. Their actions are deliberate and their hands move a little slower rather than faster. This is a situation that must be executed perfectly.

I asked S3 that in all his rounds of junior golf and college golf, did he ever see any violations such as this one. His response, “Maybe 3 or 4.” Then I said, “Did you call any penalties?” S3, “Sure did.”

So your girl may see this once in a blue moon, but she will see it. Please encourage her that when she is preparing to mark and then replace her golf ball that she should take a deep breath and focus on the proper technique. No problemo!

See you on #1 tee ready to properly mark and replace your ball… Sam

Junior Golf: Who’s New At Parenting Junior Golfers?

In today’s Friday Flop Shot we will introduce the latest addition to our Parenting Junior Golfers team.

photo credit:offcoursegolf.com

The First Tee of Greater San Antonio is a wonderful organization filled with talented staff and volunteers. We have gotten to know many of these nice folks over the last couple of years. Our parenting seminars are packed and there are always some FTGSA staff who make every effort to spend a few minutes with us to pick up a couple of tips on parenting or perhaps some new stretches from our Titleist Performance Institute Certified AIRROSTI doc, Nick Askey, DC, ACP.

Among our many new friends at the First Tee is PGA Professional Taylor Carruth. Linda and I and Taylor just kind of hit it off with instant rapport. As our conversations progressed we discussed ways we could work together and now Taylor is one of our Parenting Junior Golfers Partners.

Select the meet our partners tab at parentingjuniorgolfers.com and you will find Taylor’s complete resume. As is evident, Taylor is a busy guy and we are excited that he has come on board with us! He is also a popular guy. The kids and parents love the enthusiastic, patient teaching style of Taylor, the Coach. Oh, and they like Taylor the person too!

Please take a moment to peruse his resume. If you have a daughter who plays or is considering playing golf, pay particular attention to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf. If you are not near San Antonio, check to see if there is a similar program in your area.

Mom and Dad, please remember that many girl’s college golf scholarships are unused every year because there aren’t enough female junior golfers to fill them. Just sayin’. And parents of boys, fear not because with the proper help and advice your son can have a decent shot at a college scholarship. College costs are insane. Every dollar helps. Parents, please be optimistic about your junior golfer’s ability to get a college scholarship. Yes, it’s a process, but it’s doable. Get excited!

After you finish reading about Taylor and our other partners, check out our resource tab to read about the special offer from Junior Golf Magazine, available only to our Parenting Junior Golfer friends.

See you on #1 tee ready to use what Taylor taught you… Sam

Junior Golf: Where Are Sam And Linda?

Dufner photo golfdigest.com

In this Wednesday Waggle, we are having fun with a play on words as we ask you, “Where are Sam and Linda?”

Where could we be? Unfortunately, we are not at some exotic golf destination or resort. But we are still in a very good place. We are in the soon to be released April 2017 issue of Junior Golf Magazine!

Yes, recently we were contacted by the publication asking if we would be interested in writing an article for them. A senior staff member had seen 1 of our posts and it peaked his interest. Of course, an enthusiastic Yes was our reply and now Parenting Junior Golfers will have a presence in all 50 states and internationally as well. Exciting stuff!

Our article is Understand Your Junior’s Attitude To Empower Their Game. This brief introduction to the personalities will start you on the path to gaining insight into why your junior golfer, and you as well, act the way you do. Here’s the link: http://www.juniorgolfmag.net/The-Mental-Game.pdf

Junior Golf Magazine is an excellent resource for everything for your junior golfer. We encourage you to check them out. Use our article as a starting point.

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See you on #1 tee, mentally ready… Sam

Junior Golf: Tell Your Junior Golfer Why We MissThe King

In this Monday Mulligan we will look at why Arnold Palmer had such an amazing impact on everybody and everything he was involved with. Let’s remember The King!

With the completion of Arnold’s own event, The Bay Hill Classic, we end a week of wonderful and interesting tributes to Arnie, who passed away last September. Many of us, myself included, just can’t get enough views of Arnold and stories about his exploits. It’s that magnetic personality, confident swagger, look of pure enjoyment and desperate desire to win that captivate us. And that doesn’t even include, in his own words, his most beloved activities of helping people. (image jennleforge.com)

When Arnie’s longtime personal assistant, Doc Giffin was asked, “Why is Arnold Palmer so popular?”, he replied, “The answer is simple. He likes people, and they know it. His public face and his private face are exactly the same. He’s not one of those guys who turns it on in public and turns it off in private. He’ll tolerate fools that most people, myself included, won’t. He just likes people.”

And Arnold loved helping people. He loved giving back and his 2 hospitals in Orlando are 1st-rate and cherished by the community. Many PGA and LPGA pros have had their children at the Winnie Palmer Hospital For Women And Babies and then their kids have been treated at the Arnold Palmer Hospital For Children. When Arnie 1st became involved with the hospital industry in Orlando, after touring some area hospitals, he said, “We can do better.” Under his tutelage these 2 are now world class facilities. This is the legacy of The King! (Photo Doc Giffin and Arnold Palmer)

Why is this important to your junior golfer? The short answer is: It’s not about them. Life is about loving and helping others. Being about self, self-oriented or self-absorbed is a poor path. Being selfless is the proper direction.

Your child’s personality type plays a significant role in how he/she interacts with others. Every personality certainly can love people, it’s how they manifest their love that is different. Dad and Mom, ask yourself, how do I show my love for my spouse and my kids? Do they understand how much I love them? Is there something I need to do differently?

Countless studies show that people get a greater sense of satisfaction from helping others than from doing nearly any other activity. Now I’m not saying that your kiddo needs to give up golf and become a missionary. The point here is golf is a tough sport. Life is a hard track. Liking and loving others puts your young golfer in a position to succeed in life and in golf too. There’s an inner peace, happiness and overall satisfaction that comes with a sincere likeable personality. This means that your son or daughter will be in a position to make better grades, shoot lower scores and be an all-around more pleasant person to be around. It’s all good!

Talk this over with your spouse. Is your youngster someone who cares, genuinely for others? If you have a very young golfer it may be more difficult to understand how he/she is able to interact. By the time they hit 8, 9 or 10 years old you should begin to get a grasp of their ability to communicate with others. Do the other kids enjoy playing with him/her? Is he/she pleasant on the golf course?

Yes, every 1 of us is different, our children as well. The ability to love is in all of us. Sometimes it’s getting our love to the point where we can display it, again slightly differently, based on our own personality. Show a little love and see if you don’t get some in return!

Oh, we miss Arnold Palmer because he loved us and we knew it!

See you on #1 tee with love in your heart… Sam

Junior Golf: Go Green-Enjoy St Patrick’s Day

This Friday Flop Shot will be a quick reminder that today is St Patrick’s Day and green is an appropriate color to wear. (image offcoursegolf.com)

Green has several meanings besides just being a color. For us golfers, green has environmental implications as well as being a beautiful part of the scenery on the golf course. 1 of the things that my Dad emphasized to me starting at a very young age, was always leave the environment cleaner than you found it. Whether it was hunting, fishing or on the golf course, we always picked up trash and most of the time it was somebody else’s trash. (image Hooked: Ireland’s Golf Courses)

Take some time over the weekend to celebrate “green”. Get outdoors, breathe the fresh air and take your junior golfer with you. If you’re able to play golf together casually throw out a sentence or 2 about how great it is to be able to spend time with your son or daughter in such a pleasant setting. No big speech, just something like, “Son, it’s fun being able to spend some time with you. Isn’t the course in great shape? The staff have really done a super job. Let’s give them a big thumbs up!” There you go!

See you on #1 tee wearing some green… Sam