Get Yourself to Practice
The Front Nine Tips for Parents Raising Junior Golfers, Hole 5
One of my tips for better sports performance of your child is for the parent or guardian to be present at practice as often as possible. I know, work schedules can make it almost impossible, however, you will get a better understanding of the variables and intricacies of the sport and how challenging it is!
Top athletes view their training as the “tough part” and look forward to games where they can simply execute with an uncluttered mind.
When parents skip practices or never attend lessons and only attend the “performances” you can put tremendous pressure on the child. The tournament or game now has a “title” and bigger meaning because you are coming to watch. Instead, attend a practice and enjoy the process, it will make a better sports parent.
“My favorite phrase “process over outcome” also helps parents in spectating. Are you present in the process, or just there for the outcome?”
Betty Baird Kregor is an LPGA Master Teaching Professional and owner of StraightShot Inc., specializing in the DISC personality system to mentor and advise athletes of all ages and abilities.
In 2014, Kregor retired from over 27 years of teaching golf to consult athletes in the mental aspects of sport an serve as a "performance coach" for goals, scheduling, practice programs, college advising and more.
Her LPGA education in DISC profiling allows an athlete to maximize their performance with "self awareness" of their strengths and weaknesses. It is also an important tool in finding the right college fit. College athletic consulting is a service that benefits 9-12th graders in learning how to market their talents, schedule college visits and value the importance of academics.