The Old Comparison Trick
The Front Nine Tips for Parents Raising Junior Golfers, Hole 3
In my office sat a young, talented middle school player who had tested “low structure” on a personality profile test. Her father insisted she was lazy, uncommitted and usually slept late on the weekends. He turned to her and said, “She is not like Michael Phelps.” The young girl had tears welling up in her eyes.
I replied, “No Sir, and she never will be Michael Phelps. We need to help her be the best version of herself.”
“Comparing your son or daughter’s athletic ability to anyone isn’t conducive to their development.”
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.