Junior Golf Tour Tees Up Life Lessons By LIZ CENTANNI "What hole are we on, Mom?" my 11 year old asks as we walk through a thankfully shaded area. "I don't know, 85? Just kidding, it's 16." Can you tell we're on a junior golf tour? It's where your heart will burst with pride and where your kids will learn some life lessons they can't absorb from a screen. My son, Edward, bolstered by more instruction and continuous play throughout the winter, wanted more competition. He asked if he could travel to play "like the pros do." Enter U.S. Kids Golf Gulf Coast Tour, which is so well run that this newbie tour parent can navigate it with ease. If I could describe this tour experience in one word, it would be: OPPORTUNITY. No mulligans or second chances in tournament play offer a reality check for some kids and help them find their own grit and determination. I am impressed with how awesome these junior golfers play and the physical challenge competitive golf presents.This mom caddy's aching joints and exhaustion have abated from all that walking, but a few pertinent "aha" gems (for both of us) that remain, include: PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF. Putting together a golf game is not the time to expect instant gratification. Even if you land in, say, 11 sand traps on the first nine alone and are digging your way out of your round, hang in there. Later rounds will feel easy after that, and the experience ultimately will improve your skills. Learning patience as a young golfer is key because improvement is incremental, as anyone learning how to hit a draw can testify. For parents, patience absolutely is everything. Chill out over those random slices and missed putts. Keep it fun, otherwise what's the point? Remember Plato: "Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." Sheer willpower sometimes is all you have, and it is (has to be) enough. Maybe parents need this more than their junior golfers. The front nine usually breeze by, but by hole 16, if you're not athletic and north of 40, you realize EMS might have a hard time making it back there, and your only choice is to soldier on. Sheer willpower will carry you through, and then you can eat with impunity! So far this year, we have walked more than 36 miles on tour with more to come this autumn.And yes, this mom is counting. My son is bouncing around the next morning, but I'm feeling my forties, and they hurt. Moreover, now when Edward worries that a goal may be insurmountable, I can point to conquering those six-mile long courses, sometimes in ankle-deep mud, as proof that he indeed has the endurance to achieve it. CONVERSATION IS NOT A DYING ART At home, you may find your child offering monosyllabic responses about how they're doing. On the course, they will sing like a bird, and there are no conversations like the ones on the course. One blessing in disguise about five or more hours of play is that your junior golfer has a uniquely captive audience in YOU, and they will disclose all kinds of details. Our course convo topics run the gamut: extracurriculars, career choices, family lore, worries and fears, current events, Star Wars, and more. I asked Edward what he liked most about the tour, and he replied "hitting the ball around out there," meeting new people, and exploring new courses. (I'm surprised and gratified he didn't say his cookies and cream shake we pick up from a drive thru on the way home! Ha!). Playing together for the last two years and caddying for him on the tour has provided personal growth for both of us. We've played more than 100 rounds together since I took up golf in 2019 so he would have someone to play with, and now I'm hooked (ha,ha!) on golf, too. It's definitely a parenting decision that is going the distance. Liz can be reached at elizabeth.centanni@gmail.com TEE TO GREEN GOLF MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 ONLINE ISSUE PAGE 12
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