Leave It To The Kids

...By Anthony

I've come to the conclusion that my son Deven will at least learn the game of golf and hopefully compete one day.  I say this not because I am now addicted to the game but because of a recent experience I had that made up my mind hands down.

I recently had the opportunity to watch a boys and girls junior golf tournament at the Country Club of the South.  I was immediately impressed, humbled and blown away by each kids that I saw.  They all walked with a quiet confidence that I assume had to have come with the countless hours of practice that they have put in over the years.  When any of them struck the ball it was incredible to see how powerful they were while maintaining a subdued excitement for the game.  Even after some good to even incredible shots they all maintained a work-like demeanor toward their round and what they were trying to accomplish.

The other thing that I noticed and greatly enjoyed was the lack of "parental guidance" that was exhibited while the kids were playing.  Many of us have heard the stories of the parents at a little league game coming to blows over what they assume to be an injustice toward their child.  This completely takes the enjoyment out of the game for the children involved as well as other parents in attendance.  At this tournament it was nowhere to be found.  The golfers were on their own the moment they hit the tee box and some would check in with theirs parent(s) between holes.  There was never a shout of instruction nor encouragement and the kids were left to "grow-up" on the course and deal with all of the positives and negatives that came with their round.

There was definitely something to be learned from this experience.  Now I hope I can one day convince my son that he needs to learn how to swing a golf club.