Kids Love To Compete!

COMPETITION

The Importance of Competition

The exhilarating feeling of a chip-in, or a long putt on the last hole of a fun game, resulting in a personal best score, can excite a junior player into exploring the game of competitive golf.

Competition can provide a healthy sport outlet for your child. The U.S. Kids Tour junior events are a good starting point. Once your child has experienced competition, they could become motivated to develop their skills further. The road to competition is a very effective way to develop these needed skills under the watchful eye of an accredited coach or golf professional.

There are many possible opportunities available for a competitive junior golfer: club, district, and national teams; accredited coaching and instructional camps; and travel. A serious, talented competitive junior golfer may have scholarship opportunities which will allow them to continue competing at the university level.

Competition provides healthy challenges to a junior golfer and allows for personal growth and skill development, not only in the sport of golf, but in life itself.

As a parent or guardian, explore your child’s expectations, goals and aspirations. Be educated about golf and how one can progress through the sport into different levels. Always be supportive and encouraging, irrespective of the outcome.

Where to start competing

There are many competitive opportunities available for players of all ages and levels. The difficulty is knowing which competitions to enter and where to get the information. The following guide is designed to help you find the right tournament opportunities for your child as they are getting involved in the sport.

Long-Term Player Development Stages of Development

Ages 7 and under: Active Start and FUNdamentals

Children should start to compete during sessions. They should be taught a general introduction to etiquette, a focus on safety issues and some basic rules of the game such as how to score. Understanding fair play is an important concept that coaches should emphasize.

At this age, the majority of competition should be skill-based. 

A good program will organize internal competitions in which the youngest, least experienced children can participate. As a parent, you may be asked to help out with organizing, safety, simple scoring and recording of fun skills tests. Ideally, children of this age should be attending a supervised coaching session, and competition may take place on par-3 courses and practice facilities.

Ages 8-12: Learning to Play

Children should be competing during sessions. They should continue to learn basic rules and be well-trained in etiquette.

At this age, the majority of competition should be skill-based, although players may start to play friendly internal competitions, such as golf ladders and intra-club matches. Competition may take place on executive-length courses.

A good program may enter a team in an inter-club match and provide opportunities for individual competition.

Ages 13 and over: Full Golf

Children should be competing during sessions. They should have full knowledge of how to score and a more advanced knowledge of the rules.

A club with a good junior program should have a regular competitive session for junior players. Look to take part in these as regularly as possible as they develop the golfer and also provide a social environment for the players to make new friends at the club.

Most clubs will also run annual junior tournaments, often these will be organized to cater for all standards of play. Good programs will play inter-club matches against other clubs and some may provide opportunities to play in men’s events. Competition will take place on full length golf courses but usually not from the championship tees.

Your local provincial golf zone and some private tours run a series of tournaments that are for players who are only just starting to get involved in competition. In these events, players will need a valid RCGA handicap and/or ranking to be eligible for the competition. Every province runs annual tournaments split into age groups. These are good tournaments to get involved in, as the standard is higher than club level and your child gets exposed to players he/she might not normally compete against.

Common problems with rankings

Rankings are meant to provide competitors with a list of multi-day high caliber events that can be used to plan a proper schedule with the proper ascendancy of tournaments. The rankings are generally more meaningful for the 16 to 18 age group, as players in this category play against each other on a more regular basis. You should not view the rankings with the intent to chase points and play in every tournament listed, but to play in events that are appropriate to your child’s development stage. National associations view the rankings as only one important factor when looking at the long-term development of your child.

How much should my child compete?

The first and seemingly obvious question is: how much does he want to compete? There is no point dragging your unwilling child to tournaments on a regular basis.

As long as motivation to compete is not an issue, planning the correct amount of competition into your child’s program is vital. Both too much and too little competition can have severely detrimental effects.

Problems arising from too little competition

• Poor development of tactical and problem solving skills
• Player can lack challenge and something to strive for, resulting in decreased motivation.
• Player is not able to put learnings from the practice environment into action to complete the learning process.
• Player does not develop mental toughness to cope with the demands of the game.
• Player’s ranking does not improve, so they miss out on further higher-level competitive opportunities.

Problems arising from too much competition

• Player lacks training time during which they can make improvements necessary for long-term success.
• Player develops a game style that is effective for junior events, rather than a game style that will be effective in the future.
• Player makes quick fixes for issues with their game to be ready by the weekend. The issues are never addressed later, and the player’s improvement eventually reaches a plateau.
• The player can get stale in competition.
• The player doesn’t get enough time off and can get bored of golf.
• The player and their family do not get enough quality family time.
• The player only has friends that are in golf.

If your child has indicated a true interest in pursuing the road to competitive golf, a healthy balance of competition and practice time is important for steady and improved play. Preparation for all competitions should start with the full knowledge of personal down time, practice times and family time. These times should be scheduled and documented on a calendar along with a competition schedule.

How much time is necessary?

This is only a guide, because there are many other factors that come into play. It should give you a starting point from which to plan a tournament schedule.

Contact your local golf club or  golf association for a list of events that fits into the player pathway.

Why is competing away from your home course so important?

Many coaches and players refer to early experiences of competition away as one of the most significant factors in achieving high levels of success at later stages.

Issues to consider when contemplating competing away:

Experiencing unfamiliar venues, environments, foods, grasses while performing well on the course is a vital skill and needs to be practiced

Competing away takes individuals outside of their comfort zone

Experiencing the standards of regional or international competition is a great motivator and drives young golfers to pursue training in the future

Mixing competitive play with education requirements

Necessary documentation or immunizations for travel to some locations

Scheduling enough rest and recuperation time

Consider the number and level in which young players should compete

Even a small amount of success, at home or away, is a great confidence builder

Beating some players and recognizing that the best players are not a million miles away can be a big boost

Planning an effective competitive program is vital for your child’s development as a golfer. Parents should to develop a solid level of communication and comfort with a qualified professional or coach to help them understand the different formats and locations of competitive events. 

For more information please email me at doug@ohiojuniorgolfacademy.com or call 330-412-2320

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