One of our biggest questions asked by parents is how to get their kids on the golf course outside of The First Tee class. Well like anything else it’s going to take motivation. As anyone who deals with kids through coaching, parenting, and teaching knows, getting kids to do something they do not want to do is a challenge. What they need more than anything is motivation that comes from within them- not motivation that comes from external factors like rewards and punishments. Here we have six ways that can help your child cultivate their own internal motivation.
- Set Goals
At The First Tee of Central Florida we believe strongly in setting goals. We first introduce the concept of “Personal Par” to our students to get them thinking about the goals they want to set for themselves. What’s par on a golf course? A number an expert should score. So a “Personal Par” is a number the children can expect from themselves, that’s challenging but doable. This could be an 8 on a Par 5, or a B+ in a subject in school they are not proficient at.
- Ask the Right Questions
How was class today? What did you learn? Asking a couple open ended questions shows you’re interested in their interests, without overwhelming them with pressure about details of their performance.
- Praise Efforts, Not Results
Golf is a game for the long term. Getting too excited over results can send the wrong message when they do well (that they don’t need to keep practicing) or discourage them when they don’t do well.
- Make things Competitive
Golf is great in that your child can go practice by themselves! That being said, it’s always good to keep a game in mind during practice to tap into their competitiveness. This will help encourage your kids to practice and keep it fun!
- Take an Interest
If you’re able playing golf with them to not teach them skills, but just to show you’re interested in their interests are highly beneficial in motivating kids. Other ways to show interest is to learn more about golf through the Internet or books, watch golf related movies like The Greatest Game Ever Played, or just putting with them on the putting green. As The First Tee of Central Florida members, your child has access to MyPathway2Golf. Helping them set their account up and complete their drills and challenges would be a great way to show interest!
- Remain Positive
A negative attitude with their negative results, or seemingly lack of motivation, will only make them anxious and learn to appease you, not to find motivation within themselves. Stay positive to inspire your children.
As you can see, these tips to motivate your child work both on and off the golf course. Golf is the perfect basis to begin instilling these tips and you’ll see their internal motivation throughout their other activities as well. Unfortunately, there’s no “Secret Sauce” or magic wand we can give them to make them better- it’s practice, practice, and more practice. Tune in to our next blog to find out more about what your kids can do to practice outside of class!
