England International Meghan MacLaren has progressed through the junior ranks with good parental support, but for some talented girls this is not always the case.
By Meghan MacLaren
England International Meghan MacLaren has progressed through the junior ranks with good parental support, but for some talented girls this is not always the case.
You might think that if everybody within a community was aware of a problem, and the same problem had existed for a long time, then something would be done to address it. This doesn’t sound like a complicated concept, does it? But yet, let me ask you a question - and it doesn’t matter whether you’re a player, a parent, a coach or just an interested observer. Have you ever had to witness a parent getting far too involved with their child’s golfing development? I’ve been playing golf for fifteen years, and for as many of them as I can remember I’ve witnessed many examples of this. Maybe parent over-involvement isn’t something that will ever disappear completely, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways that we can improve situations.
We’re in the 21st century; the truly progressive notion of women being allowed membership of historic golf clubs has even been realised. The calls to grow our game are coming at us left, right and centre. But what about the kids that loved golf before all of that? The ones that grew up with the desire to go to the course on a Saturday morning, or to the range after school, or those that could be dropped off at the golf club in the summer holidays and picked up again when it was dark. That innate love for the game isn’t something that can be taught, but it is something that can be driven out.
Sometimes it’s golf itself that does it. The number of times I’ve wondered why I put so much into this game would be the death of any psychologist. Be it swing faults, confidence issues, team selections or just lack of results - every player has had their down times. However, there is one factor that has never made me think about quitting the game - my parents.
The issue with the “pushy parent” stereotype is that like any stereotype, it does not tell the whole story. There is more than one way to negatively impact your child’s development through a lack of education and information. I read an article on twitter actively encouraging parents to push early specialisation in sport into their children. How can that possibly be considered the best option for a child’s long-term development? I also read an opposite viewpoint, comparing early specialisation to school. If your child went to school for 15 years and was only ever taught one subject, wouldn’t you be concerned?
I’m not suggesting that being a parent is an easy job. Many parents genuinely have their child’s best interests at heart, but if they don’t have a clear idea of how to become involved, then how can we not expect problems to arise? I’ve been involved in talent development pathways for most of my golfing life and I cannot thank organisations like England Golf enough for their support. I’m unaware of an education programme geared specifically towards helping parents understand their role and believe this should be a mandatory implementation in junior sections across the country.
A parent is a child’s first role model, their hero, and the two people he or she wants to make proud more than anything else in the world. A parent has the power to shape their child’s entire outlook on life. Not every child who plays golf is going to progress to achieve success in the game, whatever their definition of success may be. But a parent’s love for their child should not be dependent on their success in sport. Golf is captivating and shattering in equal measure. There is no other sport that offers quite as many life lessons as golf does. So don’t leave your kid with no life to take those lessons back to.
The above is an extract from the March/April 2016 issue of Women & Golf magazine, currently on sale. Never miss an issue click here to subscribe and enjoy W&G delivered to your door.
