Raising Children in a Golf Household

[rckwd]

With the birth of Tigers new arrival and some board members having or going to have new babies. I thought I would ask you about your children and your experience raising your children in the sport. Do they play? Do they choose not to?

It is a wonderful thing having your children on the course with you. My oldest didnt want to start playing until she was 19. We went a few times then she asked if she could have her own clubs, I said sure. So I built her a set, bought her all the cool girl golf stuff and off we go. Until she met her boyfriend, now husband and now the father of my grandson. Guess where the clubs are now? Sitting right next to mine, hasnt been picked up since...LOL.

My 13yo girl goes with me from time to time, but you can bet your bottom dollar if they're is a teen boy on the course she aint getting out of the cart and "making a fool out of herself". (BTW..I built her a set also...guess where those are)

I would love to tell both of them, you ARE going to play golf with me and you ARE going to like it. But what can you do? All I can do is put the clubs in the corner and hope they come to pick them up one day.

BTW...my grandson is 16 months and he already has his first set. Everytime he comes to visit he wants his club and ball. (Next Arnold Palmer? I dont know but we are getting off to a good start.. )

[Ogg]

My boys (4 & 2) have been exposed to golf as I have it on TV and they know I go off to golf on the weekend. They love playing with my golf hats because they get to be like me. But that is about where it ends. We have brought them over to the driving range but it is too stressful for my wife as they are too active. They have their own little plastic golf clubs but those are pretty much destroyed now. I figure in due time, it will all happen but right now, they are just too young. I do get a kick out of the fact that they know what Titleist is and know that relates to golf where my Red Sox hats are baseball and Michigan hats are for football.

[rckwd]

My boys (4 & 2) have been exposed to golf as I have it on TV and they know I go off to golf on the weekend. They love playing with my golf hats because they get to be like me. But that is about where it ends. We have brought them over to the driving range but it is too stressful for my wife as they are too active. They have their own little plastic golf clubs but those are pretty much destroyed now. I figure in due time, it will all happen but right now, they are just too young. I do get a kick out of the fact that they know what Titleist is and know that relates to golf where my Red Sox hats are baseball and Michigan hats are for football.

I hope you have already taught them who wears the #29 Red Sox jersey. Future hall of fame pitcher, personal friend of Tiger and the greatet golfer in baseball and all around a real good dude.

[Bo the Golfer]

I hope you have already taught them who wears the #29 Red Sox jersey. Future hall of fame pitcher, personal friend of Tiger and the greatet golfer in baseball and all around a real good dude.

You asked that of someone who lives in CT and they are as likely to be a Yankee fan!

I've taken my 5 yr. old daughter to the range a bunch of times and she loves it. Mommy loves us out of the house so it's a win all around.

[rckwd]

You asked that of someone who lives in CT and they are as likely to be a Yankee fan!

Well do you know who wears (or will wear...hint)that jersey?

[flanagan]

My wife and I have taken our daughters out since they could walk. They love playing with their Grandpa, also. Worked their way from putting with toy clubs, to putting with real clubs, then chipping, then various yardages as they progressed from year to year. Our eleven year old "graduated" to around 200 yards last summer, her older sister has been playing the full course since she was 13, and really came on at the end of last summer, after a lot of practice and play over the summer after her golf season. We've always tried to make time at least once a week to go out as a family and play (although softball, etc. sometimes made that impossible). Good way to unwind on a Friday afternoon --- golf, dinner at the course. FUN.

[rckwd]

My wife and I have taken our daughters out since they could walk. They love playing with their Grandpa, also. Worked their way from putting with toy clubs, to putting with real clubs, then chipping, then various yardages as they progressed from year to year. Our eleven year old "graduated" to around 200 yards last summer, her older sister has been playing the full course since she was 13, and really came on at the end of last summer, after a lot of practice and play over the summer after her golf season. We've always tried to make time at least once a week to go out as a family and play (although softball, etc. sometimes made that impossible). Good way to unwind on a Friday afternoon --- golf, dinner at the course. FUN.

NOW that sounds like family fun!!!

[picrig]

#29 would be John Smoltz (and I'm not even a huge Red Sox fan). He's been my favorite player for at least the past decade. I hated to see him leave the Braves, but at least he left for the Red Sox and not the Yankees And you're right, great guy and great golfer. If I had to pick a MLB player to interview/hang out with, it's probably be Smoltzie over a round of golf.

[PEZGolf]

With the birth of Tigers new arrival and some board members having or going to have new babies. I thought I would ask you about your children and your experience raising your children in the sport. Do they play? Do they choose not to?

Good thread, and this is one of my favorite subjects. Congratulations on your 16 month old grandson, especially since he has shown a nice kid's interest in golf as a "fun thing to do". Here are my responses:

1. My wife and I were blessed with two children, John, who is now 28, and Leanne, who is 24. My wife knew that my Dad, my late brother, Steve, my uncle John, and myself were avid golfers when she was dating me. She knew "what she was getting into". When John was born, I brought a sleeper with me for him in the hospital (not that he wore it then, but later). It had a golfer embroidered above the heart and had "Future Pro" on it. We still have a photo of him wearing it, and guess what---he IS the Head Pro at the St. Lawrence University Golf Course in Canton, NY. So, both of our children grew up with golf, and now John is employed "in the business". Both played on the high school team, and Lee had a private meeting with the Coach since some of the guys insisted on calling it the Boys' Golf Team in order to "get under her skin" for beating out some of their friends. Of course, the actual name is the Ilion High School Team, since girls can try out, and Lee was the second girl in history to make the team (she played in 3rd or 4th position while on that team). When both of our children were young, I put family first, and my wife knew that I would. After coming home from work, I would spend time with the family, and then when it was near dusk, I would go in the backyard and swing a club or practice my chipping. On weekends, I would never play both Saturday and Sunday, and sometimes would play only 9 holes, teeing up at sunrise and be home within an hour and a half. Some of my fondest memories are playing golf with both John and Lee (and a couple of rotten memories where they would be squabbling the whole damn time!!) 2. Our only grandchild, Ryleigh, is going to be 5 years old next month. She has gone with me to the various golf courses in this area since she was 2. She is definitely "growing up with the game", and she LOVES it. She begs me to take her to the driving range or practice putting green. The logo for my golf magazine is Payne Stewart (with permission from his widow, Tracey), and she will point to the figure in plus-4's, and say his name. Since she has a favorite color, we call her the future "Pink Panther". My philosophy was to expose our children to the game, make it fun, and if they liked it, great! If they had decided that they "had better things to do", I would have simply accepted it. The worst thing any parent can do is to pressure his or her child to do something. It usually backfires.

[rckwd]

Good thread, and this is one of my favorite subjects. Congratulations on your 16 month old grandson, especially since he has shown a nice kid's interest in golf as a "fun thing to do". Here are my responses:

What a great story. You are very fortunate. It sounds like you have done a wonderful job raising those children.

Did you find it was harder getting Lee interested in golf more-so than John? My 13 yo. Tara sees golf as a boys sport. I try to get her to sit down and watch the LPGA with me but she just looks at it like Chevy Chase looks at the Grand Canyon in "National Lampoon" and says, "thats good daddy". Like you said, you cant force it on them, you can only introduce it to them. You see, her mother has her "galloping" (pun intended..LOL) across the SE to horse shows all the time so she really dont have "time" for two sports (she barrel races). I go to her events but she dont understand I got burned out of traveling to all the rodeos and shows. (My family and I has shown Tennessee Walking Horses all my life). I guess golf is one way I escape. Thanks Tim

[rckwd]

#29 would be John Smoltz (and I'm not even a huge Red Sox fan). He's been my favorite player for at least the past decade. I hated to see him leave the Braves, but at least he left for the Red Sox and not the Yankees

Yea..I graduated HS with his ex and have met him a couple of times when they come to town to visit her parents. He is really good Christian dude. He does more charity work than anyone could imagine.

[Pablo McGheesio]

I am from a golf family...I got so pissed of the constant pressure to play in every medal I gave the game up for 4-5 years......I have never been into watching golf on the TV much.

Now when I took the game back up i got my handicap down to 9 fairly quickly....I have to thank the non stop golf I was put through as a youth.....

[Ogg]

I hope you have already taught them who wears the #29 Red Sox jersey. Future hall of fame pitcher, personal friend of Tiger and the greatet golfer in baseball and all around a real good dude.

Have not taught it to them yet, they are still in NC while I am working in CT (sucks). Bu they will know Smoltz very well. They do know how to scream "Go Sawx!!" already too.

A friend of ours in NC is very good friends with Smoltz and I would love to play some golf with him especially since he is now a member of America's most beloved baseball team. I love getting my boys in on all of this stuff too.

[PEZGolf]

What a great story. You are very fortunate. It sounds like you have done a wonderful job raising those children.

Thanks for the post. I had a difficult time getting Lee to play and practice at golf. She had a lot of natural ability. In 1998, I won the Senior Men's Club Championship at our course, and my son won the Men's Division (at the age of 15---the youngest Champ ever) and the Junior Boys Division. Lee entered the Women's Club Championship at the age of 12, and lost on the second hole of a Sudden Victory Playoff. We were proud of her, but kidded her that she killed the possiblity of our family winning all four titles in one year!

She wanted to spend time with her friends, and play basketball, track cross country, and soccer, all of which are team sports. A few years ago, I did an interview with Lynn Marriott, one of the Top 100 Golf Teachers in the world, according to "Golf" and "Golf Digest". She and Pia Nilsson have taught Annika, Suzann Pettersen, and other Tour stars. Originally, she grew up in Herkimer, NY, down the road from us, which was also the hometown of Wayne Levi, 1990 PGA Tour Player of the Year. She confirmed my idea that girls are not attracted to golf because it is too much of an individualistic sport, and they prefer to be with their friends. Dottie Pepper has said the same thing. When she was a senior in High School, she was recruited to play Division 1 golf at Stoney Brook College and some other good schools. She gave up the game, I sold her clubs to the Golf Coach for her and John (for use by his wife), and she became an EMT, and is now a Police Officer. She is pleased that Ryleigh likes golf, and maybe Mom will get back into it someday. The nice thing about a "game for a lifetime" is that you can give it up and go back to it later in life.

[rckwd]

.... She confirmed my idea that girls are not attracted to golf because it is too much of an individualistic sport, and they prefer to be with their friends. Dottie Pepper has said the same thing.

You know I never thought of it that way. Maybe I need to see if some of her friends dads play golf and have a father\daughter thing...hey that would be a good idea...I havent thought about that.

THANKS!!

[M2R]

There is a book related to the subject written by Earl Woods (with Pete McDaniel): Training a Tiger . I thought it was interesting reading.

[flanagan]

Good luck with the grandson. I loved getting to go play golf with both of my Grandpas, and a couple of years after one of them passed away, and my Grandma remarried, her husband was not only an avid golfer, but really good. I got a lot of free and thoughtful instruction from him when we could play.

He will really enjoy the time you spend together, whatever you do, but golf will be something you both can always enjoy and he will remember always.

Back to the girls. It's not for everyone, and it is harder to start them on stuff when they're teenagers and all "teenagery". One of my daughters used to love fishing, much more than golf when she was little, but that changed and it's okay.

I do know whatever they enjoy, we're going to find a way to do it, because they won't be around the house forever .

[walk18]

A friend of ours in NC is very good friends with Smoltz and I would love to play some golf with him especially since he is now a member of America's most beloved baseball team.

When did he get traded to the Cubs?