Teaching HS Players to Give Up: WD After 9 Holes

[rob0225]

There was a high school tournament at my local course last week.  After I got done with my round I went by to check out the scores. There were at least a dozen players who withdrew after 9 holes.  Granted they had horrible scores, but I believe this is teaching/sending the wrong message.   In my opinion barring an injury the coaches should make the students complete the entire round.  Allowing them to quit after 9 because they aren't golfing well they will never learn perseverance or how to keep your mind in the game despite playing poorly.

Thoughts?  

[David in FL]

I agree completely.

 Part of collegiate sports is learning to deal with adversity. If I were the coach, it would be a rainy day in hell before a kid who had withdrawn after nine holes because he was throwing a little hissy fit ever started again...

[iSank]

This goes fully against a growth mindset and supports quite the opposite a fixed mindset. What a terrible thing to allow, and I sure hope it wasn’t coach suggested. I am not a golf coach, but I would consider a policy of, you do not finish 18, you are finished on this team. I did coach basketball for many years and if at half time some player said I’m done, not playing well. (Outside of injury) well that never happened, not once. So I wonder how did so many do this here at one tourney.

well it is Friday, Aloha.

[dennyjones]

I completely agree with @David in FL.     There is much to be learned in all aspects of sports, winning and losing.   Many potential employers look at sports as an avenue to hiring.   If a potential employee won't finish a round of golf or is a poor sport, they most likely aren't a good fit in many companies.  

[Piz]

Devil's advocate here.  We can't all be above average.  Finishing what you've started only makes sense if you plan to continue.  I'm all for perseverance...just not for its own sake.

[Indy-Archer]

26 minutes ago, Piz said:

Devil's advocate here.  We can't all be above average.  Finishing what you've started only makes sense if you plan to continue.  I'm all for perseverance...just not for its own sake.

Many people are average because they don't persevere. I don't think the OP is talking about not continuing with the team, but quitting half way through a round because they weren't doing as well as they wanted. 

[onthehunt526]

If I were the coach, I would tell my team to forget about the front nine. The second nine is a new nine, and to do the best they can with the nine new holes. Taking it one shot at a time.

[DrvFrShow]

But... snowflakes and safe spaces... give up! When the going gets tough, quit. When you're 5 holes down after 5 holes in match play, resign, right? Wrong. Git gud. The coach rage quit.

 

[Sandy Divot]

I wonder if there was any kind of rule concerning scores that limits the kids that can play the back 9?

[jamo]

2 hours ago, Sandy Divot said:

I wonder if there was any kind of rule concerning scores that limits the kids that can play the back 9?

Or maybe a bunch of players had some other reason they had to leave at that turn?

Seems like we’re doing a lot of drive-by assuming. 

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, jamo said:

Or maybe a bunch of players had some other reason they had to leave at that turn?

Seems like we’re doing a lot of drive-by assuming. 

Right. Why did they withdraw? Until that's known, this conversation is speculative at best.

[David in FL]

29 minutes ago, jamo said:

Or maybe a bunch of players had some other reason they had to leave at that turn?

Seems like we’re doing a lot of drive-by assuming. 

And sometimes when it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it really is a duck.

🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆

[Papa Steve 55]

Little League baseball, at least around here, has had a 'slaughter rule' in place for years.

Edit, I guess its called a mercy rule now, beat their butt, just don't hurt their feelings.

Edited May 5, 2019 by Papa Steve 55

[Ty_Webb]

21 hours ago, rob0225 said:

There was a high school tournament at my local course last week.  After I got done with my round I went by to check out the scores. There were at least a dozen players who withdrew after 9 holes.  Granted they had horrible scores, but I believe this is teaching/sending the wrong message.   In my opinion barring an injury the coaches should make the students complete the entire round.  Allowing them to quit after 9 because they aren't golfing well they will never learn perseverance or how to keep your mind in the game despite playing poorly.

Thoughts?  

I agree 100%. One of the most productive things you can do for your game is trying to shoot the best score you can under trying circumstances. It's the day when you're 5 over your handicap after 9 holes when you try your hardest and get in at 4 over that prepares you best for when you're one under your handicap after 9 holes. You should always try and shoot the best score you can. It will harden you as a competitor and enable you to shoot your best scores when you have it. I'll always back the kid who works at it when he's struggling over the one who's playing well, but lacks the ability to close. That's something you learn when it's not going your way.

[jamo]

26 minutes ago, Papa Steve 55 said:

Little League baseball, at least around here, has had a 'slaughter rule' in place for years.

Edit, I guess its called a mercy rule now, beat their butt, just don't hurt their feelings.

Beer league softball does too. Hell, the flag football league I play in does too if you’re down three touchdowns at the two minute warning.

Match play golf basically has a mercy rule built right in.

1 hour ago, David in FL said:

And sometimes when it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it really is a duck.

🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆

All I’m saying is you guys think you see a duck from 200 yards away but maybe it’s a pigeon or a goose or a rock. 

[David in FL]

1 hour ago, jamo said:

Beer league softball does too. Hell, the flag football league I play in does too if you’re down three touchdowns at the two minute warning.

Match play golf basically has a mercy rule built right in.

All I’m saying is you guys think you see a duck from 200 yards away but maybe it’s a pigeon or a goose or a rock. 

Maybe

But when you hear hoofbeats, it’s more often horses, than zebras.

[iacas]

7 minutes ago, David in FL said:

But when you hear hoofbeats, it’s more often horses, than zebras.

You don't know what you're hearing here. You heard a noise.

Hell, dude, you don't even have a screenshot or a photo of the event's leaderboard.

[Vinsk]

I don’t think this necessarily is a post to criticize the players that WD or the coach. It’s just a discussion of how people feel if players WD simply due to a poor first nine. Forget this specific instance as we don’t know the whole story.