Golf Is Hard — And That’s Exactly Why It Builds Champions
By Chris Smeal
Founder & President, Future Champions Golf
PGA Coach
I’ve spent my life in golf — as a player, a coach, and now as the founder of a global junior golf tour. After working with thousands of junior golfers and families from over 40 countries, I can say this with complete confidence:
Golf is hard on purpose.
If golf were easy, it wouldn’t teach you anything worth learning.
Why Golf Feels So Hard
Golf is one of the only sports where:
- You don’t have a coach next to you during competition
- You’re responsible for every decision
- One small mistake can cost you multiple strokes
- You can do almost everything right and still get a bad result
You can hit a great shot and get a bad bounce.
You can make a good swing and miss the putt.
You can work all week and still have a tough day.
And for junior golfers — especially competitive ones — this can feel unfair, frustrating, and overwhelming.
But here’s the truth I share with every player I coach:
Golf isn’t trying to break you. It’s trying to build you.
A Bad Hole Is Not a Bad Golfer
One of the biggest lessons young players must learn is this:
A bad hole does not define you.
A bad round does not define you.
A tough tournament does not define you.
What defines you is how you respond.
Champions don’t avoid adversity — they expect it.
Every great player you admire has:
- Doubled holes they shouldn’t have
- Missed short putts under pressure
- Lost tournaments they wanted badly
The difference is not talent.
The difference is perspective.
A Better Way to Look at a Bad Day
Instead of asking:
- “Why is this happening to me?”
Ask:
- “What is this teaching me?”
Bad days are not failures — they are training sessions for your mindset.
Here are a few reframes I teach our players:
1. One Shot at a Time Still Applies After Mistakes
The next shot doesn’t know what just happened. Treat it that way.
2. Control What You Can Control
You can’t control the wind, bounces, or other players — but you can control:
- Your effort
- Your body language
- Your commitment to the next shot
3. Tough Rounds Build Tough People
Easy rounds feel good.
Hard rounds build resilience.
And resilience is what separates good players from great ones — in golf and in life.
Pressure Is a Privilege
If you feel nervous, frustrated, or emotional during competition, that means something important is happening.
Pressure means:
- You care
- You’re competing
- You’re growing
The goal is not to eliminate pressure — it’s to learn how to perform with it.
That skill will serve you far beyond golf:
- In school
- In business
- In relationships
- In life’s toughest moments
What It Really Means to Be a Champion
A true champion is not defined by trophies alone.
A champion:
- Shows up even after disappointment
- Handles adversity with maturity
- Competes with integrity
- Learns from setbacks instead of running from them
This is why I believe junior golf is about more than rankings and wins.
It’s about creating stronger people.
People who can handle tough days.
People who don’t quit when things get uncomfortable.
People who understand that growth happens in the hard moments.
Final Thought
If you’re a junior golfer reading this and today was hard — good.
That means you’re doing something that matters.
Lean into the challenge.
Learn from the struggle.
Trust the process.
Golf will test you — but if you let it, it will also shape you into someone capable of handling anything life throws your way.
And that’s the real win.
— Chris Smeal