Chris has built one of the World’s Largest Junior Golf Tournament Programs with over 100 annual events, 6,000+ players, is friends with over 60 College Golf Coaches and prides himself on creating the best players in the simplest and healthiest way possible
This information has been put together to HELP!
I have been teaching for 15 years and see it everyday. I have watched 100’s of junior golfers and have been lucky enough to help many of them achieve their dreams in the game of golf.
My Students have won many big events including TWO VICTORIES and a second place finish in 180 Player Fields 14 AJGA Victories, US Kids World Championship Victory, and a total of over 350 Victories since 2003.
At this point I won’t go into further detail but I will give you the TIPS on WHY YOUR JUNIOR GOLFER ISN’T PLAYING WELL IN TOURNAMENTS.
#1 – They are TRYING TOO HARD to play well! Don’t force things. Don’t try to be perfect. Kids should practice and get ready for tournament and allow their game to show up. This is their opportunity to shine and most of the time they TRY to do something different that what they’ve practiced. It is important that they trust their preparation and are allowed to go have fun on the golf course.
#2 – YOU MAY BE APPLYING TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THEM. YES! I Said It! SORRY! But seriously when I played junior golf my parents weren’t there breathing down my neck. They talked to me when I got home and that’s about it. When you walk the fairways and watch them play ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LOOK DISAPPOINTED IN ANY SHOTS! GOLF IS HARD! They feed off of your energy and if the energy is negative you shouldn’t be out there. I tell all my clients this is a team effort and at all times COLLECTIVELY we need to be trying to get better to make the TEAM STRONGER and above all getting the PLAYER STRONGER!
#3 – They Take Lessons too close to their Next Tournament and don’t have enough time to make the changes. Make sure they are communicating with their coach about when their tournaments are scheduled. Too many kids take lessons too close to their event which causes new thoughts, feels and info to enter their games then struggle and have to revert back to their old swing which spells disaster! REAL LIFE STORY! Last year one of my clients who I consult with from Florida was here in San Diego for our FCG International Championship. The night before the event he texted me swing videos and asked me what I saw. I said “Looks Good” He replied concerned “Are you serious? You aren’t gonna say anything? “ I replied “Not at all!” Needless to say he shot 65 the final round to claim 5th place which got him a spot in IMG Junior World and a spot on the SDSU team for the 2018 graduating class.
#4 – They don’t have a Plan in place to play better at tournaments. Tournament play requires planning, good information, and a lot of support from family and friends. Players need to be in the right mindset for tournaments, have seen the course and taken good notes on what strategy they are going to execute. Is the player optimistic at tournaments? How much doubt and fear do they have? Practice is used to eliminate those fears and doubts and be able to execute shots players trust and practice. The second part of this is STICKING TO THE PLAN! Players that have a decent plan for a tournament sometimes deviate from that plan and try something else because of panic and frustration. Stick to your guns and remember your FIRST INSTINCT is usually right!
#5 – Too busy making excuses to play well. Any excuse is a bad excuse. All players play under the same conditions. Deal with it! Players should never complain about weather! They should embrace it! Players should never complain about slow play! The US Open is often 6 plus hours and that’s the toughest test in golf. Players should focus on the things that they can control instead of finding excuses to not play at their best.
NOW AT THIS POINT I HOPE THIS INFORMATION HAS HELPED YOU AND GIVES YOU SOME UNDERSTANDING OF WHY YOUR JUNIOR GOLFER MAY BE STRUGGLING. IF IT WAS HELPFUL I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. IF IT WASN’T PLEASE MESSAGE ME AT CHRIS@FUTURECHAMPIONSGOLF.COM and LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!
FOR SERIOUS JUNIOR GOLFERS WHO WANT TO PLAY COLLEGE GOLF AND PARENTS WHO WANT TO SEE THEIR KIDS SUCCEED IN GOLF AND LIFE.
Visit www.chrissmeal.com for more information about Chris Smeal and the Future Champions Golf Academy.
I really like what you said about how kids should practice and get ready for their tournaments and allow their game to show up. Our daughter loves to play golf so we just started her in junior golf this year and want to help her succeed as much as she wants to. Thanks for the advice about helping our kid trust her preparation and know that she’s allowed to go have fun on the golf course.