Players such as Tiger Woods have made golf a “cool” sport.
Take a moment to examine the motivation behind your program. Does your community support golf in the schools? Does your school administration respond to the community’s wishes for a golf team? Are you, as a coach, motivated to recruit boys and girls into your program? Are your team members properly introduced to golf? Are those team members who excel as juniors motivated to apply for college golf scholarships? Let’s examine these areas of motivation.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
As a cofounder of NAGCE, I have been overwhelmed by the level of community support for golf. I have nonetheless encountered some people who wanted to coach golf but simply did not have the support of their communities. Although the coach’s commitment often sparks the necessary community interest, sometimes personal motivation and desire are not enough to create an opportunity for young players to experience the true joys of the game.
You understand your own community. In today’s golf-aware world, surely someone in your community must be willing to help you shoulder the responsibility of supporting golf in your school. Getting the community behind your program is a must. Community support provides access to practice and playing facilities, equipment, and transportation. Ultimately, it leads to the success of your program.
One way to motivate your community is to invite a celebrity to a fund-raising dinner attended by local business leaders, political leaders, and school administrators. You can invite a local celebrity (a golf professional, a sports announcer, the mayor, a radio talk-show host) or a nationally recognized figure. The size of your community will dictate the level of participation. Go to your local golf course or country club and find a member or golfer who owns a restaurant. Ask if he or she would sponsor a dinner for 15 to 20 people to help support your program. Or ask a local service club (such as Rotary, Jaycees, or Lions) to sponsor a golf picnic in your community to raise awareness for golf in the schools.
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
School administrators, principals, and faculty are bombarded with golf on television. They are well aware of the growth of the sport and, as educators, they understand the value of “life sports.” Many school systems are mandating sports such as golf to help teach children games they can play not only in school but also throughout their lives.
Show your school administrators the statistics that support the value of golf as a life sport. (You can obtain this material through NAGCE.) Present them with a list of students who’ve already indicated that they’d like to take part in a school golf program.
Since high school golf generally isn’t a “money” sport, such as football, you may need to push the school administration to accept the idea. It may help to point out that golf is a sport of equal opportunity—both boys and girls can play—and does not pose the injury risks of sports like football.
Developing Interest
When I inherited my current coaching position, Kellam’s golf team had been at the bottom of the district for several years. The returning players were not very accomplished; in fact, the team averaged about 90 to 95 per player. In an effort to make a major impact on this scoring average, I submitted a request to build a green behind the football field so the team could practice shots from 120 yards and closer, although the green would not be suitable for putting. With some Bermuda seed donated by the city and with the help of a city grounds employee whose father and brother both taught at Kellam, the request went through.
We used a front loader to build up an elevated area surrounded by three bunkers. The team and I planted seed, watered, and mowed. I still have pictures of the progress. The team members got involved in the watering and mowing and could not wait to practice on their own green. I bought a net to hit balls into, and a local golf professional graciously allowed the team to use a couple of artificial mats. Eventually, I was able to videotape players hitting into the net while others practiced sand shots and yet another group worked on pitching short approach shots onto the new green. All this activity took place on a little stretch of land behind the football field, after school and in the off season.
The players’ scores steadily improved, and so did their record. The program gained interest and several good golfers came through. In 1997 the team won the regular season trophy by going undefeated at 9–0. In the 2000 season the team advanced to the state tournament for the first time in 28 years. The team’s success has been a rewarding experience. I hope it continues as long as I share my enthusiasm and respect for the game with the players I coach.
Steve Schmitter, Floyd E. Kellam High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia
YOU, THE COACH
More than once, golf programs have been sparked by a single person who knew the value of golf and wanted young players to experience the game. You could be one of those people! Gifted and talented athletes do not make your job any easier. They can elevate your program to a winning level and inspire other team members to excel. Nevertheless, your motivation must still unite and lead these players, gifted or not. Even with all the talent in the world, a young player can never rise to a winning level without the motivation that you provide as a coach, leader, counselor, and caring friend.
Talk with coaches who are conducting successful golf programs in your area. Attend clinics and seminars given by local golf professionals. Solicit help from area golf professionals. Improve your own playing skills to set an example for your students.
Players such as Tiger Woods have made golf a “cool” sport.
MOTIVATED BOYS AND GIRLS
Motivating players is the easiest element. The sport itself does the job. Golf is no longer a game for just a few. It is now “cool” to play golf. One million new golfers take up the game every year. Attracting boys and girls is now a simple matter of posting the dates of tryouts.
Invite students to a pizza party that includes a presentation of The Spirit of the Game, a video produced by the United States Golf Association (USGA). Encourage juniors to attend a clinic conducted by a local golf professional.
Ask students who are interested in being on the team to fill out a survey like the one shown in figure 3.1. This information will help you choose your players, assess their experience in the game, and plan your program. Once you have chosen your team, ask members to fill out a more detailed survey like the one shown in figure 3.2. This information will help you plan practices, schedule tournaments, and make contact with parents.
Team Bonding off the Course
I begin every season with a pizza party at my house to get the team together in a fun and sociable atmosphere. During the year I schedule one “surprise” day for the team in place of our usual practice. I teach at a boarding school, so the surprise day is a great way to get my players out of the dorms and to help them bond as a team. This day is listed on the practice schedule, but the players never know what to expect. I have taken past teams to tour local golf manufacturing companies (Callaway and Zevo) or to play in a miniature golf tournament at a local family fun center. The key is doing something together and getting everyone’s mind away from the golf course.
Tom Bloomquist, Army and Navy Academy, Carlsbad, California
Once you select your travel team and taxi squad, you will spot those boys and girls who really want to excel. You’ll probably find that they already take lessons from local golf professionals and have been playing the game for a few years. These young golfers want to be exposed to golf at the next level. Be sure to discuss university and college scholarship opportunities with these boys and girls and their parents. As you deal with these advanced players, however, take care not to overlook a diamond in the rough: a player who has just begun and only needs a little coaching to shine.
Stress academics to your players along with playing skills. Help students see how the discipline required to play golf well translates into other areas of life such as school work. Encourage your players to seek golf scholarships. Push them to practice at a high level for future competition. Talk with them about their long-term life goals and encourage their interests.
Different golfers are motivated by different things.
WHAT MOTIVATES WHOM?
In the introduction to this book, I mentioned that I went to college on a baseball scholarship. I ended up playing golf instead even after two grueling years of baseball training. At age 20 my motivation for playing golf was that I felt I could excel more at golf than at baseball. This reality set in when Tommy John (left-handed pitcher for the 1965–73 Chicago White Sox) once practiced with my college team. Until that day, I had always been a good hitter. I went 0 for 4 against Mr. John, barely seeing the ball pass over the plate, and realized that Big League success in baseball was no longer within my grasp.
As an athlete, I had been successful my entire life up to that point. When the possibility of success was no longer in the picture, my motivation was squashed. Within a few weeks I realized I could play golf for the rest of my life. I was having success and was newly motivated by that success.
Motivation, like team members, comes in many different packages. I have met golfers who are motivated by association with their peers, by playing golf in spectacular settings, or by being able to beat their own previous scores. Although many of your boys and girls will be motivated by the sense of winning, beating their opponents, or becoming number one, as a coach you must determine each player’s true source of motivation and appeal to that need.
