Just Play
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Rankings matter just a little. The true story is elsewhere
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 Over the last couple of years we
have heard a variety of stories and comments
about junior players quitting... yes
quitting... when they think their score or
where they play is going to hurt their
ranking. From parents who coax their children
to quit to players who would rather sit on a
couch than go play, it has become a
distressing chorus. Let's be perfectly
clear. What you shoot is what matters and
since we throw out the poorer scores for
players who get caught in bad weather,
learning to compete in all conditions and/or
against having just played a bad round is what
matters. Everyone watching who knows anything
about the game of junior golf knows that
weather can be a factor and that junior
players have bad days. Learning to deal with
adversity, learning to play against all comers
on all courses, and keeping your game sharp is
what coaches and other observers look for.
They want to see how a player handles
themselves and are far more impressed by
players who bounce back from an 85 than those
who pack their bags and go home. Coaches also
look at rankings as one of the last things in
their final recruiting decision. And
parents... if a coach ever found out you
pulled your child off the course, start
looking elswhere for your child to go to
school. Let's remember that there is always
a golf course to be conquered with the lowest
score you can shoot, that scoring is three
times more important than strength of field,
no one ever got better sitting on a couch, and
this is a game of honesty, integrity, and
discipline. Bravo to the parents and
players that understand that. Those who
don't... we hear tennis needs players. |
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