In The End...

What really matters?

Shoot lower scores.

You'd be surprised how much effort some families put into trying to do anything but that. More than once I have said "save your money and pay for good lessons and to practice at good courses". Some families are disappointed too when they invest in some recruiting service to place their child in a program when that money could have been better used in paying for instruction.

Another point I try to make is for parents to stop deluding themselves about how good their player is. It often puzzles me why players are paying to be in tournament when they cannot break 90. It makes sense the first couple of times to let the player know what it takes but after that it is pointless. Setting goals is important and if the player cannot consistently break 85 (90 for girls) on their home course with an adult present, then entering tournaments is not likely to improve on that. You can improve at home and the decision to "take the game on the road" should be made after the attainment of some very specific goals.

Yes, scoring does matter. It's always the first thing a coach wants to know and it's the first thing people ask - "What did you shoot?" There is no getting around it.