Hitting The Range

Before I go down memory lane, or immerse myself in the emotions of the game, I'll give you something more pragmatic. This is junior golf competition 101 but if you're a novice accidental caddie, this may well save you a lot of aggravation. For starters, the only thing more stressful than watching your kid four putt or hit to an island green, is getting to the driving range late when all the tees are occupied and nobody is looking to give up their space. And then your kid turns to you and expects you to do a Moses-At-The-Red Sea thing and split two tees and make a new one appear, with a pyramid of shiny new Titleists waiting to be whacked, of course. That aint happening. So first, get to the range first and early, no matter what the tournament. Once your junior golfer has loosened up, they can go putt, chip, talk, eat, whatever, but at least you got the tough one out of the way. When you get to the range, unless you had an early tee time and got to the range an hour and a half before, the tees are probably already full. (most of these parents and kids are on junior golf 301 or 401). What to do? Pick out a golfer who is hitting his or her driver and plant yourself behind them. Driver comes last for most warmups, so logic dictates they're almost done. Not foolproof, but pretty close. Then be patient. And polite. Everyone needs some time to go through their routines and your kid will want their time when it's their time. When you checked in for the tournament, it's a good idea to check on the driving range ball situation. Most tournaments provide pre-competition golf balls, but not always. You may need tokens, or need to bring a basket from the pro shop. Find out early, not 15 minutes before tee time when you're kid is having an anxiety attack or giving you one. Depending on the maintenance requirement level of your kid, you can use this time to clean clubs their clubs, buy water and bananas, or work at that second part-time job you'll need to afford your kid pursuing this golf dream in the first place. After negotiating the driving range and getting to the tee 10 minutes ahead with time to chip around, you can breathe a sigh of relief and relax... for a minute or two.