Parents in Junior Golf – Coaches Edition

(PART I of II)

Parents are a hot topic among college coaches and can be a huge factor during the recruiting process. The Path Fore Success team had the opportunity to interview Georgia State Head Men’s Golf Coach Chad Wilson and former Georgia State Women’s Golf Coach Cathy Mant and ask them some important questions regarding parents in junior golf. Below are their answers.

What do coaches look for when recruiting?

Chad Wilson – “If a junior golfer is treating their parents badly, then how are they going to treat me? I have definitely passed on recruiting kids because of this. It’s one of the final boxes I like to check before making an official offer to a kid.”

Cathy Mant – “I watched how the golfer treated the parents and how much respect they showed and vice versa. For example if the parents went to give them a drink and they turned the other way or swatted the bottle –  if they treated their parents like that, how are they going to treat me and their teammates? Honestly they would be a cancer on my team and I don’t want that.”

Advice to give to the parents through the recruiting process?

Chad Wilson – “Do not allow your kids scores to impact your relationship with your them. Golf is the hardest game in the world and they WILL have bad days. During those bad days they need to know you are there to support them!”

Cathy Mant – “Make sure parents watch their own body language – kids pick up on it so quickly and that can really positively or negatively effect the junior player. The kid is trying as hard as they can! Positive body language and rewarding the good shots and forgetting the bad shots is my biggest advice. The kid knows what went well and what went wrong. No need to harp on the bad. Let everyone cool down before discussing the round! Parents also need to watch what kind of gear they are wearing on the golf course and use their head! If you are wearing gear from another school and you think we are going to recruit your kid, it’s a complete turn off. I’m marking you off the list because I don’t think we have a chance anymore.”

How should parents handle an official visit with their junior golfer?

Chad Wilson – “At the end of the day, it’s their kid and they could potentially be sending them to your school, so I would imagine there would be some questions that need to be answered. Parents are just as much apart of the recruiting process as the kid, but they certainly need to know it should be the junior golfer’s decision and not their own. At the end of the day, it’s the junior golfer’s college experience.”

Cathy Mant – “If parents are answering the questioning that you are posing to the student-athlete, that’s a big sign. When a question is delivered to the student-athlete, the student-athlete needs to answer it, and then maybe if the parent has something to add – they can. But when parents speak over their child, it first tells me that the parents might be domineering and also tells me that their kid can’t speak up for themselves, and personally as I coach, I want to recruit someone who has some “umph” and takes responsibility.”

Other Notable Quotes:

“Parents are such a big deal – I know some college coaches who put limits on when the parents can see their kids and have told parents to lay off of them and stop harping on the negative things.”

“Some coaches allow the kids to have dinner with the parents one night and the rest of the tournament the coach creates a bubble around his/her team so that the parents don’t get involved too much.”

Thank you for reading! We would also like to take the time to thank Chad Wilson & Cathy Mant for taking the time to sit down with us. Remember, this is just part 1 our series. Make sure you check back soon for part 2. For more posts like this one, check out our blog here: Path Fore Success Blog. You can also follow us on Instagram & Twitter for more!