Tour Pros Miss Half Their 8-Footers. Your Kid Will Too.

Golf Digest Best in State teacher Jeff Isler shares the advice he wishes every golf parent and junior golfer heard.

In this clip from Episode 66 of The Golf Parent, Ryan asks Jeff what we haven’t talked about that we should. His answer starts with pressure. Your kids feel it, whether they show it or not. Jeff’s advice to parents: be sensitive to it, keep a healthy distance, and get your advice from experienced coaches, not other parents. Every family goes through junior golf once or twice. Coaches have seen it thousands of times.

For juniors, Jeff shares a line his team uses after a tough round: “That behavior is totally normal. It’s just not helpful.” Getting angry after a three-putt is human. But in a 5-hour round where you only swing the club for about 10 minutes, the habits you build between shots shape how you play.

He closes with expectations. One parent told Jeff their daughter ought to be making all her 8-footers. According to Jeff, tour players make only about 50 to 55% of them. Set expectations that fit where your kid is, treat it as a long-term love affair with the game, and enjoy the ride.

Watch the full episode: youtu.be/mACgxlS86yo

Chapters
0:00 What golf parents need to hear
0:12 Your kids feel the pressure
1:00 Get advice from coaches, not other parents
1:50 “Normal, but not helpful”
2:45 The 8-footer expectation gap
3:32 Trust the coach, trust the process

Learn more about Jeff Isler Golf: jeffislergolf.com

The Golf Parent talks with the best minds in junior golf, including coaches, sport psychologists, tour parents and college recruiters, to find out what it takes to raise great kids on the course and off it.