What Makes a Child Love Something
In an on-course interview, three-time golf major champion and Hall of Famer Pádraig Harrington was asked how his son also got into the game of golf.
His answer shares a wonderful insight into the nature of kids, and one I’ll never forget now that I’m a parent too. It applies far beyond just golf.
Here’s his full response, lightly edited, with my own emphasis:
In hindsight, the best way if you want to get your kid into the game of golf is bring them somewhere where you're not stressed. That's very important, kids pick up on that.
Let them do what they like when they're there. Have a bit of fun. If they want to hit one shot, two shots, ten shots, play in the bunker, look in the water, whatever they want to do, let them do.
And generally, bring them home before they get tired. So the best thing you can do with a kid early on in golf is say, “Hey, we have to go home.” Don't wait till they're tired and hate it. Wait till when they're actually enjoying themselves.
The last thing I would say—and this has nothing to do with being a competitive player—it's about the love of the game. When you're finished, take 10 minutes to spend with your son or daughter and go and have a Pepsi in the bar, wherever it is, and sit there, have an ice cream and spend 10-15 minutes.
Because if they have that 15 minutes' alone time with you, just you and them, for the rest of their life, every time they play golf, they remember the 15 minutes they had with their father or mother.
That's what keeps bringing them back to golf.
Last updated: 22 hours, 27 minutes ago