Padraig Harrington played alongside his son, Ciaran, at the PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and there, the three-time Major winner had some incredible advice for anyone hoping to encourage their own children to take up the game.
The Irishman was interviewed on the Golf Channel at the family-friendly tournament and, in a three-minute answer on the subject, began by emphasising the importance of introducing children to the game in a stress-free environment.
He said: “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.”
Harrington then explained why it's vital for kids to explore the game in their own ways. He continued: “Let them do what they like when they’re there. Have a bit of fun. If they want to hit one shot, two shots, 10 shots, playing the bunker, look at the water or whatever they want to do, let them do, and generally, bring them home before they get tired.
Padraig Harrington suggests a stress-free environment is the best way for young players to learn to love golf and improve their skills. ⛳ @padraig_h 📺: @PNCchampionship Round 1 live on @peacock Saturday at 8:15 AM ET pic.twitter.com/2K1mxtiXyfDecember 15, 2023
"So the best thing you can do with a kid early on in golf is say: ’Hey, we have to go home,’ and don’t wait to get tired and hate it. Wait till when they’re actually enjoying themselves, go home.”
The 52-year-old was far from finished there, and explained why creating positive associations with the game can have far-reaching implications. He said: “When you’re finished, take 10 minutes to spend with your son or daughter and go and have a Coke, a Pepsi this week. Go and have a Pepsi in the bar, wherever it is, and sit there, have an ice cream, and spend 10, 15 minutes.
"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’ll remember the 15 minutes they had with their father or mother and that’s what keeps bringing them back to golf.
"It’s a long career, and every time they play golf it’s bringing that happy memory of when they were a kid and they just got a bit of alone time, a bit of quiet time, a bit of big boy time, you know, where they’re sitting there in the clubhouse and enjoying it, so it’s very important, stress-free environment. Don’t bring them to the nice country club. That’s no use, that makes them soft anyway.”
Harrington was also keen to stress that developing a love for the game is more important than becoming good at it, at least to begin with. He said: “If your kid gets good at the game that doesn’t necessarily make them love the game. If you kid loves the game it’s likely they’ll become good.
"The love should be first, and it’s even more important to get a love for the game because we all know you plateau when you play golf. There’s many plateaus where it really gets frustrating, and if you don’t love it, those plateaus are going to stop you playing, you’re going to give up, whereas if you love it, you will go through anything.
“So, try and get the love of the game for the kids first. They’ll figure out how to play great golf. Kids are brilliant, they’ll figure it out. You don’t need to be teaching your kids how to play golf, you need to be ensuring that they’re in an environment that they just love the game, and then they’ll start asking questions.”
If you're wondering what to buy for a loved one over the holidays, check out our 19 Top Christmas Gifts For Golfers.
