The most important thing that I need to exercise as I coach another youth sports team this season is patience! I have coached many sports in my life, including baseball, lacrosse, soccer, hockey and golf. With young kids, I need to exercise patience and keep it simple, using positive reinforcement, and above all, to be a role model. And I find with high school kids, the same skills, patience and approach are also needed. Golf is a game of power and precision. Every shot is like trying to score a goal from your own defensive end, with every other one of the 11 players in front of you at the time.
Ultimately, I hope to not only teach the kids to be better athletes and help them develop their skills, but to also be a positive influence and a role model to help them become better team mates, better sportsmen and sportswomen, and in the end, better people. If I accomplish this, I will count myself a good coach and a good person who has achieved his goal.
Words and photo, copyright 2014 by Eddie Edwards.