Raising Golfers Podcast

This episode kicks of Season 2 of the Raising Golfers Podcast where Neil Plimmer interviews Travis Howser on his take of raising golfers. In this episode you will hear Travis' golf journey and how he got where he is today as a player, parent and golf coach. Throughout this episode both Neil and Travis will share actionable tips summarizing wisdom and important points guests have shared on the episode. We will also discuss how the idea for the podcast came about and Travis will reflect on season 1, what he has learned, what he enjoyed most and what he is most thankful for. 

Season 2 is going to a great addition to this podcast where we will have professional player's parents come on the podcast, dive deeper into group discussion topics that we adults can all relate to and get more researchers to come on the show. There is a lot to look forward to in 2021 and Season 2 of the Raising Golfers Podcast! 

Discussion Timeline:

• How Travis’ golf journey began (4:10)

The power of a positive environment and community can be huge for your success in anything and I have found so to be the same in junior golf. From my experience it is one of those things that may not be tangible, and often is over looked, blinded by the nice practice facility you may go to, or the technology used in lessons or even the quality of your coaches 1-1 lessons. The environment holds so much value towards child development and yet it gets lost and forgotten about. 

I have seen the difference between junior golf programs first hand. I've been involved in the ones that flourish, where kids are continuously successful in their own ways, parents are happy to be involved and everyone appreciates calling that community home. I've seen the other side as well, the one where on the surface, it looks like the learning environment has it all, from the tech to the practice area, yet a lacked in environment, community, culture that keep junior golfers wanting to come back, stay, play and turn new friends into family. 

The point of this discussion with Neil Plimmer is for us to help you see through all the noise, to see how important putting your junior in the right environment really is. I've been blinded by it all and had to do a lot of reflection to really see through it, and hope this helps you jump through it all faster than I did.  

Discussion Timeline:

• Where this episode idea came from (1:54)

Show Links:

The All Blacks Rugby Team

Self Determination Theory

Alexis Hayes shares her story about going through the ups and downs of golf, going full circle from loving the game, quitting, playing college golf and loving the game even more now. Alexis started golf at a very young age with positive influence from her parents, proved her coaches wrong and got onto a college golf team, playing 4 years at Sonoma State. She tells us her story that I think will be so relatable for many of you listening.

Golf gives us so many life skills and I think some Alexis shares exactly how great this game really is for the development of us in life. 

Discussion Timeline:

• Alexis’ start in the game of golf (2:25)

Show Links:

Follow Alexis on Instagram

Sonoma State Player Profile

This episode is part of the Raising Golfers ‘Parent Stories,’ where David and Jennifer McLaren share their experience as parents raising their son Liam in the game of golf! Liam is a 9 year old boy from Ontario, Canada. He has played golf since he was 18 months old and still loves everything about the game. He regularly competes in local tournaments and has big dreams for his future! His favorite players are Rory Mcilroy and Bubba Watson. 

David and Jennifer share conversations they have had with their son over winning and losing, the feelings and emotions they feel during competition, and how important it is for their son to not be someone else but just to be Liam! Jennifer talks about wisdom she learned from her mother growing up and how she has passed that on to her son. This is a great conversation many parents currently raising golfers can relate to!

Discussion Timeline:

• David and Jennifer’s introduction (2:55)

Show Links: 

Follow Liam on Instagram 

Rory's 10 Rules for Success

Winning is often linked with competition and who comes first. And for sure we can understand that winning may be important to adults, elite players, and those that have invested time and money into their goals. Everyone has different experiences of winning and will have a different viewpoint.

In this episode Neil Plimmer, founder of JOLF, and I discuss the hot topic of winning in junior golf. We discuss our own opinions on winning, and dive deep into some of the potential pros and cons of winning for junior golfers. Neil and I reference other relatable topics such as olympic athletes, education in schools and different types of reward systems. 

This is a fantastic conversation that is full of our opinions, research found and actionable tips for you, the listeners to implement in raising golfers. We would love to hear your opinions and feedback on this topic so please reach out to both of us and let us know your thoughts.

Discussion Timeline:

• Introduction to the topic of winning (1:32)

Show links: 

Winning vs. Development Article

Winning?!?! - JOLF Man Blog

In this episode Shreyas Yadav a young amateur golfer from a rural village in India shares his humbling journey in the game of golf! He has overcome adversity in the sense that he does not have any golf course or practice facility remotely close to his village. So what does he do? He walks twice a day to an animal grazing field 1.5 kilometers away to practice the game he loves so much. 

The last time he played a round of golf was a year ago and even when he does play, he can play! He usually shots under 80 with his best round of 71 (-1) beating a local professional. Although he has been told by many that he should stop playing golf and just focus more on education, he still has big dreams to play professional golf. He has maintained an extremely positive outlook on life and that has carried over to his golf game. He recently wrote a book called "Triangle of Life" which shares his advice on how to have such a positive outlook on life! 

This is a heartwarming story that you don't want to miss! 

Discussion Timeline:

• Where are you from and what golf in India is like (2:30)

Show Links:

Follow Shreyas on Instagram

Triangle of Life - On Amazaon

In this episode Richard Franklin, founder of DiscoverGolf discusses the crossroad that junior golf is at. He says there is one way points to MORE DATA, MORE COMPARISONS, LEVELS , TESTING. The other points to focus more on junior golfer's EMOTION, EXPERIENCE, and PLAY. He also talks about the psychology of learning and what we need to understand to best support kids growing up through the game of golf.

Richard Franklin is on a mission to use technology and gameful thinking to synthesize a lifetime of playing and coaching experiences into a program design that irreversibly changes junior golf. When he is not coaching and testing new DiscoverGolf concepts at his home facility in Lake Forest, IL Richard can be found travelling the world educating fellow junior golf professionals. 

His gamified junior golf training program is built from a “play to learn“ coaching philosophy that will inspire your junior athlete to earn points, set and achieve goals, collaborate with friends on “game quests”, evaluate their coach produced swing lessons and “level up“ their golf games!

Discussion Timeline:

• Richard’s journey coaching golf (3:13)

Show Links: 

DiscoverGolf

Follow DiscoverGolf on Instagram

Follow DiscoverGolf on Facebook

In this episode with Euan McIntyre, author of Gregor the Golf Ball, we discuss the emotions and experiences junior golfers go through. It is hard to fully understand exactly what a child is thinking or experiencing when introduced to the game of golf, but we as adults have to do our best to try to understand how they are feeling. 

We discuss a variety of topics and Euan relates these emotions and experiences to those of the characters in his book, Gregor the Golf Ball. The book says "There are a lot of ups and downs in a round of golf, especially if you are a golf ball." He put together a fantastic book for children to help them related to characters in a story.  

Discussion Timeline:

• How did the idea of Gregor the Golf ball come about? (1:58)

Show Links: 

Purchase Gregor the Golf Ball via Paypal

Purchase Gregor the Golf Ball via Amazon

Golf Cubs Race to 18 Board Game

In this episode, Nicole Katz, single mother of Asher Katz shares her experience raising Asher in the game of golf. She has seen it all, the good, bad and ugly of junior golf and feels that she and her son have grown a lot through this journey. Nicole has done a lot of reflection along the way and continuously adjusted what she has said and done with her son to make his experience in golf a positive one that will hopefully last a life time!

Although results aren't everything, Asher has had 12 wins this year and a number of top fives. Last year he had a hole-in-one caught on video from his mom that went viral on social media around the world! He attends a full time golf school at The Golf Performance Center in Ridgefield, Connecticut and really taken ownership of his own game. 

Discussion Timeline:

• Nicole’s golf game (2:10)

Show Links: 

Follow Asher's journey on Instagram

Hole-in-One Heard Around the World!

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-only-thing-better-than-this-kid-making-a-hole-in-one-is-his-moms-reaction

Asher Katz interview on The Perfect Par Podcast

In this episode, David Emerick, PGA member since 1988 and I discuss many topics related to junior golf. He is based in sunny San Diego, California at the famous Goat Hill Park. David has many ideas on how to make golf fun, affordable and competitive which we discuss together. His vast experience and deep roots in the game of golf has given David a clear vision for junior golf in his area. David's whole life is golf, he even lives just next to the 18th hole of Goat Hill and commutes to work by golf cart. 

David has had a positive influence on many junior golfers in the San Diego area through his instruction, North Country Junior Golf Association and affiliation with Goat Hill. He is a two time Golf Digest Top 50 Teacher in California and been the San Diego PGA Teacher of the Year. 

• David’s involvement in golf (7:06)

Show links: 

http://emerickgolf.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lH61x0rgFk&feature=youtu.be

https://www.goathillpark.com/

OGILVY DUNKS AN ACE TO WIN THE WISHBONE BRAWL ON THE PLAYOFF HOLE