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Balancing Parenthood and Golf

bsbmike5

bsbmike5

2024 Victory Cup with Mizuno #TeamVosh
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I'm a relatively new dad (1 year old at home). Last year was brutal when it came to golf. I never got to practice, and would routinely go 6-8 weeks between touching a club. Granted, I based a lot of my playing around amateur competition, but I didn't feel like I had any prep going into those events.

Now that life is a little more under control and I have a different job with some more freedom, my golfing routine has started to improve. We have an outdoor and indoor range within 10 minutes of my office and luckily my boss is cool with me extending lunch a little bit to get some work in.

My question to the new and seasoned parents out there is what are some tips or things you did to help keep your golf game sharp (and playing a decent amount!) while balancing the parenthood life?
 
Personally, I was (& still am) never a big practice golfer (I wish I was) so that never changed when I had my daughter.

Now that she's at an age that she can actually play I do get to have so much fun taking her with me to the practice green to chip and putt to get her into the game & hopefully have her develop and live the game at a much earlier age than me and be waaaaay better at it than I ever will be.
 
I’d like to follow along as I expect to be in this boat in the relatively near future. My wife says she wants to make sure I’m still able to golf at least once a week but not sure how much of that will be in our control
 
A lot of indoor putting, for one. Putting mats become your friend real quick.

Maximize your practice when you can, as best you can. For me, if I can hit my wedges well contact wise, I can hit my irons well. Maybe grab 5i and toss it in there as well.

If I can hit 3w off the deck well, my low point control is solid, I bet my driver swing is and will be just fine just the same.

Good luck on short game, that’s where your time management really comes down to how well the rest of the session went.
 
I can only speak for myself but having 1 kid was a major whirlwind of a life change, lack of sleep is one thing people say buy you don't fully understand what they mean until you actually go through it for real so if by some chance you can get out to practice take the opportunity.

However, if you can give the chance to have you wife take longer breaks to rest and recuperate that will mean more than anything and give you more time with your child 1 on 1.
 
I wasn't playing golf when the kids were that age (my son was in HS when he dragged me out to the course, lol). But I had to cut back on the activities I loved. It's part of the deal.

The only advice I can offer is the time when they're little goes by fast... like really fast. Cherish it. I wouldn't have traded the time I spent with my kids at that age for anything. Do what you can to play and practice as much as you can now, knowing it won't be long until things get back closer to what they were before.
 
I think the important part to remember is golf will be with you for the rest of your life, your children will only be young and impressionable for about 10 years each. For those ten years you definitely want to err on the side of keeping your dad game sharp rather than your golf game sharp when this is the choice.

This situation is also very spouse and income specific with young families. For me that looked like very minimal golf till the last 5 or 6 years. My daughter is 15 and my son is 18 and my wife and I have a very nice income so there is a lot more golf than when we were daycare and diaper broke as a young couple 17 years ago.
 
I wish I had a perfect answer for you. For me, my routine wasn't interrupted until my first born was about five. From the boys ages of five until HS I played some, and hardly ever practiced.
 
There really isn’t a balance. You have to take the opening you get and accept that is probably it. It gets both harder and easier as the get older. You can potentially take them and get a pass or as they are older and spending time with friends and in school you can go.
 
After having my kids my golf time went way down. Practice pretty much stopped and most of my golf would be a weekend morning during the first tee time so I could be back right when the kids were getting up. My oldest is 12 and he’s taking up golf so I get to go out with him now which is fun.
 
JonMA1 said:
I wasn't playing golf when the kids were that age (my son was in HS when he dragged me out to the course, lol). But I had to cut back on the activities I loved. It's part of the deal.

The only advice I can offer is the time when they're little goes by fast... like really fast. Cherish it. I wouldn't have traded the time I spent with my kids at that age for anything. Do what you can to play and practice as much as you can now, knowing it won't be long until things get back closer to what they were before.
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This.

Golf should be one of the lowest priorities right now. Be there with your kids. Mine are 23 and 18 and it happened in the blink of an eye. I wish I believed everyone when they told me it would happen. It did. I don't regret any time I spent with them instead of being out on a golf course, or in a hockey rink, or out at a concert, etc etc etc.
 
Mine are 6 and almost 4, and there never seems to be time for golf. There is always something with the kids, or the family, that is more important.

As they get older, more time is opening up, or I can do those activities with my son, which is great.

I figure, when I get older, will I think back and wish I had golfed more or spent more time with the kids..... figure I know what the right answer is.
 
Golf time will go down, no question. As others have said, be efficient with your practice time and especially have a goal for each practice session. Lots of putting on a mat.

Best advice though is to give your wife as much personal time as you take for golf. You don’t want her resenting the time you spend by yourself.
 
Yeah unfortunately golf takes a back seat for a bit. Mine are 11 and 8 now so it's a bit easier to get out than it used to be, but I'm still limited in terms of golf time. I do league on Thursday nights and generally get out one of the weekend days but that's about it. Now that they are older though, I can sneak out for an hour and hit the range a bit more often. Or even better they come with me and we all play
 
bsbmike5 said:
I'm a relatively new dad (1 year old at home). Last year was brutal when it came to golf. I never got to practice, and would routinely go 6-8 weeks between touching a club. Granted, I based a lot of my playing around amateur competition, but I didn't feel like I had any prep going into those events.

Now that life is a little more under control and I have a different job with some more freedom, my golfing routine has started to improve. We have an outdoor and indoor range within 10 minutes of my office and luckily my boss is cool with me extending lunch a little bit to get some work in.

My question to the new and seasoned parents out there is what are some tips or things you did to help keep your golf game sharp (and playing a decent amount!) while balancing the parenthood life?
Click to expand...

Do not make golf a priority for the first three years. Just take care of your spouse and make certain she has free time.

From a guy who played too much golf after having children...
 
I’ll add that yes, you want to spend a lot of quality time with your kids. But you also NEED personal time. Maybe only enough for one hour at the range, or nine holes at the course, or a quick jaunt around a par 3. But some personal time. And your wife does too.
 
bsbmike5 said:
I'm a relatively new dad (1 year old at home). Last year was brutal when it came to golf. I never got to practice, and would routinely go 6-8 weeks between touching a club. Granted, I based a lot of my playing around amateur competition, but I didn't feel like I had any prep going into those events.

Now that life is a little more under control and I have a different job with some more freedom, my golfing routine has started to improve. We have an outdoor and indoor range within 10 minutes of my office and luckily my boss is cool with me extending lunch a little bit to get some work in.

My question to the new and seasoned parents out there is what are some tips or things you did to help keep your golf game sharp (and playing a decent amount!) while balancing the parenthood life?
Click to expand...
Sounds all too familiar. Have a 5 year old and 1.5 year old so still in that phase. What helped me was I started squeezing in a lot more 9 hole rounds early morning so I could at least get out and play, but be home by the time the kids are getting ready for the day. I am able to do this more regularly as I’m typically home by 8:30am and doesn’t have an impact on the day. This helps fill in the time between my full rounds that typically only come once every 3-4 weeks. The full 18 typically involves trading kid watching duties with the wife or just paying for a babysitter to come for a few hours so we can both go out and do something. Other than that, I got a pretty simple set up in the garage so I can go practice in the evening after the kids are in bed, even if it’s just for 15 minutes to try and keep the swing going.
 
Im in similar situation and golf is taking a backseat for sure. almost a 3 yr old and a 4 month old.
I try to get out some during the week and hit some balls/play a few holes while the older one is in pre-school.

Weekends, really not playing these days.


I am contemplating a move to a country club that has a child care option while you go out and play.
It is appealing, he would get to play for a few hrs and I would get to golf some, and a better social, pool/fitness scene for whole family.


This would work until he gets in to his own hobbies/interests but it comes with a significant financial cost. I am trying to justify but it is a steep barrier of entry and fees never go down, which is tough to commit to.
 
bsbmike5 said:
I'm a relatively new dad (1 year old at home). Last year was brutal when it came to golf. I never got to practice, and would routinely go 6-8 weeks between touching a club. Granted, I based a lot of my playing around amateur competition, but I didn't feel like I had any prep going into those events.

Now that life is a little more under control and I have a different job with some more freedom, my golfing routine has started to improve. We have an outdoor and indoor range within 10 minutes of my office and luckily my boss is cool with me extending lunch a little bit to get some work in.

My question to the new and seasoned parents out there is what are some tips or things you did to help keep your golf game sharp (and playing a decent amount!) while balancing the parenthood life?
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First off, congrats!

It is certainly a tough balance, and I don't think I have it figured out, especially if you work a lot.

I went through periods where I wasn't playing at all and it's tough. I dropped my club membership a few years ago because I wasn't using it at all.

I rarely play on the weekends; I can't justify being away from the family for half the day. If I do play on the weekends, I take one or two of the boys with me. Taking three at their age (3,6,8) is insanity. Those 9-hole rounds are about them and making sure they have a good time. There may be holes where I don't play or tee off. Now that they are older, we have games and practices so it's not possible on Saturdays. One suggestion for down the road if your child has interest in the game is to find another dad with a child the same age as yours and you all can go play together--my oldest has a friend who plays and is always excited when we get to all go out together.

That's good your boss is understanding, and you can get your practice in during the day and not take away from time with the family. If you have a space and the budget, a simulator to use at the house is a good way to keep swinging.

If and when you are able to get to the course, play 9 or find an early morning tee time or late afternoon that will allow you to play as quickly as possible. Make sure you are offering and making it easy for your wife to have time for herself. Make sure you are dedicating time for just your wife and yourself too--it's easy to get caught up in everything else, so find time for date night or whatever. Someone smarter than me said to never stop dating your spouse.
 
This thread is fitting lol just had my second a week ago. Definitely been a struggle to get out with one and am sure that won’t change for the better having two. Also hasn’t helped being a full time student/spending 60+ hours a week in the hospital. I do graduate in a few months and will have some time between graduation and starting a new job that lend some time to golf. My main plan is trying to make some kind of indoor set up to at least be able to hit some balls without having to leave. Should make the cold winters more bearable too.

I do appreciate the advice to lower priority on golf and focus on the family. It’s crazy how my first is almost three already and knowing that our newborn will be there before we know it. I am quite excited to golf with them someday
 
There really is no balance. My 8 y/o has played 3 sports a year the past 3 years and my wife was working most weekends. I think i played 4 rounds in my groups permanent saturday morning tee time

Now i have a 5 month old and have touched a club 3x since October. Obviously its very difficult to do anything spontaneous during the infant stage so i would recommend asking your wife in advance and then you plan it out accordingly. For me its usually only an hour of indoor sim time.

your best bet is an indoor putting mat or a training aid to mess around with at home when you have minutes of free time


Or you can always just practice your swing in the mirrow or shower and have your wife "accidentally" catch you practice swinging. Then they'll usually say "why dont you take some golf time for yourself." You follow up by saying No no trust me its fine. She'll push you to go. Gotta give them that little reminder
 
JonMA1 said:
I wasn't playing golf when the kids were that age (my son was in HS when he dragged me out to the course, lol). But I had to cut back on the activities I loved. It's part of the deal.

The only advice I can offer is the time when they're little goes by fast... like really fast. Cherish it. I wouldn't have traded the time I spent with my kids at that age for anything. Do what you can to play and practice as much as you can now, knowing it won't be long until things get back closer to what they were before.
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Totally agree! Wouldn't give up those moments right now for anything. All about maximizing my time when I can but he'll always be #1.
 
russtopher said:
This.

Golf should be one of the lowest priorities right now. Be there with your kids. Mine are 23 and 18 and it happened in the blink of an eye. I wish I believed everyone when they told me it would happen. It did. I don't regret any time I spent with them instead of being out on a golf course, or in a hockey rink, or out at a concert, etc etc etc.
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I hear you...my son, wife, family will always be #1...golf will always naturally be a big part of my life, but it won't get in the way of them...goes too fast for sure.
 
Back in the “olden days”, my father played golf every Saturday and Sunday morning and usually one (or more) weekday afternoons all summer long. We had 5 kids growing up during this time from toddlers through high school age. Mom stayed home and took care of the house and us kids. Dad worked hard at his job but I don’t remember him doing any housework or taking care of us kids much. I don’t know how or why my mom tolerated that, but that’s how it was back in the 60’s.
 
Indoor putting and put a hitting mat outside in my yard to be able to at least hit practice balls. Other than that, the kids are now priority in terms of time.

One way I can get out at least once a week most times, is my wife and I switch off on weekend days, so I get Saturday mornings free and she gets Sundays free. I then typically use that for golfing and everyone stays happy.
 
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