High School golf tryouts - is this expected?

[Greg Kulbick]

That's just unfair. Everyone should be judged based on their performances during the tryouts, NOT past performances. Isn't that what they are doing at the US Olympic trials where your performance on that day matters and not your performance last week or last month? That's just IMHO.

Everyone at the Olympic trials are known quantities, and in the 99.9th percentile as far as ability for their event. Some schmuck off the street can't roll in there thinking he's The Flash and get a shot. Its not like they set up the trials and have a line form at the gate.

 

[Jman]

That's just unfair. Everyone should be judged based on their performances during the tryouts, NOT past performances. Isn't that what they are doing at the US Olympic trials where your performance on that day matters and not your performance last week or last month? That's just IMHO.



My nephew is very well behaved and respectful, and he does not have bad attitude. Let not go there.



Not sure what you meant by that. My nephew beat three other kids who are seniors by at least five strokes. What you're suggesting is scores don't matter.



I complete agree with this post. Golf is sport where the your score is the most important thing. What else is more important than the lowest score? I would like to know.



My nephew is very well behaved and respectful, and he does not have bad attitude. Let not go there.



I get that life is unfair.


Update:

I talked to both my nephew and his mother, my younger sister, early this morning. Another mom of another kid who participated in the tryouts told her that the golf coach told the mom that if a new player who has no history with the team in previous years fails to crack the top 6th (that's the starting lineup), he/she will not make the team. In other words, my nephew needs to beat the top six players or he will not make the team. IMHO, that rule is grossly unfair but it is what it is, I guess.

I have a very long talk with my nephew this morning at my house. He drove over to my house for breakfast before going out to the driving range at 6:30am. I told him that not making the golf team is not his fault and that I will do everything I can to get him better. This is just a bump on the road, just keep working hard and he will be rewarded. I said to him that the best revenge is to be successful. I said to him: Imagine at next year golf tryouts, you beat the best golfer on the team, get selected for the team and you tell the coach "no thank you, I don't want to play on your golf team". That will be the ultimate revenge. Work hard for the next 12 months and you will have your revenge.

I am going to put together a plan to help him become one of the top golfers, if not the best, at next year golf tryouts.

- I am going to convert my garage into a golf place where he can practice everyday,
- I am going to purchase the Trackman 4 with all the features,
- I am going to have him look at by two more golf instructors to make sure he gets the correct instructions,
- Play golf everyday,
- Practice on the same golf course everyday where they hold the tryouts for four months prior to the tryouts,

My sister doesn't have the financial resource to do this but I do and I am going to make this my first and foremost priority in the next 12 months.

Revenge it a terrible word to use there.

 

[golfguy2021]

Revenge it a terrible word to use there.

@Jman: don't you think the rule is unfair that a newcomer has to crack the starting lineup or he/she gets cut from the team? The kid(s) that get cut know that they are better than 50% of the players that are selected for the team.

 

[Scorp]

That's just unfair. Everyone should be judged based on their performances during the tryouts, NOT past performances. Isn't that what they are doing at the US Olympic trials where your performance on that day matters and not your performance last week or last month? That's just IMHO.



My nephew is very well behaved and respectful, and he does not have bad attitude. Let not go there.



Not sure what you meant by that. My nephew beat three other kids who are seniors by at least five strokes. What you're suggesting is scores don't matter.



I complete agree with this post. Golf is sport where the your score is the most important thing. What else is more important than the lowest score? I would like to know.



My nephew is very well behaved and respectful, and he does not have bad attitude. Let not go there.



I get that life is unfair.


Update:

I talked to both my nephew and his mother, my younger sister, early this morning. Another mom of another kid who participated in the tryouts told her that the golf coach told the mom that if a new player who has no history with the team in previous years fails to crack the top 6th (that's the starting lineup), he/she will not make the team. In other words, my nephew needs to beat the top six players or he will not make the team. IMHO, that rule is grossly unfair but it is what it is, I guess.

I have a very long talk with my nephew this morning at my house. He drove over to my house for breakfast before going out to the driving range at 6:30am. I told him that not making the golf team is not his fault and that I will do everything I can to get him better. This is just a bump on the road, just keep working hard and he will be rewarded. I said to him that the best revenge is to be successful. I said to him: Imagine at next year golf tryouts, you beat the best golfer on the team, get selected for the team and you tell the coach "no thank you, I don't want to play on your golf team". That will be the ultimate revenge. Work hard for the next 12 months and you will have your revenge.

I am going to put together a plan to help him become one of the top golfers, if not the best, at next year golf tryouts.

- I am going to convert my garage into a golf place where he can practice everyday,
- I am going to purchase the Trackman 4 with all the features,
- I am going to have him look at by two more golf instructors to make sure he gets the correct instructions,
- Play golf everyday,
- Practice on the same golf course everyday where they hold the tryouts for four months prior to the tryouts,

My sister doesn't have the financial resource to do this but I do and I am going to make this my first and foremost priority in the next 12 months.

I understand the sentiment and it kind of goes with what I said earlier... help your nephew improve so he has a better chance for making the team next year.

A word of caution. You said your nephew is new to golf. Don't push so much golf onto him that he burns out and tires of it. Practice and golfing daily is a lot for a person regardless of age. Too much can make him hate the sport or lose interest in it entirely. No one wants that.

find some tournaments locally that you both can enter and participate in. Get him the experience he's lacking and make sure you both have fun.

 

[smgoldstein]

12 people with the lowest score should make the team, no exception.

The reality is that making a team, any team, getting a job etc. is simply not a quantitative process. Otherwise a monkey would put the team together. There are other factors that go into it. Rudy was certainly not the biggest or fastest or strongest yet he made the team as a newcomer over kids much more athletic. Look at the NFL draft combine clearly the ones with the best data points aren't necessarily the top picks.

 

[Briton G]

That seems suspect to me, Our tryouts were flat-out whoever placed top 6 over the 4 round total was on varsity then everyone else was JV. Our coach would put guys he knew were the better players with the guys that he thought would have a chance to make varsity. This would kind of test their nerves and we could keep an eye on those guys. My senior year we a kid that shot in the high 30's for 3 days then shot 45 or higher with me and my buddy who were 1 & 2 guy, we found out he had been cheating, whether it was knowingly or not we called him out on it and he started out as our 6th man and we made sure to keep an eye on him.

 

[BogeyNSmith]

Our high school had around 16 players tryout last year and the idea was to keep 12. They decided to keep all players and allowed them to rotate on the JV schedule, which gave everyone the opportunity to practice and improve. However, they were given limited buckets on the driving range by the course they practice at and had to split them. They made it work.

We had 2 coaches who shared responsibilities. During tryouts they watched and evaluated each player on the range but had very limited time to watch them during their actual rounds of golf because they were spread out. There was a player that always claimed scores in practice that were questionable compared to their matches. One day the dad told me "There's no way he shoots that low of a score." The player was a senior and was the last player on on varsity, and should have been bumped to JV by a freshman but I completely respected the coaches decision to keep the senior on varsity. Just before conference the freshman got to play a varsity match and made a silly mistake and got DQ'd. Only 4 scored count of the 5 players so no harm. 25 players would be very difficult to track on a course with very limited 1-1 contact.

It would be easy to say "No way that kid shoots that low of a round.

The point being, these are some things coaches deal with every year. What the coaches get to see out of a player matters, not just the scorecard they turn in at the end of a round.

 

[Jman]

@Jman: don't you think the rule is unfair that a newcomer has to crack the starting lineup or he/she gets cut from the team? The kid(s) that get cut know that they are better than 50% of the players that are selected for the team.

Not if it’s the coaches policy and the school/AD are good with it.

Preaching “revenge” fixes nothing.

 

[golfguy2021]

That seems suspect to me, Our tryouts were flat-out whoever placed top 6 over the 4 round total was on varsity then everyone else was JV. Our coach would put guys he knew were the better players with the guys that he thought would have a chance to make varsity. This would kind of test their nerves and we could keep an eye on those guys. My senior year we a kid that shot in the high 30's for 3 days then shot 45 or higher with me and my buddy who were 1 & 2 guy, we found out he had been cheating, whether it was knowingly or not we called him out on it and he started out as our 6th man and we made sure to keep an eye on him.

There is no JV golf at this high school, only COED golf with only 12 players on the varsity roster.

 

[Briton G]

There is no JV golf at this high school, only COED golf with only 12 players on the varsity roster.

Ahh well I am pretty much with you and thinking it should just be about the performance during try-outs. or else what are try-outs for.

 

[DataDude]

You said what I was going to say. Individual sports need weekly "tryouts".

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

My son's tennis team practices all week and on Saturday morning they come in and play matches. Every Saturday you can challenge someone and take their spot. If you're on doubles and you want a single spot. Beat the single player out of it. If you're #2 singles and you want to be #1 beat #1. I like that system.

To the OP's point, why have a tryout that involves playing 3 9's and then not using the scores to choose the squad? I don't understand that.

 

[Jman]

My son's tennis team practices all week and on Saturday morning they come in and play matches. Every Saturday you can challenge someone and take their spot. If you're on doubles and you want a single spot. Beat the single player out of it. If you're #2 singles and you want to be #1 beat #1. I like that system.

To the OP's point, why have a tryout that involves playing 3 9's and then not using the scores to choose the squad? I don't understand that.

Because there can always be more to the story.

It sucks. But if it’s the coaches policy and the school backs it, then it is what it is.

 

[baylrballa]

To the OP's point, why have a tryout that involves playing 3 9's and then not using the scores to choose the squad? I don't understand that.

I'm sure they were used, they just weren't the only consideration.

 

[annsguy]

Let's remember they are kids. They don't have to be locked in on anything at such a young age.My son was a really good high school/AAU basketball player. 6'4. Nice player but not great. After not making a select team he came to me on and decided to stop playing to go into High School debate. Within a year he's a National Champion and that activity got him a full scholarship to Duke. Coach K wasn't knocking on the door for hoops.

 

[ttucliffhanger]

Saw this quote at work this morning and made me think of this situation.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

That being said, you can't change the past, you can only affect the future. If your nephew wants to work harder to make the team next year, good on him, but I would go to say revenge is a bad word to use. Maybe I'm taking it out of context, but teaching a kid revenge isn't a good thing. The overall lesson he should learn here is that life isn't fair and sometimes no matter how hard you work, it won't work out, but that doesn't mean hard work should stop. Keep working hard if it's something you want and eventually things will work out the way they are supposed to. I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason. Maybe it wasn't his year because there were going to be some bad influences on his life within that team. But if he works hard and makes the team and then turns it down, that only hurts him IMHO. If he is truly passionate about the sport and wants to be the best, turning it down may take away an opportunity that could present itself down the road (i.e., scholarships, etc.).

This is just my opinion, not to be taken out of context, but tell him to keep his head up and keep working at it. He will get there. I tried out 2 years in a row and choked both times and I look back and I didn't put in the work. Wish I had and kept trying, but like I said, we can't change the past, we can only affect the future! Best of luck to your nephew!

 

[Jaymo37]

In my opinion the coach has to look at more than just a few 9 hole scores. Do we pick the top 12 golfers for the Ryder cup? And those 12 are ranked based on multiple complete seasons. If the coach has seen those kids play better than they did during the short tryout, and knows those scores were atypical of their normal performance it would make sense in the best interest of the team to bring them in.

 

[Hamfist]

Sooooo, he goes out and practices like a maniac, gets really good, makes the team, and tells the coach he won't play, right? Doesn't that put him right where he is now, not on the team?
I'm getting the impression that this is going to spiral way out of control.
You don't want to tell a kid to get revenge on anyone, you want to tell a kid to make themselves the best they can be, by the sweat of their own work.
THAT is the goal. Not some penny-ante revenge script.

 

[tequila4kapp]

The reality is that making a team, any team, getting a job etc. is simply not a quantitative process. Otherwise a monkey would put the team together. There are other factors that go into it. Rudy was certainly not the biggest or fastest or strongest yet he made the team as a newcomer over kids much more athletic. Look at the NFL draft combine clearly the ones with the best data points aren't necessarily the top picks.

Those sports have some objective measures (height, weight, speed) but are still, at their core, subjective when it comes to evaluating. Golf tryouts are held out to be objective - come do the 3 or 4 day tryout, playing golf against your peers at different locations each day, record your score according to the rules of golf, etc. The better analogy would be the Ryder cup where there are two coaches picks. But there everyone goes into it knowing those are not based on points, that the coach is going to make a choice based on a totality of factors.

 

[tequila4kapp]

In my opinion the coach has to look at more than just a few 9 hole scores. Do we pick the top 12 golfers for the Ryder cup? And those 12 are ranked based on multiple complete seasons. If the coach has seen those kids play better than they did during the short tryout, and knows those scores were atypical of their normal performance it would make sense in the best interest of the team to bring them in.

IMO if coaches are going to do that then the tryouts then the tryouts should be no-cut. Then have the weekly practices determine who plays or travels.

 

[Greg Kulbick]

No, no. I like his plan. Practice all year long so at tryouts next year, he can tell the coach to get bent when he offers him a spot, so the coach will actually feel pretty good about not giving that kid a spot on the team either year.

 

[Daluteh]

Revenge it a terrible word to use there.

Thank you for being you. I'm sure your kids/players enjoy having you around. There are so many better words, satisfaction would be one I would use, doesn't flow as well in the sentence but it works.

Work hard for the next 12 months and you will have your satisfaction. Knowing that you had a goal and achieved it.

 

[annsguy]

Good luck to your nephew. I hope he continues to become a good golfer and enjoys the game for a lifetime, The game itself will teach him a lot of life-lessons.

 

[AndersonRains]

Moral of the story: Life is unfair sometimes. He'll get over it and hopefully is motivated to get even better from it. I'm sure something similar to this story has happened to 99% of the people here at some point in life be it a sports team, a job promotion, etc.

Respond, don't react.

 

[golfguy2021]

No, no. I like his plan. Practice all year long so at tryouts next year, he can tell the coach to get bent when he offers him a spot, so the coach will actually feel pretty good about not giving that kid a spot on the team either year.

High School golf is supposed to be fun and make new friends but the coach takes that away from him.

I told him that he should be holding his head high and proud of what he did, knowing that he is better than the three seniors that are selected to the team.

 

[smgoldstein]

I am going to put together a plan to help him become one of the top golfers, if not the best, at next year golf tryouts.

- I am going to convert my garage into a golf place where he can practice everyday,
- I am going to purchase the Trackman 4 with all the features,
- I am going to have him look at by two more golf instructors to make sure he gets the correct instructions,
- Play golf everyday,
- Practice on the same golf course everyday where they hold the tryouts for four months prior to the tryouts,

Is this what your nephew wants or what you want?