When to quit other sports for golf

We've run across a couple of instances, reading or hearing college golf coaches mention that they'd prefer to have players who play other sports, in addition to golf.

One evening not long ago, Sean was talking about the workouts his classmates were doing and announced that he was thinking about going to his high school's football team spring drills the next morning.

At 6 am.

He's pretty athletic looking, and at 6'1" and about 175 lbs, has the size and strength package his high school football coaches desperately want.

I asked, "Did you have a conversation today with one of the football coaches?"

"Not really."

"Do you want to play football next year?"

"I dunno."

Then I asked, "Well, do you like to play football."

"Not really."

"Is it because you think playing football will help get you recruited by college golf coaches?"

"Yessir."

The approach we've taken since Sean was a little kid was to let him play the sports that he wanted to play, and never force him to play a sport he didn't want to play. I learned that from my own Dad.

As his passion for golf grew, and with it his dream of playing at an elite level, I could see the time might come when Sean would like have to make a choice between golf and another sport. And that decision came this spring, when Sean made his final decision to try out for golf, and not to play baseball for the first time in maybe 10 years.

It has been a good call. In fact, a spectacularly good decision. His golf game has improved tremendously this spring. In just a few months he's gone from a 4 handicap to scratch. All but a few rounds, whether tournament or practice rounds, have been scored in the 70s.

For the first time, he won't start his summer golf season trying to catch up, or even have to fit tournament golf around a heavy baseball schedule. Focusing on the one sport has helped him really improve his golf game, and if things stay as they are now, he'll be rolling into his summer tournament schedule with a lot of confidence.

I can fully understand why college golf coaches like the idea multi-sport athletes. Playing other sports testifies to greater athleticism, to learning how to deal with a coach and a team environment. It makes a lot of sense for a golf coach. But not always for a player.

But in Sean's case it really wasn't a difficult decision for him, or hard for me to guide him. He knew the time had come, and that it was the right call. Golf is where his passion now lies. He's having as much fun working on his golf game as he did throwing a knuckle curve ball for a strike on a 3-2 count, or banging a hard grounder up the middle for a 2 run single!

And it sure as hell beats football drills.