Golf training - Family Stories 11:30, 07/04/2022

PGA Nguyen Dinh Chau

Why do you want your children to pursue golf?

As a golf player and also a coach, I realize that golf is a great career for my children’s future.

When orienting children to go golf, what pressures will parents have?

As a pro golfer, I have many advantages for my children to learn golf. However, besides the advantages, there is also a lot of pressure, in which the biggest pressure is financial and we always have to be closely with the children throughout the training and competition journey.

Only people with the right qualities, physical strength, and personality to follow the golf profession, is that true?

Pro golfers need good physical condition, and have patience - passion, and a spirit of learning to be able to follow the professional golf path. But if you just want to follow the basic golf career, then physical strength doesn't matter.

What is your plan for your children?

Our family has had a thorough preparation plan since they were only 3-4 years old, from eating scientifically with adequate nutrition to accumulating enough money for them to follow the pro golf path.

What is the potential for golf development in Vietnam?

I see that the future of golf in Vietnam is very promising, so we need a lot of golf professionals to manage, operate and teach.

What is the average income of a PGA in Vietnam?

On average, in Vietnam, a teacher with a PGA certificate earns about $5000-15,000/month.

What opportunities will open for children to pursue golf careers?

As I said above, golf is a potential sport in Vietnam, so there will be a lot of opportunities and jobs for pro golfers in this S-shaped country.

Advice for parents who want their children to pursue golf?

Golf is a very good profession for children. So if parents and families can afford it, invest time and money for your children to learn golf if they are really passionate and have talent. 

Golfer Nguyen Huy Tien

Can you share your practical experience in guiding your children to golf?

Since I have a sports background, my first priority is the health of my two children. From a young age, I oriented my children to play sports. It's difficult to predict whether my child will be successful in the sports industry, however, because I have studied and had a passion for golf, so I am determined to let my child learn this sport. One day in 2009, I went to golf practice and brought my two kids with me. Initially, my goal for them was to study and play sports, but when I saw their talent revealed and passion through practice, I gradually oriented them to specialize in the golf path. 

For children, it is very difficult to have a passion for learning golf, even more difficult than teaching golf, so I am more determined to spend more time with my children, allowing them to practice more. That is, after about 3 years of practicing golf with me, I officially oriented my children to a professional and methodical golf path after seeing My and Thang's passion for golf.

I still tell my two children that no matter what you do, whether you're a singer or a politician, the ultimate goal is still towards happiness, but happiness here is being able to do the work you are passionate about and living with your own passion. I analyzed this for my son and fortunately both of them understood so they were very patient and diligent in golf practice.

What lessons have been learned in this process?

In fact, there is a common mentality of parents that is “always have high expectations on your children”, always want to burn the stage and want their children to succeed early. Of course, me too, but since I'm a sportsperson, I understand this. Sports need a long process of forging to conclude, it needs a sequence from low to high, from simple to complex, from amateur to professional, each stage that cannot be rushed. However, the difficulty is how to apply it to children effectively because they still have the burden of school studying and taking exams. It will be quite tiring when the children have to study and practice at the same time. Fortunately, My and Thang both have good awareness and practice very diligently. Studying is also good, so I don't have to worry about it.

Thao My once shared that "Dad is both a teacher and a close friend", so what makes you the ideal father in the eyes of your children?

In fact, it is also one of my duties that I direct, train and discipline my children. In sports, it is difficult to teach children, it is even more difficult for parents to teach their children. I am both a coach and a parent. However, I consider myself to be quite a patient person and I also know the teaching method to get My and Thang today.

Can you share your opinion about the current golf training profession?

Junior golf in Vietnam has only been developing for the past 15 years. From the first generation of Hanoi such as Thai Duong, Duc Pham, Vu Nguyen, Xuan Phu to current faces such as Thao My, Khue Minh, Doan Uy, Anh Minh, Dang Minh… At first, the children mainly learned spontaneously, parents played golf and let their children learn. In 2009, I was in charge of golf in Hanoi and started working from zero. After a period of effort in training and campaigning, Hanoi's youth golf tournament system was formed in 2013 so that the children could have a monthly playing field. Up to now, the children have also competed in more tournament systems from movement, amateur to professional tournaments. Through many years of accompanying young golfers, I realize that the training needs to be structured in a methodical way and have a specific schedule.

In the many years of participating in golf training, what do you enjoy the most?

What makes me most interested is gathering a very uniform, united and organized young golf team. Every summer, the children can go to golf training for 2-3 months in Da Nang or Sam Son, the program costs are sponsored by the golf course. With this approach, many athletes in other localities have seen and wanted to join the team to compete for the Hanoi team. The next interesting thing is that thanks to the right way, Hanoi golf sport has affirmed its position when winning medals at the 2014 and 2018 National Sports Festival.

After My's success at the 2022 Lexus Challenge, will you continue to guide your children in professional golf?

For top-notch sports, mental is very important, and I think only My can overcome this, and Thang has qualities that are more suitable for golf coaching. My and I share the same opinion that we can try our best in an environment that only focuses on training and competition. She also shared with me the desire to play on the European Tour or return to the US to compete in the near future.

Coach Nguyen Thi Thu Ha

Why did you decide to orient both children to golf?

Because I have been doing golf for many years, I like golf, I love golf, so I want my two children to also learn this sport to pass on that passion to them. The second reason is that I see golf going very strongly in the future. Golf is not only a sport but also a very good profession for career guidance. Golf helps people improve themselves. A child himself, if he can play golf well, he has an opportunity to practice patience to apply in real life. Golf is a very selective environment where people play together. Most golfers are cultured people. Therefore, when you put your children in such a good environment, there is no reason why they cannot get better.

Can you share your tips in teaching golf?

Actually, to say the secret is a bit too sublime because for me this view of life is very simple. To teach children, the first thing, you have to really have feelings for them. I have a lot of young students and I always want the best for them. Second, you need to be very patient because children themselves often can't concentrate for long and get bored very quickly. If you are not willing to play with them and learn to improvise, it will be very difficult to get them to obey. Another important factor that people still don't pay attention to is teaching the culture and rules of golf to children. Currently, I have only seen about 50% of parents care about this for their children.

So when applying it to your children, are you afraid of "no man is a hero to his valet"?

I still remember when I started teaching my children, 90% of people told me that "A sharp knife can't cut the handle". Until my children were already doing pretty well, they still told me that sentence and advised "Bring your child to coach A, B, C so that he can teach them". But I always emphasize to my children that "I can do it myself, I can teach you". This is my principle and my children understand me very well, so they never stop trying. In fact, this is a common thing in many families with young children when parents say that their children often do not listen and argue back, so we need to understand to correct ourselves first. Sometimes when I adjust the movements for my child but they can’t do it, I will be the one to let go so that when they are calmer, we will continue to practice. Or when they had to practice a lot, they were very tired, they would sulk and cry; but after all, they still understand that I just want the best for them. At the same time, I have to play many roles, being a mother, a coach, a sponsor, a personal trainer… but the experience of training time with my children is still more important.

Up to now, how do you rate the golf ability of your two children?

Besides the eldest sister Kim Chi, who became a golf coach like me, I can feel that the youngest Yen Vi is not an achievement enthusiast and she plays golf mainly for hobbies and pleasure. Sometimes even me cannot understand why in all these years I can still teach her, who is lazy, doesn't care about achievements at all, but now having handicap 5 while her practice time is not equal to 1/10 of many others. Since she doesn’t have much time on the field, I focus on exercises that help build skills for my child. My aspiration is that Yen Vi can play at handicap 1-2, and after graduating from university, she can participate in many other fields of the golf industry such as golf real estate, golf resort, golf course management.

Do you want to pass on the golf teaching profession to your children?

I think this can't be forced, I will just pass on the profession, and whether they want to learn and apply it to their life or not, that's their predestination. For example, with an older child, with a strong physique and strong body, Kim Chi is suitable as a golf coach, while Yen Vi is more gentle and shy, so it may not be suitable for a teaching profession.