Erika Larsen

With measured encouragement from his parents, Chris Kirk, center, has soared.

Case Study #1: Start local

Without realistic goals and easygoing parents, Chris Kirk might never have become the No. 2 player in college golf

GARY AND KIM KIRK of Woodstock, Ga., weren't trying to raise a Tour pro. But they might wind up with one anyway. When their son, Chris, was 7, he started playing golf — casually at first, then seriously. He teed it up with his father and took lessons from a local golf instructor. In high school, he got a job at the local course.

"As long as he got straight As, we told him he could stay at the course all day," Kim says.

The Kirks never pushed Chris into top-level junior tournaments. He began by competing on the local circuit. When he won at one level, he moved on to the next. "One of the first things we tell people in junior golf is let your kid play his way up," Kim says. "We kind of learned this by accident but it was the best thing that could have happened. As a result, Chris never wound up playing against competition that was over his head. And we didn't spend time and money flying all over the place."

In 10th grade, Chris claimed first prize in a Southeastern Junior Golf Association event, which earned him an invite to a prestigious American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournament. There, he finished second. Chris never attended a year-round golf academy. He played on his high school team. "Nothing against places like the Leadbetter Academy," Kim says. "We know people who have loved it. But I was kind of adamant about our kids not living away from home. I'm glad it wasn't something he begged us to let him do."

Chris earned a scholarship to the University of Georgia, where he earned first-team All-American honors. He graduates this year as the No. 2-ranked player in college golf, and plans to try his luck at Q-School this fall. "I think the big thing is to just let it be all about them and what they want to do," Kim says. "He loved golf and pursued it passionately. We pretty much just drove the car."

LEAVE THE LESSONS TO THE PROS

Parents should focus on parenting, not swing planes

If you're that guy who hovers over his daughter at the range, imparting your patented swing theories between every shot, here's a word of advice: Stop. "The parent-child relationship isn't set up for that," says Rich Marik, a former junior golf star and captain of the Stanford golf team who's now the national director of instruction for Nike Camps & Schools. "Parents are the support system. They're there to love and nurture. With golf instruction, especially when you get into areas of critique, that can become fraught territory for a parent and child. What's more, instruction is a skill. Anyone can try to teach. But not everyone knows how to do it well."

Case Study #2: Lone star | Case Study #3: Joe Public