Johnson Wagner is now a pro at watching golf. His day job is analyzing the world’s best golfers as a new member of CBS Sports’ golf broadcast team. When she’s not working, she enjoys watching over her 16-year-old son, Graham. Graham is currently on a promising path to college golf.
There is one important difference. Broadcaster Wagner has been praised for his unique and creative responses to tournament golf. His success as a father watching over Graham lies in knowing when not to react at all.
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“I think the last thing a golfer, no matter how old they are, even on tour, is for their parents to look down after they hit a bad shot. The kids see that,” Wagner said as a guest on the Golf IQ Podcast. “The parent’s body language is going to be transferred to the child, and it’s going to be, ‘Oh, mom or dad is disappointed in me because I hit a bad shot. Now this is me being disappointed in myself.'”
In the second episode of his Golf Dad series, Wagner explains how his approach with Graham was influenced by his own experiences in junior golf. In that experience, his parents worked hard to hide their emotions as they watched Johnson play, no matter what they were going through inside.
“I remember my mom and dad always being on the green when I was playing,” Wagner said. “They told me that if the shot was a little long or if it was a good shot, there would be a nice round of applause. But they didn’t have the emotions rising and falling wildly during a round of golf. So I try to do that.”
It may sound simple, but many parents are aware of this trap. You love golf, you love your kids, and you want to spare them the disappointment and heartache that golf brings. But Wagner recognizes that this is impossible. Golf is difficult and disappointments are inevitable. Wagner’s advice is not to become apathetic, but to help parents manage their own emotions as well as their children can manage their own.
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“You can’t show it outwardly,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking and nerve-wracking to see them make mistakes. It’s really hard to watch, but also exhilarating at the same time, because you just want them to play well for themselves. They just can’t do that… They just can’t show it.”
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The full interview is rich with insight and advice from one of golf broadcasting’s rising stars, with Wagner explaining how his unique position in the game often serves Graham well and where he prefers to step back so his son can find his own part.
Listen to the full interview below and check out last week’s interview with Ian Poulter.
