Originally Posted by
Steven43
I’m not sure what the lesson to be learned from that example is.
I played college tennis, and when an opponent would tell me “great shot” it would boost my confidence a little bit and I would often play even better afterwards — at least that’s how it seemed to me. I don’t know if this would apply to other sports since tennis is a one-on-one sport and not a team sport like basketball.
In golf, players are competing but all are playing against the course. It is standard to say, "Nice shot," if your opponent does something amazing. IMHO, where the H got lost on the 19th hole, taking the camaraderie and sportsmanship out of golf is a wrong move by a coach, but perhaps others have a different opinion.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013