As our coverage of the 2023 Valspar Championship from Innisbrook Resort wraps and the PGA Tour’s best move along to their next stop, I field the same few questions from parents contemplating buying tickets to an upcoming golf tournament near them:
How quiet would my kids REALLY have to be during play?
This comes up all the time and, yes, your child must be capable of being quiet when near a competing player. In fact, the caddies will ask (nicely) for quiet and patrons to “please stop moving” if they detect their player’s focus to be impacted by crowd restlessness.
That said, if you have an overly active little one that does not understand an “inside voice”, you can avoid drawing the ire of a protective caddy by simply keeping your distance. As cool as it may seem to stand an inch from Jordan Spieth or Justin Thomas to get a click-worthy picture, your young son or daughter may not selfie-able if they can’t stand still or resist the urge to make noise.
Don’t allow this passing need for quiet stop you, though. My advice would be: find a spot on the course that provides the best mix of your desire to watch the world’s best golfers compete that creates a noise/motion buffer for your kid(s). The older the child, the closer that vantage point could be (ie: the more selfie-able position).
Yes, kids must adhere to the quiet environment while players are lined up to hit. No, this is not overly difficult given how much time exists between shots.
Is there fun stuff for my kids to do in/around the course?
A PGA Tour event typically has plenty to do for the kids – from areas designed only for kids stocked with mini golf, carnival style games, and giveaways, to sponsored tents that welcome kids for a bean bag toss or attempt at holing a short putt for a prize.
There is a ton to do other than golf!
At bare minimum, the grounds of these courses could be viewed as the most open, pristinely manicured park in town for the little ones – great for a picnic lunch, chilling out in the sun, or running aimless during a (quiet-ish) game of tag (after the players pass, of course).
My kid is not a golfer, would he/she enjoy the experience?
We are a sports family, but my kids are not hardcore fans of golf. No matter if they could name the famous players in the field or pay no attention at all, each of my children love attending the Valspar Championship – all for different reasons.
My boys (17, 15, and 10) parked in the “Autograph Zone” to get up close to the pros. Each of my sons came home with multiple golf balls and round-used golf gloves given to them by players who’d stopped to sign fan swag.
Emersyn, my youngest daughter (7), preferred to play mini golf in the “Kids Zone” and shop in the merchandise areas. She may not have even understood that world class golf was taking place a few yards from her plastic putter.
Even your non-golfing kids will enjoy time outdoors with you.
Insider tip: look for opportunities outside of the normal Thursday through Sunday tee times to have your family involved – practice rounds, pro-am events, and other activities open to the public (Valspar hosted a 5k run).
As you can probably guess, I encourage anyone that has the ability to do so, to take your kids to a local PGA Tour stop. The ability to get outside with your little ones far outweighs the minimal times they’ll have to be still and/or silent. In addition, most tournaments offer FREE admission to kids under 15 with a paid adult ticket.
There is no reason to be timid about checking out pro golf with kids. If you feel otherwise, I would likely start “SHHH’ing” you.
