Growth, Mindset, and Junior Golf Development with Maggie Simons

Operation 36

What turns a talented junior into a lifelong golfer?

In this episode of The Golf Sit Down, we chat with Maggie Simons, PGA, Director of Instruction at The Oregon Golf Club, former Division I player at Wake Forest, and one of the earliest champions of Operation 36. Maggie opens up about her path from the Ledbetter academy to college golf, her stint on the Epson Tour, what truly matters in long-term development, and how to build an environment where juniors (and their parents!) can thrive.

What You’ll Hear About:

We dive into:

Long-term development done right: multi-sport roots, growth spurts, and why “perfect swings” can wait.
Mindset and emotions: body language, a mental toolbox, and preparing for adversity.
Competition & college: when to start tournaments, what coaches really notice—and the role parents play.
Culture & coaching: designing fun, welcoming programs (especially for women) that produce real improvement.

No matter where your child is on their golf journey, this episode will help you support them with clarity and purpose.

“Please let your kids play other sports. The motor skills, body awareness, and teamwork they gain will only help their golf later. Early specialization might look good for a while, but rarely works out in the long run.” — Maggie Simmons

Growth, Patience, and Multi-Sport Roots

Maggie encourages juniors to play multiple sports, especially before puberty, to develop balance, coordination, and adaptability. Growth spurts will temporarily disrupt swings—kids may look like “baby giraffes”—but patience and perspective carry them through.

Competition: Tests, Not Verdicts

Tournaments reveal truth, but only if players and parents treat them as learning opportunities. Maggie reminds families that higher scores are normal in competition, and juniors should use stats to identify growth areas instead of attaching emotion to results.

Coaching What Matters

Maggie’s approach blends fun with improvement. She believes every swing change has two steps—fixing the fault and unwinding the compensation—and makes sure players feel safe to fail. Her programs are designed to make golf welcoming, especially for women and true beginners. Building a culture of joy, community, and perspective ensures players keep coming back for life.

Maggie reminds juniors and parents that golf is what you do, not who you are. “I won’t love you more for 65—or less for 137.”

Key Takeaways

For Coaches:

Delay deep mechanics pre-puberty; revisit once bodies stabilize.
Coach the whole person: body language, reset cues, and adversity planning.
Design for weaknesses: build practices that attack the lowest-skill area first.
Normalize variance: teach expected score ranges to reduce emotional whiplash.
Make it welcoming: remove friction (signage, first-time checklists), especially for women and true beginners.

For Parents: