“It’s the love that should be first” - Padraig Harrington imparts parenting advice while playing alongside son Ciaran

Padraig Harrington and his son Ciaran showed up on the PNC Championship green last weekend. The event is full of parents and their children, both of whom are pretty talented and form a good duo. That's not the case for every parent who enjoys or plays golf at any level, though.

Harrington knows that, and the appreciation he and his son share for the sport is not common. With that in mind, the Irishman offered plenty of advice on parenting with a golf lens.

Harrington put it simply via Dylan Dethier on X (formerly Twitter):

"If your kid gets good at the game that doesn’t necessarily make them love the game. But if the kid loves the game, it’s likely they’ll become good at it. It’s the love that should be first."

Being good at a sport doesn't equate to loving it, just as being good at anything doesn't ensure that it's enjoyable. If it is, then the love will often come later.

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Padraig Harrington shows he can parent as well as play golf

Padraig Harrington is a successful golfer, having won three Majors over his illustrious career. Along with that, he's showing that he has good parenting skills, and the two came together this weekend at PNC.

Padraig Harrington and his son Ciaran

Many might be wondering how they can convince their kids to enjoy golf, which is often considered an older person's sport. Harrington has plenty of advice on the subject.

He advised parents to keep the golf in a stress-free situation, for the parent even more so than the child (via Golf.com):

“Kids pick up on that. Let them do what they like when they’re there, have a bit of fun if they want to hit one shot, two shots, 10 shots, play in the bunker, look in the water, or whatever they wanna do, let them do, and generally bring them home before they get tired."

Harrington didn't come in first place at the PNC Championship, but that didn't stop him and his son from having a good time. Much of that boils down to a love of the game.

He added that it's vital to let them quit playing on a given day before they get tired of it on their own:

“Wait till when they’re actually enjoying themselves, go home. And the last thing I would say, and this has nothing to do with being a competitive player, It’s about the love of the game."

The next part is pretty vital. Harrington believes that the post-golf outing is just as important. He advised players just to take "10 minutes to spend" with their children, having a soda or whatever else.

“Because if they have that 15 minutes alone time with you just, you and them, for the rest of their life, every time they play golf, they remember the 15 minutes they had with their father or mother, and that’s what would keep bringing them back to golf for the next day.”

This can pay massive dividends from Harrington's perspective.