I've spent more than two decades working with young athletes. I've watched five-year-olds pick up a club for the first time and fall in love with the feeling of a good swing. I've seen fifteen-year-olds with all the talent in the world walk away from the game because somewhere along the way, it stopped being fun, stopped being theirs.
And more and more, the parents I work with - and many coaches out there - are asking the same question, not about grip pressure or swing mechanics, but about the bigger picture:
“Are we doing this right?”
I see it at my golf lessons. I hear it from the parking lot after tournaments. It echoes from parents who are motivated to do everything they can for their kids and still feel like they're falling behind.
Here's what I've come to believe: the system most of us currently operate in wasn't designed to develop athletes or young people. It was designed to showcase their success, early and often. At the expense of the very things that make an athlete durable: movement quality, confidence, resilience and a love for the games they play.
That's the tension I see every day. And - it's why we're building this.
The EDGE Playbook is a weekly newsletter for parents and coaches who want to develop their kids the right way, not the fast way. It's built around a framework we call E.D.G.E.:
Environment — the culture, expectations, and emotional climate you create around your child. Development doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens in the car ride home, in how you respond to a bad round, in what you choose to celebrate and, as importantly, what you decide to let go.
Development — building real foundational skills rooted in the training of fluid, stable and coordinated movements, not just sport-specific technique stacked on top of a body that isn't ready for it.
Growth — allowing progression to happen through challenge, curiosity, and consistency. Not forcing it through more reps, more tournaments, more pressure.
Execution — the ability to perform with confidence, to one's potential when it matters. This is what every parent wants to see. But it's the last piece, not the first. You can't skip to it. You earn it through everything that comes before.
Most of the youth sports world skips straight to Execution and wonders why kids plateau, burn out, or quit. The EDGE Playbook is about building the foundation that makes Execution sustainable and enjoyable.
Each week, here's what you'll find in your inbox:
The Development Brief - A deep look at one idea that matters right now in youth athletics. We pull from the latest research, coaching frameworks, and what we're seeing on the ground. Not academic. Not fluff. Just clear thinking about what actually drives long-term development.
On The Field - Practical content you can use. Games, drills, exercises and challenges. Things your kid can do in the backyard, local park or on the fields that they play. A pathway toward greater engagement, a love of play and the building of real athleticism, not just highlight-reel tricks.
The Mental Game - The piece most people skip. Confidence, focus, nerves, bouncing back from failure. Mental skills aren't a luxury for elite athletes. They're foundational for anyone who wants to succeed both on and off the playing field. It's the glue that keeps it all together.
Parents Edge Playbook - The "P.E.P. Talk" is for you. How you can support without pressuring. When to lean in and when to step back. What the best research and leading voices in the space are actually saying about raising a young athlete.
We're not building this because we have all the answers. We're building it because after years of coaching thousands of kids, we know the questions that matter, we know most parents aren't getting help with them, and we care deeply about supporting the next generation.
The real edge isn't doing more than everyone else. It's understanding what actually matters, and having the patience to commit to it.
That's what we're building here. One week at a time.
We're glad you're along for it.
Josh Alpert
Founder, Good Swings Happen
Junior Golf Director, FlowCode
SCPGA Coach of the Year (2023) & Youth Player Development Award (2018)
California Golf Teaching & Coaching Hall of Fame (2024)
This newsletter grows by Word of Mouth. Please forward to a parent who’d find it useful.
